The Marston House is 8,500 sqft and is on 5 acres of property. The home was built in 1905 and it is…read moreconsidered to be a home designed in the architecture from the Arts and Crafts Movement. It is considered to be #40 on the San Diego Historic Landmark list. It is also on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It was home to George White Marston and his wife Anna Gunn Marston. The family of George and Anna donated the house to the City of San Diego and it was converted into a museum in 1987. We kind of stumbled onto the Marston House. The majority of us wanted to explore other parts of San Diego while we were killing time before our check-in at our Vrbo, but my mother insisted on us staying at Balboa Park after already spending half a day there. We were all tired and ready to go somewhere else, but nobody says No to my Mother. LOL. We decided to wonder down to the George W. Marston House. I will say I'm glad we did. We didn't go inside, but we wandered the grounds. We explored the garden and checked out the different flowers. We took in the architecture of the Marston House. Mom, you were right this time! It was worth the visit! I wish we took a tour inside. Next time!

Surrounded by five acres of rolling lawns, manicured formal gardens, and rustic canyon gardens,…read morethis 8,500 square-foot home became a house museum in 1987 after the Marston family gifted it to the City of San Diego for the enjoyment of the public. Marston House was constructed in 1905 for George W. Marston and his wife, Anna Gunn Marston. George Marston is noted for many things but most prominently as a civic leader whose interest and work in historic preservation and conservation. The house is a craftsman style and has been maintained as a museum exhibit for the public. About 45 minutes long and an interesting narration by the tour guide provides historical facts about the Marston family as well as details of the house and gardens. Tickets ($10) for the house tour may be purchased from the gift shop carriage house. Noteworthy house tours open only on weekends! While in the area, my furbaby Fendi and I stroll through the outdoor grounds and rose garden. The collection of roses are spectacular and fragrant. Many seasonal blooming plants to see and appreciate. Recommend.

Stratford Square is an historic building in the heart of Del Mar. Its Tudor exterior reflects the…read moreEnglish-style architecture in 1920s Del Mar. There are restaurants and retailers on the first floor and 21 offices on the second level. I've enjoyed breakfasts and lunches on the outdoor patio which faces Camino del Mar. The first and second floor halls feature dark wood and white stucco walls. There's a nice photograph collection on the first floor that presents 20th century Del Mar history.

Thanks for the memory…read more Bob Hope used his talent & fame to bring a smile to our military overseas by traveling to stations all over the world and giving them a moment of relief and thank you for their service. Forever remembered as a supporter and advocate for the USO. Perfect location for his memorial in front of the USS Midway aircraft carrier.

We walked through the Bob Hope Salute after lunch at The Fish Market restaurant. It was a simple,…read morequick attraction right by the water, close to the Navy ship in the same shared space as the restaurant. The tribute to Bob Hope was small but meaningful, honoring his connection to the military and USO performances. It's not a long stop, but it fits nicely in to a waterfront walk if you're already in the area. I spoke with a friendly stranger who wore a Aggie baseball cap, and captured photos per their request of a couple who react the dip kissing pose of The Who I'll assume was Bob Hope in uniform, and his lady. This was a peaceful and quick point of interest with a nice view and location. It's worth a walk through, if you're already here in the parking area.

We can all agree they aren't always pretty, but they are necessary and although their main…read moretechnology is simple gravity they have been providing life sustaining water to us humans longer than anyone now living on earth can remember. There is one in nearly every town across the country, and every country across the globe. These silent providers are so familiar that most of us just drive by them daily and don't realize the importance that these giant reservoirs play in our everyday lives. So when I hear they don't have significant historic value I have to smile at the ignorance. It's these lonesome structure that have informed you of what town your in while traveling, or identified the town's sports teams, population, they are use as navigation aid for aviation, they hold communication transmitters, weather sirens, and have even been used as message boards and even marriage proposals. You don't need to like this one in North Park or any others for that matter but you should respect what they represent and how they have served the community, so here's a little some that pays tribute to these local heroes. A Water Tower Rap: In every city and every town see something cool if you look around Above the trees up in the sky something's helping with your H2O supply It stores extra water for when its needed cuz sometimes the supply it gets depleted So next time you drink or take a long shower raise your hands up high for the water tower Them towers they come in all shapes and sizes some blue, some white some with colorful suprises Some are just old and falling apart others painted with care like a work of art Next time you see one stop and give it a stare wonder in amazement at how it got there Savor the sight like a rainbow or flower and raise your hands up high for the water tower Look up in awe and feel the power see the beauty we call the water tower So if you still think these beautiful steel or concrete structures are just aging eye sores that need to be torn down think again they have earned their keep and like any thing that has contributed to society they deserve to be preserved for all to see.

This place is great for those that love the most played sport in the world. (Football)…read more They have three fields all with turf and are in pretty good conditions. They mostly have games at nights starting 6:30 PM all the way to 11PM. They haver numerous leagues ranging from Coed, Just women or just Men Leagues. If you love the sport and want to join a team but you don't know anybody they will match you with teams that need players. People here are pretty friendly and are there to just have fun. They have huge bathrooms with space to get ready for your game. Prices are pretty reasonable and the fact that the fields are artificial there are games all year around. Rain or shine!!!

