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May 19, 2004
San Diego vacation: Day 1
I gotta hand it to socalfreenet (I think that's their name, I'll fix it when I can) for setting up free hot spots around the city. There are some places that charge and some that don't, but San Diego out paces most places I've been.
It's a bit of a bummer not to have access at the hotel, but it's just not worth the price. We got a hotel that had two rooms so we could be awake in one room and still have a place where Kevin could sleep. The best priced place was Mission Valley Comfort Suites. Not a bad place so far and they have a free continental breakfast, but they charge $9.95 a day for Internet access, or $45 a week - about what we pay for a month.
Instead of paying out the nose, Teri and I will be roaming the city from time to time and connecting for free from the rental. So if you live in San Diego and see a man and woman in a white Explorer with darkened back windows, sitting on the side of the road working on laptops it's not the Feds, it's just us.
Our first jaunt into this today was outside a deli called Influx near downtown. The reception was okay and I was able to do everything I needed except download my mail. It's likely that I could have figured out that problem if I wanted to take the time, but it was time to eat and Kevin was hungry so we moved on.
Ok, on to the zoo...
The day started with a trip to the San Diego zoo. We got there when it opened at 9 and left around 5. There was a whole lot of walking involved, but it was well worth it. The zoo has a large number of exhibits and many different animals (although I'd say they have an excessive amount of birds). If you have plans to visit, start in the morning when they open. As soon as we entered we were greeted by two peacocks that we able to wonder around on their own. There was also a few other bird throughout the zoo that had the ability to roam.
Alot of guidebooks say to take the bus tour right away but if you are there early in the morning, spend your time seeing the animals while they are active and save the tour until mid-day when most of them are resting. The only animals you can see well from the bus are the larger ones and many of the interesting animals (such as the primates) are not part of the tour. If the tour isn't included as part of your admission fee (like with the 3 in 1 pass) I'd say pass on paying the $10 unless you really want to ride a double-decker bus. If you do take the tour, sit in the middle of the bus. When they stop at an exhibit they try to center the bus, which means that sitting in the front puts you past prime viewing. It's a wash as to left or right, both sides have their share of animals, although there are a few more on the left. You can stand on the bus and move a bit to take pictures or get a better view, so sides don't really matter.
There is plenty of shade throughout the park and while it is a huge zoo, you can visit most of it in a day. The sea lion show is worth watching, unfortunately it was the only show that we saw. The cats sleep most of the time and the bears are most active in the evening, so plan you trip accordingly. There are also some steep and some very steep hills, but they can be avoided if you plan your walk and use the escalators.
The zoo is pricey, but it is well worth the cost if you have any children that are interested in animals.
Posted by Jesse at May 19, 2004 9:53 PM