In 1980, when I was a young traveler with little money, I stayed at hostels. When I arrived in Florence, the hostel had no vacancy. So I ended up sleeping on the lawn in front of the train station. This was pleasant, as I was surrounded by other young travelers who dotted the landscape like cocoons that night. Pleasant, that is, until 5:30 AM when a police officer thumped his baton on my sleeping bag.
Omni Hotel San Diego is the go-to place for baseball fans. One of its coolest features is a walking bridge from the hotel directly into Petco Park where the San Diego Padres play.
Now that Mark and I have been to Italy and back, we know from Italian food! There’s this best-kept-secret of an Italian restaurant right here in San Diego, but sometimes you have to go around the world, then return to Square One, to recognize the assets of your own backyard.
The San Diego Hard Rock Hotel has quite a storied past. Once upon a time there was this parking lot on the most prime piece of property in San Diego, near the Convention Center and Petco Park and right next to the Gaslamp marquee.
Deep into January, the rest of the country is usually cloaked in snow. But here in San Diego County, winter is the best time to don a pair of hiking boots and go tramping in the local high desert mountains. One weekend a few years ago, Mark and I hiked with a small group of people to a spot near Lyons Valley. It was a hot and sunny day. So we kept on descending a steep sandy trail in hopes that at the bottom of the canyon there would be a refreshing pool of water in which to dangle our feet.
Bicycles fill the streets of Italy! A few years ago, we explored Verona, Milan, Florence, Tuscany, and Rome. Along the way, we spotted countless bicycles leaning against fences, stone buildings, and street signs. Some were sleek and stylish, others purely practical, but all seemed cherished by their owners.