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Balboa Park – Part 2: Model Railroad Museum

@iAmAviG

November 17, 2017

The San Diego Model Railroad Museum, located in Balboa Park, in the basement of one of the many buildings on El Prado.

To me it felt like a shorter/smaller version of Northlandz, the NJ museum featured in Wired magazine last year, albeit it was 100X cleaner and with a lot more employees.

They advertise as the largest Model Railroad Museum in America, with mini-exhibits imitating some of the local mountain ranges and railroad tracks.

They have double track main lines, replicas if the Tehachapi Pass and it’s single track loop through a steep mountain grade, and one of the original route that had been planned for Carlsbad and Downtown San Diego.

One of the more interesting rooms was the Toy Train Gallery, which features the famous, and typical model railroad, of Lionel Trains.
This exhibit was all done up with modern toys, including the minion below, and had a train car filled with candy for people to take, being a few days before Halloween when I was there.

Also featured was the Centennial Railway Garden, which commemorates the 100th anniversary of Balboa Park. This exhibit, unlike all the other ones, is fully green powered, as it is powered by solar energy, and all the real plants used around the track are drought tolerant.

My biggest amazement was the number of employees there. Each exhibit had people walking around in it, with controllers and tools, starting and stopping lines, and building up new exhibits while maintaining the old ones.
After Northlandz, and their seemingly only 2-3 employees, this was a nice change and makes it show that this was a highly cared for, and beloved exhibit, as the people there were all knowledgeable and willing to talk about their trade.

San Diego Natural History Museum: Balboa Park – Part 1

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November 16, 2017

Balboa Park, in the center of San Diego, is a similar expanse as the National Mall in DC, with a large park and a full array of museums and sights to be seen.

With its free parking, the Park is easy to get to, and once you are done a day at the zoo, it’s a short walk over to the other buildings.

I will cover the Natural History Museum in this article, and continue on in Part 2.

Coming from NYC, we are spoiled the number of museums that we have, as well as the quality and quantity that these buildings hold.
Based on that, I hold other museums to high standards, that it’s just not possible, on their budgets, to keep up with.

With all that being said, the Natural History Museum is a little sparse, but they have a nice selection of what they have:

Baja’s Wild Side – A collection of photographs showing off the local area
Coast to Cactus – Showing off the animals and environment of Southern California
Skulls – From gnats to mammals, and horns to beaks, this collection is full of all sorts of bones and skulls from the animal kingdom
Fossil Mysteries – The exploration of 75-million years of Southern California, and the creatures that roamed this Earth before people
Pendulum – They have a pendulum in one of their lobbies, that shifts with the Earths movement. A set of dominoes is placed around it at the start of the day, and as the day progresses they slowly get knocked over

Ripping a CD and Uploading to Google Play Music

@iAmAviG

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November 15, 2017

Taylor Swift’s new album came out on Friday and being unavailable to Stream on Google Play (or Spotify and Amazon for that matter), the options were iTunes or getting the actual CD.

Since they cost the same, and with the CD you actually own the music, instead of Apple owning it and technically can take it back when they feel like, I went with the CD option, and when it showed up Friday, I wanted to upload the album to Google Play Music so I can listen to it on my phone.

Oh, how a seemingly simple task became such an unnecessary hassle.

In the past, meaning in the good old days of actual CDs in the early 2000s, you would put a disc into your computer and it would pull most of its info from the internet to populate the titles and artists, and then you could rip it to your computer in MP3 format.

Since it’s been many years since I had iTunes on my computer, the program I used to use to rip the CDs, I turned to Windows Media Player to try to do the job…yeah, that wasn’t the best.
For starters, and maybe it was because Reputation wasn’t available online, none of the data populated, even after selecting to “Get Info”, and when I put in the data manually, it was not the most user-friendly GUI.

Once I finally had the 15 songs in MP3 on my computer, I figured I can just go to the Play Music website and drag and drop the songs.
Well, they say you can…but no matter how many times I dropped it and it said “Uploading 0 out of 15”, and then that message would disappear and the songs would never show up.

So I had to go ahead and download the Music Play Manager, and after going through its surprisingly tedious setup to get the files I wanted, they finally started to upload to the Play servers.

