San Diego - Part 5

Today was my last full day in the San Diego area...sad! I've had such a great time. :))

My friend, Megan, from Denver has a convention out here that started Sunday night. She flew in early so that we could hang out! It was so fun to see someone I knew after a week of being away from everyone. :) We met for brunch at the very popular and very good Cafe 21. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting San Diego! Afterwards, we watched part of the Padres game at a sports bar, and then walked around her lovely hotel and Seaport Village before parting directions.

{delicious breakfast...there were baked prosciutto, cremini mushrooms and tomatoes on my omelette-yum!}

{this is the convention center...gorgeous!}

 {a little breezy. so fun to have a friend in town!}

 {the harbor} 

{she was staying in a beautiful hotel that had an AMAZING VIEW!}

{downtown San Diego}

Such a lovely finish to this week of relaxation!

San Diego - Part 4

Del Mar is pretty well know for the horse races that take place every summer! The racing season runs from mid-July to early September with races Wed-Sunday. In all my visits here, I've never been so I figured it was about time to fix that. :) It was pretty fun! The entire complex is amazing...they have all the 'back of the house' places where the horses are groomed and kept, along with a HUGE track. The 'bandstand' (for lack of a better word) holds over 40,000 people. Wow!



The nice thing is that you can pay the admission price to get in ($6) and then either stand at the rail up front or use the free seating. They always have free seating which is amazing!

{this is where they parade the horses right before they race. amazing creatures to see up close!}

I had the sweetest security guard give me a tour of the place, including into this special pen where you can get up close to pet all the horses. It was amazing.

{here's the 'bandstand'} 

{you can get right up to the rail for a front row seat as the horses cross the finish line. they race every half hour.}

{the winning jockey was a female! she was so tiny!}

 

{just part of the complex. it's huge!}

I don't really understand all the betting or really know anything about who the good horses are but it sure was fun to go. There were also lots of women in great hats!

San Diego - Part 3

Oddly enough, I did this entire post yesterday but it got lost in space. :/ weird. The last couple days have been filled with hiking, the beach and more...

{Del Mar Beach}

{I could get used to this. :)}

{beautiful, yellow Hibiscus!}

{Sushi dinner on the beach.}

{this is for Sister}

{walking the ridge of the cliff at Del Mar Beach}

{I love that the mornings are cloudy/foggy and cool.}

{This guy is wiggly, so it's hard to get a picture with him!}

{Been doing lots of sleeping; so has he. :)}

{large, pink Hibiscus tree}

{this is the path that leads up to Solana Beach Circle. Incredible views and I love that's lined with these pink Bougainvillea bushes!}

{morning walk on the beach}

{dinner-plate Dahlia!}

{hiking in Torrey Pines State Reserve...beautiful!}

{you can hike straight down to the beach.}

{this was interesting!}

Next up, Del Mar Horse Races!