San Diego

Before joining us or upon completion of your seminar, consider spending time in what many consider one of America's most livable and scenic cities. Founded as California's first European settlement in 1772 by Franciscan Padre Junipero Serra's party, San Diego retains the feeling of its early Spanish influence.

A good starting point is old San Diego, including the mission and surrounding town, now a historic park not too far from the airport and harbor area. Balboa Park is another highlight, containing museums, parkland, and one of the world's greatest zoos. Balboa is located on a hill behind the downtown, and is best reached by car, cab, or local bus.

Historic Gaslamp Quarter is another favorite area, which lies between the yacht harbor and the downtown. The Quarter is bustling with great restaurants, shops, and a restored fixtures and period architecture of the late 1800's. Just beyond its lower end, the Gas Lamp district connects with the hotels, shops, restaurants, and beautiful harborside walking areas of the yacht harbor, and to the West several historic ships.

The elegant and historic Hotel Coronado, fronting on the Pacific, is a short water taxi ride away to the west. In our experience, you can find water taxis in the yacht harbor area or in the direction of the historic ships, just to the west, and waterside of the historic Sante Fe railroad station (and within a stone's throw of your Holland America dock!).

This same location is used by harbor tour boats and whale/ porpoise sight seeing expeditions. The latter travel the length of the harbor, passing the Naval Station, small craft harbors, seal/sea lion sunning stations, and the Point Loma peninsula jutting into the Pacific. Beyond that you have the sweep of the mountains of Southern California and Baja before you as you wait for whales to breach.

If you choose to drive, consider driving around the Bay and onto the Point Loma Peninsula, which includes park land and a National Monument looking out on the Pacific. Driving northward, you can visit Mission Bay Park and the large Sea World complex. Just north of there, you can find the long, sandy, Pacific and Mission Beaches, which lead eventually to the bluffs of La Jolla. This area can be accessed through Mission Blvd., and then at Loring Street, turning left onto La Jolla Blvd. At La Jolla's north end there is a wonderful small walking park (Ellen Scripps Browning Park) which adjoins the Pacific and works its way around to La Jolla Bay. The park and nearby restaurants are a great place to take in the late afternoon light and sunset, and watch the necklace of lights, bluffs, and sea welcome the night.

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