San Diego Zoo ~ Balboa Park ~ Padres Baseball

The day before my husband had three days of convention meetings to attend, we tried to see as much of San Diego together as possible. First on our agenda was the San Diego Zoo. We have been to many wonderful zoos in many states, but everyone told us this one was not to be missed.
The San Diego Zoo is one of the largest, most progressive zoos in the world with over 4,000 animals of more than 800 species. It is privately operated by the nonprofit Zoological Society of San Diego on 100 acres of parkland leased from the City of San Diego, and ownership of all animals, equipment and other assets rests with the City of San Diego.


There is an extensive new elephant exhibit presently being built, but we enjoyed seeing them up close munching on some tree branches. See more on the zoo's elephant web cam link.

The little giraffe seen in this photo was born this past spring.

The Zoo offers optional guided bus tours and an overhead gondola lift called the "skyfari" for a fee.

Exhibits are often designed around a particular habitat. The African Rain Forest habitat featured gorillas, and you can see a few in the photo below. There is a hard plastic window viewing area and many gorillas were asleep right at the edge of the window! It was fascinating seeing them so close up. Look at the size of this one's feet!

You can see how the windows wind around the exhibit walls to allow for the best view.

The San Diego Zoo is extremely active in conservation and species preservation efforts. It has a "Center for Conservation and Research for Endangered Species," and many species are bred in captivity for release into their native habitats where appropriate.

Below is the underwater viewing area of hippo exhibit in the "Ituri Forest" section. Every now and then they would raise their noses above water to breathe. They look happy!

One of the most popular exhibits is the "Giant Pandas Research" station. The zoo and China agreed on a 12-year research loan of two giant pandas, and presently there are four Pandas in residence.

No, he wouldn't turn around.... I guess he's a little camera shy. I know how that feels!

The zoo has a Panda Cam so maybe you can get a peek at what he looks like if you click on the link.

Click on this photo to enlarge it to see the adorable face of this panda siting in the tree! I almost missed seeing her!

The "Polar Bear Plunge" area is one of the most famous highlights at the San Diego zoo! It represents the Arctic tundra, and has Siberian reindeer, Pallas' cats, northern birds, and native plants, along with polar bears, on exhibit. We had a lot of fun watching this bear play with a ball in the under water viewing area ! There is also a polar bear web cam available. The zoo cools the water to 58 degrees so the bears seem to enjoy swimming most of the time.

Male and female Zebras standing together look like bookends.
Camels always appear to be smiling to me.
A Koala in a eucalyptus tree. The San Diego Zoo has the largest koala population and the most successful koala breeding program outside of Australia.

The "Owens Rain Forest Aviary" offers bird lovers an up-close look at more than 200 feathered friends representing 60 species and about 180 birds. The free-flight aviary simulates the sights and sounds of a real Southeast Asian jungle environment. It focuses on exotic species from Southeast Asia and Australia, including flowers, ferns, and foliage indigenous to that region.

The "Wings of Australasia" aviaries presents some of the diverse jewels of the San Diego Zoo's bird collection, one of the premier collections of birds found anywhere in the world. These aviaries are currently home to over 100 birds native to Australasia. There are 36 exhibits within five modules of aviaries designed to house multiple species of birds.

If you love birds this is the zoo to visit!

San Diego's mild Mediterranean climate makes it possible to grow more different kinds of plants than almost anywhere else in the United States. There are many winding paths lined with tropical trees and flora and fauna.
There were many beautiful and fragrant flowers in bloom everywhere!

Caribbean flamingos have been exhibited at the Zoo since 1932, and they have been at the front entrance for over 50 years. They are called the Zoo's "unofficial ambassadors!"
The San Diego Zoo is part of Balboa Park. Balboa Park is made up of more than 1000 acres and offers fifteen museums, various gardens, arts and international culture associations managed and maintained by the Developed Regional Parks Division of the City of San Diego Park & Recreation Department.

Many of the museums along Balboa Park's Prado are housed in magnificent Spanish Colonial Revival buildings, originally constructed for the 1915–1916 Panama-California Exposition. It was the first time that this richly decorated, highly ornamental architectural style had ever been used in the United States.

The Museum of Man with the California Tower which has carillon bells that chime every 15 minutes.

Many of the park's attractions are along El Prado, a long, wide promenade running through the center of the park that you can see in the photo below.
The Casa del Prado, also known as the Casa, and the adjacent Casa del Prado Theatre are historic reconstructions of buildings from the 1915 Pan American Exposition. They are also the home to a number of youth arts organizations, the Park and Recreation dance program, and the San Diego Botanical Garden Foundation and library. The exquisite churrigueresque sculptural architectural ornament can been seen in the following three close ups:

The Plaza de Panama Fountain with the House of Hospitality in the background, where the visitors center is located.

The Spreckels Organ Pavilion is the home of the world’s largest outdoor pipe organ with over 4,500 pipes. Constructed for the 1915 Pan American Exposition and given to the city by John and Adolf Spreckels, the Pavilion is located in the heart of Balboa Park and is the setting for a wide variety of public and civic events. Free, public organ concerts by the Civic Organist or guest artists are presented at 2:00pm every Sunday afternoon of the year.

The Botanical Building houses more than 350 species of plants and displays which are changed seasonally.

