Years ago, when I lived cities other than Coronado (New York City, Sacramento, London, Holland), I always looked forward to visiting my little hometown.  Now that I've returned, I realize that when I visited Coronado, the town had different meaning to me - I was living nowhere near the Pacific Ocean, my house was at least 2 hours from a beach and the year-round temperature did not hover around 70 degrees.  

Each time I returned to Coronado, I looked forward to seeing my little island through the airplane window. I would intentionally pick the left side of the plane (seats ABC) so that as we glided over Balboa Park and floated alongside downtown San Diego, I could catch glimpses of Coronado. If it was daytime, I could see the sun reflecting off the water, helping accentuate the...

As I’ve stated before, not every single day in Coronado is 75 degrees and sunny.  On the rare occasion that the sun isn’t shining, you may get days like today.  All of a sudden, out of nowhere, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up and I could smell the moisture in the air.  You know, like how you can smell when it’s rained? Looking over my shoulder towards the ocean, no more than 150 yards away, coming towards me was a thick dense fog.  

The palm trees came in and out of focus and driving over the bridge was like being in a dream.  The low fog made everything feel overcast but had an almost eerie bright light behind.  The sun was struggling to make its appearance - it was near impossible to go without sunglasses.  Days like today maybe...

Driving over the Coronado bridge will give you a 360 view of San Diego and a spectacular lookout point at sunset. But that only lasts a few seconds. Plus, it is challenging to drive and look at the scenery at the same time. So instead, plan ahead and get to Coronado early enough to see the sun descend. Winter is the best time to watch a sunset from the Crown City because it sets over the water.

The Crown City has several locations to offer for sunset gazers.  If you feel like treating yourself to a fancy somewhat pricey drink then head over to The Hotel Del Coronado.  Not to worry, they have beer too.  The Del has a huge deck built right on the edge of the beach - the patio includes comfy couches and fire pits.  It's no doubt a luxurious way to watch the sun set.