Once they uploaded, I went to the app and saw that they had uploaded as two separate albums. Songs 1-13 on the first one…and 14-15 on the second one…and I had no options to combine them.
Instead, I made a playlist and had to put the two albums on them, making sure they were in the proper order when I did that.

It’s amazing how for every two steps forward that technology takes…it seems to take three steps back.

San Diego Zoo – Part 2: Attractions and Best Route

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November 14, 2017

One thing I failed to mention in Part 1, is that while the zoo costs a pretty penny (unless you got the Go City Card), parking is free, and they have a pretty large lot, as it serves the full Balboa Park.

Amongst the things I searched for online before I made the trip to the zoo is the best route to take in the zoo, to see the most animals, in the least amount of time.
While this wasn’t such an easy find, I mapped out my own route and will pass that on at the end of this write-up.

Bus Tour – The Bus Tour is a great way to see almost the whole zoo and most of the animals, in under 40 minutes. The ideal place to sit on these double-decker buses is downstairs (out of the sun) and on the right side of the bus. The right side will line you up for great views of the elephants and rhinos, and line you up with the enclosures for most of the trip.

Picture from San Diego Zoo Website

Skyfari – This cable car will easy put you from the front of the zoo, near the entrance, to the back end of the zoo. There is one issue with this…if you do that, you miss walking up through one half of the zoo…and instead just walk back on one side.
Meanwhile, while on the ride, you get some good views overlooking the zoo.

The Best Route Through the Zoo

Here is the route that I took through the zoo, which allows you to see as much as you can, in the shortest amount of time, hopefully seeing all the animals you hope to see!

When you head into the zoo, head up to Treetops Way (at about your 1 O’Clock), towards the Orangutan Trail
From there head through the Parker Aviary down the steps towards Hua Mei Cafe and make a right down Center Street towards the Pandas
Walk through the Panda Trek, and continue down in the same direction past the grizzly bears to the Outback and Urban Jungle. For more on each exhibit, check Part 1
Once leaving Urban Jungle, make a right, going back the way you came, this time down Front Street towards the Zoo Exit, and head to the tour bus
After taking the Tour Bus around, head past the Zoo Exit to the Skyfari, and plop yourself into the back of the zoo
Heading out of Skyfari towards your left, and the Northern Frontier. After seeing the Polar Bears, turn back around, walking past the Skyfari, and down the Hippo Trail, through the Lost Forest
When you get to the Tiger Trail, head in until you see the Tiger, and then go back to the Hippo Trail, continuing to the right, where you haven’t seen yet
Head through the Scripps Aviary to Monkey Trail
Continue through the Monkey Trail back towards the Zoo Exit
Visit the Discovery Outpost (“Children’s Zoo”) before leaving

You can find the full Zoo map HERE.

Don’t forget to get a re-entry stamp before you leave the zoo, in case you want to come back in after visiting other parts of Balboa Park if you parked next to the Zoo.

San Diego Zoo – Part 1: The Animals

@iAmAviG

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November 13, 2017

The San Diego Zoo is one of the more talked about zoos in the country, alongside The Bronx Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, Zoo Miami, and the National Zoo.

Here are some of the highlights of the animals of the zoo. Part 2 will have the attractions and best path to take thru the busy zoo:

Orangutan Trail – With really tall climbing towers giving these animals a chance to show off, the birthday celebration was an added bonus. For one of the babies birthdays, they gave them streamers, allowing them to have some fun
Panda Walk – They make you walk through a full exhibit before you see the stars (which can be annoying if you go back a second time to see if they are awake), and I was disappointed due to Mother Nature. The 95-degree day led the Pandas to want to sleep the day away. Next door to them they have other bears, including playful grizzlies
Urban Jungle – Up close and personal with animals of the African Plains, including giraffes and rhinos, zebras and cheetahs (with their dog friends)
Outback – Your koalas munching on their eucalyptus leaves
Elephant Odyssey – Their large group of elephants hang around, waiting for their spa treatments, which is touted as “highly enjoyed”. I question if they really like the large metal cages in which they get hosed down…but I digress
Northern Frontier – The arctic animals of the zoo, including the Arctic Fox and Polar Bears
Hippo Trail – No babies here like in the Cincinnati Zoo, but still a sight to see swimming thru their pond
Tiger Trail – Take a quick look in here, to see her lounging around
Discovery Outpost – The Children’s portion of the zoo…which I missed due to poor signage. I went looking for it, but I think it was just a drop further than I wanted to give it…so I don’t know much about it

