VM: Much like Sydney, Australia, San Diego
is a little piece of heaven on earth.
It is a beautiful city by the sea with a stunning harbor &
picturesque hills in the background.
I’d visited once before, but this is my first time staying
“in-town.”
We are staying at a city apartment in what is known as the
Gas Lamp District.
Girls think
it’s fantastic as our place was once a dry-cleaning store which has been
converted to a 2-bedroom/2-bath ground floor loft with full kitchen.
It is wonderfully located and is
definitely funky.
The downside is
that you have people who tug on the door during the day thinking they’re finding
a neighborhood dry cleaner (yes, the signage is still up).
I wondered why the owner would do that
and one of John’s work colleagues guessed that it was probably to not trigger
others to what’s inside.
I think
his assumption is probably right.
 |
| Learning the tricks of the trade from a pro. |
We started our day meeting our friends at St. Joseph’s
Cathedral for church. Located
downtown, it was built in 1940 and is quite beautiful. Afterwards, we accompanied JM to the
convention center so the girls could experience the “floor.” This may have been a tactical error as
now the girls think that visiting conventions is all about collecting swag from
booths. Our friend’s sons, CC and
JC, showed them the ropes – go up to the person, ask politely and smile. It works. Most people can’t say no to a kid. After the third booth, JC, the 12-year-old “trainer,” said
to me, “Now they’re getting the hang of it.” Needless to say, we have a lot of junk, I mean, logo’ed
treasures, to haul home.
 |
| Product demonstration at a vet convention. |
 |
| Many miles of convention floor to cover... |
While I wasn’t impressed with the swag, I was struck by the
difference between this conference and the ones I’ve attended whether for the
TV or theme park industries. This
was definitely MUCH more quiet. A
bit more civil. And definitely not
as wacky. And of course, the
highlight was that there were many real-life doggies in attendance helping to
peddle wares to the vets, including one who was actually convalescing from an
injury. We all enjoyed meeting
JM’s many work colleagues and tried to be on our best behavior.
After “walking the floor,” we picked up another friend, Dr.
Emily, and headed to explore the Midway, a retired aircraft carrier permanently
stationed in San Diego harbor.
It
was fascinating to check out the magnitude of the ship coupled with the tight
quarters. Reminded me again how
much I appreciate our troops & the sacrifices they make for us.
 |
| Going thru the mess line on the Midway. |
We topped off the night at an Italian family-style meal with
John’s bosses and peers. They were
all lovely & I don’t think we embarrassed him too bad…
Girls will blog later today. We're heading to the zoo and a baseball game!
 |
| Dr. Emily & Hannah checking out the flight deck. |
 |
| Top Gun pilots ready for take off! |
 |
| Beautiful San Diego harbor. |
We are staying at a city apartment in what is known as the
Gas Lamp District. Girls think
it’s fantastic as our place was once a dry-cleaning store which has been
converted to a 2-bedroom/2-bath ground floor loft with full kitchen. It is wonderfully located and is
definitely funky. The downside is
that you have people who tug on the door during the day thinking they’re finding
a neighborhood dry cleaner (yes, the signage is still up). I wondered why the owner would do that
and one of John’s work colleagues guessed that it was probably to not trigger
others to what’s inside. I think
his assumption is probably right.
After “walking the floor,” we picked up another friend, Dr.
Emily, and headed to explore the Midway, a retired aircraft carrier permanently
stationed in San Diego harbor. 
No comments:
Post a Comment