San Diego: The City on the Move

Hispanic Times Magazine, Jan, 2001 by Robert Kendall, Gloria Davis

Eternal springtime might be the best way to describe the temperature year round in San Diego. The temperature hovers around 74 and 75, with cooling ocean breezes making even the hottest summer days elsewhere a pleasure in San Diego with its on-the-ocean location.

The Clarion Hotel Bay View benefits from its location with cooling ocean breezes and a superb view of the bayfront. Nearby the San Diego Convention Center is undergoing an enlargement and the new sports arena is being built nearby. There were so many fascinating sights to see and places to go that it was difficult to decide which attraction to follow through on first.

The world famous San Diego Zoo is the perfect place to begin. You can tour the zoo aboard a double deck bus for a 40 minute narrated tour of the park's 3,900 animals in a 100-acre tropical garden. Operated by the Zoological Society, visitors have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the giant panda cub Hua Mei. The giant panda cub is the first born in the Western Hemisphere since 1990.

A walk through the rain forest offers bird lovers an up close look at more than 200 birds representing 60 species. This colorful attraction opened December 16,1999. The 65-foot high Owens Rain Forest Aviary simulates the sights and sounds of a real Southeastern Asian jungle environment. The aviary focuses on exotic species and flowers as well."

Don't miss Balboa Park. Tour Balboa Park, one of the largest cultural complexes in the United States, with 15 museums, the world's largest outdoor pipe organ, and four theaters, including the Tony Award winning Old Globe Theater. Old Town State Historic Park is the first European settlement on the West Coast of the United States.

The international shopping near Bazaar del Munda is a must for anyone visiting San Diego. And a dining experience at the colorful Casa Guadalajara is an unforgettable experience. The patio area, with its fountain and individual umbrella covered tables, is reminiscent of early California days. The food here was a superb array of a great variety of Mexican specialties.

Horton Plaza has to be one of the most fascinating shopping malls in the United States. It was designed with eye-catching appeal, an obelisk at its entrance, and another attraction is the series of arches, rising high into the sky. There are 150 shops and restaurants and a 14-screen cinema, as well as the San Diego Repertory Theater.

Hotel del Coronado is another fascinating local attraction. The turrets, tall cupolas, hand carved wooden pillars and Victorian figures of the 792 room Hotel del Coronado dominate the skyline. Here is where Marilyn Monroe performed in the comedy movie classic, Some Like It Hot.

For a remarkable dining experience, the Le Fontainebleau at the Westgate Hotel is one you will never forget. Lisa Lem, director of marketing for the Westgate Hotel, joined us for a delightful dinner. The elegant dining room is the perfect setting for an unforgettable evening of wonderful food and excellent music with a pianist playing the romantic type of music that makes any evening memorable. We ordered the lobster and rack of lamb, while our hostess ordered the filet mignon. The superb lobster and wonderful rack of lamb were followed by a dessert creatively designed. My dessert came with five vari-colored scoops of ice cream on an artist's easel, and the words Enjoy It appeared at the top of the plate. Kudos to the Fontainbleau chef, Andre Bellard, the Westgate culinary team, and maitre d' Yannis Stanisere for the wonderful meal. Congratulations are also due to Georg Hochfilzer, the general manager, for putting together such an exceptional dining staff. Casual lunches are served daily from 11:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. A three course lunch for $16 in such a setting is rare and wonderful. Dinners are served nightly between 6 and 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The champagne Sunday brunch with live entertainment is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The most elaborate seafood soiree occurs Friday evenings between 6 and 10 p.m.

Lisa Lem took us on a tour of the Westgate Hotel, showing us the Presidential Suite. President Dwight D. Eisenhower stayed here. The suite she showed us revealed remarkable good taste. We also saw the rooftop terrace. By night the view of the city lights of San Diego was unforgettable. This is a truly fabulous hotel, elegant, and with a staff always ready to accommodate the guests. Lisa Lem proved to be a gracious hostess, possessing a great knowledge of Westgate Hotel history, which she shared with us.

Sea World San Diego is a major attraction no tourist should miss. In May, 2000, Sea World San Diego debuted its newest attraction, Pirates 4-D, a 3-D movie experience revealing an exciting, surprise-filled, humorous tale of a hapless pirate crew and its wacky captain. Sea World San Diego's exciting attraction, which opened in May of 1999, "Shipwreck Rapids," transforms visitors into island castaways who journey on raft-like inner tubes in hopes of returning to civilization. During their quest, passengers encounter raging rapids, roaring waterfalls, sunbathing sea turtles, and a near collision with a ship propeller.