My family visited San Diego in my youth. The weather is perfect, but the water is chilly, even in the summer. I didn’t appreciate the large kelp wrapping itself around me as I tried to ride the waves. San Diego provides some terrific sunsets too. But at that time, I had high interest in listening to the local radio stations, like 91X and Q106, instead. I’m such a loser. We also crossed to Tijuana one day, out of morbid curiosity. My mother lost all sense of Spanish language, telling people "no thank you" just for saying hello.

In 2012, I visited san Diego again, since my youngest brother had been living there for a few years. It did not start well, as my flight forgot about the most important part-- the crew. I would have missed my connection in Denver by three hours. Fortunately I got a call about it the night before, so I rebooked, at my expense, to a different flight. Because I’m staying with my brother, I saved the expense of lodging. I have no idea how he can afford to live in San Diego either. His rent is $1,800/month. Mine is $750.

I took one side trip to Los Angeles and Malibu, seeing the University of Southern California campus and the state park where M*A*S*H had a space for wide exterior shots. Traffic is terrible as expected. I-405 is a bad idea at any time of day. I also took one side trip to a desert hiking spot east of San Diego. Together, my brother and I attended a Padres game, went to the beach, and hiked at Torrey Pines.