Coming from cold Minnesota, I was excited to see sun and palm trees when I stepped out of the airport doors to catch a taxi to the hotel. I was looking forward to the conference ahead, and to the warm, beautiful change of scenery. No snow here!
Despite fighting a bad sinus infection while in San Diego and feeling sick from my early pregnancy, I was still able to enjoy my week. The view from my hotel room was awesome! Here is what I saw when I looked out the windows in my room - the pool was right below me, and I was looking out at the marina and to Coronado island. Isn't is nice?
Looking straight across the bay from my hotel room you can see some reddish-colored turrets dotting the horizon on the other side of the island. That is the famous and historical Hotel del Coronado. I was told by many that had been to San Diego that I had to go to this place and check it out. So on one of my breaks from the conference I headed over there on a short taxi ride, curious to see what all the hype was about.
The Hotel Del, as locals call it, was first built in 1888 and is a National Historic Landmark. According to the Hotel Del website, the resort has hosted eleven U.S. Presidents, Princes from overseas, American greats such as Thomas Edison, Charles Lindbergh, and Babe Ruth, and Hollywood celebrities such as Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Humphrey Bogart, Madonna, and Brad Pitt. There have also been many movies and tv shows filmed here over the years.
I looked around inside the hotel for a few minutes, but I wanted to get outside and experiences the famous beachfront. I would explore the inside more later before I left. I grabbed a sandwich to go at the outdoor cafe near the pool, ate on the outdoor deck overlooking the water and beach, and headed out onto the sand. I was in heaven! It is interesting to note that it was actually warmer in Minnesota during the week I was in San Diego. The sun is deceiving - it was actually breezy and cool by southern California standards. But that didn't stop visitors from being outside swimming, walking the beach, and enjoying the beautiful views. I talked to my friend Laura who lives in Los Angeles while sitting on the beach, and she said to me, "Isn't it cold sitting out there?" I was actually just fine - the beauty of the place was keeping me warm. :)
There were two men building these elaborate sand castles on the beach right outside of the resort. Very cool! When I was looking at this, a group of older couples were walking by and asked if I wanted them to take a picture for me so I could be in it. I must have looked like a tourist with the big cheesy grin on my face and camera in my hand - go figure. We got talking, and I learned that the man who took my picture grew up in the Twin Cities and moved to So Cal about 15 years earlier for his job. Very nice people to chat with... it's really a small world!
My best friend Laura was able to take a few days out of her busy work and doctorate program schedule to come down from Los Angeles for a few days and see me. She had plenty of work to do on her own, so I went to all of my conference sessions, she got some of her work done, and we were able to hang out a bit on my breaks from the conference. Laura grew up in St. Paul, and we went to middle and high school together and have a lot of fun memories. She is the kind of friend that I am only able to see about once a year or so, but we can just pick up like no time has passed. I love friends like that - she means so much to me. This isn't a great picture of us, but the only one I got. Like I said, it was windy and chilly!
Laura had been to San Diego before, which was nice because she was more familiar with the area. We visited the historic Gaslamp Quarters several times, called "The Historic Heart of San Diego." It was just a short few blocks walk outside of our hotel. There were some fun shops, cafes, and restaurants to explore.
We wanted to check out this cool looking "blue" building with the blue lights outside...
It was a beautiful, upscale hotel - fun to walk inside and see the lobby.
There was a nice walking park right outside of our hotel and on the marina. Laura and I walked here on our last day before we went home. You can see some Marine ships in the water off to the left. I didn't realize that San Diego is a Marine town and home to the Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton - interesting to learn.
The hotel I stayed at and the site of the 2010 NBEA conference - the San Diego Marriott Marina. From the two NBEA annual conferences that I've been to so far, I really appreciate that they have interesting and educational sessions to attend everyday that I can take back and use in my teaching, yet they also always encourage all of the convention goers to enjoy the city, explore, and rejuvenate during the week. We work hard during the school year after all, we deserve it! :)
A beautiful sunset to end my nice week in San Diego. I hope I can go to many more NBEA conferences in the future, I do really enjoy the whole experience.
