San Diego Smorgasbord

Jill's Journal: Our girls – especially Madelyn – love mariachis and Mexican folk bands. The catchy tunes the musicians play never fail to get their hands clapping, their feet moving, and their faces smiling.

San Diego is chock full of attractions and interesting areas to wander about while taking in the sights. Over the last few days, we’ve enjoyed Old Town, the Gaslamp Quarter, and Seaport Village. All are distinctly different.

First, Old Town. Although San Diego is now the second-largest city in California and the eight-largest city in the U.S. with more than 1.3 million people, its beginnings were a bit more humble. The original San Diego (or at least the Presidio, a Spanish military outpost) was founded in 1769 and was the first European settlement on the West Coast. It was built on an inland bluff, several miles away from navigable water which really inhibited both imports and exports. When the town began growing outside the Presidio’s walls around 1821, the inland location kept the town’s population at just a few hundred, but also kept it defended against hostile Indians and European enemies.

In 1850, when California was admitted to the Union, San Diego’s population was only 650. The area encompassing this original San Diego is today known as Old Town and is a state historic park. It recreates the early American/Mexican period from settlement in 1821 to the time about 50 years later when Old Town was no longer the heart of San Diego.

There’s all sorts of nooks and crannies to discover as one strolls through Old Town.

Our girls absolutely love the bright colors of traditional Mexican dress. They thought this girl was just beautiful.

El Campo Santa (The Holy Field), an early San Diego cemetery. Nearly 500 people were buried here in the 1800s.

Of course, one of the best things about Old Town (and all of San Diego!) is the food. We have loved grabbing street tacos on the go or patronizing taco trucks or taquerias. When we leave California, how we are going to hate leaving behind the authentic Mexican food. We are hooked, big time. Californians (and I’m sure Texans and those from a few other Southwest states) know that the rest of the country generally misses the mark in their attempts at authentic Mexican cuisine (just as New England clam chowder just can’t be properly replicated outside of New England!). Happily, I suppose, just about every region of the country has their specialty that only they do best.

“Dessert” tortillas, which are flavored strawberry, chocolate, and cinnamon, are one of the few San Diego specialties that can stay right here; no need to worry about what the rest of the country is missing where these are concerned. :)

When and why did Old Town lose its ranking as San Diego proper? In the late 1860s, a gentleman named Alonzo Horton got the bright idea of purchasing 960 acres at the waterfront with the idea of developing it. He quickly fueled a real estate speculation boom. With the easy access to shipping at the bay, merchants were happy to follow Horton to “New Town.” The heart of New Town at its inception was an area known today as the Gaslamp Quarter.

Horton was so successful in “moving” San Diego that by 1871, even the government records were moved to a new county courthouse in New Town. Old Town would forever lose its place as the true San Diego. Today, New Town is still San Diego’s official downtown. Shown in the picture is the Horton Grand Hotel, where the famous/infamous Wyatt Earp lived for at least four years as he invested in real estate (and opened saloons and gambling halls).

Over time, as San Diego grew (and grew), the Gaslamp Quarter became San Diego’s red light district. It was particularly noted as an area of ill repute for the thousands of sailors which were both based here and constantly passed through. The area underwent a renewal several decades ago and today the Gaslamp is 16 1/2 blocks of restored Victorian-era buildings filled with bustling restaurants, nightclubs, and shops.

We visited the Gaslamp Quarter’s William Heath Davis House, the oldest surviving structure in New Town. The first gentleman to attempt to “move” San Diego was Davis, who in 1850 bought this pre-fabricated house from Portland, Maine. He had it shipped around Cape Horn and reassembled in San Diego. However, shortly after, he lost most of his wealth and abandoned San Diego. It would be more than 15 years later that Horton would find success in establishing the new San Diego. Horton would actually live in this house while establishing New Town.

People must have been shorter in the 1800s…

In the 1970s, when a subsequent owner of the home passed away and a room he kept sealed was opened, this working whiskey still was found, as was $5,000 in gold.

This 1921 letter, dated during prohibition, was a “promise” not to transport liquor purchased in nearby Mexico into the U.S. I wonder if that promise was kept? :)

Finally, we also spent some time at Seaport Village, which has no historical significance with the exception of being built on top of landfill over the Punta de los Muertos (Point of the Dead), where a 1782 Spanish expedition buried people who died of scurvy. Now it’s a charming pedestrian mall on the waterfront, with a ton of little shops and restaurants and plenty of street entertainers thrown in for good measure.

