San Diego

A few years ago, I took my boys, then aged 9 and 7 to San Diego for a few days. It was February and that time of year when us Seattlelites are itching to escape the rain, greyness and cold. So what could be better than some time in the winter sun of Southern California? Wrong! Our trip coincided with some of the heaviest rain and flooding the city had ever seen. What an irony. And despite that, we had a great time. Because San Diego is just the perfect place for a family vacation.

We stayed at Marriot Residence Inn in Mission Valley. After initially getting lost (my son in 3rd grade was doing a unit on compasses so I let him navigate; we could not find our way out of the airport), we found the hotel easily. It’s a perfect hotel for families: a two room suite, pool and complimentary breakfast complete with a wafflemaker.

Despite the rain, San Diego was fabulous. There is just so much for a family to do! We went to SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, Old Town )charming and quaint although a little less so when the roads are flooded up to your knees), the World War II aircraft carrier Midway, and lots more. Including the excellent Wild Animal Park where families are carried through the park on a little train, itself a source of amusement for kids. We loved the park, despite some early setbacks (I had to pull over on the highway as I couldn’t see through all the rain; then my youngest son threw up in the gift shop). And then we trekked out to Legoland and at last the sun came out after four days of non stop rain.

San Diego is definitely one of the best places for a family trip. There is much we didn’t get to see or do, including the beaches, and you could easily spend a week there and still not see it all.