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Message: <blockquote data-quote="mythusmage" data-source="post: 331680" data-attributes="member: 571">A long term San Diegan makes his appearance.<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />In 2003 the San Diego Comic Con will be held the week end before Gen Con. It's huge. Recently Hollywood has discovered Comic Book Fandom, and embraced it in a big way. New Line Cinema sponsored a huge LotR pavilion at this year's affair which featured just about every company with a major Tolkien franchise. The Gaslamp has some good places to eat. There are tons of taco stands around town (but avoid the franchises, especially anything with a "bertos" in the name). For real Mexican try the small cafes down in South San Diego and Chula Vista.Outside of the Zoo you have Balboa Park. The Natural History Museum and the Museum of Man are both excellent regional museums. Both have special programs. You also have the San Diego Railroad Museum, and the San Diego History Museum, both of which are better than you'd expect. In terms of area, Balboa Park is bigger than some European cities.BTW, catch a show at the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center. One of the first Omnimax auditoriums ever built.Before we leave Balboa Park let me mention the Aerospace museum. While the Spirit of St. Louis there is a replica, we do have other old aircraft, including an experimental jet ski plane, and Baron von Richtofen's Blue Max (donated by his son).By next year the downtown ball park should be done, and the strike should be over. So you could catch a game there. I've sort of been out of circulation, so the only other spot I can think of to visit would be the new Borders Bookstore, which is but two blocks from my place.Now, everybody around here talks about the miles of beaches. However, everybody goes to the miles of beaches (especially when it's hot), so they can get crowded. Add in the annual Zonie migration (folks from Arizona) who practically live at the beach, and things can get a tad overwhelming. Fortunately, people go to the beach to relax, so things are friendly for the most part.On the other hand, people don't say much about the miles of mountains we have. While not as spectacular as the mountains in other parts of the country, you can find some beautiful scenery here. Just to be different, I recommend getting a room at a back country bed and breakfast, and going on day trips around the county. Check out the lakes, Warner Springs and Borrego Springs. And spend a day on Mt. Palomar. The observatory there is a good place to visit, and the rest of the mountain is pretty nifty too. Hell, from the right spot, and on a clear day, you can see clear to the ocean.Speaking of the ocean. From the southernmost part of the San Diego coast, on a clear day, you can see Mexico's northern most territories. A few small, desert islands Mexico leases to the U.S. Navy. The American and Mexican Navies cooperate on a number of projects there. All top secret, so you can't visit. We've offered to buy the islands, but Mexico figures they make more money in the long run by renting than they ever could through selling them.Over all, in an area halfway in size between Delaware and Rhode Island you have most every sort of terrain imaginable. Mountains, desert, forest, grassland, beaches, marshes, river bottom, etc. With planning and a good map you can start out with breakfast near the Children's Pool in La Jolla (location of a harbor seal colony), have lunch on Mt. Palomar, and finish your day with dinner at Borrego Springs.There you have Where Mythusmage Gets to Live. A lot more to see than just the zoo. BTW, If you do decide to come visit, come in September. Sept. is actually our hottest month, which will give you a good excuse to go to the beach, and all the tourists and Zonies have gone back home, so we get the beaches all to ourselves.<img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" /></blockquote>

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