Exploring San Diego, California during the 2022 Sherwood Family Reunion
After spending five weeks participating in a study abroad program on the island of Puerto Rico during the beginning of the summer, I flew completely across the United States for a weeklong family reunion in San Diego, California.
Read about my experience traveling to San Diego here, with an impromptu adventure in St. Louis!
My father’s side of the family meets together every two years for a family reunion, but this was the first one I had been able to attend since 2018. I was excited to see my extended family again and spend some time with them. One of my aunts picked me up at the San Diego International Airport and drove me up to our hotel for the week, a Residence Inn by Marriott. The hotel was located north of downtown San Diego in La Jolla, close to the campus of the University of California, San Diego.
Looking for a place to stay on your next trip? Check out Booking.com for the best deals!
San Diego, California Temple
After dropping my bags off in our room and giving my family a few big hugs, I changed clothes to go with a bunch of my cousins to visit the San Diego Temple, which was a pretty special experience. The building is beautiful both inside and out, and it was a great way to finish such a long day of travel.
Hidden Swings and Black Beach
The next day was my sister’s birthday, and after church in the morning my brother and I went with her to explore some sites in the local area. We drove over near the coast to Scripps Institution of Oceanography to visit the Hidden Swings, a popular location a short hike from the Birch Aquarium that offered a great view of the La Jolla shoreline.
After taking a few pictures and admiring the scenery, we drove a bit further north to the Blacks Beach Trail, just west of the University of California’s San Diego campus. This incredibly steep paved trail weaves down to the beach below, and it was cool to watch paragliders flying around from the Torrey Pines Gliderport nearby. Going back up definitely took a little longer than going down, but the views were worth it and we had a good time. The three of us were shocked though when a little girl that looked to be around six or seven years old glided past us on the way up, as if the incline didn’t bother her at all. None of the three of us complained about the climb the rest of the way after that, and laughed about it once we reached the top.
Sunset Cliffs, San Diego
Later on in the afternoon a large group of my cousins and I loaded up into a few vehicles and drove to Sunset Cliffs in San Diego to watch the sunset. We accidentally parked on opposite sides of the cliffs though as everyone else, so my group walked along the edge to meet up with the rest of the family as the sun began to set. The view over the cliffs to the Pacific Ocean were incredible, and the sky glowed a vibrant orange as the sun dipped behind the horizon for the night.
La Jolla Shores Beach Photo Scavenger Hunt
The next morning our entire family met up at La Jolla Shores Beach. One of my aunts had developed a photo scavenger hunt and we split up into teams for the competition. We started roaming the beach looking for places and situations to collect all of the pictures we needed. There were all sorts of categories to find and take pictures of, but my greatest contribution to our team was probably finding a live lizard crawling around in a bush. Most other teams couldn’t find a live reptile during the event, so I was pretty proud of my find.
Sand Castle Engineering
After regrouping once everyone had taken as many pictures as they could, we spent the rest of the morning enjoying the beach. We swam, relaxed, and played Spikeball along the beach. Eventually someone began a sand-castle building competition as the tide began to creep up higher and higher. The goal of the competition was to see which sand castle could last the longest against the waves as they slowly but surely got closer and stronger. As a civil engineering student, I felt pretty confident about my odds, especially because my competitors were generally much younger and “inexperienced.”
Eventually only two sand castles remained, mine and my younger brother’s castle. Now the competition became personal. The waves were closing in, and I raced to build up embankments of sand to surround and defend my castle and dig trenches to divert the water. My brother on the other hand, elected to pile up as high of a sand castle mound as possible. Then, suddenly, out of nowhere, a massive wave crashed over my defenses, washing away all of my hard work in one crushing blow. That wasn’t the only crushing blow I’d get however, as I turned to look at my brother triumphantly standing beside his still-intact castle. I had been bested, and conceded defeat to my younger, superior sand castle engineer brother.
Westfield UTC
Later that afternoon I said goodbye to my sister who was leaving for her own summer academic experience, and to a few of my cousins who had to travel back home for work. After they headed to the airport, I went with a group of some of my other relatives to the AMC Theater at Westfield University Towne Centre (UTC) to watch the new Top Gun: Maverick movie. The film was phenomenal, the incredible cinematography captivated me throughout the entire movie, especially the scenes shot in the Boeing F/A 18F Super Hornet planes. The Westfield UTC even has a direct transit center serving local bus routes and the Blue Line of the San Diego Trolley, which makes visiting this great shopping and entertainment center even easier from anywhere in the area.
