San Diego

Y'alls, I got to go to San Diego, and LET ME TELL YOU WHAT, it was awesome.

Mike's company sent us out there, and escaping to a 70-degree climate, leaving behind temperatures in the single digits? PRICELESS.

Right, so we left on Sunday, changing planes in Phoenix (holy huge airport, Batman!). We had the most abysmal pizza from CPK, which I found surprising, but at least this airport had Coke. God.

Also, I took pictures from the plane, which Mike didn't want me to do because it's against the rules, but this was coming from the man that made me cut in line before my group was called to board the plane, and I didn't want to because it was against the law.

I didn't get in trouble. But I really didn't want to board the plane until my group was called. Mike thinks that this makes me a goody-goody. I think that it makes him a rule breaker.

When we arrived at the Hard Rock Hotel in the historic Gaslamp District, we quickly freshened up before heading up to the rooftop bar. There was a little game called The Superbowl on television, and we had a party to attend. I met Mike's coworkers and I ate some food and drank some alcohol (...there were shots. I am thirty and there were SoCo & Lime shots). It was just lovely. Lovely!

It wasn't until we returned to our room that I really had the chance to investigate. You guys, the hotel was pretty freaking sweet.

Leather pillows, you guys. Leather!

Mike had to work Monday morning, so I went to the spa, shopping, and to lunch with the ladies. YES I DID I AM A LADY WHO LUNCHES. Also, my toenails are now deep purple.

Mike actually had to work all day on Tuesday (you know, on this work trip), so I jumped at the chance to nerd out at museums all day. My first stop was the San Diego Museum of Man, a museum of anthropology and evolution. It really was my top choice of destinations, not only because I promised Sarah that I would go, but because it was something truly different. And by "different," I mean, "not dinosaurs."

I branch out sometimes.

This is a really cool exhibit if you have any interest in the subject.
I swear.

It was but a short walk to the San Diego Natural History Museum. I used my grad school student ID so that I wouldn't have to pay full price (note: I finished grad school in 2004), and it was all dinosaurs, all the time.

Oh, but then my camera died because LIFE IS HARD and perhaps it was karma for using an ID with a picture taken in 2002, but I choose to look at it differently. I used my camera phone a few times, but since I still have a flip phone, that should tell you how crisp and clear the pictures were.

SPOILER: They weren't:

Derf!

I was able to get the camera working again, but only long enough to grab this shot of visibly distressed duck-billed dinosaurs.

OMG, you guys. That thing looks like a meteor.

There was also a pretty sweet exhibit with live - and not so live - lizards and snakes.

And then I picked up this little number at the gift shop, because obviously:


I cabbed back to the hotel, and then it got awesome. Old roommate Jenny drove down from Laguna Whatever, and we had drinks!

Mike and I had Wednesday all to ourselves, and we went to the San Diego Zoo.

Oh, and I rescued an owl from the Natural History Museum. Mike named him Wisenheim:

I read this sign as, "Please do not feed the muppets."

This sign leaves visitors in the dark. What exactly is the lion spraying at a range of 7-10 feet? We get an answer later...

Also, the panda smiled at me. I mean, she was no Butterstick, but she was nice to look at, I suppose.

See, now, this sign explains the ocelot's kinky pervert ways, but I still worry about what the lion was spraying.

And then the best thing ever happened. The best thing in the history of the world, you guys. We entered a walk-through aviary. It was pretty much the best thing that has ever happened in the history of the world, because the birds just flew around like you weren't even there and IT WAS SO AWESOME OH MY GOD.



Then Mike had his moment of zen when he called to the sloth bear, and it came trotting out to play like a puppy. Mike didn't want to leave him:

And the next day we flew home. Anticlimactic, I know, but I didn't think that you would want pictures of the airport here. I mean, I have some, obviously.

Anyway, it was an awesome, super, amazing trip, and we had a blast!