Trip report - 4 days in San Diego
Oct 24th, 2009, 05:30 PM
#41
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 16,658
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ncounty - I was going to go to that! My dear friend's dd is in it - Dh has been out of town for 10 nights though and I did not want to take off tomorrow and head down to San Diego when he just got home.
Ksucat - I am pretty sure you might know my Mom :-? I would not be surprised.
Ksucat - I am pretty sure you might know my Mom :-? I would not be surprised.
Oct 24th, 2009, 07:43 PM
#42
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,306
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
April, Thanks for the kind thoughts. We miss Victoria.
My husband just remarked yesterday, as we climbed in our car, that he missed the walks on Fort with all the stores close by.
We were so lucky with the weather overall in Vic, just that one historic heat wave for a few days, and a couple days of rain, otherwise it was gorgeous the whole 10 plus weeks. Today here in the Southland,it was lovely; Oct is a great time to visit, and yes, there are trees here with Autumn foliage, though you have to keep your eyes out for them.
I, too, wondered and marveled how little graffiti there was in Victoria. It's nice to know the bldgs in Balboa are keeping the graffiti "artists" at bay.
My husband just remarked yesterday, as we climbed in our car, that he missed the walks on Fort with all the stores close by.
We were so lucky with the weather overall in Vic, just that one historic heat wave for a few days, and a couple days of rain, otherwise it was gorgeous the whole 10 plus weeks. Today here in the Southland,it was lovely; Oct is a great time to visit, and yes, there are trees here with Autumn foliage, though you have to keep your eyes out for them.
I, too, wondered and marveled how little graffiti there was in Victoria. It's nice to know the bldgs in Balboa are keeping the graffiti "artists" at bay.
Oct 24th, 2009, 11:17 PM
#43
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,121
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
MomDDTravel, if you wind up at the Prado restaurant, I think you should have the tres leches cake for me too.
Annetti, your husband likely wouldn't enjoy walking along Fort St. in this weather, although today was not so bad.
Annetti, your husband likely wouldn't enjoy walking along Fort St. in this weather, although today was not so bad.
Oct 25th, 2009, 04:53 AM
#44
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 16,715
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Enjoyed reading your report, April. Brought back some lovely memories of my visits to SD/La Jolla. I'm surprised no one recommended breakfast at Brockton Villa across from the water. http://www.brocktonvilla.com/1.html Delicious french toast.
Oct 26th, 2009, 09:35 AM
#45
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,121
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That looks like a nice place, mclaurie. I love French toast, especially since I can't seem to make it.
Bear with me, Betsy and dbdurand - I'm trying to write up something about the Coast Starlight trip without it sounding too whiny.
Bear with me, Betsy and dbdurand - I'm trying to write up something about the Coast Starlight trip without it sounding too whiny.
Oct 26th, 2009, 08:25 PM
#47
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 2,121
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ok, here is a little bit on the train trip. I should mention that we had taken an eight day train trip on Via Rail in Canada earlier in the year so I can't help but make comparisons.
Betsy, my advice for taking the Coast Starlight would be to not have high expectations. But I would go just to have the experience.
The Coast Starlight may not be luxurious but travelling by train is an interesting way to see the countryside. Most interesting for me, along with the coastal and farmland scenery, was the route right through the Vandenberg Air Force Base. There is an interpretive program with rangers on board talking about sights along the way. That was my favourite part of the whole trip.
I liked the contrast between leaving sunny San Diego one day and waking up the next to heavy snow in Oregon.
We have enjoyed the shorter daytime trip from Eugene to Seattle before but, based on only two experiences, my impression is that Amtrak falls short when an overnight stay is involved. People often complain about Amtrak being late but generally we haven't had that problem.
Things to be aware of:
- If you have a shower in your room, it is a hand-held model in the tiny bathroom which means the whole bathroom gets wet.
- With the rocking motion, riding the train feels similar to being on a ship.
- The walls between the rooms on this Amtrak train were paper thin! If loud children and hollering parents bother you, an off-season week day might be best.
- There was no dome car on our train.
- We didn't realized there would be a 2nd floor in our car. Getting off was fine but nobody helped me lug our suitcases up the stairs when we boarded the 2nd leg in LA. (We took only carry-on bags but they were still rather heavy. My husband isn't allowed to do heavy lifting.)
- When we switched trains in LA, a porter on a motorized cart took us and our luggage to the lounge area of the train station, and then out to the train, so that part was easy.
There were two big disappointments for me on this train trip.
1. The dining experience - food and dining room staff! I always like booking trips with Amtrak because the people are so pleasant. What happened in the dining room on this train? The surly waiters made us feel like they were doing us a big favour by seating us. Others commented on their unfriendliness, so it wasn't only our impression. The food was just okay at best. Compare this to Via Rail's 'Canadian Silver & Blue' trip where an onboard chef cooks lovely meals, and generally (except for one leg of our trip) the dining room staff is gracious, efficient and enthusiastic. You can, by the way, have meals in your room.
