BAYSHORE BIKEWAY--CORONADO TO SAN DIEGO

*LOEWS CORONADO BAY RESORT

  It's another warm sunny morning in California. I decide to head out for a ride on my newly tuned-up bicycle. I started at our apartment which is near the Coronado Ferry Landing and continued on the Bayshore Bikeway down the Silver Strand Boulevard. I made a stop at Loews Coronado Bay Resort to enjoy a cup of coffee with a pleasant bayview and then treked over to the Pacific Ocean for a short beach walk. At this point I was about three miles from Imperial Beach—still not sure how far I was going to bike.

I checked with the doorman at Loews about possibly continuing my bike ride to Imperial Beach and then taking the loop around the bay—ending up in downtown San Diego. He said someone he knew biked the 25 mile loop all the time and recommended it. I decided to continue.

SAN DIEGO BAY VIEW FROM PATH

SAN DIEGO BAY VIEW FROM PATH

I have considered this bikeway many times, but I must confess that I have been uneasy about the fact that over half of it is a bike lane shared with motorized traffic. In addition, I wasn't sure about the 25 miles and the route sounded a bit confusing—depending on whom you talked to.

Once on the San Diego side, the bike path turned into a bike lane—shared with motorized vehicles and the sounds of Freeway 5. I am pretty much a bike-path-only kind of biker, so this definitely placed me out of my comfort zone. It was reasonably well-marked, even though there were a number of turns. Also, because the route follows the bay it would be difficult to go totally off in the wrong direction.

I found a very interesting stop on Bay Boulevard called Artesanos Gamez, Inc. It is a rather large building filled with hundreds of items produced in Mexico. I especially liked the bright multi-colored pots and some of the small wooden chests that would be perfect at the side of our bed. It is a wholesale company that is open to the public. No one ever came out to help me, so I'm not sure about the pricing but it was a much appreciated break.

I continued on and took the detour into the very beautiful Chula Vista Park. There were a couple of restaurants near the park which I passed on and regretted soon afterwards because I was starting to get hungry. The industrial area ahead did not look very promising for food. After a few more miles, I came across the Waterfront Grill at Pier32. This time I stopped and leisurely enjoyed my lunch sitting on the outside deck with a harbor view.

HARBOR DRIVE - BIKE LANE

Up until the point where Tidelands Avenue intersects with Harbor Drive in San Diego, I would unequivocally recommend the bike route. Even though there wasn't always a bike trail it was quite interesting and the traffic was light. Once on Harbor Drive, however, the next five miles were not very enjoyable because of traffic, many busy intersections, and a bumpy bike lane.(I recommend taking this route on a weekend when there would be less traffic.)

Once I arrived at the Convention Center, the bike trail started again. I boarded the 3 p.m. ferry back to Coronado. It was a good experience and one that I had been trying to get up the courage to do for awhile, so I felt good about my accomplishment. I allowed a full day for the trip and I was glad to travel at my leisure and stop along the way—traits of a Vintage Traveler.

I just returned home—Ron said he wants to go out for Happy Hour. We'd better head out quickly, because if I sit down on the living room chair I might not move again until morning. 



FINAL STRETCH --BIKE TRAIL

*Photo from Loews photo collection

VINTAGE CLOTHES & ART IN NORTH PARK

RAY STREET AT NIGHT

We picked the second Saturday in January to head up to North Park's Ray at Night.  This is a monthly celebration of the arts featuring galleries, vendors, food and music on Ray Street. I think we visited most of them. There was a variety of art on display which included ceramics, mosaics, crafts, and paintings. The live music added to the festivity and fun of the evening. It was cold for San Diego and once again my winter coat came in handy. We ended the night at The Ritual in North Park for a pleasant drink.


VINTAGE COUPLE AT THE RITUAL TAVERN

VINTAGE HATS

   The next day we enjoyed a great Sunday brunch prepared by my daughter, the ClassyCareerGirl, and then went on a short walk to visit a couple of vintage clothing shops that we missed the night before. I really enjoyed The Girl Can't Help  shop on Grim Ave. The clothing and accessories were upscale and looked like they had barely been worn. The shop specializes in ladies and men's quality mid 20th century clothing and accessories. They were also "well-priced" with dresses costing up the $500 or more. This was originally a London shop that moved to San Diego.