The San Diego Natural History Museum is one of the oldest scientific institutions in the western United States.

There was so much to see and do in Balboa Park I returned one day by myself, while my husband was in convention meetings, to attend the current "Georgia O’Keeffe and the Women of the Stieglitz Circle" exhibit at the San Diego Museum of Art , which is one of the country's leading art institutions, with approximately 500,000 visitors annually.

Balboa Park is certainly one of San Diego's gems!


Later that same day we went to Petco Park to see the San Diego Padres baseball team vs. the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The handsome and historic Western Metal Supply Company Building has been renovated and incorporated into the ballpark. The 98-year-old structure houses the Padres Team Store on the first floor, with a door opening onto a standing room area in left field. The second and third floors feature festive private suites. A restaurant on the fourth floor provides terrace dining with superb views of the field. You can see it in the photo below.

This is where we had dinner and we sat on the terrace to watch a few innings. This is the view we had from that vantage point.

This is the view we had from our right field seats. We seemed to be surrounded by Dodgers' fans!

Since it was a long day, and we were tired from all the walking we did in the zoo and Balboa Park, we left after the seven inning stretch when the Padres were winning 2-1, but we later learned they lost the game 6 -2. I hate to see the home team lose, so I'm happy I wasn't there to see that happen.

All in all we had a wonderful day, and I was happily anticipating meeting fellow bloggers Cori and Joanne for the first time the next day -- next blog post!

California Dreaming ~ San Diego

My husband and I returned from California on Sunday evening, and, as sometimes happens after a vacation, a lot of loose ends had to be taken care of before life finally gets back to a normal routine.

I thank everyone for all the comments left on my pre scheduled 9/11 anniversary blog post. It was the first time I was away from NYC on that sad anniversary, and it was interesting to realize what being so far away from the happenings of that day must have felt like. I hope and pray that our nation never has to face such a tragedy anywhere on our shores ever again.

We had a wonderful time on our trip to San Diego, which was part business for my husband and all pleasure for me. This was only our second trip to California, as last year we visited San Francisco, and drove along the coast from Nappa Valley to Carmel.

California is such a wondrous state! Every section we've visited so far has its own distinct beauty and allure. All photos click on to enlarge

We stayed at The San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina. It was a fabulous location, near the Embarcadero which is a paved pedestrian path which winds around the coastline, through its various parks, the picturesque Seaport Village shops and restaurants, and along the harbor.

These are the views of the city and harbor we had from our hotel balcony!

After we arrived on Monday afternoon and checked into our hotel we strolled over to the Gaslamp District. The Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego is one of the largest and most architecturally significant historic districts in the country, encompassing 16 ½ city blocks with over 90 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. The ornate lamps that illuminate the streets of the historic district are replicas of the original gas lamps used in San Diego at the turn of the century.

Its main period of development began in 1867, when Alonzo Horton bought the land in hopes of creating a new city center closer to the bay, and chose 5th Avenue as its main street. After a period of urban decay, the neighborhood underwent urban renewal in the 1980s and 1990s, and is today an energetic business and entertainment district.

The historic buildings each have a marker, such as the one below, which describes its history.

Built in 1910 the US Grant Hotel below recently reopened after a $52 million dollar renovation to help restore the historic ambiance as a world-class luxury hotel. It was ranked as one of the Top 128 Hotels in the World by Conde Naste Traveler.

Across the street from the US Grant Hotel is The Horton Plaza Park which features the Irving Gill Fountain, the first water fountain in the United States to have electric lights.

The Gaslamp District has many examples of beautiful Victorian commercial buildings. Many of the buildings are well over 100 years old, and their eclectic architectural styles are an assortment of Classical Revival, Spanish Renaissance Revival, Modern, Oriental, Spanish, Baroque and Italian Baroque Revival.

The original visitors of the 1880's were gamblers and prostitutes, such as Wyatt Earp and Ida Bailey, who founded numerous gambling halls, saloons and brothels in the area, which was called "Stingaree" at the time, until 1912 when city officials cracked down on prostitution, effectively shutting down the lively Stingaree.

In the evening, as the sun sets, the streets come alive in the present day Gaslamp Quarter. The old-fashioned gas lamps begin to glow along the wide brick walkways illuminating many charming sidewalk cafes, and it becomes a lively and vivacious hub of San Diego nightlife.

We dined that evening at Croce's Restaurant, located at 802 5th Avenue in the district. In 1985, Chef/Owner Ingrid Croce opened Croce's Restaurant and Bar as a tribute to her late husband singer/songwriter Jim Croce, who unfortunately passed away in 1974 in a airplane accident. The American bistro was one of the first fine-dining restaurants in the area, and one that helped revolutionize the downtown dining scene.

I was excited to dine here, as I was a fan of Jim Croce and his 1973 hit single "Time In A Bottle" was my wedding song. I enjoyed seeing all his memorabilia in the window and the walls inside. The food and atmosphere was fantastic, and I recommend it as a place to try if you visit the area.

It was a lovely first day in San Diego, and my next blog post will show highlights of the world renown San Diego Zoo and the breathtakingly beautiful Balboa Park, followed by one of the best parts of my trip which was meeting two wonderful bloggers, and sharing a sightseeing day with them!