window or aisle? :: a travelogue

San Diego is a unique town. It isn't a very geographically expansive city, but its neighborhoods and rolling hillsides seem to stretch for miles. The downtown area looks freshly renovated, undoubtedly due to the revitalized Gaslamp Quarter and Petco Park where the Major League Baseball San Diego Padres now call home. Even Old Town, the area just north of the airport where San Diego residents first called home, is clean, restored, and thriving. Local shops and boutiques boast handicrafts and home-cooked meals just a few steps away from a major interstate freeway, and visitors can take it all in within easy walking distance of everything Old Town has to offer. Balboa Park, located in the center of the city, is a pristine cut of land that boasts a beautiful public golf course with picturesque views of the harbor, and the world-renowned San Diego Zoo, among other things. This is not exactly how you might expect to find several hundred acres of prime real estate used in any other major city, but San Diego is not any other city.

The public transit system is somewhat lacking compared to other larger cities, but you can get to most of the main spots and attractions without too much hassle. The downtown trolley system reaches back to an era that I can only read about in history books and newspaper archives, but still impresses me, even after transiting some of the world's largest and most complex metropolitan rail systems. Moreover, the buses and trains are very clean, a testament to the environmental awareness of San Diego locals. Ah, yes, the locals. The locals are a friendly bunch. A very culturally diverse area, San Diego residents seem to have an air of calm and optimism about themselves. And who could blame them? Nary a cloud in the sky, balmy evening temperatures, and palm trees gently swaying in the wind on nearly every street corner. Many people are tan, but it's definitely natural. They tan because they're enjoying their beautiful outdoors, nothing like their neighbors to the north in Los Angeles who will apply their suntans hairline-to-heel each morning before their coffee and power bar. No, San Diego locals take the time to sit down each morning at their favorite breakfast nook and talk about about the good old days while eagerly anticipating what is yet to come.

But make no mistake: San Diego, while appearing sleepy and laid-back on the surface, is a bustling and rapidly expanding metro area. I'm sure I'll be back in a few years to experience the new wonders San Diego has in store for us all, reflecting on what used to be a sleepy little city with the charm of a local neighborhood but with a wingspan of global proportions.