San Diego Trip, Day 4 SeaWorld

Thursday March 21 

SeaWorld day! We had a breakfast of pancakes, sausage, and fresh farm eggs that the owners gave us. We arrived at SeaWorld before they opened. Our very first stop was petting the sharks! They were little and non-aggressive, but it was still fun to feel their scaly yet slimes backsides. Most of the attractions didn’t open until 10:40, but the rides in the kiddie section were open so the first ride we rode was the swings. Ian was grumpy for some unknown reason and didn’t ride the swings with us. But we did ride some kiddie rides with him and that got him in a better mood. The kids enjoyed the seasame street playgrounds, and they rode a kiddie few rides in that section. Next we watched the show Sea Lions live. It was funny & cute! The kids really liked it. We squeezed in one more ride before lunch, the Manta. It was a much smoother roller coaster than that rickety one we rode at Belmont Park. We had a rushed lunch at Shipwreck cafe. Most of us had some sort of chicken, which we thought was pretty good, aside from the orange chicken. We ate fast so we could attend the Orca Encounter show. The show was alright; I liked the show in San Antonio because the whales did more tricks. This particular show was more educational than entertaining. We walked around and saw some more fun things like flamingos, sharks, turtles, and around 3 pm it started to rain! We were soaked but we still sat through the dolphin show (Elisa’s favorite), and also the wild arctic ride. It was fun to see the beluga whales and the walruses. Although it had stopped raining, the park was closed at 5. On our way out we rode the swings, and Ian was willing to ride with us this time. We got to ride twice! For dinner, we called in an order at Blue Water Grill (again!). I ordered the fish n chips and clam chowder, and spent the rest of the evening finishing up a book and watching an episode of Chopped.

Waiting in line to be let into the park.

Touching the slimy little sharks near the entrance. They let people into the park but most of it wasn't open yet, so we stopped at this little attraction.

Lots of pictures of the kids riding the rides in the kiddie area.  I don't remember there being too long of lines

Waiting in line for a ride that I can't remember...maybe the Manta?

The kids loved popping their heads up through this dome that was connected to a tunnel in a kids play area.

The kids had a great time riding the rides 

The Sea Lion Show.  It was really fun!

Elisa on Manta, a fun roller coaster ride!

Yummy lunch! Unfortunately, we had to rush lunch to make it to the Shamu show on time.

The Shamu show.  I guess its called "Orca Encounter" know. I liked the show in San Antonio better. The one here was more educational and informative, whereas the one in San Antonio was more entertaining.

Elisa in front of the flamingos

Feeling shark skin

Cuties in front of the shark tank.

Cute Gabe and an ugly fish!

We went to Walmart the night before and bought the kids some cheap-o umbrellas and the adults some ponchos.  They came in handy, but we were still wet!

Silly Ian dancing while we waiting for our hard, chewy churro (do not buy churros at SeaWorld).  Elisa also insisted we buy her cotton candy.

The Dolphin show.  Elisa said it was her favorite thing at SeaWorld.

Waiting in line for the Wild Artic exhibit

Watching a walrus and a seal swim around at the end of Wild Arctic.

Our last ride on the way out: the swings! I was glad Ian wanted to go this time.  This ride was also the first ride we went on, and Ian refused to go.

Elisa giving one last pat to those slimy sharks on the way out.

San Diego Trip, Day 3 Part II

Our next stop was lunch at The Cheese Shop. I had a lamb sandwich, it was basically a gyro in pumpernickel bread. Erik had a Reuben sandwich and the kids had grilled cheese sandwiches. For dessert we had chocolate chip cookies and flour-less oatmeal cookies, which were pretty sticky, chewy, and sweet. We drove by the San Diego Temple and took a few more pictures, but we didn't get out of the car because it was raining. Our next stop was Cabrio National Monument, which mainly included an old lighthouse. On the way we passed Fort Rosencrans Cemetery where many veterans are buried. Half the time we spent in the gift shop because it was pouring rain! The lighthouse was old and cramped, but it was fun to see. Then we headed over to old town San Diego to visit the train depot (we tried Monday night to go but they were closed). Inside was a scale model of the countryside and the city with a train that goes all around, and we were very impressed with how detailed and intricate the whole thing was! We enjoyed looking at all the little people and buildings. We wanted pizza for dinner, and Erik had a specific place in mind. It was located inside Liberty Public Market, but when we got there the sign said “coming soon”, so we left. We decided to try a different pizza place, and on the way we stopped in the Corvette Diner (just to look). It is a car-themed restaurant with a little arcade connected to it (also just to look around). Our last stop of the day was Bronx Pizza, which sold pizza by the slice for $3 cash. It was pretty decent pizza, and I’m sure I could have eaten two slices but it’s best for me to just have one. We went back to the cottage where I put Ian in our bed to fall asleep while I read a book, Erik played Little Big World on the Playstation, and Gabe and Eesa goofed off with grandpa.

My lamb sandwich, aka gyro in bread.

A flourless cookie.  I thought it was good, but I didn't like how it stuck to my teeth.

The gorgeous San Diego temple. I just LOVE the style of this one!

Gabe was (barely) willing to try on the conquistador armor.

Whale bones.

Inside a mini-museum. I tried but could not get a good picture of Ian for the life of me.  He loved pressing the buttons that made the lights in the map turn on.

The rain finally stopped, and we were able to hike to the lighthouse. 

The kids in the light house.  It's a good thing I don't have claustrophobia!

I stuck my phone up through the grating at the top of the stairs to get this picture of the light in the light house.

Fort Rosencrans Cemetery, just outside of Cabrillo Monument.

Gabe and Elisa, fascinated with the trains and all there was to see!

The train cities were just so intricate, I thought it would make better sense to just take a video instead of taking a million pictures because there was a LOT to see! 

We all got a kick out of these signs.

So cool!

The kids had fun playing at this arcade, even though we didn't spend any money on rides or games.

Gabe was sad that his pizza wasn't ordered with the rest of ours.  He needs to learn to speak up!

Elisa was by Grandpa's side the entire trip!