La Jolla, CA
This morning proved to be as perfect weather-wise as was forecast, so I was off to La Jolla along with piles of other people. I drove a slow route to get there along the downtown waterfront, along Mission Bay Beach, past Belmont Park where the 1920s “Great Dipper” wooden rollercoaster is the only part left of a bygone amusement park and up into La Jolla.
La Jolla is a beautiful community, one of the most desirable areas in San Diego, with houses set among the hills looking out to the ocean. It’s home to the Salk Institute (founder Jonas Salk, was the developer of the polio vacine), and UCSD, and nearby is Torrey Pines Golf Course.
I walked along the walkway overlooking La Jolla Beach and Cove, and watched the seals or sea lions (I need to figure out the difference, don’t I?) kayakers, swimmers, snorkelers and joined those wading and walking the beach.
Next I was south on the I-5 to Old Town. It is a State Historic Park which commemorates the beginnings of San Diego (the first European settlement on the west coast) in the early 1800’s. Guess who started a mission and settlement there in 1769? Those of you reading my blogs no doubt got it, the then-Father Junipero Serra and the same year a Presido was built to protect the growing community. The Mission (Mission San Diego de Alcaia) moved upriver after a few years, but the settlement at the base of the hill where the Presidio was built continued to grow. Several of the original adobe buildings are still standing, although some have been turned into commercial entities.
Nearby is Whaley House Museum which was built in 1857 by the Whaley family to house their home and general store and was even a commercial theatre at one point. It is rumoured to be haunted and has received attention from various movies and TV shows as a result.
San Diego was part of Mexico before California was admitted into the United States in 1850. So it’s natural that Mexican themed gift shops and restaurants have sprung up around the State Historic Park and I grabbed lunch on the patio of one of them. It wasn’t great food but it was billed as “californian” so I probably should have gone with one of the numerous Mexican choices.
After lunch I wandered some shops and sat to listen to entertainment provided in a commercial area adjacent to the Park, called Fiesta de Reyes. It’s a huge outdoor restaurant in the centre with a stage for entertainment, and shops around the perimeter. It’s definitely a tourist trap, but it’s a really well done one. The displays are nice, the stores carry quality items, and I was sorry I hadn’t chosen it as my lunch stop the food looked so good.
Lois' Adventures 