San Diego - Day One

This vacation is going to be awesome!  I was so anxious yesterday that it was tough to concentrate; all I wanted was to get home to pack and get everything ready to go.  I didn't want to work; I didn't want to do anything that didn't involve the trip.  Thankfully, Thursday ended and we arrived early in San Diego today, along with a few of my co-workers (I was surprised to see them at the airport waiting at the same gate as we were at).

Waiting for a cab was a feat in patience, but our driver was great.  Our hostel is alright - it's nothing more than to be expected for a hostel, but for the price, it's tough to complain.  In the end, we will have saved around $600 by staying here, at the Pacifica Hotel, on 4th Avenue, right in the heart of the Gaslight District.  The room is small, very small, and we are sharing a double (gasp!) bed tonight.  We do at least have our own bathroom, but it sounds like the guy upstairs is IN our bathroom each time he sneezes.  I sure hope I sleep okay tonight...

There are tons of restaurants, pubs, and shops around us within a few blocks radius, so we do have a lot to choose from for nightlife and culinary experiences.  The Irish pub across the street that we tried for lunch today was very good, with a super friendly waitress and a true Irish feel.  I am ecstatic that there is a Starbucks on the corner, too!  For dinner tonight, we tried a Mexican restaurant called La Fiesta on 5th Avenue that was very, very good - the food was as close to authentic as I've tasted outside of Mexico.

This afternoon we were educated on the public transit system here, the MTS, and took the trolley from the Convention center up to Mission Valley.  Here there are a number of buildings housing big name department stores along with a number of different smaller shops.  Bryan wanted to go to the Sports Chalet for a long list of items; however, I came out with more than he did.  In our travels I did get a couple of rash guards along with a toque that came in handy later as we sat in a beachfront restaurant watching the sunset.  Here I am, sitting among the other locals and tourists in their summer and fall clothing, wearing a scarf and a toque!  I feel that this reinforces my belief that I hail from Columbia!

Halloween seems to be a larger deal in San Diego than back home, as pubs, museums and entertainment centers celebrate this holiday on many more days of the month than we do.  There is a historical house at the end of the block that claims to hold "Paranormal Investigations of a Real Ghost" once per month - I fear I may have missed this event but I am interested in visiting to hear the ghost stories!  Anyway, tonight we walked by a Haunted Hotel exhibit that I thought would be fun.  Bryan reluctantly joined me in this adventure, but for the 20 minutes of exhibits and marvelling at decorations, he thought this one was well done.

Yes, I was scared.  Clowns jumped out at us, there was a haunted train with mannequin skeletons along with actors thumping and screaming...I am not afraid to admit that at the end of the tour, when the guy with the chainsaw came out after me, I did run out of that place, screaming like a little girl!  Man, do I ever hate chainsaws!!!

It's a bit of an early night tonight, but I think I need the sleep.  We'll be up in the morning for a run...the paths and scenery for running and remaining active in this city are outstanding.  It's got to be my most favorite thing about San Diego so far.

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