The Silver Strand

In the three years I have been crisscrossing Southern California on various Baseball Road Trips, San Diego is quickly becoming one of my favorites. It seems that whenever I make a trip down there, I pack a full day of fun activities that leaves me not wanting to go home. Also, I find that every time I go down there, I explore something new and enjoyable. This past weekend, I made my second trip of the season down there.

I strapped the bike rack on my car, loaded the bike, and headed out down the 15 to San Diego. Like always, I parked at Qualcomm Stadium and jumped on the trolley towards Downtown. En route, I got to thinking about my last trip down here with my girlfriend for the Futures Game. We stopped in Old Town for some shopping and also for those ridiculously tasty handmade tortillas at the Coyote Café. I think for future trips down, I will leave an hour earlier so I can stop in Old Town for those tortillas, maybe a jaunt into the coffee shop, and just some walking around the Historic District.

I got off at the Little Italy stop with about 30 minutes to kill before heading to Petco. My definition of a “joyride” is pretty simple: ride just for riding sake. No predetermined routes or paths, just indulging myself on my two-wheeled chariot. My best example of this was last season on the Hiawatha trip when I just rode around Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago with no real path of travel and for the intention of seeing the city from the bike. So, with a half-hour at my disposal, I did a San Diego joyride through the streets of Downtown. To put it bluntly, it was freaking awesome and I loved every second of it. While the bike routes I have developed through my experiences in Orange County and LA are fun, just deciding whether to go left or right at a stop light with no real plan made things interesting and enjoyable. I have a trip coming up to San Francisco in a few weeks, and with the bike share system there, I am inspired to do a “joyride” through that Downtown.

There was an article that came out in USA Today around the All-Star Break that said that Petco Park was the best stadium in all of the Major Leagues. I don’t know if I would rate Petco higher than PNC in Pittsburgh or Wrigley Field, but it is growing on me. Every single time I visit, I think I come to appreciate it more. The view from the upper deck of the Downtown skyline is definitely top-notch, but the view from behind the seating bowl is just as spectacular. For this game, as I was walking the concourse finding something to eat, I could look out and see the entire Harbor, Coronado Island, all the way to Point Loma and the Cabrillo National Monument. Especially with this 360-degree view, I can see how it rates high in the media. For once, it seems like what the media reports is accurate!

The Philadelphia Phillies got a Triple Play in the 7th, and some timely hits, to beat the Padres 6-5. 

After the game, I embarked on my big bike ride. Boarding the trolley at 12th and Imperial by Petco, I rode it south to Palomar Street where I got off and set out on the Silver Strand Bike Path. It had been more than a year since I've done this ride, and I'm sad that it took me that long. The path encompasses the southern and western parts of San Diego Bay. As it turns north on the narrow strip of land called the Silver Strand, it parallels both the Bay and the gorgeous white sand beaches of Coronado. It passes he Navy SEAL base where you can see all their training apparatuses. It ducks under the massive San Diego-Coronado Bridge before ending at the ferry terminal in downtown Coronado. 

I grabbed a quick beer at the Coronado Brew Co. before getting on the ferry back to San Diego to catch the light rail back to my car. As I was on the ferry, with the skyline of San Diego in front of me, I committed to coming back and doing this trip at least once more before the end ofthe season. 

I had planned on going to LA this weekend, but my plans have changed. I'll update all of you on that here in a few days. 

Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)