Trip Report: Two days in San Diego
Sep 28th, 2011, 12:29 PM
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Trip Report: Two days in San Diego
We just spent two days in San Diego to attend a wedding. We managed to do some sight-seeing.
We arranged for a tour of the Salk Institute to see the Louis Kahn building. The tour is available only on Fridays, given by a volunteer who is an architect. It was very interesting, with good explanations of the design, although some of the explained “philosophy” behind the design could have been recast as intelligent design on the part of the architect--I prefer straightforward explanations to the enthusiastic one which implies that I should also feel that way. There is a certain coldness to the complex when viewed from a distance, but it is attenuated once one sees how various elements have been incorporated (research space, offices, placement of utilities, etc.). At the end of the tour we grabbed a bite to eat in the complex’s cafeteria which has an nice outdoor terrace overlooking an undeveloped piece of coast and the ocean behind. Unfortunately the food does not match the setting.
We also visited the Minguei Museum which had a great exhibit of Afro-American quilts and an exhibit of Japanese cats. If in Balboa Park, this museum is definitely worth a visit. I believe that it has only special exhibits with the exception of a few pieces of Nakashima furniture and a hanging Nikki Sainte-Phalle sculpture. It is more interesting than the traditional art museum that faces it whose special exhibit of Spanish art from Velazquez to Dali was really very minor.
Old Town is a mix of historical buildings and commercial ones. The main commercial plaza has deteriorated over the years, with some of the better stores gone--at least that is how we feel about it. My wife knew the area in her youth before it became a tourist attraction, and we have visited it over a period of 40 years, so that we have our own sense of its development. But we had a nice margarita before attending the wedding.
Two eating places worth recommending:
The Smoking Goat in North Park which came highly recommended. It did not match the praise, but has good food, although a little heavy on the sweet side. I had sweet bread in a berry sauce which could have used some acid or sourness to offset the sweetness. The same was true of the quail. The dessert (I don’t remember it precisely) had a caramel sauce that was unnecessary and again added too much sweetness. We ordered only from the small dishes, the main dishes looked less interesting. 5 dishes ($54) and two glasses of wine ($16 with a nondescript white) + tip.
Bread & Cie, 350 University Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103 is the place for breakfast or to just pick up a roll or a ficelle to snack on.
We stayed at the King's Inn on Hotel Circle, which turned out to be quite convenient--just a short drive to University Ave. for breakfast and easy access to Mission Beach to get to the wedding and its next day beach picnic.
The beginning of this set represents our current San Diego visit--with the exception of one or two older pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...12998387/show/
We arranged for a tour of the Salk Institute to see the Louis Kahn building. The tour is available only on Fridays, given by a volunteer who is an architect. It was very interesting, with good explanations of the design, although some of the explained “philosophy” behind the design could have been recast as intelligent design on the part of the architect--I prefer straightforward explanations to the enthusiastic one which implies that I should also feel that way. There is a certain coldness to the complex when viewed from a distance, but it is attenuated once one sees how various elements have been incorporated (research space, offices, placement of utilities, etc.). At the end of the tour we grabbed a bite to eat in the complex’s cafeteria which has an nice outdoor terrace overlooking an undeveloped piece of coast and the ocean behind. Unfortunately the food does not match the setting.
We also visited the Minguei Museum which had a great exhibit of Afro-American quilts and an exhibit of Japanese cats. If in Balboa Park, this museum is definitely worth a visit. I believe that it has only special exhibits with the exception of a few pieces of Nakashima furniture and a hanging Nikki Sainte-Phalle sculpture. It is more interesting than the traditional art museum that faces it whose special exhibit of Spanish art from Velazquez to Dali was really very minor.
Old Town is a mix of historical buildings and commercial ones. The main commercial plaza has deteriorated over the years, with some of the better stores gone--at least that is how we feel about it. My wife knew the area in her youth before it became a tourist attraction, and we have visited it over a period of 40 years, so that we have our own sense of its development. But we had a nice margarita before attending the wedding.
Two eating places worth recommending:
The Smoking Goat in North Park which came highly recommended. It did not match the praise, but has good food, although a little heavy on the sweet side. I had sweet bread in a berry sauce which could have used some acid or sourness to offset the sweetness. The same was true of the quail. The dessert (I don’t remember it precisely) had a caramel sauce that was unnecessary and again added too much sweetness. We ordered only from the small dishes, the main dishes looked less interesting. 5 dishes ($54) and two glasses of wine ($16 with a nondescript white) + tip.
Bread & Cie, 350 University Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103 is the place for breakfast or to just pick up a roll or a ficelle to snack on.
We stayed at the King's Inn on Hotel Circle, which turned out to be quite convenient--just a short drive to University Ave. for breakfast and easy access to Mission Beach to get to the wedding and its next day beach picnic.
The beginning of this set represents our current San Diego visit--with the exception of one or two older pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...12998387/show/
Oct 11th, 2011, 05:28 PM
#2
Michael, thanks for the trip report. I really enjoyed your photos. Was that orange thing a mushroom? I will be checking out the hotel and Bread and Cie on our upcoming visit to San Diego. Ziggypop
Oct 12th, 2011, 07:17 AM
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ziggypop,
If you mean this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57624512998387 then yes, but far from San Diego.
If you mean this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...57624512998387 then yes, but far from San Diego.
Oct 12th, 2011, 11:51 AM
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I am not crazy about San Diego as a city even though it has some interesting architecture. What I mean is that I would not go there just for the city. Compare this to NYC, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco; all have an appeal that is not anchored on tourist attractions. Or there is Charleston and Savannah which are tourist attractions in themselves. It is not a city for the urban flâneur.
This was the response to the bulk of this comment that was posted on another forum:
I think that is fair; San Diego is certainly an outdoor destination, designed for outdoor activities. Given the region's weather, it makes sense. San Diego is not just about the theme parks, though. Sports enthusiasts come from far and wide to go golfing, boating, deep-sea fishing, surfing, cycling, hiking, etc.
This was the response to the bulk of this comment that was posted on another forum:
I think that is fair; San Diego is certainly an outdoor destination, designed for outdoor activities. Given the region's weather, it makes sense. San Diego is not just about the theme parks, though. Sports enthusiasts come from far and wide to go golfing, boating, deep-sea fishing, surfing, cycling, hiking, etc.
