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San Diego Travel: Exploring the coastline and a tour of the historic Hotel Sofia

Today was our day of relocation: we have passed of our apartment rentals in Solana Beach in San Diego's elegant Sofia Hotel in downtown San Diego. On a bright day we reached the hotel at 10 am, but our room I was not ready yet, so I decided to embark on some local scans soon.

Victorian Seaport Village, Mexico and East Coast style architectural and four miles of winding cobbled streets create a welcoming environment for waterfront shopping and restaurants. The assortment of goods including souvenirs, clothing, kites, wind chimes and unique gifts. Art galleries and shops complete the offer, and live music is offered frequently throughout the year. An original 1895 hand carved carousel animals love adults and children. Dining options include four restaurants and thirteen luxury casual restaurants.

An outdoor display large balloons now adds additional interest to Seaport Village. "Cool Globes – Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet," has inspired 40 balloons representing simple solutions to global warming. The balloons were designed by local artists have national and international been traveling on the road in places like Chicago, Washington DC, San Francisco and will be on display in Los Angeles and London in 2009.

Further north of Seaport Pier Village is featuring the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier that operated between 1945 and 1992. It was donated as a museum ship and has been moored at San Diego Navy pier 2004. Visitors can tour the ship's flight deck, dining room, bridge, flight control area, officers quarters, nursing and parts of the engine room. Evening events are frequently held in this huge boat and a coffee adorns the back of the ship. A portion of the ship overlooking San Diego port can be accessed free of charge while admission to the rest of the ship is $ 17.00.

San Diego has been a center for the U.S. Navy and the area around the USS Midway features many reminders of military history, including the Battle of Leyte Gulf Memorial, dedicated to a historic naval battle in 1944. The Bob Hope Tribute, also called the National Salute to Bob Hope and the Military, is an impressive collection of figures more than life-size bronze commemorating five decades of support for Bob Hope in soldiers entertainment, airmen and sailors, from 1943.

The National Tribute consists of 16 figures in a circular plaza that surrounds a statue of Bob Hope, entertaining the crowd in front of a microphone. The figures are actual representations surrounding military personnel from different eras such as World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam War, the Cold War and the Persian Gulf War.

Among the many pieces of public art along the seafront promenade, one of the most impressive is "Unconditional surrender," a 25-foot sculpture of a sailor kissing a young nurse. The sculpture commemorates the time in the World World War was over, and the joy and euphoria swept the world. Inspired by a famous photo of the celebration of VJ Day in Times Square, this sculpture J. Seward Johnson is on loan to San Diego harbor to the end of February 2009.

Further north along the coast line is the cruise terminal which is located in Pier B Street along Harbour Drive North. San Diego is a port of call for many major cruise lines, including Carnival, Holland America, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean and Princess Cruises. Nearly 620,000 cruise passengers arrived in San Diego in 2006. local harbor cruises can also be accessed in this area, and headquarters of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau is located directly opposite the cruise terminal.

Now it was time to head back to the hotel and finally, the check in. In less than ten minutes he had arrived in the Hotel Sofia. The reception staff were very friendly, and the bags had been brought up to Suite 602, Deluxe Studio Suite. Our room was modern and enhanced by an elegant living room with flat screen TV and a second ergonomics. Our bathroom appears a bathroom with a luxury showerhead, and vanity area complete with fresh orchids in the bedroom.

Always driven by my curiosity, I did managed to persuade two employees of the hotel to give me a tour around the hotel a few minutes later. Brian Wells of the reception and Danny Miranda, a doorman, agreed kindly and began explaining the history of Sofia Hotel me. Two hotel towers were built in 1926 and opened a year later as the Pickwick Hotel. Property part of the Pickwick Corporation, a company offering 22 routes diligence in California. The Neo Gothic design was in 1928 two additional towers were added.

From 1928 to 1944, the hotel also became the location of a broadcasting station called KGB (no association with the former secret service agency Russian). Pickwick Stages In 1929 it merged with the Greyhound Corporation. During the years 1940 and 1950, the Pickwick Hotel remains a tourist and entertainment location and locals and visitors enjoyed the Piccadilly Hall. During the 1950 city council requires decorative architectural elements to be removed from the facade, to prevent injury during an earthquake.

Since mid-1950 to mid 1980, the center of San Diego experienced a prolonged decline and lost its luster as retail and entertainment destination. Now under new ownership, the Hotel Pickwick began to show its age well.

The new owners of Ken Winslow and Parekh Harki bought the property in 1986 and systematically began to repair the hotel during the next 20 years. With the opening of the hugely successful shopping Horton Retail Plaza, rejuvenation of the historic Gaslamp district and the construction of Petco Park, downtown San Diego became an attractive destination again. The location This hotel is absolutely ideal for us in our discoveries of downtown San Diego.

