Sunday morning we woke up ready to see San Diego in the light of day since the sun was setting the previous night as we arrived. We were headed off to Sunday brunch early before spending the day at the park. We ate at Breakfast Republic, a hip SoCal breakfast joint. Even though it was February were seated on the patio since about every restaurant we ate at had about half their seating on a patio to make use of the perfect weather practically year round. As our vacation custom we order two different dishes and then split them so we each get to try a variety. This morning we shared the protein scramble and the strawberry and mascarpone french toast-- the perfect mix of savory and sweet.
Probably one of the funniest moments on the trip happened while eating breakfast here. Arthur had gotten up to use the restroom and then came back shortly. He confessed that he wasn't sure which bathroom to use and the signs were a little ambiguous. On the wall over both doors was the word WOMAN with the WO in pink over one door and MAN in blue over the other door. Both doors were also labeled "gender neutral restroom". He didn't think it was worth the risk to make the wrong assumption so he would just wait. As we found throughout the week there are more "gender neutral restrooms" in many places in California. While people have different feelings about labels I work for a Catholic hospital in the Midwest and we have 3 "gender neutral" bathrooms in our clinic-- they are each just labeled "bathroom" and we skipped the whole gender issue in the first place.
As we were walking a few blocks to where we had parked the car we were discussing how Southern California seemed like a different world even though this wasn't "foreign" travel. The weather was completely different, we didn't recognize any of the plants, simple things such as going to the bathroom were an adventure. As we drove along the neighborhood streets to reach the park we were spending the day at we just couldn't get over how different it looks than our hometown streets. Trade in the towering oaks trees for palm trees, the homes with siding for stucco, shingles for tiles, three car garages for street only parking, mowed lawns for small spaces of rocks, cacti, and blooming tropical plants.
Our plan for the day was to spend it exploring Balboa Park which the city has used for a variety of purposes over the years from the Panama-California Exposition in 1915 to the Navy Hospital complex during WWII. Most of the buildings are Spanish-Renaissance architecture. One of the early uses of the land around the turn of the century was as a tree nursery and in turn the woman who owned the nursery planted hundreds of trees in the park each year. This woman is probably responsible the the landscaping beauty seen across the city since San Diego naturally is scrub desert but she brought in palms, eucalyptus, cypress, pines, and oaks to the park which then sparks residents to plant similar species at their homes. Our first activity in the park was to just walk around and explore the different gardens on the grounds. One of these gardens was devoted to cacti. Most of us have a general idea in our head with the word cactus but the variety of cacti just in this small space was mind-blowing. I do not know cacti come in so many shapes, sizes, and textures. Other highlights of this garden tour was the 100 year old fig tree that is one of the three largest in California, walking through a canyon between the two mesas that park is built on field with palm trees, and surprises such as the large elephants trimmed into the hedges.
Since we got to the park relatively early it was quiet and peaceful with a few joggers going past once in awhile. It was interesting to see how the feel of the park changed throughout the day as crowds started to fill the area and the energy level increased. We joined a tour led by one of the park rangers to learn about the history of the park. One of my favorite parts was that the lily pond was used as a rehabilitation pool during WWII when the area was part of a hospital. The ranger also talked about how the main purpose of a park is to encourage public assembly. It is an area where like-minded people can come together whether it be the horticultural club, the Shakespeare society, or the cultural
cottages.
Our next stop was the House of Pacific Relations which is basically a group of 30 cottages with each cottage representing a different country. On Sunday afternoons the cottages are opened up and have displays of cultural items from that country, some different food items, and a person to share about the country. It was like a mini-World's Fair. I enjoyed talking to a few of the people in each cottage since most had grown up in that particular country. There was the man who left the Ukraine when he was 4 years old when WWII broke out, the woman from Sweden with grandkids in Chicago but it is just so cold there, and the gentleman in the UK cottage who chatted Harry Potter, The Crown, and other BBC TV shows with us.
Our next two stops show our different interests. I wanted to see the botanical gardens building and could have spend all day looking at the exotic plants or just sitting there relaxing. Arthur was more interest in the art museum and studying the Rembrandt on display. However we had to make good use of our time since the outdoor organ concert was about to begin. Each Sunday the organist for the City of San Diego (yes, this is a paid city position) gives an hour long concert on the largest outdoor organ in the country. Apparently there are very few places where an organ can survive the outdoor climate. The brothers that donated the organ in the early 1900s stipulated that a free Sunday concert must be given each week. The organist was amazing and also did a very good job with music selection and explaining the music to the lay audience. We listened to a four part sonata to Bohemian Rhapsody while munching on our sack lunch. Afterwards we got a quick peek at the extent of the organ pipes and who it works before heading off to our last stop in the park-- The San Diego Natural History museum. Exhibits here included the different flora and fauna in the Southern California region from the coast to the mountains to the desert; a comparison of different skulls of different species; stunning photographs of insects; and how normal people with an interest in the natural sciences became the first citizen scientists just because they were passionate about a particular area and devoted their lives to it.
It had been a full day in the park and we were ready for dinner. We headed to Crazee Burger and tried to find some place to park the car. The general lack of parking was becoming a recurring theme. Crazee Burger was basically a burger joint but had exotic meats for the burgers such as elk, camel, or alligator. We went relatively tame and ordered the venison and wild boar burgers. After dinner we headed back to our place and watched a great documentary on Mr. Rogers called Won't You Be My Neighbor?
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