Let the Baseball Vacation Begin!

     On Thursday, I made my way to San Diego, where this year's California baseball tour begins (triplecrowntravel.com). Apparently the storms in the Wichita area delayed the Southwest Airlines flight into my home town, but I was still able to make my connection in Phoenix. The flights across the southwest were interesting, going from the rich, vibrant-green, rolling-prairie farmlands of Kansas to the desert lands of the southwest with loads of empty space, brown and mountains. Let me just say once again: our planet is magnificent in its diversity.
     I elected to come to San Diego a couple days before the actual start of the tour, because why not? It's August, and the high temps are mid-70s and the lows are mid-60s. Every day on the weather app says "Patchy fog then sunny." My flight was relatively on time, and my luggage arrived at baggage claim at the same time I did. Unlike last year's tiny bag, I brought the big one this year, because of flying on Southwest Airlines, which does not nickel-and-dime you to death (I love Southwest!).
     I can stress myself out with "what if?" and "how do I?" when I travel, so I promised myself to ask for help, a lot. I have learned that airports typically have a central location for Uber pickups, so I asked at the Information Desk and was directed to that spot, which I would have been most unlikely to find on my own. The Uber ride to the hotel gave me a good tour of the waterfront and the area around my hotel, the Hotel Indigo Gaslamp Quarter.
     I feel enormous gratitude for my smart phone and the knowledge to use it. I am staying in the midst of one of the most vibrant areas of San Diego, loaded with restaurants, bars, shops and people. Turning left from the hotel entrance enables me to look straight into Petco Park, the Padres stadium, two blocks away. I walked about 100 yards and ended up at Half Door Brewing Company for a lovely supper of shepherd's pie and their "Back At It West Coast IPA." Then I roamed a bit around the area and stadium, enjoying the cool evening (compared to high 90s and gross humidity of Kansas). The two-hour time difference finally did me in and I returned to the hotel.
     The tour officially begins on Saturday evening, so I have a couple of days to play around San Diego. Woohoo!
     Lovin' life and baseball,
           Leta