February 12: California Here We Come

 

We spent the first part of the morning moving from hotel to van to terminal to concourse to airplane. 

We were able to skip baggage check-in because we had opted to send the big bags ahead. They left Marion last week. We will next see them in our stateroom on the ship. LuggageForward kept us posted on the suitcases' progress; they arrived in San Diego last Saturday. We could validate that statement because each bag had a tracker that periodically updated us on its location. It was interesting to watch the route they took traveling coast to coast.

Our JetBlue flight took off on time. The plane's Wi-Fi didn't work, so there was no temptation to 'transition' into vacation mode by cleaning up a little desk work. It was straight into the deep end of the pool, including watching a movie, reading, doing some puzzles, and taking a nap.

Visibility was good in places along the way, so Pam had her nose pressed to the window, particularly as we flew over the Rockies. Flying low over the mountains east of San Diego was impressive. We pulled up to the terminal gate exactly on time.

We had to resolve some miscommunication with Holland-America about getting from the airport to the hotel. It took long enough that we could have walked there. The hotel is on Harbor Island, less than a mile away. (For those of you who do not know San Diego, the airport is within walking distance of the city.)

We checked in at the Marriott. Our room was one of a block reserved for Holland-America. It was a reminder of why we like to book our own room, but perfectly adequate for our two nights here.

We walked to and from dinner at Ham's Lighthouse Restaurant - about a mile each way. It has a great view of the city and Coronodo, but you will want a table outside. The indoor restaurant has a barn-like quality, though it is lessened if you sit by one of the picture windows.

East Coast time caught up with us soon after we returned to the hotel, so by West Coast time, we went to bed early.