The girls found it the perfect place to "people watch" with an ice cream in hand.

Olvera Street, Birthplace of Los Angeles

Jill's Journal: It’s no secret driving in L.A. is about as much fun as getting a root canal, so we decided a day getting around on the metro might be a nice little adventure (as we tried not to envision what might become of the subway if an earthquake hit!).

Our main destination was the renowned Olvera Street and it just so happens there's a metro stop at Union Station, literally across the street.

Union Station is neat to see all on its own. It was built in 1939 on top of a former Chinese settlement which itself had been built over the top of an Indian village. It’s built in a sort of Spanish Colonial Art Deco style and is the last of the grand train stations built in the U.S.

It’s a short walk from Union Station to Olvera Street, the area where settlers from Mexico founded Los Angeles on or about September 4, 1781. This is the oldest part of downtown L.A. and is often called the birthplace of L.A. Olvera Street is actually part of the historic monument El Pueblo de Los Angeles. This plaza area was the city center under first Spanish, then Mexican, and finally United States rule through most of the 19th century.

Olvera Street itself is actually an alley that is closed to vehicles. It’s like a merchant’s row, filled to the brim with stall after stall of brightly-colored Mexican goods for sale – piñatas, sombreros, ponchos, plastic mariachi guitars, and more.

And the food! This is supposedly where taquitos first originated. Every food stand and restaurant claims to have the best. We settled for the ones covered in avocado sauce at Cielito Lindo. They’ve been in this spot since 1934 and were favorites of Rita Hayworth, Orson Wells, and Marlon Brando, all of whom talked the owners into catering private parties at their homes from time to time.

Sure enough, the taquitos were very, very good, but we thought their chile rellenos were even better.

Right on Olvera Street is Avila Adobe, the oldest existing house in Los Angeles. Built circa 1818, the house is furnished to look as it might have in the 1840s at the height of cattle ranching in L.A. The Avila family was wealthy and traded cowhides and tallow with merchants docked at the port for furnishings from all over the world. Famed fur trapper Jedediah Smith stayed with the family for a short time in 1826.

Notice there's a door in this master bedroom. Every room opens out into a central courtyard.

The nearby Consulate-General of Mexico has beautiful, elaborate murals adorning the walls.

Also nearby is Fire House No. 1, which was built in 1884 and is open to the public (both upstairs and downstairs). It was the first firehouse built by the City of Los Angeles and featured a unique turntable in the floor that made it unnecessary to back the horses in or out.

What a lovely way to spend a day in downtown L.A. And what fun to think of the quiet beginnings of this now great, bustling city.

Dinosaur World

Jill's Journal: Dinosaur World was on tap yesterday and the girls could hardly wait to get there. Over 150 life-size dinosaurs were featured as we strolled the park in blazing heat and viewed them in their “natural” environments. In spite of seeing Jurassic Park 15 years ago, I’ve never really thought twice about dinosaurs before. I had no idea scientists believe there were so many different kinds! With just 3-4 exceptions, they all look pretty much alike to me. Ross the paleontologist on Friends would be horrified.

But the girls enjoyed going on a fossil dig and playing in the dinosaur boneyard and I’m glad…because it was definitely a little cheesy! I was just waiting for an Elvis impersonator to hop out from behind one of the dinosaurs and burst into song. (No offense to Elvis!) I can’t say the $34.19 in admission fees was worth it, but the girls have been spouting dinosaur names and information ever since, so they must have learned something.

And yesterday evening we found an unexpected treasure. We happened across the small town of Glasgow, Kentucky, and decided to grab some dinner while we were out. Somehow we ended up in a small Mexican restaurant named Garcia’s Grill and had one of the best Mexican meals ever. Who would have thought? Their sign said, “A Different Kind of Mexican Restaurant,” and they were right. It wasn’t Mexican food the American way, but Mexican food like I’ve had in Mexico City or Cabo San Lucas. I had a shrimp/black bean chimichanga, Rob had fish tacos, and both were out of this world. The girls weren’t quite as excited with their fare, but you just can’t please everybody all of the time!

Last night was our last night in this campground and a bright red motorhome had moved in across the way. It looked more like a rock star bus than a motorhome. The girls have something I didn’t know existed…motorhome envy! It is hysterical! Madelyn is especially coveting it. She’s noted that all the rest are “just white,” but this one is “ruby red,” and wants to know if that can be our next home. Funny girl.