By Ed Lowe
Senior Writer
There are so many reasons why San Diego is a favorite tourist destination. Climate is at the top of the list. Attractions are available to intrigue folks with virtually any vacation objective. In fact, the variety of experiences make the city and its surrounding county a treasure trove of travel excitement.
San Diego is the seventh largest U.S. city. Its inner core is being revitalized, adding to the ambiance of the city. New accommodations and tourism features are springing up all over. For example, a new baseball stadium—Petco Park—was built for the San Diego Padres and then a new high rise Omni Hotel was built on adjacent land and connected to the stadium by a skybridge. The Omni is arguably the best located hotel in North America since it is also a half block from San Diego's expanded convention center.
The attractions in the city are almost too numerous to mention. There is, of course, the fabulous Balboa Park with enough museums to earn it the nickname "The Smithsonian of the West." Then, there's the beautifully maintained, Tony Award winning Globe Theater and, finally, the incomparable San Diego Zoo.
The Zoo animals range in habitats that allow city viewers an excellent chance of feeling "up-close and personal" with the beasts. In addition to the normal menagerie, the Zoo boasts three Giant Pandas (one born only months ago), a herd of kangaroos, polar bears and cuddly koala bears. Touring the zoo is easy. In spite of its size, it's surprisingly navigable. A double deck bus takes visitors on a three mile round-trip orientation tour of the park. A second Express Bus makes five stops at strategic points in the zoo. In addition, a cable "sky tram" lets visitors soar over the treetops and see the zoo from a bird's vantage. Both the Zoo and its ex-urban Wild Animal Park are supported by public and private grants.
Away from downtown there's an area that's an evocation of the city's origins. "Old Town" is a collection of historic buildings, each with its own story to tell. In some of these antique structures you'll find museums describing life in the mid-19th century and before. In others, there are boutique shops selling everything from tourist trinkets to authentic Native American crafts. Old Town also sports some of the city's best Mexican Restaurants.
Our recent visit had us touring San Diego's impressive harbor in a Seal—an amphibious boat that drives down city streets and then heads off-road to a boat launching ramp to cruise into the waters of the bay. We spotted three huge aircraft carriers at anchor. One, the USS Midway, is soon to open as a permanent museum. Two other carriers awaited deployment to support troops around the world. San Diego is a military town. The fleet's always in.
But touring the city is only the beginning. The restaurants, the cultural features, the parks and the sports teams will always find audiences. Beyond the city lies the rest of San Diego County. Its 4,269 square miles constitute as diverse a group of micro-climates as can be found. In the North County area, with its center at Escondido, we found the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. This 1,800 acre park uses less than half of its land for the existing facility. The remaining area is assigned the job of supporting the natural flora and fauna of the region.
The Wild Animal Park operates on the principal of allowing the animals to roam in an environment as close to their natural state as is possible with considerations of the animals' health and the safety of the visitors taken into account. Thus, carnivorous animals are not mingled with herbivores. The plant eating species are allowed free range in grassy and wooded areas and the meat eaters are kept together in separate spaces.
When we visited, we were shown the new lion habitat under construction and being prepared for a late summer opening. This one acre facility will cost an estimated five million dollars and will initially hold six yearling lions being brought to the zoo from South Africa. Eventually, one male will prove dominant and form a pride with the three females. Then, the other two males will be removed to other U.S. zoos.
One of the San Diego Zoo's most important missions is expressed through its Center for the Reproduction of Endangered Species. In this research facility, scientists are trying to find ways of maintaining and protecting animals whose natural habitats have been reduced because of population growth, climatic change and political conflicts. In addition, the Zoo maintains the largest animal hospital in the country for research and the treatment of sick and injured animals.
