It's June 1, so it's way past due for me to write something on here. Life has been tied up with books (making them, not necessarily reading them) and the occasional walk. A few weekends ago, I drove over to Coronado Island (it's not really an island, but the easiest way to get there is over a big, beautiful, and somewhat scary bridge over San Diego Bay) and decided to walk around. I love Coronado...it would be the place I lived if not for some obvious setbacks (that bridge twice a day, every day is daunting, especially in a region that is prone to the occasional earthquake, and it's a pricey place to live). But the island itself (really a large land mass on the end of a skinny little peninsula), is wonderful. It's been kind of preserved as a perfect little seaside resort, minus the boardwalk and amusement park vibe I'm accustomed to in my childhood vacation days. There's very little commercial franchises (there's a Starbucks, but no Gap, etc.). There was a Wendys, but it's been replaced by a great little restaurant/bar called simply The Tavern (I've eaten there twice and loved it both times).
Coronado has a main drag (Orange Avenue) and two sides of beautiful views. The east side looks towards the incredibly impressive San Diego skyline; the west side has majestic views of the Pacific Ocean and Point Loma, bordered by a wide, sandy beach.
As picturesque and beautiful as the views are, the really interesting part of the island is the side streets where people live. For the first time I walked those streets, starting with Glorietta Drive, down to the eastern side of the island (with the above view), then back up one of the streets to 7th Street, where I cut over to Orange Ave. and had lunch at the aforementioned Tavern. I didn't take very many photos of the houses, as I felt weird taking pictures of peoples' homes and posting them on the Internet (I know I'd hate that myself), but I admired most of them. Succulent plants in front of houses, however, were fair game. Here's one now:
I just love the texture and forms in that photo. It's so...organic. (Duh, yeah...it's a PLANT, asshole.) I'm starting to sound like a Photography 101 major, aren't I? But I digress...
Back to Cornado. This is the boathouse, opposite the famous Hotel del Coronado, and its little sister when it comes to architectual style.
Below is the Hotel del, so you can compare. Discuss amongst yourselves. A trip to Coronado means a visit to the Hotel del, and picture-taking is recommended if not compulsory.
Finally, there's this little gem tucked in the middle of Orange Ave.. The Village Theater was shut down for a while, but it's been majorly renovated and reopened. I've always loved the sign which has been lovingly restored and actually improved. The theater is now a 3-plex, with two small screening rooms and a larger auditorium (it used to be a single screen house). I haven't seen a movie there, but I'm tempted....this photo sure makes it seem inviting.
And finally there's me walking (sorry, no photos, please...I just cleared up that whole paparazzi mess). In May I walked a total of 11 times for total mileage of 56.5 miles. Your mileage may vary, but I can pretty much guarantee you won't have as beautiful a place to walk around in as Coronado.
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