Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets
Lola likes this walk. She really likes this walk, and Greg and I like it too. I call it the Beach and Bay Walk, because you walk by both within minutes of each other. It's always the nicest part of the day to take this wonderful walk through some of the more scenic sections of Coronado. These are "off the beaten path" areas, so I've tried to document it properly. I want YOU to be able to take this wonderful walk too. If you see Lola and me, stop us and say Hi!
If you are familiar with Coronado, start by the Post Office. If you aren't familiar with
Coronado, drive over the bridge, turn left on Orange Ave, and left on B Street. Go one block, turn right and park in the vicinity of the Post Office, on Ynez and A Ave. Grab your hat, put on some sunscreen, grab a pup on a leash if you have one, and away we go!
Begin walking down B Street towards Orange Ave (where you just turned if you came by car). Cross Orange and now you are walking down Loma Ave. You will walk by Fabrications (a shop I love) and Chez Loma Restaurant. Take a peek at the menu.
Maybe you'll come back for a French lunch ;o). Pass the beautiful historic Victorian houses on your way to Star Park Circle. Continue on Loma towards
the beach. Look at the amazing brick walls, and take a moment to appreciate the history on this block. When you get to Ocean Blvd, stop and have a long look. It's so pretty here looking across the beach towards Pt Loma.
Now you are going to turn left and walk along Ocean Blvd towards the Hotel Del Coronado. As you get close to the Hotel, you will notice a walkway that takes you on the beach side of the hotel. Follow this path, and marvel at the beach homes along here. They rent for $2200.00 PER NIGHT. Okay, yes; people actually stay there... regularly.
Now you are walking behind the hotel, and if you are walking without a pet in tow (dogs aren't allowed on Del property), you might
choose to venture off the walking path, and explore the Hotel Del. It's lovely, but I will warn you: drinks now start at about $12.50. There are shops to explore, a fabulous spa, old world history, and even a resident ghost. An amazing place, the Hotel del Coronado! 
As you continue on down the path behind the hotel, you may find sand art along the way. The Sandman has been here and left his charming art brushed out of sand from the beach. If you don't see sand art, you most likely will then next time you walk by here!
Now you will cross over a cul de sac street end, and are looking for the walkway path along the beach which leads you behind
the Shores. The Shores are the tall buildings you see when you are crossing the bridge. Now you will see them from a different vantage point, and will think it actually might be nice to... hmmm, visit... go to a party there... or maybe, just walk by quickly and focus your attention on the beach. You might see dolphins in the waves, surfers, paddle board surfers (don't ask, I really don't know... I think it's a Pilates type thing). You might see the Seal teams practicing on or in the water, you might see Military maneuvers in action. If you are really lucky, you might see the brown pelicans flying in formation, so low over the water that it looks like their belly's will touch the tops of the waves. I love that :o)
Focus on looking for the parking lot now. There's a ramp leading down to the street level, and will often be covered with wet footprints since that's where the surfers park. Walk through the parking lot and straight ahead towards the bay. You will pass these street signs by the guard hut for the Shores, and will continue across the highway at the Strand. Walk across this street and you will see Lola's reason for loving this walk. Here is her favorite fountain (designed by James Hubble) for a little splash and a shake, and *ahhh* a cool down! She's happy now... (We generally have to run for a bit now with all the water excitement, and most likely stop for a potty break)
I should point out that you have just passed Coronado's new
Community Center which is a fabulous place for a work out, a swim, a rock climbing session, a play, and more. You can walk through the center and check it out. You won't be disappointed.
Now you are on the Bay side of the walk. You are probably pretty warmed up now that you are over half way finished
with the walk, and off the windy beach. Take a moment to look out over the boats, golf course, bridge and mountains. So peaceful and serene. I love this scene. It's one of my favorites.
Okay, back to it! Now you are going to turn left, walking back towards the Hotel Del, with the boats to your right. At the time of this writing, the pedestrian walkway is not yet completed, but will be very soon. Final touches are being put on a facilities building, an outdoor play structure, and the finishing up of the walkway. Soon one will be able to walk entirely by the water, not having to detour through the parking lot. Can't wait!
(Time for me to take a break now. Lola and I are tired since this post is taking me so long to finish. Lola is looking at me as if to say *Isn't it time for bed now?* I'll finish up 'Part 2; the Bay Walk' on my next post, so tune back in soon!)
