Monday, February 12, 2018

Road Trip :: San Diego U.S.S. Midway and Scripps Pier

     A few weeks ago, my friends and I started planning a day trip to San Diego.  One of the best things about Southern California is that because of its sheer size, many cool places are easily accessible.  Our plan was to visit the U.S.S. Midway, then enjoy a proper afternoon tea, and finish up at the Scripps Pier where some of us have seen cool photos that we wanted to replicate.

     On the way, and we are entertained by this video of a comedian talking about "the most confusing word in the English language".  I"ll let ya google that for yourself - enjoy, and you're welcome!


Tips for the U.S.S. Midway:

1) wear comfortable shoes
2) buy your ticket online and save $2
3) better yet, buy your tickets at Costco online and save $7 a ticket!



     My favorite part was being on the deck and seeing all the planes.






     These are models for the next Peak Design ad campaign.








     The worst thing about wanting to take photos, is that you have to choose to miss out on other things, such as the self-guided tour.  Sometimes you want to just relax and listen to the tour.  This was not the case for us lol.

     I really wanted to sit on the left. 😊





     They were commissioning a new ship not too far away.  It looked really stealth and high tech. 

     I'm so glad I brought along my 70-200mm, which normally doesn't see the light of day unless I'm shooting a wedding.


     This museum does a good job depicting life on a ship.  It gives you a whole new appreciation for people stationed at sea.  After two hours, I was ready to get off the ship - imagine being on it for months! 😧




     One of my friends told me about this statue.  I wish it was a different time of day, and the lighting wasn't so harsh.


     Here's a view of that new ship.

     We spent about three hours at the Midway, and then made our way towards Old Town San Diego, where we had reservations for an afternoon tea at Coral Tree Tea House


     A short walk up the hill, and here we are!  Such a cute little house, and apparently this tea house is run by these nice little old ladies.  You get the feeling that they know what a proper tea should be.  We were definitely newbies when it came to proper tea etiquette.





Mmm...milk and sugar.  Honestly, despite all the cool teas that we had, I felt like the one I liked the most was the classic English Breakfast.  It tasted the best with the milk and sugar.





     So when they first brought out the food, I was a little concerned.  This was intended for three of us to share, and I thought there was NO WAY we were going to be full.  I even contemplated McDonald's afterwards hahahaha...  Yes, I know afternoon tea is not intended to be a meal, but to my surprise, I was absolutely stuffed when we were done.  I even skipped one of the cakes at the end because I couldn't eat anymore.  That tea really fills you up!

     Next time, I'm coming back, and I'm going to have one of these hats on me!


     If you're ever in the area, it's worth hitting up this spot.  It's right in the middle of Old Town so there are other things to do in the area.  We had the regular high tea (not the Queen's High Tea which includes an apple waldorf salad) and it came to $36 per person (which includes the tax and tip and some $5 upkeep fee for the historical home that houses the tea house).


     Next stop was Scripps Pier.  I found out that many people try to look for a "La Jolla Pier", and that's not what this pier is called.  It's in La Jolla, but not named after the city like most piers.  I've seen some pretty cool pictures from under this pier and wanted to give it a shot.  It was a gorgeous sunset, and of course there were tons. of. photographers!


     The sand here is so tightly packed, we easily walked across it towards the pier.


     I didn't get the photos I wanted.  There were just too many people.  Also, I had to take my shoes and socks off to get under the pier because there was water originating from somewhere behind us that created a little stream that would've gotten my shoes all wet.


     I also gave it my best shot from the right side of the pier.  In retrospect, I really need a good ND filter, and not the cheap $20 that I bought on Amazon.  I imagined some ghostly blurred water, and well, that's not what I got. 


     I got a little blur on this one, but really should've waited til it was later.  However, by that time, I had already put my socks and shoes back on.

     This was on a Saturday, and there were TONS more photographers there.  I highly recommend going on a weekday if you can.

     Everyone knows you can't pass by Escondido without hitting up Panya Thai Kitchen!


     Their serving sizes of the yellow curry is pretty big.  This was enough for me to take home food for lunch the next day!  If you're ever in the area, I recommend the yellow curry with chicken at spice level 4 or 5. 


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