Thoughts on the SD trip

[maurice]

- Overall, a great result for a roadtrip . . . though the Hermanson implosion was frustrating.
- The weather sucked . . . 88 in Chicago but 64 and cloudy in SoCal?!?
- There was a pretty sizable earthquake but mrs. / dr. maurice slept right through it.
- Nice waterfront area . . . we also enjoyed Coronado Island and Old Town.
- The Gaslamp Quarter is still a work in progress . . . lots of bars / restaurants but tons of construction.
- Nice public transportation . . . we took the trolley and busses everywhere . . . they really ought to extend the trolley to the airport terminals, though.
- Marriott owns the town . . . three big Marriotts in downtown and Coronado and another under construction . . . lots more in the outlying areas.
- SD Zoo is overrated . . . great bear exhibits but generally disorganized and disappointing, especially for the price.
- Petco was very strange . . . too many seating categories . . . bizarre prices (tons of mediocre / expensive seats but plenty of good / cheap seats) . . . extremely high and steep upper deck . . . skyboxes in the furthest reaches of the park. I'll take the Cell any day.
- Aside from Giles, the Pads lineup was not at all scary.
- A shocking number of grossly overweight people for a no-winter area that is not part of the Old South . . . apparently nobody cooks because there are overpriced restaurants everywhere.
- Pads fans = cub fans . . . they frequently stand facing away from the action on the field, cheer popups, boo obvious calls that go against their team, and repeatedly do the wave in the midst of a 1-run ballgame.
- They love their overrated SS, while offering much less love for a much better player (Giles).
- They're very loud but slow-witted . . . actual exchange:
1st Pads Fan: Hey Sox fan, buy a Padres' hat and wear the winning colors.
maurice: I'm already wearing the winning colors.
(5-second pause)
1st Pads Fan: No you're not.
maurice: Nice comeback! It took you THAT long to come up with "no you're not"?!?
2nd Pads Fan: Well, at least we're in 1st place.
maurice: So are we, but if you keep getting beat by crappy teams like Cleveland, you won't be in 1st place long.
2nd Pads Fan: Uhhh . . . .
maurice: See you in the World Series!

[Palehose13]

- SD Zoo is overrated . . . great bear exhibits but generally disorganized and disappointing, especially for the price.

- A shocking number of grossly overweight people for a no-winter area that is not part of the Old South . . . apparently nobody cooks because there are overpriced restaurants everywhere.

I was in San Diego in February visiting two friends that recently moved there. They told me the same two things. I was really shocked about many people being overweight, but I guess that is the norm in San Diego...

[Hangar18]

yeah the earthquake was a trip .........

[soxwon]

im thinking of going there next march.

do you think the weather will be as warm or warmer than arizona?

[ChiSoxGirl]

im thinking of going there next march.

do you think the weather will be as warm or warmer than arizona?

My uncle lives in San Diego and I was down there in March for Spring Break. According to him, March is a crap shoot in terms of weather- you can get 50-60 degrees and clouds/rain, or you can have 75-90 degree temperatures and total sunshine, which is what I had this year. Regardless, it's worth the 4 hour plane ride because it's gorgeous!

[michned]

- Petco was very strange . . . too many seating categories . . . bizarre prices (tons of mediocre / expensive seats but plenty of good / cheap seats) . . . extremely high and steep upper deck . . .

- Pads fans = cub fans . . . they frequently stand facing away from the action on the field, cheer popups, boo obvious calls that go against their team, and repeatedly do the wave in the midst of a 1-run ballgame.

I took a walk up to the upper deck and experienced vertigo! The thing that turned me off the most was the first three rows of field level seats were "VIP" seating and they were roped off, even two hours before game time. I spent the cash on some decent seats and got there when the gates opened so my son might be able to walk down a few rows and get an autograph but he was forbidden by the "guard" (who just happened to be from Hegewisch).

And the wave - my son is not even 8 yet and he says to me, "Dad, why don't they pay attention to the game, it's 1-0!"

That's my boy...

[michned]

yeah the earthquake was a trip .........

How long did it last for you? I was staying in Carlsbad and it only rumbled for about three seconds. Others I've talked to say it was longer. But still, unlike anything I had ever experienced. The only thing remotely close was the rumble when the oil refinery exploded in Lemont in the mid-70s.

[maurice]

It seemed like longer than 3 seconds, but I was on the 11th floor of a hotel in SD. It's possible that the hotel kept waving after the quake stopped.

[MasQbellesa]

I was in a upper floor at my hotel too and it felt like it was swaying for about 30 seconds. AND I'M FROM CALIFORNIA! I'm used to earthquakes, but I was more worried about the players nerves being rattled.