We originally had a trip planned with the kids to San Diego in May of 2020, but because of Covid we had to cancel that trip and we finally had time to do it this year. We picked the kids up a little early from their last day of school so that we could head to the airport and fly to San Diego. Craig's parents came along, no trip to San Diego would be the same without Stan and Diane since they lived there when they first got married. Everything with the flight was easy peasy and we got to San Diego and picked up the rental car and headed to our Airbnb. It was pretty late by this point so I got the kids ready for bed and settled in while Craig and Stan ran to the grocery store to grab food for breakfast and snacks. We lucked out with a great Airbnb that was very clean and was super close to everything we want to do.
Saturday morning we got up and after a quick workout and some breakfast we headed out for the day. We first went to Birch Aquarium and then drove past the temple and then went and checked out La Jolla. The kids loved seeing the Sea Lions even though they were very stinky. We then headed to lunch at the Fish Market. We each got a yummy fish dish for lunch and after our tummies were full we walked over to the Midway battleship. We walked all through the battleship that had been turned into a floating museum. The kids loved seeing all the helicopters and fighter jets on the flight deck and they enjoyed seeing where the sailors slept and ate and especially liked the control and briefing rooms. I think all the times we have watched Top Gun made them appreciate it even more. After a quick pit stop back at the house we headed back in town to the Padres game. They were playing the Yankees so the tickets were quite expensive and there were a lot of Yankee fans in the stadium, but we of course were rooting for the home team. Diane got some VIP valet parking which made getting in and out super easy. The kids each got a Padres baseball hat and we ate hot dogs and popcorn and drank soda. We got to see a home run and some awesome defensive plays. The kids had a blast at their first ever MLB game.
Sunday morning we headed to the Sand Diego Zoo. You can't go to San Diego without going to the zoo. We walked around and saw everything. The kids are used to the Boise zoo, so this was amazing to them. It was busy because it was Memorial Day Weekend, but not too crazy. We were able to see all the animals we wanted to. Luckily the weather was perfect the whole weekend, it was mid 60s and not too crazy humid. We sure got in all our steps each day. After the zoo we headed over to Balboa park and grabbed some ice cream before heading into the science museum. We checked out some of the exhibits, the kids favorite was the ball pit. We then watched an Imax movie about caves. Once that was over we went over to the Corvette Diner for dinner. We love the Corvette Diner and the old school vibe it has. There is a DJ and you can request songs, our table may have requested a few or 10. The waitresses dance, Brooklyn joined them once. The food is delicious and they have an authentic soda shop with yummy milkshakes and drinks. We all ate way too much, but we had a blast. We then headed back home.
Monday was SeaWorld. The kids were excited because there are quite a few rollercoasters there now. Last time Craig and I went, about 15 years ago, there were only a few rides, so we were quite excited too. We purchased the fast pass, which most definitely paid off. We never waited more than 15 minutes for a ride, even if there was like a 90 minute wait. We did most rides multiple times and we also got reserved seating for all of the shows. We went to the dolphin show, Seal lion/otter show, Orca show (the kids sat in the splash zone for this one and got soaked) and also the Pirate show (this was all of our favorite show and was super entertaining). Diane did use a scooter which allowed her to get around the whole park and not regret it the next day. Once we were all worn out (we had been there for 8 hours) we headed back home and just ate what was in the fridge and got to bed.
Tuesday was our last day and we had to fly out that evening, but we had quite a bit of time to kill once we had to check out of our Airbnb at 10:00am. We first drove over to Coronado and checked out the hotel and let the kids run around on the beach for a little bit. We then drove to Point Loma to check out the lighthouse. Once we were done there we headed to Old Town for lunch at the Cafe Coyote. We all had some delicious tacos. We then walked town to the town square and walked through all of the shops. Pops said he would buy each kid a souvenir, McKay choose a wallet and Brooklyn choose a big seashell with her name on it. Once we had walked through all of the shops we headed to the Church's visitor center where they teach you about the Mormon Battalion and how they helped settle San Diego. The kids got to pan for gold and McKay got to dress up like a soldier. Once we were done there it was time to gas up the car and head back to the airport. Again our flight was super easy, it helps when it is a direct flight. And just like that we were back home and back to real life. It was fun to show the kids a place that we love so much. We packed in a ton of stuff in a short amount of time. It is nice to have the kids a little older because we can really get a lot of stuff done. We all had a wonderful time and everyone came home with a big smile and lots of memories.
