Coronado Island, pooches and fire pits

When I first visited Coronado Island in June, I had a blast trekking around the island on a granny bike. This time, with Phil in tow, I thought there would be no way I'd be able to convince him to rent a ridiculous canopied two-seater, but I was pleasantly surprised. We had a great, albeit sweaty, time riding around the island, despite our near miss with a garbage truck while trying to cross a forbidden, super busy road. This "bike" also required quite a bit more man power. I don't remember it being so much work the first time around.

We checked out awesome houses on the island as we cruised through the neighborhoods. There was a normal-sized, adorable Tudor house I ogled. Found out later it was $2.5 million...just a tad out of our price range.

We tired out before getting to Hotel del Coronado (a shame, I know, but I saw it last time), so we grabbed a late lunch and headed back to the mainland to meet up with Mandi.

Mandi gave us a sweet tour of the Hard Rock Hotel in the heart of the Gaslamp District where she works, and I would definitely consider staying there during our next visit. Awesome decor and ambiance, cool rooms and a great outdoor bar with fire pits (I am obsessed with fire pits at bars). P.S. We really liked our hotel, Manchester Grand Hyatt.

Tonight was the night of fire pits. After Moonstone at Hard Rock, we headed to my fav outdoor wine bar (with fire pits), San Diego Wine & Culinary Center to grab a drink. It was doggie night, so bunches of furry mutts kept us entertained, particularly a little Chihuahua named Cha Cha. I had a fantastic experience the first time I was here, but service was a little off tonight, and I never got my port and chocolate, so I was a little grumpy.

When the weather is as gorgeous as it is, it's easy to shake off a mild inconvenience...and replace chocolate with other candy. So, we went back to the candy shop behind our hotel to restock our taffy supply. Then headed back here to pack and wind down. Time to get on that.

Biking Coronado Island

This is my first visit to San Diego, and at first blush, it's fantastic! Absolutely perfect weather (mid-70s all week), gorgeous scenery, cool art deco buildings and a lively night life.

I'm here on behalf of a client for the international BIO convention and will be working the show to set up booth interviews with reporters.

I'm staying in the Gaslamp Quarter right next to Horton Plaza, which is an outdoor shopping mall (yessssssssssss). Hilariously, I think the historic district's name has something to do with a feisty, red-haired call girl Ida Bailey from the late 1800s. Love my fellow gingers.

I flew for pretty much most of the day yesterday and got to my hotel around 3 p.m. PST. I checked in, put my bags in my room and then grabbed my suit and hit the pavement to catch the ferry to Coronado Island, which was only a 15-minute walk away. My friend Kim from work visited San Diego a couple weeks ago with her hubby and gave me lots of tips for places of interest and restaurants, and she said Coronado Island was a can't miss.

I had a blast! I caught the 4 p.m. ferry (stopped for ice cream while I waited...yum) and immediately rented a bike once I got to the island. I opted for an old school "cruiser" bike because it looked so ridiculous and even got hooked up with a basket for my garb.

The bike path was great and maneuvered along the boardwalk of the island, so my ride was almost always right next to the water. I haven't ridden a bike with brakes on the pedals in forever, so I may or may not have been the cause of a near three-way collision with a golf cart and another bicyclist. I'm not telling. I rode past parks, a golf course and even a pick-up softball game, which I totally would have joined had I not been sporting flip flops (or been absent a glove).

My trip from one side of the island to the other was about two miles and ended at the famous historic Hotel Del Coronado that celebrated its 120th anniversary earlier this year. I parked my bike in a rack and then walked the beach and stumbled upon the end of a wedding, which was great. All of the wedding party and guests were in formal wear without shoes...my kind of party.

I gave myself a tour of the hotel shops and lobby and perused a cool display about the history of the Del. In 1958, the Del was the backdrop for "Some Like It Hot," starring Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. The resort has also seen a steady stream of celebrity visitors - from Charlie Chaplin and Humphrey Bogart to Brad Pitt and Madonna.

Since many of you comment on your curiosity about how I get random people to take my picture for my posts, I thought you'd appreciate that the first couple I asked to snap a shot of me on my bike said no. It was really funny!

While the ferry leaves San Diego on the hour, it departs Coronado every half hour, so I took the 6:30 p.m. one back to the mainland. Since I had dinner plans at 7:30 p.m., I had to book it to get back to my hotel and get ready. I'm happy to report that I arrived on time even after a minor directions snafu.

Dinner at Trattoria La Strada was delish, and I scored with a cheesecake martini and spinach ravioli with a rich gorgonzola sauce.

Heading to the show shortly and then have a date tonight with the sister of my friend Vikki from work who lives here. Mandi offered to give me a walking tour, and I can't wait.