After this brief introduction to the history of the hotel, we stepped outside the hotel, located at the intersection of West Broadway and First Avenue. The statue of a businessman outside the entrance was dedicated to the City Center Development Corporation and the City Council as a way of thanking the city for the revitalization of this district. Said Brian Horton Plaza and the district Gaslamp, literally, just a 10 minute walk. Sofia is just seven blocks from the waterfront and the Port area.

Speaking of history, Hotel Sofia became a member of Historic Hotels of America last year and is the only historic hotel in downtown San Diego. A picture in the entrance area shows the radio towers that used to decorate the hotel in 1934 where 50,000 watts of radio waves were transmitted around San Diego.

In a hallway to the left of the lobby we stopped to admire some pictures of the renovation. Brass images of designers, architects and owners adorn the wall. One of the images shows the renovation, and all of the remodeling process of all was that the owners were 12 housewives, and Brian and Danny on staff to help with demolition. The team removed the carpets, ceiling fans, sinks and toilets in 242 rooms of hotel, and 720 old doors were ripped off. Danny and Brian said it was great for keeping their jobs during the renovation and to participate in the transformation of this hotel. Their sense of belonging and pride of the newly restored and glamorous Hotel Sofia was evident.

Less than three weeks of Christmas, the hall was aglow with holiday decorations. Brian added that currently the hotel has a total of 14 Christmas trees, decorated by the owners. Real orchids adorn the public areas and all rooms. On the back the hall opposite the entrance is a painting of a girl on the beach in Coronado. This girl, the granddaughter of Ken Winslow, called Sophie and was the inspiration for the new name the hotel was completely renovated. A cozy living room invites you to sit and relax by the fireplace.

To the left of the lobby is the business center has three brand new desktop computers, the Internet's fiber optic high-speed color printers and fax black and white. This business center is guests 24 hours a day.

Walking back in the lobby turned right into "currant", modern restaurant and elegant than 120 seats in the main floor of the Hotel Sofia. Founded in 2007, currant offers a high level cooking of Latin-French and is open daily for guests and the public. High ceilings, tile graphics, chandeliers made furniture, unique style and a secluded private room with sheer curtains, offer a sophisticated atmosphere.

Heading up now were in the mezzanine, where a number of prizes of Sofia proudly on display. In less than two years since its reopening, the Hotel Sofia has won two Best of Citysearch, as well as a prize Expedia Executives Select. This distinction is granted only the top 1% of hotels. The restaurant has also won some awards, and Sofia also has garnered an ASID Design Excellence Award.

Back Brian corner and Danny took me to two conference rooms are equipped high-tech video conferencing and projection. The largest room is 32 people while the smaller meeting room for 20 seats is anchored by a large old wooden table. For the runner who entered the Yoga and Fitness Center, an amenity that is open 24 hours a day. The hotel even has its own yoga instructor and offers guests Television, DVD, towels, bottled water, and orange-infused water. The Hotel Sofia is even produced their own yoga DVD!

After the common facilities and Danny Brian's room I 633, a corner room. A standard room with double bed, this room offers an excellent view of the Port of San Diego. A smaller, but well-designed room, with high quality beds, therapeutic pillow covers queen and luxurious down comforters. A flat screen TV, digital box safe, ironing board and iron, hair dryer and add on services. A coffee maker and microwave enable guests to look after their basic needs. ice machines in different plants provide the cooling power needed for a private retreat with champagne at night.

The hallways are decorated with a combination sophisticated sage green color and the carpet is a luxurious quality. After renovation, the number of rooms was reduced to 211 rooms, down from the original 242 rooms. The extra space was taken up by the conference rooms and yoga / gym.

A few steps in suite 601, Brian illustrates the comforts of private room with a queen size bed and a sofa bed in the lounge. A double room is therefore up to four people. reading lights high tech can be oriented in any direction, and the alarm clock radio comes with an iPod / MP3 docking station. Flat screen TVs are available in the bedroom and the living room. All areas of the vanity of attractive dark wood furniture, all adorned with real orchids. Luxury soaps and toiletries to pamper guests and bottled water is free.

To conclude the tour, Brian and Danny gave me some tips for exploring San Diego: Balboa Park, San Diego Zoo, Seaworld, Old Town, Seaport Village and Coronado are among the most popular local attractions. The upmarket area of ​​La Jolla and Scripps Institute of Oceanography are little further. I was already looking forward to joining a concert tomorrow morning through the Gaslamp District, offered free by the Hotel Sofia. A visit to the Park Balboa complete our adventures in San Diego.

Not only had to find a central location in San Diego, staying at the Hotel Sofia was also linked to local history and discovered a unique place that has good taste, retains a 1920's property and carried it into the new millennium with all the comforts of first class.

About the Author

Susanne Pacher is a Travel Journalist specializing in Unconventional Travel you can get tons of great unconventional and unique travel information and tips if you Click Here

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