I was back. I hadn't been here for 22 years. A lot has changed and a lot had been forgotten. My memory was blurry about this place. My wife was asking me a thousand questions on how to get places and where things were. I had no idea. I didn't drive when I lived there and only had limited knowledge of the area.
I was inundated with feelings of nostalgia. I could vaguely remember places and feelings that those places brought back. It was good to be back. It was as if I could see the memories walk past us. Ghosts.
I could see my stepbrother and I as nine-year-olds riding our bikes down little alleys in Imperial Beach. I could hear the shouts and laughs as my friends and I ran through a deserted tract of land we called "the swamp". Memories flooded back to me. Places where we'd go for Navy family picnics suddenly became familiar again. It was wonderful to be there again. It felt strangely like home even though it had been almost 30 years since I called it that.
Tuesday, the first full day in San Diego saw us waiting for my cousins to arrive from San Francisco. They had texted saying that storms back east had caused the cancellation of their flight and they were working to find another flight. So to kill time I decided to take the family on a little driving tour of the city. We drove up I-5 to the Coronado Bridge. That bridge had always been a subject of interest for me and my friends back in the 80s/90s. It something that we'd beg our parents to do if we happen to be going to Coronado. My boys enjoyed it too. It was interesting for me too as I had never driven over it before. I had always been a passenger. It was awfully narrow and the locals just zipped past me. A little unnerving, but not too bad.
The plan had been to take the Silver Strand back south and then go through Imperial Beach and back to the interstate. However, as we were heading south, we saw signs for the Silver Strand State Beach. We hopped off the road and decided to hang out at the beach. It was rather chilly. The skies were dark and it was windy. We shuffled up the coast picking up pieces of shells and other bits of former sea life. The boys loved it. It was the younger one’s first time seeing the Pacific Ocean from this side.
The boys loved collecting shells and being chased by the waves. They played the age old game of waiting for a wave to break and then running away, trying to beat the water. A day camp was there surfing. We wandered up and down for a bit, but kept an eye on the clock. Finally we decided that we had collected enough shells and that we needed to get on the road to pick up my cousins. But first, a quick detour.
We continued south on the Silver Strand. The Strand spat us out in Imperial Beach. It was instantly familiar and yet alien. I could see vestiges of what it had been. There were some buildings that had been repainted. A Taco Bell was now a normal Mexican restaurant. Streets were the same, but I was largely lost. I could remember riding my bike down these roads with my stepbrother. I could see us peddle our way up and down the thoroughfares. It was home, but it wasn't. It was familiar, but wholly different. We made our way through this land of ghosts and got back on the interstate. Twenty minutes later we were making our way through the San Diego airport's parking lot.
My cousins, Mike and Ben, arrived not too long after we did. After a brief walk back to the car we were on our way to lunch.
Living in Tennessee it's a bit hard to get quality Japanese food. And the stuff you get is usually sushi, teriyaki and fried pork cutlet. Not a whole lot of diversity. So when my cousins suggested that we go to a Japanese restaurant, we jumped at the chance. Long had I heard about West Coast Japanese food and how great it was. I was excited. For our meal we chose Ichiban (literally number one in English). They had a wide variety on their menu, but the spicy miso ramen caught my eye. So that's what I got. It was pretty good. Everyone else seemed happy with theirs too.
After lunch, we went to Balboa Park. I remember going here many times when I was a kid. I remember it stretching on almost forever. I remember the gullies and the hills and the Spanish influenced buildings. I remember the awesome museums (and they are pretty cool and I highly recommend them). It was a thrill to be back. Memories flooded into my consciousness. I knew where certain things were or at least their existence. The boys enjoyed running around and playing in the playground. We wandered around for awhile and then went to the Natural History Museum. I really like this type of museum. It's interesting to see the rocks and the fossils and other things of our planet. I never tire of going to them.
It was decided that we'd stop by the hotel to rest and get ready for dinner. Mike has friends in San Diego and we were going to meet one of them for dinner. I spent the time updating Instagram and mildly dozing off. The boys rested and so did the wife.
Dinner was pretty fantastic. We went to this little restaurant and as it happened, it was the Prime Rib special and I love that stuff. Good food and conversation was had. The boys did their usual and barely touched their food, which gets pretty annoying because they claim to be two seconds away from starvation and then suddenly their stuffed after one bite of chicken.
The next day saw us get a late start. Breakfast was at a local Denny's and it was pretty good. Service was outstanding and the food was great. After stuffing our faces, we began our plan of the day: The San Diego Zoo.
Again, I remember this place fondly. I remember spending many days there and always having a good time. I remember the two headed snake that was fascinating and creepy at the same time.
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