Day 6 - LA County Dept. of Health urges masking when indoors

San Diego Fireworks….three locations in the harbor

B. and I at Miguel’s Cocina…

July 4, 2021. Independence Day! Sunday

7:00-7:30 – My alarm goes off, but I stay in bed until 7:30. I finally drag myself out of bed and go downstairs to say good morning to the animal.  This is too early for her and she’s out of it.  I rub her tummy to try and wake her up…after several attempts, she grabs her toy and we head outside. She pooped on the patio (sigh).  I water my potted jasmine vines and clean up the poop while she goes potty. Back inside we go: cheese cubes for her, coffee for me. I go upstairs.

7:30-8:30 – I take a long shower and drink my coffee.  The last 10 minutes, I sit in the shower and try to wake up. Spa day. Lotion. Full make-up. I put on yoga pants, a button-up crop-top that L. gave me, and my New Balance tennis shoes. When I’m completely ready, I pack my remaining toiletries.

8:30-9:15 – I take out my braids.

9:15-9:30 – I bring my suitcase, huge beach bag, parka [it might be cold], and hat downstairs and place them in the garage for easy access. Then, I ready my lunch bag.

9:30-10:00 – I water my plants…deeply. I have faith in L., but in case something goes awry, today’s watering will hopefully sustain them until I return on Thursday.

10:00-10:15 – B. arrives.  We put my stuff in his SUV and head to Pulse – the Marriott Vacation Club in San Diego!! In order to take advantage of the 4-night/5-day offer, B. had to sign up for their time-share presentation on Wednesday.  The cost for the entire stay is approximately between $200 and $300, before taxes and fees – additionally, he has to pay $38 per day to use the parking facilities.  It’s a great deal if you don’t mind high-pressure sales. I DO mind high-pressure sales, but since B. and I aren’t married, I’m not required to attend.

10:15-12:15 – Traffic is unbelievably light – I guess everyone is home preparing for the July 4th barbecue – and we arrive well before check-in. The parking garage is – to put it mildly – a nightmare.  Buried inside a building, with no signage, is a lone, arched opening, barely big enough for a vehicle, and covered by what appears to be a medieval gate, complete with spikes. We circle twice before we actually find the correct entrance, but the gate is closed and we can’t get in, even after pushing the intercom button (no one responds, of course). A lady pulls in behind us and is sticking out into the street because we can’t move – B. gets out of the car to ask about the gate and she yells from her car, “Just move up!  It’s automatic!” B. moves a fraction of an inch and the gate magically opens.  Shouldn’t there be instructions posted?

We enter straight into a tube.  Picture one of those concentric slides at any water park, where the kids lie on their backs and glide down the circle, round and round, until eventually they reach the bottom and land on their feet. This is what we’ve entered, only we’re going up.  There’s no visual – the only thing we can see are the sides of the tube, which are incredibly narrow.  If you’ve ever in your life rode on the now-defunct Toboggan Run Alpine Slide at Magic Mountain, you’ll know what I mean.  In fact, if you’ve ever once watched the toboggan run at the Olympic Games, you’ll know what I mean. The SUV is the “bobsled” so to speak and the space is so narrow that B.’s car is in danger of hitting each side of the “run”, like a ping-pong ball. It’s extremely claustrophobic and obviously people have complained about this janky set up, because every 50 feet there’s signage that says, “350 feet to go; 300 feet to go, etc.” Everyone wonders, “When will this end?”

We exit the “tube” on the 7th floor and from here it’s a standard parking garage until the 11th floor where signage instructs hotel guests to park.  Except, it’s NOT a standard parking garage.  Whoever drew the blueprints created lanes that were too narrow for anything bigger than a “Japanese microcar.” As we climb, B. can barely maneuver around the corners because the radius is so tight. He’s in danger of hitting the opposing wall or the guard rails and his tires keep hitting the concrete islands (bumpers) on either side of the lane.  I note that the guard rails posted at the turning points are draped in white bubble-wrap because so many people accidentally hit them.

B. is an excellent driver.  Somehow, we make it to the 11th floor, having only scraped the tires, and we have no idea where to go from there.  I exit the vehicle and immediately mask.  I don’t take my mask off for the next 3 hours.

Suddenly, a women and her son approach and offer to give us boogie boards that they just used and no longer want.  L. is going on a beach trip soon, so I gladly accept. She then shows us where the elevator is and shares these parting words of advice: “You must visit Coronado. The beach is beautiful.”  

We’re in the parking garage on the 11th floor which means we have to take the elevator one floor up to the 12th floor so we can check in. We arrive at the lobby and walk through a huge empty space containing a decimated bar (even the spigots are gone). So, the name of the hotel is Pulse and the name of the “bar that once was” is called Shake. It is somewhat reminiscent of The Shining. Sadly for the hotel, you have to walk through this cavernous space, with a non-functioning bar and no bar stools, to get to check in. If they plan on selling timeshares here, they really need to work on a better first impression.