VINTAGE DRESS

   I did find a pink patterned dress that I loved--I didn't bother to try it on because I have no idea where I would wear it. (No doubt it was too small anyway because the vintage ladies of the 50's and 60's tended to weigh less than today's women.)  Studies  indicate our heads are getting bigger as well (maybe we're smarter).

THE GIRL CAN'T HELP - VINTAGE DRESS

 I love to look at vintage clothes, and this shop was a gem.  Another clothing boutique, Ms Vintage, is located nearby in North Park and is loaded with vintage clothes and accessories--well worth a visit. 

STORE DISPLAY

   One last stop, just for fun and curiosity was
Vintage Religion--a unique shop inspired by religion and cultures of the world. It was filled with a variety of figurines, jewelry, t-shirts ranging from the "day of the Dead" to Buddha. The owners' hearse (clearly marked Vintage Religion) is parked on the street outside the store for advertisement.
   

 

 



 

EXCURSION TO LOS ANGELES

I could not refuse an invitation from my favorite friend to join her group for a bus ride to Los Angeles to see a live viewing of "The Doctors" at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.  In addition, we would be given lots of free time to visit the Original L.A. Farmers Market and nearby Groves shopping area.  The bus was to leave from the Curves in Poway--I drove up to my friends' house the night before so we could make the early 6:30am free ride to L.A.

The trip started out a little shaky because we had to wait in pouring rain for over an hour for a late bus (Yes, it does rain in Southern California). Once we all boarded, we experienced water leaking from the roof of a not so clean bus.  Also, the windshield wipers looked a little suspect. Finally, we were on the road to L.A. in less then perfect conditions.

Fortunately, they ordered another bus for the return trip which turned out to be fine. About two hours later, we were dropped off at the Farmers Market and everyone made a beeline for the restrooms.  The sun came out and we had a lovely time walking, shopping, eating and people watching.

We quickly walked through the Market and headed for the more upscale Groves Mall. Our first stop was Anthropologie--I love the Vintage displays and clothing in these stores. It was during a visit to an Anthropologie store a few years ago that I came up with the name for this blog--My Vintage Journeys.

Fortunately, one of our Curves friends needed to visit The American Girl Place to shop for her granddaughter. We spent a lot of time looking at the gigantic selection of dolls, clothes, accessories and even books (yes, they can learn about history from these books)--interesting that the books were only $6.95--I say "only" because everything else is over the top.  Speaking of dolls, it makes me wonder what will become of my daughter Anna's Molly and other dolls that are currently boxed up in our Minnesota basement.



We returned to the L.A. Farmers Market which is quite a contrast to the upscale Groves Mall because more than 90%of the shops and stalls are independently owned and operated. The Farmers Market started in 1934. At lunch time, we all congregated at the old tables and chairs in the central food court to eat and discuss the many food choices. I highly recommend reading the "78 facts" about the Market which is on their website.

After a pleasant lunch at the Farmers Market, we hoped back on the bus and drove to a live showing of "The Doctors".  I find it very interesting to see what goes on behind the scenes of a live production. They herded us in, and then we needed to patiently sit while they "warmed us up" with jokes, trivia questions and instructions on when to clap and laugh during the production. Finally, the show began and I learned a few interesting facts like men having fewer wrinkles then women because they shave. There were a also celebrities on the show--Latoya Jackson and Denise Austin. Everyone in the audience received a free copy of Austins' recent book, Side Effect: Skinny.

The bus trip back to Poway was long because of traffic (we left during rush hour) but the Poway group managed to bring wine and hor d'oeuvre so all was well.  Once we arrived back at Curves, I had the pleasure of a side trip through a Poway neighborhood that has about 50 homes extensively decorated for Christmas.

Finally, about 10pm we were dropped off at my friend's home and I still had to drive back to Coronado on the San Diego freeways which I am still learning to navigate. Fortunately, I made it home safely.

Thank you, Jean, and her special friends that I've had the privilege of getting to know through the years.

 

AMERICAN GIRLS

GROVES SHOPPING AREA

FRIENDS IN ANTHROPOLOGIE STORE

POWAY XMAS DECORATIONS