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Holy cow, what a week! JohnnyJet.com received so many new subscribers
this week! Guess how many new signups we received? 500?
Nope, guess again. 1,000? NOPE! Try 4,000. Thanks to
Frommers.com
for sending us the majority of those new nice folks.
After next week's issue we will be all caught up on current time.
Yeah! This week I was supposed to be coming to you from Anchorage,
Alaska
for the annual Iditarod
Trail sled dog race. But would you believe for the first time in
30 years they had to move the race 360 miles north to Fairbanks because of
lack of snow? Just my luck, huh? Instead I scratched those plans
and now I am coming to you live from chilly and damp
Southern California
.
Can you believe it's almost March? How time is flying by this month.
What's ironic is that I haven't been flying and it looks like I am going to
have my first February in who knows how many years that I haven't boarded
a plane. The good news: I have been able to get my house and
office organized, lounge on the couch, eat home cooked meals, and work diligently
on the website & newsletter (perhaps you’ve noticed the new newsletter
formats?). We'll, you can bet your next vacation that I will end my
longest non-flying streak soon, and I will be flying in March. With all the
war fears, the planeloads are low and the bargains are galore!
It's time to travel. I haven't taken a photo with my camera in over
2 weeks and that baby better get fired up because here I come.
My Dad, for some crazy reason wanted to go down to Tijuana and Rosarita,
Mexico. I don't know what movie or commercial he was watching that
made him so hooked on going down there, but I said, "no way am I doing that
trip again after my
December visit
". Besides, no one else wanted to go and everyone he asked about
Tijuana told him not to go because it has changed. Heck, I even offered
to take him to Puerta Vallerta because the weekend rates were so low ($149
R/T), but he didn't have any of his travel documents on him. I didn't
want to feel like a bad son, so instead I took him to the place closest to
Tijuana... San Diego. We decided to go at the very last minute (1:00
pm and didn't get on the road ‘til 3:00 pm). On the 100+ mile drive
down, we called up one of our good family friends, Lou (he recently transferred
from NY) to let him know we were coming. He insisted that we stop by
his place in Rancho Santa Fe and eat at his country club, Morgan Run, for
dinner
. Since we didn't have time for lunch we were all famished and
I have to tell you this place had the best food, especially for a country
club. It was awesome! From the prepared how you like it pasta bar,
to the homemade soup, fresh salad, mouth watering pot roast, juicy chicken,
you name it. It was tasty. I had thirds that's how delicious
it was. I wish I was there right now because as you can probably tell
I am STARVING!
Morgan Run
is located at 5690 Cancha de Golf in Rancho Santa Fe, CA tel. 858.756.2471.
After dinner we waddled back to the car and drove south. Naturally, the
feast made us tired and we just wanted to find a hotel. That's right
find a hotel. This trip was so last minute, that I didn't even have
time to make hotel reservations. So, get this... I did something that
I haven't done in a long time. I pulled up to the Radisson in La Jolla
and asked my Dad and Nancy to wait in the car while Amber Airplane I negotiated.
I walked up to the front desk to hear what they had to offer. I know
these clerks just prey on people who do this and I was so vulnerable because
I didn't even get a chance to price hotels online. So I didn't even
have the faintest idea what the going rates were. To be honest, I felt
like some hillbilly and I am sure I portrayed it at first. As predicted,
they went high: $169 a night. My teeth almost fell out of my mouth.
I remember back in college I stayed here for $70. I regained
my composure and confidence and I politely asked for the hotel manager.
I could tell the young clerk realized I had some game in me, but she was
tough, I have to admit. She said, "Oh, lookie here, I have something
that just opened up for $149". I just looked at her, shook my head
no and said with a quiet but firm voice, "The manager, please". She
didn't look happy and either did the over tired and bored manager.
She walked out of her office not happy. I am sure she was just dragged
from either a nap or her 130th game of solitaire. "Can I help you sir?”
she asked with a monotone perturbed voice. I put a smile on, introduced
myself and told her my predicament and she said, "Sorry sir the best we can
do is $149". I then reached into my pocket and busted out all of my
travel cards like Fletch did with his ID's. She snapped out of it quickly
and got typing on the computer and said well, in that case we can offer you
a rate of $119". That was good, but it was 8 pm, she could've
gone down to at least $99.
I said thank you, but let me check with the boss in the car.
I felt bruised, battered and tired. I gave Amber Airplane a little
nod, which she read perfectly. She asked where the bathrooms were because
we knew we would find pay phones close by. Without saying a word to
each other we both got on the phones and started dialing like crazy. We called
all the top 10 hotel 800 numbers
and their local front desks. The rates were high, and wish I had
my computer to get them lower. I knew we could get a good rate down
at Hotel Circle but we were exhausted and we really wanted to stay in La
Jolla. So I called the much nicer Hyatt, which was around the block
and got the rate down from $320 to $129 (senior rate). I felt that
was very fair and I knew with my diamond status we could get upgraded to
the concierge level, which meant free breakfast. We walked by the front
desk of the Radisson and said, "You sure you can't go lower?" She said
"Sorry”, and for the first time they probably saw customers walk out the
door".
