Leaving the Cold & Snow

January 19, 2023

My alarm was set for 5:45 am but I was awake by 5:30. Snow was coming down steady. The traffic reports on TV showed roads were snow covered but traffic was moving...just a little slower than usual.

The free hotel breakfast began at 6 am and we were there about a minute after. The room where breakfast was set up was down a long, dark hallway and tucked away on the other side of the pool...a little complicated to find. Bob and I both grabbed the premade/preformed "cheese omelets", a sausage patty and a small cup of yogurt and took the food back to our room to eat.

The 7 am shuttle to the airport was packed. There were seats for 12 (including the driver) but 13 of us were crammed into the van...including luggage. One lady sat on her husband's lap to make it work. Even with the crowding, I was glad we had made it on the list for the 7:00 time slot. 

Our check in at MSP took about a half hour total. The airport was busy, but lines were steadily moving. At the TSA check, Bob's carry on and back pack got sent to the naughty line and were flagged for a hand search. Nothing suspicious was found and he was allowed to continue on to the gate.

After avoiding crowds for nearly 3 years, this upped my stress level more than just a little.

A parade of snowplows clearing the runways. Bob counted 11 following one behind the other.

Bob's luck improved once we boarded the plane...he ended up with an empty middle seat next to him even though the flight was almost totally full. We sat across from each other in aisle seats and the lady behind Bob coughed nonstop. We both wore KN95 masks, but I was still nervous about the germs flying from her mouth for four hours. After enduring a lingering cough myself for several weeks following a non-Covid respiratory infection, I hoped that her cough was similar and not contagious.

The extra time spent getting the plane de-iced at MSP didn't keep us from arriving on time in San Diego. It was quite a relief when both of our checked bags appeared promptly on the carousel at the baggage claim. Our Uber driver arrived within 3 minutes of our request and it was a very short ride in a Tesla to our hotel, the Hampton Inn Downtown San Diego. 

It was only 12:30 when we checked in, but hallelujah...they had a room ready for us on the 6th floor. For a day that could have had so many glitches, we felt fortunate that things worked out so well.

Our plan for the afternoon was to visit the San Diego Maritime Museum. Named as one of the top three maritime museums in the world (according to their website), the maritime museum has a collection of historic ships including the world's oldest active ship, Star of India. I had chosen our hotel based on the location of the museum and from where we were staying, we only had to walk through Waterfront Park to get there.

A fountain in Waterfront Park.
A homeless couple were there taking a bath when we walked by.

The weather was maybe chilly for the locals but to us it felt fabulous!!! We purchased the admission tickets ($15 each for seniors) right at the waterfront and spent quite a long time exploring the different ships...and to Bob's delight, a submarine! The museum also had many exhibits that painted a picture of what life at sea might have been like a couple of hundred years earlier. On a Thursday afternoon there were only a handful of other folks around. 

Star of India. This was the only ship that was closed for visitors.

The HMS Surprise was used in the filming of the movie, Master and Commander, starring Russell Crowe. A video clip from the movie was being shown onboard in the very room where it was filmed.

HMS Surprise

Bob trying out the sleeping accommodations on the submarine, USS Dolphin.

Carved figurehead on the front of one of the ships.

The early morning was catching up to us (especially with the 2 hour time zone difference) by the time we finished touring the museum. Neither of us felt like doing much for dinner so Bob walked to a nearby Jack in the Box and brought back sandwiches and salads for our dinner. 

A little TV and then it was lights out...we needed our beauty sleep to be ready for a full day of touring San Diego!