san diego zoo and balboa park...

**san diego zoo

a trip to san diego will not be complete without going to the world famous san diego zoo.  and the fact that it's within balbao park, another great place to visit in SD, we all decided to stay here for the full day.

**main entrance to san diego zoo...

**pink flamingos...

**em and grandma riding the tram...

 

**jo, sis, em, grandma on our way out...

**veterans museum and memorial park, balboa park...

**eccentric sculpture within balboa park...

i've been framed...

does anyone still use picture frame now-a-days??  maybe it's just me but i am a sucker for simple nice things.  and this 4x4 kenar home picture frame was just irresistible for me not to to buy it.  and i have an idea what to showcase here...

go south young man...

on our fourth day in cali, we went south.....not across the border to mexico (the country, not pampanga) but to the city of san diego.

**shelter island marina, san diego, ca

the drive down south was very beautiful.  took i-5 and at one point, went to highway 1 which is highly recommended.  plenty of beach towns...very classic california.  it's just bad that i didn't managed to take some pix.  i was the designated driver for the entire trip and i am not a photo addict - as you can tell.

we didn't do much on our first day at san diego.  it was more for relaxation.  we stayed at the best western plus island palms located in shelter island.  

**best western, san diego, ca

**want to guess what happened to these hotel toiletries??....

**very comfy bed

**one of the many sculptures along shelter island marina

 

**cali burrito @ ortiz's taco shop

beach, observatory, and little tokyo...

**hermosa beach, los angeles, ca

for the third day, i planned a relaxing start for the day by going to the beach.  i was hoping that the kids would have fun swimming but it was a bit cold.  we just decided to walk around the pier area and watched the surfers.

after the beach, we went to the the griffith observatory and park.  if you've seen the movie rebel without a cause with james dean, this place would remind you of one of the scenes from that movie.  like the statue of liberty for ny, this place is synonymous to los angeles.

for late lunch, we decided to go to little tokyo.  it was the weekend and most restaurants were packed.  i don't remember the name of the restaurant we went since the kids were already complaining. oh how i love vacationing with the kids...

**jo, sis, em, mom @ hermosa beach, los angeles, ca

**lifeguard station, hermosa beach, los angeles, ca

**hermosa beach, los angeles, ca

**mural on the dome of the griffith observatory, los angeles, ca

**griffith observatory, los angeles, ca

**chicken bento box for dom

**mini sushi platter for me

...

summer 2013 - day 1/2...

**the vexed man by franx xaver messerschmidt, the getty museum, los angeles, ca

well it's actually more of a day 2 - we arrived very late the night before.

we stayed at la quinta hotel LAX - which is very close to the airport.  i would normally prefer to stay around the city area but i figured parking would be difficult or worst, expensive. the best of all, this hotel provides complimentary continental breakfast.  it's not that much but travelling with family, it can save a lot of monies (there, travel tip to all of you).

**eggs and waffles, la quinta hotel, los angeles, ca

**venice canals, los angeles, ca

**venice canals, los angeles, ca

**jo, em, dom walking along one of the wooden bridges, venice canals, los angeles, ca

**one of the biggest house along venice canals, los angeles, ca

**enjoy walking along the canal, venice canals, los angeles, ca

**dancer by paolo troubetzkoy, getty museum, los angeles, ca

**adolescent 1 by george minne, getty museum, los angeles, ca

 

**getty museum, los angeles, ca

LA, SD, LV in a week...

been quiet lately.  one of my colleagues went on vacay and i have to cover for him while he was out.  also, i went on my own vacay as well with my mom, sis, nieces and nephew.  i just got back last night and i still have jetlag.

i will post this week in details the whole vacay but for now, here's a preview.

**venice canals, los angeles, california

**shelter island harbor, san diego, california

**hoover dam, border of nevada and arizona