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Saturday we met our friend Brendan at his place for a relaxing morning of conversation and fresh picked fruit (bananas right off his tree). Then we rode his “beater” bikes to the beach. He lives just about 8 blocks from the beach and the route is really bike friendly. The tunnel under the train tracks is always exciting especially since the brakes don’t always work (hence the term beater bikes). But the loud squeaking noises we made did help clear the way ahead.

Did I mention that we were carrying chairs, fins, boogie boards and lunch on our bikes? We would have been quite a sight anywhere else but here we seemed to blend right in. We picked an empty spot just north of the Oceanside pier, which at 1,954 ft is the longest wooden pier on the west coast. The area near the O-side pier is the site of the annual long board surfing contest. We left the boogie boarding up to Brendan, he grew up near here and had mastered the board many years ago. Lance and I opted to body surf and play in the waves.

You know how some friends you can just pick right up with even if you’ve been apart for years? We feel that way with Brendan. We met years ago in Tucson. He goes to Tucson for the Gem Show every year and stays with a mutual friend. We just really hit it off and have been friends ever since. After a wonderful day playing in the surf and relaxing and catching up on the sand we headed back to Brendan’s place. Did I mention that he lives just around the corner from the house that Charlie lived in? You know, Charlie, Tom Cruise’s Maverick character’s girlfriend in Top Gun (1986). (The 118 year old Top Gun house on Pacific St. in Oceanside overlooking the pier. Photo: Jamie Scott Lytle of NCTimes.com.)

After cleaning up we headed down to Del Mar where our friend Danny lives. It is actually still a San Diego address but he lives just north of Torrey Pines state reserve. Its always good to know someone in a strange town, they know where all the good stuff is. Danny was no different, he took us to a fantastic Mexican cafe, Pokez. The place is located at 10th St and E St and we would’ve walked right past the little hole in the wall. Pokez specializes in vegetarian and vegan Mexican food but they still have all the traditional meat options too. The portions were huge, the food delicious and the prices low: pretty much my idea of a perfect place.

Good thing we had about 6 blocks to walk to the game afterwards because we were stuffed. Oh, and then there were a gazillion stairs to get to our seats…

Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres, is a great looking stadium. Beyond the outfield is an area they call the “Park within the Park”, a big grassy area used for special events. On one side of the stadium is the historic Western Metal Supply Co building that was preserved and incorporated into the stadium. Fans can catch the game through the old office windows which have been converted into small patios.

Even though we were really high above home plate our view was excellent. Danny assured us there wasn’t a bad seat in the joint. The angles that were used to accomplish this were a bit steep. I felt that if I didn’t lean back when I stood up I’d topple forward into the rows below me. Or maybe it was the sangria I had with dinner…

Lance and I knew very little about the Padres being Diamondback fans but Danny shared his team’s info. We decided to root for the Padres that night even though they are in the same division as our team. But it didn’t do any good. The Braves clobbered them. The Padres were goose-egged by 11 until a late Braves pitching change helped them put up a few runs. The Braves weren’t that good it’s just that the Padres were playing that bad. Lance and Danny both offered to go in and help, they couldn’t have done any worse. We still had a great time. Our view was amazing: downtown, the Bay and Balboa Park.

After the game we wandered around downtown with the rest of the die-hard fans. The area has really been revitalized (see Tucson, it can be done). Danny led us to the Shout House, a dueling piano bar that he loves. The place was packed and loud but everyone was having a great time. Danny’s roommate, Mark, bought a song for Danny and the pianists made Danny dance on stage with a bunch of single women. I’m certain he hated every minute of it.

What a fun filled day. We were exhausted the next day but it was oh, so worth it!

Dates: We stayed in San Diego area July 15th and 16th.

Photos: Make sure to see the set of photos from San Diego.

Update: Loaded photo of Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun” house (08/30/06).