San Diego: An Afternoon on Coronado Island

The island of Coronado was the first San Diego neighborhood on the list to explore, and it made for a most lovely afternoon. Driving over the sky blue bridge that gradually rises over the sparking water of the San Diego bay was a glorious sight. After a long morning of travel, lunch was crucial, and the Islander [1166 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA 92118] was a perfect first meal! Metered parking was available and easily found all along Orange Ave, and one quarter will give you a whole hour! Very generous. Even at a late afternoon this little restaurant was full of life. You order at the counter and receive a number; the food is cooked up on a visible grill, and brought to your table. The joint is composed of mostly indoor seating, but there are a few tables outside as well. Water (in pitchers with cucumbers at the base), utensils, and napkins are self-service. I was excited for some fresh fish and some local flavor. I had never heard of a tacone before, so I had my decision made up. A tacone is a seafood burrito in the shape of a cone, and in this case the flour tortilla was filled with: smoked chipotle avocado puree, slaw, lime pickled jicama, cilantro, and your choice of fish which for me was seabass. The tacone was dripping with goodness, fresh and healthy chunks of fish, crunchy vegetables, and warm tortilla made me forget the hassle of traveling. I loved seeing it cooked up fresh and it came out fast. For only $9 you get filling meal. We didn’t need to order sides and struggled to finish the roasted pumpkin seed slaw and cilantro lime rice, no matter how tasty. If you are looking for healthy and affordable food in a relaxed atmosphere on Coronado, this is your place. Some orks and goblins who were running down around outside stopped in, and thankfully a ranger slayed them. The streets were certainly lively on this beautiful Sunday!

http://www.islandercoronado.com/

Orange Avenue is lined with restaurants and classy looking boutiques; you could certainly spend a whole day browsing through all of them if you are a shopper! Not too far from this drag is a delightful little green space known as Centennial Park [Intersection of Orange Ave and 1^st St in Coronado]. Metered parking here as well, but we weren’t staying for too long and found one with time already in it, score! Here you will find some lush grass, a beach on the bay side, a gazebo and sitting areas, but most importantly: a spectacular skyline view. I love to see the skyline of a city; it’s like a heartbeat on an ECG. This park was filled with people sitting in the sun, blowing bubbles, kicking a ball around, lounging with dogs, fishing, and waiting for the ferry back to the city. Also present at the park were American Coots, birds who are often found near waterfowl, but are not ducks. They have hard bills similar to chickens and do not have webbed feet! What a great place to soak up the sun and gaze at the city from afar. It must be equally gorgeous at night with city lights and stars!