2. Noisy people. This is the luck of the draw, not necessarily Amtrak's fault. As I mentioned, the walls were paper thin. We were tired after getting up at 4:00 am but having a nap in the afternoon wasn't an option because of the noise factor. When I think of a trip like the Coast Starlight I imagine relaxing and enjoying the scenery in relative luxury, not listening to loud people whether they're parents or kids, or the guy trying to talk over the ranger as gave his talk.
Our room was adequate, though not as large as the one we had on Via Rail. The saving grace was our wonderful room attendant. She was a gem and did her best to make our journey as pleasant as possible.
* * * * *
As for the cruise, we were on the ship only from Saturday to early Tuesday. I am partial to Holland America, but the Ryndam is due for a refit next year, so it looked a little tired and worn. I was glad we weren't taking it all the way through the Panama Canal. The food was generally good - I loved the desserts and omelettes but some of the meat was questionable. The shops were abysmal. I was surprised they still allowed smoking in the casino. There wasn't a whole lot to do onboard if you're not a gambler or game player. On the plus side, the staff was great. This was the first time we tried the 'open seating' dining option and that worked fine.
Overall, I'd have to say that the travelling wasn't the highlight of this trip - San Diego was.
Betsy, my advice for taking the Coast Starlight would be to not have high expectations. But I would go just to have the experience.
The Coast Starlight may not be luxurious but travelling by train is an interesting way to see the countryside. Most interesting for me, along with the coastal and farmland scenery, was the route right through the Vandenberg Air Force Base. There is an interpretive program with rangers on board talking about sights along the way. That was my favourite part of the whole trip.
I liked the contrast between leaving sunny San Diego one day and waking up the next to heavy snow in Oregon.
We have enjoyed the shorter daytime trip from Eugene to Seattle before but, based on only two experiences, my impression is that Amtrak falls short when an overnight stay is involved. People often complain about Amtrak being late but generally we haven't had that problem.
Things to be aware of:
- If you have a shower in your room, it is a hand-held model in the tiny bathroom which means the whole bathroom gets wet.
- With the rocking motion, riding the train feels similar to being on a ship.
- The walls between the rooms on this Amtrak train were paper thin! If loud children and hollering parents bother you, an off-season week day might be best.
- There was no dome car on our train.
- We didn't realized there would be a 2nd floor in our car. Getting off was fine but nobody helped me lug our suitcases up the stairs when we boarded the 2nd leg in LA. (We took only carry-on bags but they were still rather heavy. My husband isn't allowed to do heavy lifting.)
- When we switched trains in LA, a porter on a motorized cart took us and our luggage to the lounge area of the train station, and then out to the train, so that part was easy.
There were two big disappointments for me on this train trip.
1. The dining experience - food and dining room staff! I always like booking trips with Amtrak because the people are so pleasant. What happened in the dining room on this train? The surly waiters made us feel like they were doing us a big favour by seating us. Others commented on their unfriendliness, so it wasn't only our impression. The food was just okay at best. Compare this to Via Rail's 'Canadian Silver & Blue' trip where an onboard chef cooks lovely meals, and generally (except for one leg of our trip) the dining room staff is gracious, efficient and enthusiastic. You can, by the way, have meals in your room.
2. Noisy people. This is the luck of the draw, not necessarily Amtrak's fault. As I mentioned, the walls were paper thin. We were tired after getting up at 4:00 am but having a nap in the afternoon wasn't an option because of the noise factor. When I think of a trip like the Coast Starlight I imagine relaxing and enjoying the scenery in relative luxury, not listening to loud people whether they're parents or kids, or the guy trying to talk over the ranger as gave his talk.
Our room was adequate, though not as large as the one we had on Via Rail. The saving grace was our wonderful room attendant. She was a gem and did her best to make our journey as pleasant as possible.
* * * * *
As for the cruise, we were on the ship only from Saturday to early Tuesday. I am partial to Holland America, but the Ryndam is due for a refit next year, so it looked a little tired and worn. I was glad we weren't taking it all the way through the Panama Canal. The food was generally good - I loved the desserts and omelettes but some of the meat was questionable. The shops were abysmal. I was surprised they still allowed smoking in the casino. There wasn't a whole lot to do onboard if you're not a gambler or game player. On the plus side, the staff was great. This was the first time we tried the 'open seating' dining option and that worked fine.
Overall, I'd have to say that the travelling wasn't the highlight of this trip - San Diego was.
Make that "We didn't realize there would be a 2nd floor in our car..."
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
travelerfromtx
United States
5
May 27th, 2010 10:06 AM
