Lisa Hood

We just got back from our week in SD. It was so much fun. We went to Seaworld, Coronado Island and the San Diego Zoo.

Monday we arrived around 6 PM, found our hotel, checked in and then went to dinner @ the Outback. We had a great time, just talking and laughing.

Tuesday we started bright and early, went to breakfast and then Seaworld. We saw the shows: Dolphin Discovery, Clyde & Seamore and Shamu, the animals: Bat Rays, Sea Lions, Polar Bears and Penguins and we rode the rides: Atlantis and Ship Wreck Rapids. Atlantis was so much fun, but you get drenched. It is no fun to walk around the park dripping wet. I wish we had taken a couple of towels and stashed them in a locker. Tay and Kels really liked the Bat Rays @ Forbidden Reef. They seemed very gentle and sweet. It seemed they enjoyed the interaction and being petted. The feel like suede, but the speaker informed us that they are covered in mucus so we were basically touching snot. Yuk!

Wednesday we were back at Seaworld for more fun. We did Dolphin & Shamu shows again, and visited our favorite animals again. Tay and Kels fed the Rays. The first time they tried to give them fish though, the Seagulls swooped in and stole the fish right out of their hands. Alan and I went to the Beermiester Club while Tayler rode Atlantis again. The Beermiester Club is a cool experience. They let you sample 4 beers, including ales, lagers and fruity blends, and they bring out a tray of cheese, crackers, fruit and chocolate to taste with the different beers. Who would ever think of eating chocolate w/ beer? I wouldn’t! But then I had an Amberboch and it is a dessert beer, recommended for dark chocolates. Yummmm!

Thursday we went to Coronado Island, across the Coronado Bay Bridge. We explored the island for a while, went to the beach and collected shells. The water had specks of gold rolling in on the waves and covering the beach so everything sparkled. It was surreal. Then we went to the port and had a delicious lunch at Peohe’s. We sat on the deck and watched the ships. We saw sail boats, the US Coast Guard and the Ferry from Downtown. We shopped on the boardwalk and then headed back to Seaworld to catch the shows we missed: Cirque de la Mer and Shamu Rocks. It was well worth the visit, because Shamu really does ROCK! The night show is such a blast, with fun music, lights and new stunts. We also went to Dolphin Discovery area and the kids got to get up close to the dolphins. Tayler even got to pet one (for about 1 second before they closed the exhibit. Bummer!)

Friday we went to the Zoo. We started the day with the guided bus tour, so we were sure to see every thing. Then we had lunch in the Tree House, which had a gorgeous view. We then saw our favorite animals: monkeys, hippos, polar bears and the Pandas. It was a good time to visit the zoo, because there were babies everywhere. The baby monkeys were so much fun to watch, because they were really playful and active. We saw a baby Orangutan and Gorilla wrestling with their mothers. Hippo Beach was as cool as I remembered it, but the Polar Bears were boring. We missed play time and only caught them napping. The best exhibit was the Pandas. They were eating stalks of bamboo right in front of the walkway, with no barriers between them and us.

The weather was awesome, in the 70s with a clear skies and a cool ocean breeze. I could definitely live there, if I had a few million for a home that is.