San Diego

Isn't he gorgeous? There are almost two hundred photos, if you click on him.

We left for San Diego on Saturday morning. Boston-Dallas, then Dallas-SD, on American. The flights were both full, with maybe one empty seat on each plane. Normally we would have tried to fly non-stop, but in hindsight the layover in Dallas, which was no more than 1-1/2 hours, was a good opportunity to stretch our legs and grab a bite to eat. The Dallas-Ft. Worth airport, where AA is based, is something to behold. We got talking to a maintenance worker and he told us the airport is bigger than Manhattan island. To get from one terminal to another, you take the monorail train. In fact, each of the four terminals is so big, unless you want to walk for half an hour, you take the monorail from one side to the other. Trains run about every two minutes, so there is virtually no wait time. What a nice, clean, well-organized airport DFW is. I wouldn't bat an eye at having a layover there again.

San Diego used to be a military town and still has a large contingent of Marines. SD is now the 6th largest city in the country, yet it seems so sleepy (and we were staying downtown!). People are friendly and the weather is wonderful. Warm, sunny, no humidity...paradise.

The Fancy Food Show ran Sunday-Tuesday. Queenee and I put in full days Sunday and Monday and I think we did well, business-wise. We made some good contacts and I got to meet a few people that I had previously only ever spoken with on the phone. It's always nice to be able to put a face with a name. Sunday night a group of us had dinner at Croce's, which is run by the late Jim Croce's wife. My salmon was very good, but others at the table thought the food was just ok. Monday night Queenee and I were so sore from standing for two days that we ordered sandwiches in our room. Unfortunately, I got her order wrong and her steak sandwich was chewy and not very good. My chicken sandwich was fine, but she didn't want half. Alas.

Tuesday Queenee put in another day at the show, while I went to the San Diego Zoo. If you ever find yourself in SD, don't miss the zoo, it's a lot of fun and easy to spend a day there. It is also right in the city, in Balboa Park, a 1200 acre preserve in the heart of SD. Many of the various city museums are also in the park, but you can only do so much in one day. Don't overbook.

Make sure you get to the zoo early so you can see the animals before they all start snoozing the day away. I had a plan to see the nocturnal beasties first, then move on to the animals I knew would be awake in the afternoon, and that worked out well. I got on the tram right away and rode to the top of the zoo, making my way down to the Pandas. Zhen Zhen, the baby Panda, is only out from 9-11am, and I didn't want to miss seeing her. Her name means "Precious" and suits her perfectly, she is a precious! One of the zoo blogs said she had just learned to climb to the branch nest in the elm tree, where she was having a kip when I arrived. As if on cue, she woke up and looked right at me! I was told later by a few zoo workers that she is almost never awake during viewing hours, so I feel very lucky indeed.

I walked through a good deal of the zoo, then decided to take the tour bus and see the whole thing. Here is some advice - wear your most comfortable shoes, and buy the 'Best Value' ticket which includes the tram, tour bus and express bus. You'll thank me later when your dogs are screaming. The bus tour takes you all through the zoo, and while it's tough to get good photos when you might be behind a tree or moving, it's a good way to get an overview of what animals are there and where everyone is located. The express bus only covers about half the zoo and has three stops, but that is a convenient way to get from the elephants to the meerkats.

I ended up at the Reptile Mesa, which is a fine place to visit in the mid-late afternoon, as most of the reptiles are out sunning themselves. Be advised that the Galapagos tortoises start moving indoors at around 2pm, and they are worth seeing. The whole zoo is a good visit, and if you are into zoos or botanical gardens, you might consider spending two days there. The plants alone would take a good day to see. Next trip (doesn't hurt to be hopeful) I will get to the Wild Animal Park.

Tuesday night Queenee and I opted for Indian food and found a very good small restaurant only two blocks from our hotel. Nothing fancy, but good food, and I can never eat enough Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken on their menu).

We should have stayed an extra day so Queenee could have a day to see something of SD, but we headed out Wednesday morning and got back home at 11:30pm, tired, but thinking it had been a good show.