It's not about the destination...: San Diego Hotel Del Coronado and Tijuana!

We ventured into the San Diego Bay where we were greeted by the Tall Ships Festival. Luck certainly follows us wherever we go. So we parked the car and headed to the docks. Aside from the “Hey Joes” selling their yard sale wares we got to pass history of the sea and the USS Midway Museum and lots of pirate parading people in their garb of days past. Hunger set in but we settled for the best.
No, it wasn’t Anthony’s Seafood Grotto. It was the little Chinese Rice and Bourbon Chicken stand. For four bucks you couldn’t replicate the smile on Norma’s face at the Grotto for twenty times the fare. We have learned on this trip that the most expensive meals are the least memorable. I settled for roasted corn on the cob that took me back to days of the Firemen’s Field Days in the Catskill Mountains.

on the road to San Diego--is this Fog
or the Clouds?

Dennis watching Kite Surfers

Relaxing on the California Coast

Hotel Del Cornonado

Elevator Door in the
Hotel Del Coronado

Art on Lamp Post in
Normal Heights, CA

Front steps of Hotel Del
Coronado

Future Home site????

The evening would take us over the Coronado Island Bridge, past the Hotel Del Coronado, of “Some Like It Hot” fame and on to the Navy Gateway Inn aboard the Navy Seal Base, Coronado. Another fine stay at a five star beach. Damn the luck. ;-) !! We didn’t turn in so early as we walked downtown Coronado Island to an Irish Pub frequented by the Seals. Some interesting personalities, music, and libations and we would be down for the count in the room.

The next morning we slept in, relaxed a little and then forced ourselves to the beach. Being Labor Day Weekend we saw family after family cooking their favorite dishes, playing football, swimming, and enjoying family time before the start of the school year.

THE Piano

The day would take us to Kansas City Barbeque on Harbor Drive in San Diego. For those who don’t know, we didn’t either, it was the bar that two scenes from Top Gun were shot. One scene where Goose was playing “Great Balls of Fire” and the other was at the end of the movie where Kelly McGillis drops a coin in the jukebox and her and Tom Cruise meet again. The food was great, the atmosphere memorable and the price was right.

Dennis & Gladys

Norma & Gladys

We also stopped in to visit Charlie’s Mom and have pizza. It’s also great to see a friend in a distant place.

The next stop would be an early morning trip to Tijuana, Mexico. What a waste of time and energy. Nothing to see and it’s a bit scary.

Dennis and Kyra

Dennis and Michael Paul Chan

GW Bailey and Norma

LAPD and Cast of The Closer

Marilyn Monroe's
resting place

Last but not least was our exit visit to the Hotel Del Coronado. Always a treat to walk the same ground as the senior “Norma Jean” (Marilyn Monroe).

We smiled as we walked the beach, cabanas, tiki huts, and hallways that emanated the great characters of Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon, and Tony Curtis. After all, this movie was voted the number one comedy of all time.

We were then off to Hollywood with the intent to spend a day with Gladys and how life was treating her but that day grew by many unexpected events and treats that certainly evoked memories and made quite a few more.