Old Town San Diego

April 13th. Last weekend I went to a scientific meeting in San Diego, by myself. Jane was going to come but decided not to since she's been very busy at work and we'll be going to the Grand Canyon next month. Anyway, the meeting was fine. I made some new friends and saw some old friends, and went out to some "way-to expensive" dinners. Of course, too expensive to me is when my meal doesn't already come wrapped in cellophane.

While in San Diego I walked around the Gaslamp District which is the main entertainment region near the convention center and checked out the new Padres stadium. But I enjoyed most visiting Old Town San Diego and the San Diego Zoo. Old Town San Diego is the original settlement in California and the site is now a historic park that is nice for strolling its avenues, browsing the many shops, and getting some pretty good food....and there's some history of the early settlement of this region if you're interested. The welcoming sign leading into Old Town is just a short distance from the Trolley stop (see picture at top); many of the shopkeepers dressed in period costume and there were historical characters leading tours, but it was cute not annoying.

The town itself is alright. Some of shops sell typical tourist junk and some are quite nice and feature local artists. There is also a lot of local crafts like leather, tin-work, and faux native art.

As I was walking I saw this one outdoor artist with his easel painting this view (see picture above) which I thought was particularly attractive and stood just over his shoulder to snap this picture. It turned out better than what he was painting.

The above picture was not taken on the main thoroughfare but actually behind the town. The pictures at left (and bottom right) is more typical of the views of storefronts walking down the main plaza.

I'll write about the San Diego Zoo in my next post.