Checking-in at the Hyatt, I watched business travelers flopping down $259
a night for a corporate rate. I knew we had a good rate, but I still
felt that if I logged on to
Priceline
,
Hotwire
or any of the other
hotel discounters
on Johnny Jet
we would've beat it. But I'm not complaining, because the hotel was
great and the
rooms
were comfortable.
The next morning we got some of our money back when we dined on the tasty
fresh fruit, bagels, muffins, and cereal in the concierge room. After
breakfast we checked out and took the drive to downtown La Jolla. Anyone
who’s been to La Jolla knows it’s "Da Bomb" (a very nice place).
It's a charming, quaint, sophisticated beach town. For those of you
who want to stay near the beach for a romantic night then check into the
La Valencia Hotel
(you will drop at least a few Benjamin’s). We didn't stay
there because: The long answer: We were only spending 1 night, we wouldn't
have time to use their facilities and I don't think these guys are as negotiable
like the big chain hotels. The short answer: I'm frugal. Okay,
I said it.
La Valencia Hotel
is located at 1132 Prospect Street, La Jolla, CA tel. 800.451.0772
We roamed around the hotel gardens for a few minutes and then went out the
back door and headed toward the beach. My favorite part of La Jolla,
besides from the breath taking views, is definitely going to visit the seals.
I have never, not seen them. They are always hanging out on
Seal Rock
, and the
beach
next to it. Part of
the beach
is roped off so humans won't go over and pet them, which by the way is
not the smartest idea, because
they do bite
. What you can do is walk along
the bluff
and get just a few feet away
from them
. If it's rough you might get wet, but it's worth it. Here
is some info from the
La Jolla Seals Organization
"The most dominant seal is usually the one found in the driest spot. Pups
are born between February and April each year. Harbor seals are protected
by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, so it's a Federal offense to harass them
in any way." Besides, they might take your arm off and eat it for lunch.
Fortunately, for me we didn't have enough time to walk around the expensive
shops, because we needed to drive 10 miles to have lunch with Amber Airplane's
father and his girlfriend, Sue. Since it was Chinese New Year's they
had us meet them for
dim sum
.
We ate
at Jasmine's and this place was the most authentic Chinese restaurant
I have been to outside of China. You know it's authentic when the place
is full of Chinese people and not many Caucasians. If that didn't give it
away, then the chicken feet dish would have. You won't find any Kung
Pao chicken here or any other American Chinese food-dish. No forks
here either, so watch out for
flying food
. Jasmine's The Chinese Seafood Restaurant is located at 4609 Convoy
Street, San Diego tel. 858.268.0888
After lunch Amber's father recommended that we go check out Cabrillo National
Monument. He said it's the best place to take first time visitors to
San Diego. I think he's right. The place is awesome. It's
run by the National Park Service and there are all sorts of things to do
up there. You can explore life as it was in the 1880's at the
Old Point Loma Lighthouse
or visit the Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo museum. FYI: My boy
Juan was a Spanish soldier and navigator who led the first maritime expedition
to explore the coast of California in 1542. But my favorite thing to do is
just hang out by the
Cabrillo National Monument
. This is place has spectacular views of San Diego Bay and the
rest of the city. You can even see Mexico when it's clear, which made
my Dad
very happy (I think he was looking for a taco stand)! Also, there
are pictures of the different
ships
and
planes
that you will see cruise by.
Some more facts about
Cabrillo National Monument:
The cost to enter is $5 per car. Even though it might be
warm downtown it could be cool and windy up there, so bring an extra layer
of clothing. To get there; follow State Highway 209 south, from Interstate
Highways I-5 or I-8, to the tip of Point Loma. If you don't have a
car then you can take the local bus route 26 or a taxi. It's open daily
from: 9:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. (6:15 p.m. between July 4 and Labor Day).
Winter and springtime are especially good times to visit because of the annual
migration of gray whales (December through February). Amber and I saw
a bunch. And if you want to explore the park’s tide pool areas then
November through March is usually the best time.
After our little tour it was time to give my Dad what he really wanted...
Mexican food! We drove over to
Old Town San Diego
for some great Mexican food at
Casa De Pico
. We love that place. After dinner we walked around the
historic
streets and checked out their touristy shops before heading back up to
L.A.
Next week I will be in ...
*** The power of word of mouth *** Johnny Jet wants to ask you to please help us grow. Forward this newsletter to other people, like you, who love to travel the world and tell them to sign up here. Thanks for your support and I wish you safe travels. Cheers, Johnny
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