Coronado

Hope everyone has a great Valentine's Day and make each day count.

Coronado Island

Drove south to San Diego, parked at Imperial Beach and cycled the Silver Strand with Steve & Sandy (11 miles along Silver Strand to the ferry landing and beachfront boardwalk, and the Landing Marketplace).

The Coronado Islands are a group of four island off the NW coast of the Mexican state of Baja, California (between 15 and 19 miles south of the entrance to San Diego bay; 8 miles from the Mexican mainland).

In the 1920 and 1930, during Prohibition, the cove on the NE side of South Coronado Island was used a a meeting place for alcohol smugglers and today is known as "Smugglers Cove."

Coronado

Located across San Diego Bay from downtown, Coronado Island was reported by US News & World report to be one of the most expensive place to reside in the U.S.

Coronado lies on a peninsula connected to the mainland by a 10-miles isthmus called  The Strand.

The Coronado Boathouse 1887 - originally built in 1887, the year before the Hotel Del (Hotel Coronado) was constructed.  Used as a model & training site for construction workers, electricians and plumbers to hone their skills before starting on THE Hotel - the reason the structures are similar in style.   Today, the Boathouse is a casual fine-dining restaurant.

At the end of the "Island" is the Hotel Coronado (called "The Del" by locals).  Built in 1888, this classic beachfront respite near San Diego, with its red turrets and pure white Victorian exterior has been heralded as one of America's most beautiful beach resorts.

For $110,000 in 1886, the land was purchased (33 acres of oceanfront), lots were laid out, trees planted and a water system was built.  Built entirely of wood and completed at a cost of $1 million, Hotel del Coronado is one of the few Victorian seaside resorts still standing.

In 1888 the new hotel suffered when the railroad expansion went to Los Angeles.  After joining forces with the son of the sugar magnate, another blow came during the fourth year of business.

Thanksgiving Day 1892, a woman checked herself in as Lottie Bernard (alone, this was unusual for the late 19th century).  Five days later, she was found dead on a stairway - apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

It was later learned that her real name was Kate Morgan & it was rumored that she and her husband ran a deceptive card-playing scam.   No reasons have been found for why she took her own life but apparently, people have reportedly seen her ghost.  Two rooms are reportedly haunted (before 1900 two women separately committed suicide, each taking with them the life of an unborn child); dramatic shifts in room temperatures, odd scents and unexplained voices.  




In 1927 a celebration dinner was held honoring aviator Charles Lindbergh after completing his historic nonstop transatlantic solo flight between New York City & Paris.

1958 the hotel was chosen as the location for the Marilyn Monroe movie "Some LIke It Hot."   Through history, it has hosted 11 U.S. Presidents.

Pay Phones

The hotel offers rooms, lanais and suites in the Historic Building, contemporary Ocean Towers and California Cabanas and luxury cottages and villas.

A day at the spa/salon.

The Dragon Tree

Native to the Canary Island, this tree was planted prior to the turn of the century where it thrives in the souther California coastal climate.  The tree was used as a backdrop in the Marilyn Monroe movie, Some Like It Hot.

The Sand Castle Man

Bill Pavlacka has been building sand castles for fun for nearly thirty years.  

He builds for parties, weddings, corporate logos and other events.   

He was building this structure for pleasure and is often see outside The Del, sculpting.

Cycling back along the Coronado Golf Course . . .   . .  to the bike path

Say what?   

               . . . never seen white shirts and ties on a golf course so stopped to watch. 

Turns out it is The HICKORY INVITATIONAL - use of 1920's Hickory Clubs, Bags and Balls.  The groups were all having a great time and loved to chat and laugh at themselves.

The Coronado Golf Course is a public course (6,590 yards from the blue tees, par 72) - and reasonable, considering it is minutes from San Diego  (weekdays $30).

Houses are varied and magnificent - this one with a very intricate roofline.

The San Diego Bay Bridge (locally referred to as the Coronado Bridge, completed in 1967) - crossing from S. Diego to Coronado.  11,179 feet in length with a height of 200 feet, allowing the U.S. Navy ships which operate out of the nearby Naval Station San Diego to pass underneath.






Saturday afternoon we said farewell to Steve & Sandy (that was one fast week and a good time) and drove back to Coronado to play pickleball on fabulous outdoor tennis club courts.  Great view - ocean, golf course at the back of the courts.

Dogs enjoyed some freedom and beach time at Sunset Beach around the corner (found underground parking for $5 a day) minutes from the tennis club.

Sunset Beach