Greyhound Graphics

Today was our day relocation: we moved from our apartment rentals in Solana Beach in San Diego at the Hotel Sofia in the chic downtown San Diego. On another brilliant day we arrived at the hotel around 10 o'clock, but our room was not ready, so we decided to embark on explorations of local brief.

Victorian Seaport Village, Mexican architecture and style of the East Coast and four miles of meandering cobblestone walkways to create an inviting environment for the banks of the shopping and eating. The assortment of goods including souvenirs, clothing, kites, wind chimes and unique gift ideas. Art galleries and retailers complete the offer and live music is offered frequently throughout the year. An original 1895 carousel with hand-carved animals delight adults and children. Dining options include four gourmet restaurants and casual dining thirteen.

An outdoor exhibition of oversized globes now adds additional interest to Seaport Village. "Cool Globes - Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet" features 40 inspiring globes that illustrate simple solutions to global warming. The globes were designed by local artists, national and international road trip to places such as Chicago, Washington DC, San Francisco and will be presented in Los Angeles and London in 2009.

Further north of Seaport Village is the Embarcadero, which includes the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier that was in operation between 1945 and 1992. It was given as a museum ship and was moored on San Diego Navy Pier in 2004. Visitors can tour the flight deck of the ship, dining room, deck, flight control area, the officers' quarters, the infirmary and parts of the engine room. Parties are frequently held on the ship and a massive coffee adorns the back of the ship. Part of the ship overlooking San Diego harbor is available free of charge while admission for the rest of the ship is $ 17.00.

San Diego has long been a center for the U.S. Navy and the area around the USS Midway offers many reminders of military history including the Battle of Leyte Gulf Memorial, dedicated to a historic naval battle in 1944. Bob Hope Tribute, also called the National Hi Bob Hope and the military, is an impressive collection of larger than life-size bronze figures commemorating five decades of Bob Hope Support entertaining soldiers, airmen and sailors from 1943.

The National Hi consists of 16 numbers on a circular Plaza surrounding a sculpture of Bob Hope, entertaining the crowd in front of a microphone. The figures are authentic representations surrounding military personnel from different eras, including World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War and the first Persian Gulf War.

Among the many pieces of public art along the waterfront promenade, one of the most amazing thing is "unconditional surrender", a 25-foot sculpture of a sailor kissing a young nurse. The sculpture commemorates the time when the Second World War was finally over, and the joy and euphoria swept the world. Inspired by a famous photo of VJ Day in Times Square, this sculpture by J. Seward Johnson is a loan in the port of San Diego until the end of February 2009.

Further north, along the waterfront is the cruise ship terminal, located in Pier B Street along North Harbour Drive. San Diego is a port of call for many major cruise lines including Carnival, Holland America, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises. Nearly 620,000 cruise passengers arrived in San Diego in 2006. Cruises in the local port is also available in this area, and a central office of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau is located directly opposite the cruise terminal.

Now it was time to return to the hotel and then head in check in less than ten minutes, I arrive.