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.

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.

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.

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.

postcard from america

Pier 39 – San Francisco

Who would have thought that sea-lions had so many collective nouns?

  1. A bob of sea lions
  2. A colony of sea lions
  3. A crash of sea lions
  4. A flock of sea lions
  5. A harem of sea lions  ………….. a group of females with one male
  6. A herd of sea lions
  7. A hurdle of sea lions
  8. A pod of sea lions
  9. A raft of sea lions
  10. A rookery of sea lions
  11. A team of sea lions

Which is your favourite?