La Jolla Beach

@iAmAviG

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November 10, 2017

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, but I won’t hesitate to repeat it again. The views in San Diego are all gorgeous, looking out onto the Pacific Ocean, and La Jolla beach may be the full experience. In particular La Jolla Cave and the Children’s Pool areas.

Minus the smell, there is no beach that I want to be on today as the weather in NYC goes below freezing.

The beaches of La Jolla are lined with wildlife. In other cities, this means seagulls and crabs. But on the beaches of La Jolla it is sea lions and seals, lounging in the sun, barking into the waves, and just plain old enjoying life, with not a care in the world.

You can walk out onto rocks hanging out over the sea, feeling the waves crash into you (and trying not to slip and fall into a puddle of sea lion slime…no comment).
I went there later in the day and felt that it might be the best way to end any day and watch the sunset, be it after a long work day or just a lot of walking during a day of tourism.

Some Songs of the Day

@iAmAviG

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November 9, 2017

Here are some Songs of the Day that have been popping through my Playlists!

Good Old Days – Macklemore feat. Kesha

I wish somebody would have told me, babe
That someday, these will be the good old days
All the love you won’t forget
And all these reckless nights you won’t regret
‘Cause someday soon, your whole life’s gonna change
You’ll miss the magic of the good old days

What About Us – Pink

What about us?
What about all the times you said you had the answers?
What about all the broken happy ever afters?
What about all the plans that ended in disaster?

1-800-273-8255 – Logic feat. Alessia Cara and Khalid

And my life don’t even matter, I know it, I know it
I know I’m hurting deep down but can’t show it
Ain’t nobody callin’ my phone
Where you been? Where you at? What’s on your mind?
They say every life precious but nobody care about mine

Havana – Camila Cabello feat. Young Thug

Got me feelin’ like…
Oooh-oooh-ooh, and then I had to tell him
I had to go, oh na-na-na-na-na

Belmont Park – San Diego

@iAmAviG

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November 8, 2017

Belmont Park is an amusement park on the beach, that is fun for all ages.

From an NYC perspective, it was basically the Coney Island/Luna Park of San Diego, with rides and amusements right there alongside the beach and water.

The rides include roller coasters, multiple styles of bumper cars, and a lot of kids rides.
My favorite was the “Krazy Kars”, a type of bumper car with no steering wheel, but instead a pair of levers, one for each side of the vehicle, allowing you to go full force forward, or some good tight spins.

The park also has an array of attractions, such as Laser Tags and Mazes, a rock climbing wall, and a full arcade, as well as your typical carnival games lining the walkways.

Some of the other key features include a zip line, which was closed the day I was there, and they were nice enough to give me a $10 arcade card instead, to go with the full wristband included in my Go Card.

While they sell the aforementioned full admission bands, they also have some things on their property that isn’t included, such as the latest fad, “Escape the Room”, known here as Escapology, giving you one hour to solve puzzles and break out of the scenario.

I also enjoyed the Tiki Town Adventure Golf, a tiki-themed mini golf course, filled with bumps, windmills, and Par 3’s.

Two last nice features, from a tourist perspective, is that most of the things in SD are closed by 5 or 6PM, and Belmont Park extends into the nighttime hours even during the week. They also feature a nice size parking lot, free of charge.

SeaWorld San Diego – Part 2: Shows and Attractions

@iAmAviG

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November 7, 2017

So in Part 1 I spoke about the great variety of animals at SeaWorld, but that’s only half of what there is to have when visiting, as their park is littered with rides and shows, all included in your admission price.

I am going to divide this into three parts…Shows, Rides, and Feedings.
With each of these, I can only touch on what I did and experienced so some things might be Halloween themed, or just not something I did.

