Old Town San Diego/ 30th Anniversary Trip Part Two

"We're really going to want to take pictures and my camera is broken and, since neither of us has ever been to San Diego, we could really use a GPS." That was my unsuccessful plea for Don to buy an iPhone for me before our vacation. Instead, we ended up with a new Nikon Coolpix and several pages of directions printed from Google Maps. (For the record, I'm not giving up on the iPhone thing. Christmas is just around the corner.)

 Don and I arrived in San Diego shortly before one o’clock. Realizing we had a few hours to kill before the hotel would allow us to check in, we made our first destination Old Town.

 Don found a place to park our car that was not only free, a huge deal in San Diego where you pay through the nose to park, but the doors wouldn't get dinged...a subject that could take up an entire blog post. Don is that anal about it.

 The two of us wandered around until we came across a quaint little Mexican restaurant. We stopped to glance at a menu posted near the entrance, when a server approached us, assuring that their food was not only delicious but authentic. With the exception of snacking on Chex Mix and Licorice in the car, Don and I had eaten nothing all morning, so it didn’t take much to convince us to stay.

 We dined on the patio…

Then we shopped for souvenirs...

And toured some museums....

The Wells Fargo Stagecoach

Don and I particularly enjoyed the Mormon Battalion Historic Site. We learned about the Mormon Battalion being enlisted by the U.S military in 1846 and marching 2,000 miles from Iowa to San Diego. The tour is free and has interactive displays that remind me of those magical photographs in Harry Potter where people have the ability to move and talk. Our tour guide, who was dressed in character, asked Don to put on some items that men would have worn on the trek...

At the end of the tour, Don and I had an opportunity to pose for a photo and have it sent to our email free of charge...

Here is a little tip. If you ever tour Old Town San Diego, the Mormon Battalion Museum has by far the cleanest bathrooms. (Don has his issues with the car, mine involve toilets.)

Don and I enjoyed Old Town so much, we went back two days later and were lucky enough to catch an evening tour of the Whaley House, one of the Most Terrifying Places in America according to the travel channel. I will fill you in on our experience at the Whaley House in a future post.