A little further off the beaten path lies a great place to spend a day or longer. The playground is…read morea good size without being too much for the kids. For camping, trailers or tenting is awesome. There are water and electrical for trailers, as well as single and group sites. All of it is on a relatively level elevation, making the kids' bikes a breeze. Tons of fun to be had, a great place to spend the weekend.

I love it when I can bring my dogs camping! Potrero County Park Campground is located on the East…read moreSide of San Diego. The surrounding areas are mountains and small towns. We went at the beginning of October. The weather in the daytime was cool, it rained for one day at night, and it got chilly. At night you can hear frogs and crickets. Dogs are welcome, but they must be leased at all times. There are hot showers available in the park bathrooms. Make sure to bring quarters to feed the machine. There are unruly campers at night. They blast the music up during quiet hours and drink. The best time to camp here is during the weekdays, and it's tranquil. The nature trail is easy to hike. It was a nice getaway! You can find more information about Potrero at - https://reservations.sdparks.org/reservation/camping/

Overview: affordable way to get married, the wait times are pretty long even with an appointment,…read moregreat amenities though ---- Came here for a friend's wedding and it was a pretty simple process, but they were running behind so we waited longer than the original time they were supposed to get married. We got here at 11:30AM, they signed some paperwork, then it was a waiting game with the ceremony starting at around 12:15PM. Thank goodness there's air conditioning inside and plenty of seating. Especially in Santee and this heatwave we are experiencing, the AC was an amazing relief. They also had a water bottle refill station and water fountain. I also realllyyy liked that they had free menstrual products in the bathroom (so awesome!). There was lots of people getting married that day with around 3-4 other couples getting married. We waited for our turn and when the officiant was ready, they called the names of the couple and then we went outside. The ceremony area was shaded and had concrete benches, the only thing is that other women people/families waiting outside had slowly congregated nearby and were a little talkative. The ceremony area is located to the left of the front entrance and provided shade so I understand people want relief from the hot sun, but o feel like there should be a sign or a small fence or something to denote that that's the ceremony area so that people are mindful. ---- Overall: a longer wait time than expected, great free amenities, and affordable things like getting married!

I came here bright and early right when they opened up. This is the place where I got married back…read morein 2022. I wanted to get my marriage certificate however they stopped doing it. Now I was at the inconvenience of traveling further to santee. I gave the rating only because the clerk there was super sweet yet unable to provide a service

I stopped here with a couple of friends after getting dinner and drinks and loved being here…read more There is so much history in this spot and I couldn't stop reading and googling about it. I loved the plaques that they had up and the big bulletin board full of information but I also was using google with so many of the graves in order to learn more about the people who were buried there. I am so happy they kept this little piece of history up. It is little and won't take you too long to get through all of the graves that are still there but I loved it still. I didn't feel anything paranormal going on but I didn't care about that, I loved the history of it. I am not from San Diego and I remember all of my elementary school local field trips and learning of my hometown area's so I love to learn the history of San Diego and this is a great place to get a small amount of history. Overall, a great little historical visit!

We usually take our out of town guests here after an evening docent led tour at the Whaley House…read more The historical cemetery is small but it is nice to walk around and read about the graves. There is so much history there. One thing we always point out to friends is the fact that there are still graves under the sidewalk and street. They paved right over them! They have gravesite markers on the sidewalk outside of the cemetery gates.

Cute little library and friendly staff. But they are definitely in need of a new location, seems…read morelike they have been there forever. They're raising funds for a new library and I hope that can happen soon!

For many years, I voted at the Santee branch of the San Diego County Library. The ladies there were…read moreknowledgeable and helpful, and I always enjoyed the childhood memories that the smell of the library brought back for me. But shame on me: in recent years, I've contributed to the slow unraveling of American society by shunning the small but community-centric offerings of the local public library. I want to blame TV and the internet, Amazon and TikTok, but that's a childish dodge, obvious and irresponsible, like blaming the rain for ruining my car's interior, instead of myself, for not putting up my windows. Libraries are - have always been - more than simple book repositories. They're classrooms; study halls; venues for public meetings; and "third places", where people can relax and interact with folks other than those they know from home and at work. Like many Americans, I've found technologies and places to stand in for the library. Much of the research and reading I do, I do online; and when I want the bustle of strangers, I sit in coffee shops. [half-hour long pause] I was going to add something here about the charming old-fashioned American tradition of submitting ballots at a library or other public venue, and I was going to ruefully assert that COVID-19 is to blame for my having stopped doing so. But COVID-19 isn't the threat it used to be, and the ugly truth is that I'm afraid to go into crowds of gun-totin', antisocial, right-wing extremist MAGA nutjobs whose attention is focused on politics, and who would rather see their fellow citizens shot dead than to see their candidates lose fair elections. I miss the library, but I'm not willing to die for it.