In Escondido, also, we discovered that the city was trying to revitalize itself. For example, a J. C. Penney Store that had been in the downtown business district moved to a regional mall 17 years ago. The store remained empty until the Mingei International Museum, whose main facility is in Balboa Park, bought and renovated the building, making it into a beautiful contemporary art showcase—a satellite of the Balboa installation. Their temporary exhibition of works by French/ American artist Niki de Saint Phalle would have done any museum proud. The Museum is only a short block from the city's new performance venue, the California Center for the Arts.
Saint Phalle, who died in San Diego in 2002, funded the construction of a sculpture garden in Escondido's Kit Carson Park. The fantasy works she created are located in a 100 foot circular space. Inside a stone and ceramic mirrored mosaic wall are eight totemlike sculptures, each markedly different from the other. At the center is a huge bird—whether it's an eagle or a chicken is pretty much left to the viewer's imagination. Sheltered by the large bird, bench seats surrounding a fountain offer a space to consider the art from a shaded retreat. Marbles, tiles, glass mirrors, polished stones and ceramics make up the exterior of the sculptures. These treasures are not meant to be viewed from a distance. Niki de Saint Phalle intended that Escondido use her gift for the express purpose of providing children with a hands-on work of art. And they love it. It's a place to climb, a place to view with wonder and a place to appreciate the work of a very unique artist, relatively unknown in other parts of the country, yet widely displayed in numerous important European venues.
In the far eastern stretches of the county is the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, America's largest. Located on 600,000 acres, the desert is bleak and unrelenting. Yet, as one travels through the area with naturalist/ photographer Paul Johnson, it suddenly seems to come alive. Plant species abound and, in spring, turn the entire desert into a vast plain of flowers. The geologic formations show the effects of fault lines as new rock strata are pushed up over centuries, and older ones crumble under them. The area is geologically active. According to Johnson, a day rarely goes by without a minor earthquake. Abandoned Native American villages testify to the fact that the desert once supported human life.
The wildlife in Anza-Borrego is varied. The park was named for the early Spanish explorer, Anza, and the Indian name for the bighorn sheep. These sheep are endangered though they seem to thrive in the barren rocks and caves of the mountainous desert. There are smaller animals who can find sustenance in the shrubs, myriad cactus varieties and grasses that flourish despite the area's sparse annual 2-3 inches of rainfall.
At the center of the park is the town of Borrego Springs and within that oasis is one of the more remarkable hotel-resort installations in California. La Casa Del Zorro is a multi-starred facility which emphasizes top quality service, gourmet cuisine and luxurious accommodations. Don't mistake the Zorro (which means desert fox) with a masked bandito with a whip—the two aren't related. The startling contrast between the brutal desolation of the desert and the luxury of La Casa's surroundings with five pools, three nearby golf courses, a half dozen lighted tennis courts and a service ethic that's comparable to Europe's grandest luxe hotels is almost beyond description.
Leaving Borrego Springs and heading back to the Coast, we passed through the apple producing town of Julian with a friend's instructions to stop there for a piece of their justly famous pie. Then, on to the communities of Oceanside and its more upscale neighbor, Carlsbad. These are beach towns that attract surfers, parasailers, swimmers and sun bathers. Sunning by a pool such as we found in the sparkling new Carlsbad Hilton Garden Inn is a delight and the pool deck also offers a vantage point from which to watch a spectacular sunset over the Pacific. The Inn is yet another example of the upscaling of the suburban portions of the County.
These beach communities are bound together by the ribbon of asphalt and concrete known as Highway 101. We spent some time with John Daley, one of the local boosters and an owner of the 101 Cafe. Daley has made the lore of the highway his passion. Originally a stagecoach route along the Pacific coast, it was formally designated a US Highway in 1928. During Prohibition, it served as the route of choice for people heading south to Mexico to find, purchase and consume liquor. According to Daley, Highway 101 was the place where "California car culture started."
The return trip to San Diego's airport through oceanfront communities like Del Mar and La Jolla completed the cycle around San Diego County. We appreciated San Diego not only as a destination but as the gateway to a variegated adventure. |