12:30-3:00 - Check-in isn’t until 4:00 and we’re here at 12:00 so you do the math. They’ll text us when the room is ready.  In the meantime, the Concierge recommends we try an Irish pub called Stout, “with the best corn-beef hash in the city.” I’m not sure about the corn-beef hash, but I haven’t eaten today and I’m positive the menu has other options. We strike out on foot to search for Stout.

Downtown San Diego is affectionately referred to as The Gas Lamp District, but it’s a dirty, disgusting urban center, bustling with filthy transients who are either screaming, sleeping on the sidewalks, or just wandering around like The Walking Dead.  Today, it’s a ghost town as far as regular pedestrians are concerned – the streets are deserted, except for the homeless – and ALL of the businesses are closed, including the acclaimed Stout. I’m assuming this is due to the 4th of July??? Are the businesses afraid of rioters?  In broad daylight?

We wander the streets and – miracle of miracles – come across the only bar that’s open within a 10-mile radius: ___________.  (I have no idea what it’s called). Seating consists of barstools pulled up to an outdoor counter that encircles the bar. Essentially, you’re drinking on the sidewalk, which is fine by me because I like being outside. I order a glass of Brut and B. gets a Shocktop and the monster fries.  I have a few of them and they’re actually pretty good.

Pulse texts B., we finish our drinks, and return to check-in. Keycards in hand, we go to another set of elevators and press 23 – we have to hold our key card next to the scanner to make the elevator move. We arrive at our suite and….drum roll, please…it’s GREAT!!  The bathroom is huge and there’s a separate counter for all of my stuff.  I can actually hang my clothes or put things in drawers [still having some residual PTSD from the Tiburon trip]…the bed is king-size, for an adult, NOT a child…the microwave works…there’s an EMPTY refrigerator…the coffee pot works…yes, this will do!!! The view is breathtaking, the suite is wonderful.  I’m very pleased. We go back to the SUV and get our luggage.

It only gets better from here.

3:30-5:00 – It takes us awhile to unpack and settle in but we really need to leave now if we’re going to make our 7:00 reservations at Miguel’s Cocina. Parking is non-existent at the harbor, so we’re going to walk to the harbor, through The Gaslamp District. It’s about a 2-mile walk, one way.  It’s times like this that I really wish I had a pedometer so I can track my steps.  If I’m unable to do an Insanity workout, walking is the next best thing. This might equate to 10,000 steps, but I have no way of knowing.

5:00-7:00 – We head out on foot and what was once a deserted area is crammed with people headed in the same direction.  Apparently, this is where everyone goes to watch fireworks in San Diego – I mask the entire time. There are gross tent cities clustered around most of the buildings and transients are settling in for the night, lying on their sleeping bags or on blankets on the sidewalks.  A row of dirty, disgusting tents is actually located directly outside the entrance to the Hall of Justice. Why doesn’t somebody do something about this? Some transients are wearing eye masks and air pods to keep out the noise and light.  All of them are filthy and smell bad. Still others are crazy, staggering around and screaming incoherently or talking to themselves.  The streets are packed with pedestrians. B. is armed, thank god.

7:00-9:30 – We arrive at the restaurant, right on time, and B. has absolutely done his homework.  He tells the hostess that he made a reservation with “Jack” the Manager and she leaves the podium to find him so he can personally seat us. Jack appears and leads B. and I to the best table in the house!!  This restaurant resembles a ship in that the back half appears to be permanently docked and overlooking the water.  This is where B. and I are seated – outside, on a wraparound deck, overlooking the harbor. We’re under a large heat lamp so it’s not cold, but I brought my parka anyway. When I look down, it’s as if we are directly in the water, on stilts – all you can see is water.  It’s incredible.

This is a prix fixe, 4-course meal. I order a glass of Prosecco and B. orders a vodka tonic. I have the house salad, calamari strips, and citrus-achiote marinated roasted pork sautéed with onions and green peppers, to include rice and beans. Dessert is vanilla ice cream and churros.  I have a lot of the pork dish left and take it home so I can have it for lunch tomorrow because it’s amazing. I eat every last bite of the churros and ice cream. B. has the soup and…something??? The food is very, very good.

We finish around 8:30, which is just in time for the fireworks!!  We have front-row seats for a fireworks show, launched from three ships, simultaneously, in the harbor. These are the best fireworks ever!!  A really great display that goes on for 30-45 minutes.

9:30-11:00 – We leave the restaurant on foot again and trek back to our hotel room.  The streets are crammed full of people and I mask the entire time, as usual - most people don’t.  Doesn’t anyone care about Delta? We don’t know how long the vaccine will protect us… B. and I continue to encounter gross and filthy people, but this time it’s only my fellow Americans, all of whom are either obese, shouting, coughing, or just smell bad. The transients appear to be in for the night.

I may have logged another 10,000 steps…not sure.

11:00-12:00 – Arrive at our suite. I have a nightcap, then nighttime routine and bed. Super fun 4th of July!!!