Celebrating Retirement Tour October 2019 - Day 5 Monday 7 October - La Jolla and Mt Soledad

Fireworks · 3 Nov 19, 07:32 PM

Today we had booked a trip with Old Town Trolley tours to Mt Soledad and La Jolla. The tour starts from Old Town and they do offer various pick up points, but as we were so close to Santa Fe Station we decided to suss out the trolley. It was really easy to do, there are 5 trolleys an hour to Old Town and a one way ticket costs $2.50 however far you are travelling.

Journey only takes 8 minutes and we were soon walking through a deserted Old Town as it was so early.

Checked onto the tour and left Old Town at 10.15 for our first stop, the summit of Mt Soledad. Wow, just wow. The pictures really don't do this viewpoint justice. There is a memorial to military veterans at the summit with some famous names including past American Presidents, Churchill and Bob Hope. We only manage to find the plaque for Gerald Ford, could have spent a lot longer here.

After a 20 minute stop, we then set off for La Jolla which is a lovely place but very very expensive, with lots of high end designer shops and a Rolls Royce dealership. Gorgeous views along the coastal footpath and we managed to get really close to the seals and sea lions at the Children's Pool.

Decided to have a bite to eat at Richard Walker Pancake House. I ordered banana pancakes and Brian had a chicken sandwich. Food was delicious but don't go here unless you are hungry, the portion sizes are obscenely huge. Bill came to around $40 including tip.

We also found a Karl Strauss Brewing Company so went there for a couple of beers before getting back on the trolley.

This is where the trolley tour got a little bit disappointing as we were expecting to see a little bit more of the coast on the way back through Pacific Beach and Mission Beach than we did, but the trolley went through all the back streets. I would still recommend the tour though for Mt Soledad and La Jolla.

We got off the trolley tour at Old Town as we wanted to explore it a bit more, although we could have had a lift back to the centre of San Diego if we wanted to.

Had a browse around the very touristy market and shops and bought a couple of t-shirts, then went in search of some more refreshment, as if we hadn't had enough earlier! Decided to stop at Barra Barra Saloon and just share a portion of chicken fajitas as neither of us were ravenous. They were good but I was expecting them to be spicier than they were were if I am honest, so I'm glad we only got one meal between us. Bill came to $33 including tip, one beer and one glass of wine as it was happy hour.

Waited about 5 minutes for the trolley back to San Diego, so easy to do and luckily we had got a ticket as four very burly enforcement officers got on at Old Town and were checking everyone's tickets.

3 Nov 19, 07:32 PM	#1
	3 Nov 19, 07:32 PM Fireworks Excited about Disney
Fireworks Excited about Disney Join Date: Jun 05	Celebrating Retirement Tour October 2019 - Day 5 Monday 7 October - La Jolla and Mt Soledad Today we had booked a trip with Old Town Trolley tours to Mt Soledad and La Jolla. The tour starts from Old Town and they do offer various pick up points, but as we were so close to Santa Fe Station we decided to suss out the trolley. It was really easy to do, there are 5 trolleys an hour to Old Town and a one way ticket costs $2.50 however far you are travelling. Journey only takes 8 minutes and we were soon walking through a deserted Old Town as it was so early. Checked onto the tour and left Old Town at 10.15 for our first stop, the summit of Mt Soledad. Wow, just wow. The pictures really don't do this viewpoint justice. There is a memorial to military veterans at the summit with some famous names including past American Presidents, Churchill and Bob Hope. We only manage to find the plaque for Gerald Ford, could have spent a lot longer here. After a 20 minute stop, we then set off for La Jolla which is a lovely place but very very expensive, with lots of high end designer shops and a Rolls Royce dealership. Gorgeous views along the coastal footpath and we managed to get really close to the seals and sea lions at the Children's Pool. Decided to have a bite to eat at Richard Walker Pancake House. I ordered banana pancakes and Brian had a chicken sandwich. Food was delicious but don't go here unless you are hungry, the portion sizes are obscenely huge. Bill came to around $40 including tip. We also found a Karl Strauss Brewing Company so went there for a couple of beers before getting back on the trolley. This is where the trolley tour got a little bit disappointing as we were expecting to see a little bit more of the coast on the way back through Pacific Beach and Mission Beach than we did, but the trolley went through all the back streets. I would still recommend the tour though for Mt Soledad and La Jolla. We got off the trolley tour at Old Town as we wanted to explore it a bit more, although we could have had a lift back to the centre of San Diego if we wanted to. Had a browse around the very touristy market and shops and bought a couple of t-shirts, then went in search of some more refreshment, as if we hadn't had enough earlier! Decided to stop at Barra Barra Saloon and just share a portion of chicken fajitas as neither of us were ravenous. They were good but I was expecting them to be spicier than they were were if I am honest, so I'm glad we only got one meal between us. Bill came to $33 including tip, one beer and one glass of wine as it was happy hour. Waited about 5 minutes for the trolley back to San Diego, so easy to do and luckily we had got a ticket as four very burly enforcement officers got on at Old Town and were checking everyone's tickets.