San Diego
I recently made a trip to San Diego for my dad's wedding. It was great! The weather was warm and sunny every day. The beach was clear. The people were friendly and laid back.
My dad's wedding was at the Museum of Man, where he works. It has a small but pretty church where the ceremony was held. I was the best man, and my sister was the photographer. It was cozy and simple. The bride's daughter was the maid of honor, and a family friend sang. Then we went upstairs for wine and light refreshments SURROUNDED BY ROBOTS, HUMAN SKULLS, AND APE SKELETONS. Yes. That's how we roll. Then down to another level for dinner and dancing among replica Aztec ruins. A lot of my dad's friends were there from the museum, his board game clubs, and a discussion group, as well as one of his old college buddies that I've seen from time to time throughout my life. We all went home at 10:30 because we're old like that.
The San Diego Zoo is fantastic. It blows away the other zoos. It is impossible to enjoy it all in one day, but we did what we could. It was great seeing animals I've never heard of that should have their own listings in the D&D Monstrous Manual. The Bearcat. The Dwarf Mongoose. The Slipspringer. The Singing Dogs (such cute puppies!). There was also a decent animal show with a wolf and a sea lion, similar to...
Sea World! They have this weird promotion where you can buy a ticket that you can use every day until the end of 2009 for the same price as a one-day ticket! So, we went to SW twice on our trip, and can go some more if we're back there next year. They do scan your fingerprints to prevent the transfer of tickets. We had fun in the Soak Zone for the first whale show, but stayed dry for the second. Shamu is not very entertaining anymore. Corky was way better. Went in the shark tunnel twice. The shows are better on the weekends, so it's worth while to go on a weekend even though there are more people. I also got to pet stingrays! They are like slimy labradors! They came right up to get headrubs and give people high-fives! Some were quite large, nearly 4' wingspan. Very fun, and I got $2 bills in my change for parking.
Southwest airlines was great. The fare was decent, especially when you are bringing two pieces of check-in luggage (free), the staff were nice, the snacks and drinks flowed, and the flights left on time and sometimes arrived half an hour early.
I definitely want to go back. There are many other things to see and do (why don't I ever do things in Philly?). I also want to eat at El Prado again. That was some of the best food I have ever had. I need to find out how they make their marsala sauce.
My dad's wedding was at the Museum of Man, where he works. It has a small but pretty church where the ceremony was held. I was the best man, and my sister was the photographer. It was cozy and simple. The bride's daughter was the maid of honor, and a family friend sang. Then we went upstairs for wine and light refreshments SURROUNDED BY ROBOTS, HUMAN SKULLS, AND APE SKELETONS. Yes. That's how we roll. Then down to another level for dinner and dancing among replica Aztec ruins. A lot of my dad's friends were there from the museum, his board game clubs, and a discussion group, as well as one of his old college buddies that I've seen from time to time throughout my life. We all went home at 10:30 because we're old like that.
The San Diego Zoo is fantastic. It blows away the other zoos. It is impossible to enjoy it all in one day, but we did what we could. It was great seeing animals I've never heard of that should have their own listings in the D&D Monstrous Manual. The Bearcat. The Dwarf Mongoose. The Slipspringer. The Singing Dogs (such cute puppies!). There was also a decent animal show with a wolf and a sea lion, similar to...
Sea World! They have this weird promotion where you can buy a ticket that you can use every day until the end of 2009 for the same price as a one-day ticket! So, we went to SW twice on our trip, and can go some more if we're back there next year. They do scan your fingerprints to prevent the transfer of tickets. We had fun in the Soak Zone for the first whale show, but stayed dry for the second. Shamu is not very entertaining anymore. Corky was way better. Went in the shark tunnel twice. The shows are better on the weekends, so it's worth while to go on a weekend even though there are more people. I also got to pet stingrays! They are like slimy labradors! They came right up to get headrubs and give people high-fives! Some were quite large, nearly 4' wingspan. Very fun, and I got $2 bills in my change for parking.
Southwest airlines was great. The fare was decent, especially when you are bringing two pieces of check-in luggage (free), the staff were nice, the snacks and drinks flowed, and the flights left on time and sometimes arrived half an hour early.
I definitely want to go back. There are many other things to see and do (why don't I ever do things in Philly?). I also want to eat at El Prado again. That was some of the best food I have ever had. I need to find out how they make their marsala sauce.