If you are like me and travel for business, you know the schedule can be pretty tight. You fly in, fly out, work and sleep. You only have a few hours to yourself, so what do you do with the “time in between”? A lot depends on your location and your willingness to seek alternate forms of transportation besides your feet. In San Diego, besides the normal cabs and busses, you can use the San Diego Trolley , a bright red, light rail train which will take you anywhere you want to go in the metropolitan area.

During my last visit to San Diego I stayed at the Westin Hotel San Diego which is about a mile from the center of downtown, but even better, it’s only a few short blocks from the south side of San Diego Bay so I made up my mind and headed out. After the short walk I reached the bay and immediately found plenty of available entertainment.

Since I was hungry the first place that grabbed my attention was a small yet attractive white building bustling with activity; Anthony’s. Having eaten there before, I can tell you, if you are in the mood for great seafood or just a refreshing beverage at the bar, Anthony’s will not disappoint. It has great atmosphere inside and an inviting outside seating area to take in the weather and surroundings while you refuel and recharge.

First though, I decided to walk along the harbor. I came upon the Star of India which is a fully rigged windjammer in mint condition, as you would expect of a museum ship. The tours for the day had been completed, so I continued to the next not to be missed sight, the impressive USS Midway complete with original gangway and a top deck full of Navy aircraft. The Midway appropriately sits next to the Maritime Museum which attracted me like a magnet. As I approached the museum, I noted the various monuments and dedications- the Sprague memorial and dedication to Bob Hope.

I continued my trek westward and I noticed an attractive dock area full of small boats of various uses and types. As it was past “quitting time”, I surmised most were commercial fishing vessels or tour boats. The dock was deserted but well worth the time to stop for a look. I continued along the harbor walk noticing the scenery and the beautiful landscape, but what struck me was the number of people walking and jogging. I saw couples and families of all ages taking in the sights and enjoying the balmy weather. I could have continued all the way to the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, but decided to turn around and retrace my steps.

I walked past Anthony’s heading east and saw the USS Dolphin, also part of the Maritime Museum’s ship tour. Across the street from the “Dolphin” is the San Diego County building and a very inviting outdoor bar and restaurant complete with tropical landscaping, which appeared to be attached to the Holiday Inn Hotel.

I was heading back to my hotel and noted that in a short two and a half hours I had entertained myself complete with food and beverages. While I didn’t tour the ships and museum, which I certainly could have done, I was satisfied with my exploration.
So the next time you are in San Diego and are wondering what to do with your “time in between”, remember my suggestion and enjoy yourself.

Web links are provided by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.


Information links.

San Diego Trolley
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego_Trolley

Westin Hotel San Diego http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1762

Star of India
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_India_%28ship%29

USS Midway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Midway_%28CV-41%29

Maritime Museum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maritime_Museum_of_San_Diego

San Diego-Coronado Bridge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego-Coronado_Bridge

USS Dolphin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Dolphin_%28AGSS-555%29

Holiday Inn Hotel
http://www.holidayinn.com/hotels/us/en/san-diego/sanem/hoteldetail