Postcards from Around the World

La Jolla Coastal Walk

La Jolla (Pronounced luh hoy uh) is a smart seaside area, known for its rugged coastline and tidal pools as well as waterfront restaurants and posh boutiques in La Jolla Village. So whilst on a visit to San Diego, back in early March 2010, I decided to go and see it for myself. Easy to reach from the Old Town terminus on the number 30 bus.

Pacific Seahorses are found in the ocean in La Jolla
Street art

Walking from the bus stop on Silverado Street I made my way to the shoreline at Cuvier Park, stopping first for brunch at the Museum of Contemporary Art of San Diego. From there I simply followed the coastline and promenade along to Goldfish Point – about a mile – before heading back to the bus stop.

Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church – Girard Avenue
The Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

There seem to be many churches in La Jolla, but all rather beautiful, from the outside anyway. I didn’t go into any of them.

Presbyterian Church – Draper Avenue
St James by the Sea Episcopal Church – Prospect Street

From Cuvier Park you get the most wonderful views north

View north towards the Lifeguard Tower at Children’s Pool
Let’s get rid of that ugly high-rise

The ice plants were obviously a very tempting snack for these Californian Ground Squirrels.

Signpost
Sea Cave
Limonium or Sea Lavender
Palms waving in the wind
Ground Squirrel
Ground Squirrel
Unusual sculpture at the rear of La Jolla’s Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego called Pleasure Point, by artist Nancy Rubins. It’s made of rowboats, canoes, jet skies, kayaks, surfboards
Lifeguard Tower
Seals basking on the sand at Children’s Pool

The facility was created in 1931 by benefactor Ellen Browning Scripps as a safe spot for children to swim, but the seals decided that it was also a lovely sunny beach for them to relax on and give birth to their pups. A rope now keeps people from disturbing the protected marine mammals.

Seal pups
Ellen Browning Scripps Park contains many picnic areas and places to relax on the grass.
This is La Valencia Hotel otherwise known as ‘The Pink Lady’ which dates back to the 1920s
One of the gazebo structures along the sculptured sandstone cliffs
High on a craggy bluff overlooking the churning surf in La Jolla stands this weathered sea-green box..

To discover what this lifeguard icon is all about click here.

At Point La Jolla you will find the Sea lion and his harem
Where people get a little too close to nature.
Brown Pelicans
I’m watching you

La Jolla Cove is where many people gather to snorkel and swim and kayak and close by you will find pelicans and cormorants on the rocky outcrops.

Cormorants and other seabirds.

My walk along the coast ended at Goldfish Point and Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave.

This Cave is accessed through the Cave Store. You walk down a tunnel with 145 steps to a small cave looking out into the ocean.

If you do have the fortune to visit San Diego I really would recommend popping over to La Jolla for a few hours, more if you fancy a swim.

Postcards from Around the World

Adjacent to the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is nearby Heritage County Park which features several restored Victorian homes and the city’s first synagogue. Several of the exteriors of the Victorian architecture of wealthy San Diego residents in the late 1880s-1890s have been restored although the interiors are currently undergoing improvements.

The Historic Buildings at Heritage County Park

Senlis Cottage: 1896, moved to Heritage County Park in 1981 (Queen Anne Cottage)

Built in 1896, this modest four-room dwelling was home to gardener Eugene Senlis and his wife Lena. Eugene was employed by Kate Sessions, a renowned San Diego nurserywoman and horticulturalist.

Sherman-Gilbert House: 1887, moved to Heritage County Park in 1971 (Stick Eastlake Style)

The Sherman-Gilbert House, recognized by its central tall square tower and abundance of millwork details, was originally built and owned by John Sherman who is deemed a master builder.

Bushyhead House: 1887, moved to Heritage County Park in 1976 (Eastlake Style)

This cheery yellow Eastlake style home, marked by a two-story projecting bay window and a richly ornamented porch, was built in 1887 by Edward Wilkerson Bushyhead.

Christian House: 1889, moved to Heritage County Park in 1976 (Queen Anne style)

Boasting an extensive wrap-around porch, tall corner tower, and scalloped siding cladding the second floor, the Christian House is a vibrant example of a Queen Anne Victorian home, a style known for its decorative layers and variations. This home was owned by Harfield Timberlake Christian and his wife Myrtle.

McConaughy House: 1887, moved to Heritage County Park in 1981 (Italianate Style)

The home’s original owner and builder, John McConaughy, was renowned in San Diego for founding the area’s first cargo and passenger service, which operated between the city and the backcountry town of Julian.

Burton House: 1893, moved to Heritage County Park in 1976 (Classic Revival Style)

Henry Guild Burton, the home’s original owner, was a retired Army physician who served in the Second Seminole War, Mexican-American War, and the American Civil War

Temple Beth Israel: 1889, moved to Heritage County Park in 1978 (Synagogue architecture)

Constructed as San Diego’s first synagogue and the second oldest extant in the Western United States, Temple Beth Israel originally stood at the corner of Second Avenue and Beech Street downtown.

Heritage County Park arose from County Parks’ commitment to the preservation of San Diego’s cultural as well as natural resources. The park is a joint project with the Save Our Heritage Organisation.

Brisbane Coral Tree – Erythrina x sykesii (Australia)

A document with more information by SOHO can be found here. San Diego Parks & Recreations have more recent information here

Note that my photos are from February 2009 and that the exterior colour of these houses may well have altered.