Sleepless in San Diego

And on the second day:....

We decided to go for a short stroll to stretch our legs. We headed for an old friend, the Hotel Del Coronado or, as the locals call it, "The Del"

Built in 1888, this beautiful, Victorian seaside hotel has a storied and romantic history. Guests have included Presidents, movie stars and even Edward, the Prince of Wales (who may have met his legendary love, Wallis Simpson, there).

The Del

The hotel is believed to be haunted by the ghost of Kate Morgan. In 1892, the young woman checked into the Hotel Del Coronado to meet her estranged husband for Thanksgiving. He never arrived to meet her, and a few days later, she was found dead on the hotel steps near the ocean. Since then, guests and staff of the Hotel Del Coronado have noticed strange breezes, ghostly noises and the pale figure of a young lady walking in a black lace dress.

We walked through the Del and down Orange Avenue, the main street. By now, it was lunch time (or was that breakfast Australian time?)

Lidy and her hamburger.

We stopped at a sidewalk restaurant and Russell had a great meal of salmon and salad. Lidy had an open hamburger. Yummm.

The loooonnnnnngggggg wait for the bus...

Lunch eaten, it was time to catch the bus into San Diego and some serious shopping...

The bus - at the pointy end

The bus operator and Russell had a long conversation comparing the entitlements of bus operators in Australia to those in San Diego. Interestingly, the ticketing system used in San Diego is the same system used in Brisbane and is just as (un)reliable!!!! The tall console to the right of the driver accepts coins and notes and issues change so that the operator never needs to handle money.

Jimmy Love's "Jazz" Restaurant

In San Diego, we visited Jimmy Love's for dinner. this is a Jazz restaurant with live bands. We thought we might have a chance of a dance or two after dinner.

Great meal at an even greater table.

The meal was great, and the atmosphere delightful but, when I asked the band to play "Minnie the Moocher", they sent back a note to say they didn't know it!!!!

The three piece "Jazz" band

We left and went instead to an old favourite, The Hard Rock Cafe where we had a couple of decadent sundaes...

Lidy has another mouthful.

Russell looks worried he may not get it all in his gob!