Getting Around San Diego is Half the Thrill by Various Travel Authors on Creators.com

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Getting Around San Diego is Half the Thrill

By Sheila Sobell and Richard N. Every

I had my doubts when we pulled up at San Diego GoCar. A cross between an amusement park bumper car, a vintage three-wheel auto and a golf cart, it looked like we might have to eat an "Alice in Wonderland" cookie to get small enough to fit in side by side. Richard, a keen motorcyclist, was totally up for it, but I was afraid I'd spend the entire journey with my eyes shut. When we learned a wedding marathon of 30 brides and grooms dressed in their finery were using them as their getaway cars, however, the thrill of touring the city in a GPS-guided, tour-talking yellow "local on wheels" was irresistible.

That was the morning of day one. By the time we collapsed into our bed at the San Diego Hard Rock on night three, we had traveled from Seaport Village to the hotel by pedicab, discovered the Embarcadero on a land and water amphibious vehicle, learned about local neighborhoods on the Old Town Trolley, ridden the air currents in a sailplane above San Diego's rustic backcountry (and lived), then checked out the yachts and sights in Coronado on an authentic Italian gondola. That still left the Coronado ferry, double-decker bus, Segway, light rail and charter yacht.

San Francisco may be the United States' most walkable city, Portland the most bike-friendly and Boston the most used by pedestrians, but San Diego's amazing number of creative eco-friendly options make getting around half the thrill.

Just about every type of eco-travel leaves from or goes through the Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego's hip downtown mecca for restaurants, night spots and shops. To cover it all, we book-ended our stay at two of the most interesting hotels in town — the Hard Rock and the Keating.

When we checked into the Hard Rock, reception wanted to know which song to play as we opened the door to our suite. After that we were free to explore the music memorabilia that turns the hotel into a museum. The massive Walk of Fame wall on the first floor is filled with personal handwritten notes and playlists framed on top of Getty images of rock 'n' roll greats, separated into sections by metal strips to evoke guitar frets. The display includes memorabilia never before displayed publicly, such as the telegram Elvis Presley sent to the Beatles inviting them to visit "when you come to Los Angeles as I will still be laying on the boards with my back," an ironic invitation as some say Elvis didn't really like the Beatles.

After the musical memorabilia tour we were ready for some serious relaxing in our open-plan two-room suite and later a visit to the Rock Spa, where signature treatments feature real crushed pearls and botanical extracts. A lavish, cabana-lined rooftop pool and deck are also oases of relaxation.

A short walk from the hotel we discovered Cafe Seville, where, like bullfighters taunting their adversary for attention, dancers stamped their heels, swirled and swaggered toward each other in authentic Flamenco costumes. Behind them, a guitarist picked out the beat, and a torch singer belted out the lyrics in passionate Spanish.

Then the female dancer stepped away from her partner and held out her hand in invitation to a young male diner. Suddenly they were whirling and stamping like they were born to it, and we were all clapping and shouting, almost as if we were in Spain on a torrid summer evening instead of Southern California. This Gaslamp landmark has been serving authentic Spanish food and staging flamenco and gypsy fusion dance shows since 1987, and the price for all this fun is just $39.50.

Known variously as Flea Town, the Stingaree and a "Sailor's Entertainment" during its 130-year history, the Gaslamp was infamous as a red-light district. Today the transformed 16 _-block neighborhood is the hippest entertainment district in town, home to 100-plus clubs, boutiques, art galleries and restaurants. Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, with its wood paneling, romantic booths, well-stocked bar and attentive service, reminded us of classic New York City steakhouses. The chilled seafood tower was a crustacean delight, followed by perfectly aged steaks. Fleming's is the "F" in the P. F. Chang chain of Chinese restaurants and simply a star.

Sandwiched between two Gaslamp music bar/restaurant icons - Croce's and Patrick II's, it's hard to miss the Keating Hotel. A stately Romanesque Revival building on the outside, its inside pulses with a stunning red interior designed for total romantic decadence. The look was created by the designers of Ferrari and other luxury automobiles. In their first foray into hotel design, the Pininfarina Group has equipped midrange suites like ours with signature LavAzza espresso machines that make magic lattés and cappuccinos on demand. Even better is the Morphosis Jacuzzi that takes center stage in the sitting room next to floor-to-ceiling windows through which guests can watch Gaslamp life.

The Keating's snazzy interior cleverly incorporates historic elements from its origin as one of the city's most expensive office buildings and banks. Here features such as original 1890s wood banisters, exposed brick and the first elevator to go direct from bank vault below to offices above mix with model-sized Ferraris, the only non-life-size cars the company ever manufactured, showcased on each floor. The 35-room Keating is designed as soaring, spacious lofts without interior walls and decorated with window seats, in-room bar and Bang & Olufsen technology.

We finished our day of seeing San Diego with a nightcap. Then we dipped into our own Jacuzzi for two.

IF YOU GO

For more information about the experiences featured in this story, visit www.sandiego.org.

Sheila Sobell and Richard N. Every are worldwide travel photojournalists at www.writersobell.com.To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.