Tide Pools and Tacos
Tuesday morning we drove to the La Jolla Tide Pools, an area along the coast that at low tide, features pools of water with sea life such as crabs & fish. It’s a very scenic, rocky beach, but lots of fun to walk around and explore. Stairs connecting from the streets above make it easy to access, but I recommend visiting with sturdy shoes, as some parts can be a little slippery. We saw more crabs than I had ever seen in one place, which were cool to see, and my younger cousins loved exploring around the area.
Afterwards we all met up for lunch at Marcy Park for a taco crawl, where we tasted street tacos from four different restaurants in the area. The four restaurants were Lucha Libre, Don Bravos, Don Carlos, and Taco Stand. After trying a taco from each location, we voted on our favorites. The tacos from Lucha Libre won pretty handily the awards for best taco and best salsa, but the best meat winner was from the Taco Stand. If you find yourself in the San Diego area be sure to grab a taco or two from the prestigious winners.
One of my cousins was working on completing his Eagle Scout project, so naturally our entire family was enlisted to help out. We drove to El Camino Memorial – Sorrento Valley & Memorial Park cemetery to contribute to the Billion Graves project. Using their app, we were able to take pictures of hundreds of gravestones and geotag their location within the cemetery. We documented an entire section of the cemetery, and it was a cool experience to be a part of.
Legoland California
When I was younger, I spent an immeasurable number of hours building with Legos. We had thousands of Lego bricks in giant containers in our home, and I constructed countless creations over the years. It had always been my dream to visit Legoland growing up, and on Wednesday I was finally able to realize that dream.
The drive from San Diego to Carlsbad, where Legoland California is located, took less than an hour without terrible traffic along Interstate 5. My younger siblings and cousins were very visibly excited as we turned into the entrance, and even though I knew I was no longer part of the target age group for the park, I was still a little excited to finally reach the place I dreamed of visiting as a kid.
We arrived just as the park was opening, walking past the two hotels to the official entrance to the park, walking underneath the iconic welcome sign. Over the next few hours we explored the park, riding many of the attractions offered. There were a few small roller coasters, augmented reality rides, a submarine adventure ride, and much more, all featuring different Lego themes.
Miniland USA
My siblings and cousins loved every moment, but were especially excited for driving school, where they were given Lego driver’s licenses after finishing the activity. The highlight for me though, was an area of the park known as Miniland USA. Located right in the middle of the park, Miniland USA is separated into five main sections: Las Vegas, New Orleans, New York, Southern California/San Francisco, and Washington D.C.
I loved being able to see and recognize places I had been to before, like the National Mall in Washington D.C or the French Market in New Orleans. The New York subway, San Francisco cable cars and the Las Vegas monorail were fun transit systems to see working in mini Lego scale too. In my opinion, Miniland USA is Legoland’s best feature, and I loved being able to see the incredible detail in each creation on display.
Sailing San Diego Bay
Thursday my dad and I joined a few of our relatives for a sailing trip around San Diego Bay, which for me ended up being one of the highlights of the entire week. We used the company Sail San Diego, which operated out of America’s Cup Harbor near Liberty Station. We boarded our boat and after navigating our of the marina, our captain unfurled the sails and we set off into the bay. The wind was perfect for an afternoon of sailing, and we settled in comfortably as our voyage began.
North Island Naval Air Station
We headed away from downtown San Diego to begin with, following along the shore of Point Loma across from the naval base. Fighter jets and helicopters took off and landed from the base as we sailed by, and we saw a couple of military vessels as well. We even saw a navy boat that was working with a group of trained dolphins, which was fascinating to watch.
After exploring this side of the bay for a bit we turned back around and headed back downwind towards downtown San Diego, looping around the naval base on Coronado. We passed the USS Carl Vinson, which was docked alongside the base, presumably for maintenance after a recent deployment. This magnificent aircraft carrier is named after a former congressman from Georgia who is known as the “father of the two-ocean navy.” My high school has a building named after him, because Carl Vinson is actually from my hometown of Milledgeville, and went to Georgia Military College just like I did. I had heard many stories about him during my time at GMC, so it was amazing to get to see the aircraft carrier named after him in person.
