Vacation in San Diego!

I have been away for a week to sunny San Diego! Hubby had a conference there and we took some extra days for us to enjoy. It was 14 degrees when we left Illinois and San Diego was in the 70's and creeping into the 80's with beautiful sunny days! I will show some amazing pictures and facts that we learned.

,

We stayed in downtown San Diego at the US Grant Hotel. It is upscale and beautiful with many stunning artwork and sculpture pieces. They had a French artist make all the headboards...

By laying down canvas and using a stick, he "painted" each canvas.

They appear to be padded with a board backing and inset in this lovely old trim. Why not do this in our own homes?

Fact: This hotel was built by Grant's son in honor of his father, our 18th president. Grant was known for rounding up the Indians around the US and displacing them from their homelands onto reservations. This hotel, built in 1910, was set for demolition in it's later life but was purchased and saved with 80 million being spent on renovations. Ironically, this hotel is now owned by the very Indian Tribe that was displaced by Grant!

Our first adventure was on this Seal. Most people know these land/water vehicles as "Ducks"...

Seals are just newer versions of Ducks. Our First Mate Heidi was our tour guide and we experienced the best sights and gained a wealth of knowledge from her.

Fact: An incoming Naval Destroyer sailed right by us!

After this Police escort came zooming by to protect anyone from getting too close!

I happened to get a shot of a private sail boat, the destroyer and an aircraft carrier all in one shot!

We saw dolphins swimming around our boat and on a very long dock,sea lions...

The sea lions use the dock for resting and sunning. They really smell extremely 'fishy'! But they live in the ocean and eat fish so what would I expect? Wow the smell was strong!

Fact: Sea lions live in 'harems' with one large male to many females.

I also got this shot of a large sail boat going by us. Pretty frame worthy with just my iphone!

Other facts we learned, This cargo ship that says "Dole" is loaded with Bananas! We all thought probably pineapples, but were told that we don't import products that we grow in our own country and pineapples are grown in Hawaii, so it's only Bananas.

This last sailboat on the left is a massive super yacht. It is also in the picture above this one. We found out that this boat is named the Mirabella V (5) and it has a M with a 5 logo on the boat. It is the largest single mast sailing sloop ever built for over 50 million dollars. It is currently owned by a Texas businessman.

While we were in awe of the super yacht, we saw this huge cargo ship coast by. We found out that this is loaded with Toyota vehicles that are transported to the Port of San Diego and found out this port handles 500,000 new vehicles each year!

While walking around the coastline near Seaport Village, we came across these bronze life-size statues of Bob Hope making jokes with the troops. There was an actual audio of Bob talking. It brought back many memories of watching Bob Hope on TV entertaining troops.

 We again (from last year's visit) saw the massive statue of the sailor kissing the nurse.

Here you can see my Hubby in silhouette and gauge the size of this piece!

We also saw this replica ship, the HMS Surprise, that was used in a couple of movies.
Fact:The movies were, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World and one of the Johnny Depp movies Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides!

We also saw a couple of submarines and one of them had went down as deep as 3,000 feet.

Fact: In 1886 the Grand Horton Hotel was opened.
We saw some victorian buildings that you could tell was from this long ago era.
And was glad to see that they have been restored and are still in use today.

This area joins two hotels...The Grand Horton Hotel...

...and The Brooklyn-Kahle Saddlery Hotel. These rooms can still be rented today. I think I would like to stay here!

Another day we took the Old Town Trolley because it was fun and convenient. It took us all around San Diego and to Coronado Island where we stayed last year. They allowed you to get off at destinations like Little Italy, Balboa Park, that has many museums and the zoo. We toured the King Tut exhibit and was amazed at the beauty and intricacies of this tomb and its belongings. Other destinations were Seaport Village, Old Town, San Diego Harbor and the Gaslamp Quarter which is where we stayed at our hotel.

The airport is very busy with just a single runway. Planes take off over the sea and come in every 90 seconds on average over the city!

I can't tell you how much I love this city and the climate just can't be beat! On our third trip here, we plan to tour a cluster of old victorian homes close to Old Town. We also want to visit more museums in Balboa Park but that takes most of the day for each museum and we just ran out of time.

Note: If you liked reading about San Diego, you can go HERE to my older post when we vacationed on Coronado Island.
These parties I love to link up to or check out my Blog Parties tab
Monday
Metamorphosis Monday @ Between Naps On The Porch
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple 
Inspire Me Monday @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Masterpiece Monday @ Boogieboard Cottage
Sunday Showcase Party @ By Stephanie Lynn
Creative Link Inspire @ The Crafty Blog Stalker
Your Designs This Time @ ElizabethJoanDesigns
Show and Share Party @ Coastal Charm
Tuesday
Project Inspired Linky Party @ Cupcakes and Crinoline
The Makers Link Party @ Upcycled Treasures
The Inspiration Board Link Party @ Homework
From Dream to Reality @ The DIY Dreamer
Tweak It Tuesday @ Cozy Little House
The Scoop @ Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life 
Tuesdays at Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home 
Awesome Things Tuesday @ Sowdering About
Be Inspired Party @ Elizabeth & Co.
Wednesday
Vintage Inspired Link Party @ Knick of Time
Fall into Fall Wednesday @ DIY by Design 
Wow Us Wednesday @ Savvy Southern Style
Work It Wednesday's @ The Happy Housie
What's It Wednesday @ Ivy and Elephants
Centerpiece Wednesday @ The Style Sisters 
Wow Me Wednesday @ Ginger Snap Crafts
Thursday
Link Party Thursday @ Bloom Designs Online
Treasure Hunt Thursday @ From My Front Porch To Yours 
Project Pin-It @ Glitter Glue and Paint
Create It Thursday @ Lamberts Lately 
Wildly Original Wednesday @ I Gotta Create!
Home Matters @ Life with Lorelai
Share Your Style @ Common Ground
Friday
Handmade Hangout @ From Gardners 2 Bergers
Inspiration Gallery Link Party @ The Golden Sycamore
What To Do Weekends @ Crafts A La Mode
Fabulously Creative Linky Party @ Jennifer Rizzo
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Furniture Feature Friday @ Miss Mustard Seed
Frugal Friday @ Shabby Nest
Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Flaunt It Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
Creativity Unleashed Link Party @ One Project Closer/The Better Half
Freedom Fridays @ My Turn For US 
Shabbilicious Friday Link Party @ Shabby Art Boutique
Junkin Joe @ The Cottage Market
Catch as Catch Can @ My Repurposed Life
Fabulous Friday Party @ Simple Nature Decor

Saturday
Weekend WrapUp Party @ Tatertots and Jello 
Saturday Nite Special @ Funky Junk Interiors
Show and Tell Saturday @ Be Different, Act Normal
Sunday
Share It One More Time @ One More Time Events
That DIY Party @ DIY Show Off
So Darn Crafty Party @ Sew Many Ways
Think Pink Party @ Flamingo Toes