Shows

Dolphin Days – I think dolphins are one of the more talented animals that a show can offer, with flips, “tail waves”, swimming backward above the water, and just being playful with their trainers. This show also adds in Pilot Whales and seeing these large creatures breach the water is a great sight.
On a really hot day, sitting in those front rows is a real splash, and people are quickly scurrying to the back rows after getting soaked early on in the program.
Orca Encounter – The Killer Whales, made famous by Free Willy (or more recently Blackfish), are in a new large theater, and while waiting for the show to start, the animals like to hover at the top of the water and watch the screen showing clips of whales. It’s like a drive-in theater for whales!
Similarly, you’ll have splash rows at this show, and a viewing stage front and center that’s placed much better than where the dolphins’ stage is
Sea Lions Live – A fun story featuring a pair of Sea Lions, and their Otter friend, include the usual Sea Lion shenanigans of carrying a ball on their nose, barking at the audience, and just playing around
They also have a “Pets Rule” and “Sea Rescue” show, which I didn’t fit into my schedule.

Rides

Bayside Skyride – A three-minute ride over one of the coves of Mission Bay, shows beautiful views and the former Orca exhibit
Skytower – Everything in San Diego has outstanding views, it’s just the nature of the city, and this one is no different, rising high above the center of the park in a slowly rotating tower car
Shipwreck Rapids – Get in a nine-seat hard tube and rush down a winding river, with soaking wet rapids and a waterfall. You WILL get wet on this ride, and when the weather is hot, it’s super enjoyable!
Other rides include:
- Wild Arctic – A flight simulator over the Arctic Circle showing you up the area in close and personal
- Journey to Atlantis – Your typical log flume
- Manta Roller Coaster – a Multi-Launch roller coaster that takes deep dives just like a ray under water. The ride also goes through the ray pool (in a glass enclosure).

Feedings

Sea Lions – Buy a little french fry holder of four fish and feed the barking Sea Lions. It may not seem like it’s worth the money, but it definitely is. The Sea Lions will beg for your attention and wave for you to throw your fish their way. There is also something satisfying with fending off the aggressive birds who try to rip the food out of your hands
Bat Rays – These guys have a mouth under their body, and with the food in your hand, they’ll glide over and vacuum it straight out

SeaWorld San Diego – Part 1: The Animals

@iAmAviG

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November 6, 2017

SeaWorld San Diego was one of the best places I’ve ever visited, and I went multiple times over my trip. If I lived near there, it would be a weekly visit to see those fantastic animals and sights.

One of my favorite parts of how it is run is that once you are in the park, everything is included. There’s no need to purchase tickets for a show or ride, and no need for long lines to check said tickets.

Another awesome feature is that in a lot of zoos/aquariums you need to fight for space along the glass to see the animals and take pictures of them. You have families and Instagrammers crowding around, and you can waste a lot of your day waiting to see some animals.
But at SeaWorld, these crowded indoor exhibits (such as penguins and sharks) have a moving walkway, where you can get on and it slowly brings you through the exhibit, giving you an unencumbered view of the animals.
If you want to spend more time with them, loop around and take the walkway again.

The park is full of animals, and you can get really up close and personal with most of them as you walk amongst and through their exhibits. Heading clockwise around the park from when you walk in:

When you first enter the park, you are presented with a lot of things for the little ones to see and do, including a few touch tanks and a children’s play area
Wild Arctic – Walruses and gorgeous beluga whales grace the waters
Penguins – Penguin house with tens of Emperor and other varieties standing at attention for your photo pleasures, including some warm weather ones basking outside in the sun
Turtles
Shark Encounter – Walk under, over, and through shark tanks, watching these predators prowl the waters
Flamingoes – The staple of every zoo and aquarium in America, these pink birds stand around waiting for life to happen
Otter Outlook – Some of the cutest water animals at most aquariums, get overshadowed by the Dolphins here, but seeing them relaxing in the water is always a thrill
Dolphins – There is literally nothing keeping you from the water, as it’s one of the closest places you’ll get to these intelligent and playful animals
Orcas – Technically a type of dolphin, these killer whales are a sight to see, and as their time in SeaWorld winds down, it’ll get harder to see these beautiful black and white animals