Travel: From the beaches to the zoo, a visit to San Diego is smooth sailing

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - From the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, the million-dollar view of San Diego Bay is love at first sight. Glassy skyscrapers shimmer in the glow of the sunset. Sleek ships glide through the dark blue Pacific Ocean. Moist breezes tousle the wildflowers on the promontory.

The city’s long maritime heritage begins with the arrival of Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542. His flagship, the San Salvador, anchored here on Point Loma’s east shore. We stand on the grassy headland, on what is now known as Cabrillo National Monument, and admire the panoramic views of San Diego Bay.

In his diary, Cabrillo described the bay as “a closed and very good port.”

These days, San Diego Harbor ranks as one of the country’s best natural harbors. Naval Base San Diego is the U.S. Navy’s largest base on the West Coast and the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet Surface Navy. Much of the local economy depends on the deepwater port whether for naval operations, commercial fishing, shipping or tourism. The San Diego Convention Center lies adjacent to the bay, surrounded by hotels, restaurants and attractions.

The people of San Diego County, which has an estimated population of 3.3 million, come to the waterfront for concerts and festivals, or simply to walk the promenades along the 12-mile-long bay. Sightseeing cruises, including whale-watching tours, depart from here. Dozens of marinas and yacht clubs connect with shopping, dining and entertainment districts, such as Seaport Village. At the village, people sample the beers at Mike Hess Brewing and watch the sun set from tables at restaurants like Malibu Farm.

In San Diego Bay, the 1,000-foot-long USS Midway Museum aircraft carrier dwarfs the many weekend pleasure boats.

On board, military veterans provide stories and explain the technicalities of landing a Phantom II on the carrier's deck. People stroll through several levels of exhibitions that illustrate the duties and lifestyle of the 4,000-plus crew members during deployments. The USS Midway’s days of active duty were from 1945 to 1992. The landing deck has a collection of military aircraft like the F-14 Tomcat, the UH-1 Huey Gunship helicopter and the E-2 Hawkeye with its distinctive radar dish on top.

Beloved gathering place

Balboa Park is the cultural heart and soul of San Diego. The 1,200-acre park, replete with greenways and a golf course, is a playground and peaceful oasis for city dwellers. The Japanese Friendship Garden cascades down a ravine. More than 200 cherry trees, large azaleas and camellias create a spectacularly colorful display in the blooming season.

From El Prado, the park’s tree-shaded boulevard, visitors wander to the 18 museums. Several outstanding collections reside in the buildings constructed for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition held to celebrate the opening of the Panama Canal. San Diego became the first U.S. port-of-call for ships navigating through the new canal, which subsequently launched the city’s prosperity. The dominant Spanish Colonial Revival architecture with its rich ornamentation evokes the elegance of the old Spanish days of California history.

San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park’s most famous attraction, welcomes more than four million visitors annually. Its beginning also links back to the 1915 Panama-California Exposition. A small menagerie of exotic animals, including a lion, remained after the event ended. Community leaders set aside land for the animals’ permanent home. About 14,000 animals, representing 700 species and subspecies, live here, and the zoo is ranked in the top tier of U.S. zoos.

When we visited the Scripps Aviary, one of the oldest structures in the zoo, we listened to commentary offered by an enthusiastic volunteer, a retired teacher. She points to a crake, a brown marsh bird. “I call it the middle school bird. Its clothes don’t match up, and its feet are too big for its body.”

Neighborhoods retain their ties to San Diego’s historic eras, and many of these places evolved into dining and entertainment districts. Old Town, the site of the first European settlement in California, dates to the 1760s. The adobe-brick Estudillo House, built in 1827, depicts family life during frontier days when trade by sea was California’s primary connection to the rest of the world. Fiesta de Reyes, an enclave with garden courtyard dining and shops, adjoins the state historic site.

Little Italy offers a variety of classic, Old World dining experiences, as well as innovative Italian cuisine with a modern twist. Originally, the neighborhood housed immigrants from Genoa and Sicily who helped build the fishing industry. Seafood continues to highlight menus here. Roman Wolves restaurant serves Salmone Frascati, a filet of salmon, pistachio crust and fresh herbs over a bed of peas and asparagus risotto.

Downtown’s earliest development has roots in what is now the Gaslamp Quarter, a name taken from the signature street lights of the Victorian era. The pedestrian-friendly entertainment area, centered by Fifth Avenue, attracts visitors from the nearby San Diego Convention Center and Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres.

Driving up the coast

Blessed with a comfortable year-round climate, people here spend their leisure time outdoors. Mission Bay, Mission Beach and Pacific Beach embrace the casual lifestyle of SoCal culture. The communities provide stretches of soft sand, paths for biking and quiet spaces for cocktails. Small grocery stores, cozy bungalows and taco havens mix and mingle with upscale accommodations. The Catamaran Resort Hotel edges the shore of Mission Bay. Guests launch boats from the pier for sailing adventures in the bay. They ride bikes along the shoreline and sit around fire pits for conversations and relaxation.

During our recent visit, we kayaked on Mission Bay with environmentalist Michael King. He kept an eye on the legion of cormorants sunning themselves on a marina wall. “San Diegans,” he explained, “don’t sit still. They are very active people. They are always doing something.”

Improving the wildlife habitats of Mission Bay is the goal of King and others with Ocean Connectors, a Southern California environmental advocacy group. Dredging and development have harmed the area.

The highlight of our paddling adventure was the rare sighting of a Pacific green sea turtle. The sea turtle popped its large head out of the water near our kayaks as if to ask for directions. The creature, which can weigh more than 350 pounds, is one of many reasons to promote the health of the marine habitat. Pelicans, cormorants, osprey, hawks and harriers also call this bay their own.

Going northward, La Jolla possesses sun-kissed sophistication, as evidence by its upscale shops, luxury spas and high-end restaurants. Kayakers venture into sea caves. Swimmers, snorkelers and scuba divers explore the underwater world while other wildlife enthusiasts stand atop the cliffs to watch seabirds and migrating whales. Seals and sea lions enjoy much attention in La Jolla Cove. They lounge in the sand and rock outcroppings, unbothered by the clicking of cameras from people gathered around them.

The emerald greenways and balmy breezes of Torrey Pines Golf Course beckon golfers from all over the world. Tiger Woods won PGA events here a record eight times. The luxurious Lodge at Torrey Pines, which overlooks the course, has 170 rooms and two restaurants.

The Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve sits atop a palisade and is laced with hiking trails to bring into closer view the rarest native pine in the United States. The Guy Fleming Trail passes through several pine groves, and also allows incredible, panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean.

Linda Lange and Steve Ahillen are travel writers living in Knoxville, Tenn.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Travel: From beaches to the zoo, visit to San Diego is smooth sailing