We landed in San Diego around 10am and after picking up our rental car, drove to Old Town. We visited Old Town San Diego State Historic Park and walked around Old Town. The kids enjoyed visiting the San Diego Sheriff's Museum. They had many interesting displays including a motorcycle that the kids could sit on and turn on the siren. I found my first geocache in the state of California. After leaving Old Town, we headed to Qualcomm Stadium so Garrett could visit the team store of his favorite football team - the San Diego Chargers. He was overwhelmed with joy walking into the store. We went to the Gaslamp Quarter for dinner at a sushi restaurant with our NC cousins.
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| San Diego - Day 1 |
The second day we headed north to Carlsbad to visit Legoland California. It was amazing to see all the things they created out of Legos. The miniature replicas of US and world sites were very impressive. The kids had fun going on rides and looking at everything. Drew even got to perform onstage during a show. We got to the park about an hour after they opened and didn't leave until just before they closed for the day. There is definitely a lot to see. On the way back to the hotel, we got our In and Out Burger fix since we don't visit Southern California very often.
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| San Diego - Day 2 |
On the third day, we visited Sea World. Kelly's sister, Tracey, met us at the park. We watched three shows - Killer whales, dolphins (got soaked), and pets. We fed dolphins (except Garrett didn't want to touch the fish) and touched bat rays. Just before leaving for the day, we went on the Journey to Atlantis ride. Drew and I sat in the front and got absolutely soaked. Garrett thought he was going to throw up and did not enjoy the experience at all. That night, Tracey watched all the kids while the other adults went out to eat. We went to the Gaslamp District again, but went to a very good Italian restaurant this time. The Gaslamp District was a little busier then the other night because Comic-Con had started the day before at the nearby convention center. There were lots of interesting people walking around San Diego during Comic-Con.
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| San Diego - Day 3 |
On Friday, we went shopping at Seaport Village on the water near downtown San Diego. After lunch we went to the USS Midway aircraft carrier just around the corner from Seaport Village. We took an audio tour of the entire ship. I gained even more respect for sailors that serve on carriers. There are many planes and helicopters on display in the flight hangar and the flight deck. We caught the last tour of the day of the island, seeing where the captain, navigator, and flight bosses sit and view the ship. The real tour guides and helpers were veterans, many of them served on the Midway. The kids were very worn out when we finished touring the ship. They got a little nap on the way back to the hotel and then played in the pool with their cousins.
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| San Diego - Day 4 |
Our last day in San Diego, we did some exploring along the coast. Our flight didn't leave until 6pm, so we had most of the day to explore. We drove north of Mission Bay west to Mission Boulevard and La Jolla Boulevard to Torrey Pines Road. We stopped at Torrey Pines Golf Course, home of the 2008 US Open, and visited the pro shop. After leaving the golf course, we headed north to Torrey Pines State Reserve and hiked along a loop trail that took us through some Torrey Pines and out on top of cliffs above the ocean. Leaving the Reserve, we headed south to the Torrey Pines Glider Port and watched paragliders land and take off from the top of a cliff south of the golf course. Our hunger took us back to La Jolla for lunch at the La Jolla Brew House where I enjoyed a couple of locally brewed beers with lunch. After lunch, we walked around La Jolla before heading south back towards Mission Bay before returning the rental car and heading to the airport.
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| San Diego - Day 5 |
We would have loved to stay longer, but I don't think the boys could have handled it. They were very tired and ready to come home. The boys had so much fun; they both talk about what they want to do when we go back to San Diego. Kelly and I had a great time as well, from seeing the sites to spending time with cousins, it was a great trip.
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Listening to: The Killers - Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf
via FoxyTunes
