Coronado 190516

      Coronado island was a wonderful place with an interesting history. Looking at the picture below there is a complete strand of highway that makes Coronado a peninsula, but in the old days it was an island because when the tide rose there was no way to get there. It was long ago an uninhabited space where people went on summer vacations to pitch tents and be by the ocean. In 1917 the navy set up an air station there and the north island naval air station emerged. North island air station is considered the birthplace of naval aviation. In my first time being stationed there I took a boat to get there and when I had a car I took a ferry boat to get there. There was the strand to drive there, but from where I was the drive was an extra nearly 30 miles and an extra 45 minutes to get there.

      We had the pleasure of living on Coronado two times in our lives. I was stationed there between cruises aboard the USS Kitty Hawk and later the USS Enterprise, (the aircraft carrier, not the star-ship.) The first time we lived there we were perhaps a block from the beach. The second time we were just steps from San Diego bay. We never had or needed air-conditioning and in the winter a simple wall furnace kept us comfortable. As I remember out electric bills were less than $10 a month. Our apartment by the bay was located right behind a liquor store. You can't beat that for living good. I would come home Friday night with a freshly cashed paycheck and it was Margaritaville.
      We used to walk along the beach a lot. Those walks were magical day or night. Our first time there we were just a block away from the beach. One night the beach was all but empty or so we thought. Strolling along a head popped up and startled us. The head belonged to some guy who was apparently in the midst of an intimate encounter with a young woman. He was waving us off, not wanting to spoil the moment for them. We immediately altered our course, leaving those two to enjoy their pleasure together.
      In our life there, it was the magical kingdom, more so than Disney Land. We could walk from one end of the island to the other in a matter of minutes and we walked every night. Alas it became so popular, not just for sailors and admirals, but for developers and before we left the last time there were high-rise condos going up like popcorn from a popper. I don't know how the place is still above water with all the multi-story buildings there.
      One of the wonderful things about Coronado is the old Coronado hotel, built in 1888 oddly enough by two Midwestern businessmen. The place Joyce used to work had a huge party at the hotel and that was my one time there. The place is/was astounding! Joyce babysat there a few times so she knew it well. Being there at a colossal hotel with spectacular views of the Pacific ocean and of course the free drinks made it even more special. Even recently, we have spoken with people who assured us it is still a flagship among San Diego tourists.
      
      
Copyright Bill Weber 2006-2019 and beyond.