Downtown San Diego
We passed the airport and sailed next to the Maritime Museum of San Diego, which features a collection of restored vintage ships with historical exhibits. It’s located right in front of the city’s Waterfront Park, and is a great place to visit for incredible landside views of the bay. Right next door is Portside Pier, a collection of popular restaurants with a great location right along the shore. The San Diego Trolley has stations that span the entirety of the downtown waterfront, allowing for convenient access to many of the city’s best attractions.
USS Midway
We sailed further along past the most famous stop in all of San Diego, another aircraft carrier, the USS Midway. This legendary carrier has traveled all over the globe, but now permanently stays in San Diego and serves as a historical museum. Visiting the USS Midway gives you access to three incredible aspects of the ship, all unique and all remarkable in their own way. The first aspect is the walk through the inside of the ship. As soon as you enter this massive ship you’re greeted by the cavernous hangar deck. There are many rooms and walkways to explore as well, including the engine room, the brig, the captain’s quarters, the mess hall, the barber shop, the mail room, the laundry room, the connecting hallways, and much more.
The second amazing experience on the USS Midway is walking on the flight deck. Fascinating restored naval planes line the flight deck, and exploring this area of the ship gives you a unique perspective and appreciation for the size and capability of the carrier. Climbing up into the tower is an amazing aspect as well, and lets you imagine watching the entire aircraft carrier in action as naval officers once did.
Behind the Helm
After sailing further down the bay, passing the San Diego Convention Center and reaching the massive curved Coronado Bridge that crosses over the bay, we turned back upwind to head back to the marina. I got the opportunity to get behind the helm of our sailboat for a while, and got to practice tacking into the wind, which was lots of fun. It was super nice of our captain to let me navigate for a while, and I loved the feeling of the wind in my face, acting as honorary unofficial first mate.
Old Town San Diego
The next morning, after walking to a shopping center nearby to get a much needed haircut, my parents, siblings and I drove to the Nobel Drive San Diego Trolley station close to our hotel for the day’s adventure. We bought day tickets for everyone, but found out later from one of the trolley employees that actually during the summer in San Diego, anyone 18 years or younger can ride the trolley for free.
We took the Trolley down a few stations to the San Diego – Old Town station, which, as the name indicates, provides incredibly convenient access to Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Old Town San Diego is an open-air museum about local life in the 1800s, with buildings restored to look like they did during the time-period. Our first stop was Cousin’s Candy Shop to buy some fudge and taffy.
Mormon Battalion Historic Site
We walked past the Old Town Market and the Whaley House Museum (which supposedly is haunted) to meet up with the rest of our extended family for a tour of the Mormon Battalion Historic Site. This monument is an interactive interpretive center that commemorates a group of Latter-Day Saint pioneers in the US Army during the Mexican-American War. I have ancestors who served as part of the Mormon Battalion, so it was cool to learn about a part of their history. The tour focuses more on history than religion, and is both an entertaining and educational experience for everyone. It’s definitely a must-see stop for anyone visiting Old San Diego, and offers a great free guided tour experience everyone will enjoy.
We walked back through the historic park, stopping to get some ice cream and then relaxing for a bit under the shade at the Plaza de las Armas, known later also as Washington Square. I visited La Casa de Estudillo, a beautifully preserved site that wonderfully showcased life from the era, as my siblings played around in the plaza. After enjoying the historical park for a little while longer, we walked back to the trolley station and rode back up to La Jolla.
Onto the Next Adventure
The week passed by so quickly, and before I knew it the time had come to say goodbye again. My family was headed back to Phoenix, Arizona before flying back home to Georgia, but I wouldn’t be driving with them. With my second study abroad program of the summer beginning the next week, I instead began my journey down to Ecuador, a trip that would take over 24 hours and include almost a dozen separate trips on four different forms of transportation!
Pingback: From Sea to Shining Sea and the Gateway City - The Transit Traveler
Pingback: Four Trains, Three Planes, Two Buses - One Long Trip - The Transit Traveler
Comments are closed.