Hello from San Diego: Exploring the Waterfront
and a Tour of the Historic Sofia Hotel
Today was our relocation day: we moved from our vacation apartment
in Solana Beach in San Diego to the chic Sofia Hotel in downtown
San Diego. On another brilliant day we arrived at the hotel at about
10 am, but our room was not ready yet, so we decided to embark on
some brief local explorations.
The former Hotel Pickwick - now the chic Sofia Hotel
While my husband was off shopping for some souvenirs, I headed
straight south to San Diego’s waterfront. My first destination
was Seaport Village, a shopping and dining complex located right
next to San Diego Bay that is comprised of more than 70 retail stores,
galleries and restaurants. Opened in 1980, Seaport Village was built
on landfill over Punta de los Muertos (Point of the Dead), the burial
ground for victims of scurvy who had been part of the 1782 Spanish
expedition.
Taking a stroll in Seaport Village
Seaport Village’s Victorian, Mexican and East Coast style
architecture and its four miles of meandering cobble-stoned walkways
create an inviting waterfront environment for shopping and dining.
The assortment of merchandise includes souvenirs, clothing, kites,
wind chimes and unique gift ideas. Galleries and art retailers round
out the offering, and live music is offered frequently throughout
the year. An original 1895 carousel with hand carved animals enchants
adults and children. Culinary options include four fine dining restaurants
and thirteen casual eateries.
The "Cool Globes" exhibition
An outdoor exhibit of oversized globes currently adds extra interest
to Seaport Village. “Cool Globes – Hot ideas for a cooler
planet” features 40 inspiring globes that depict simple solutions
to global warming. The globes were designed by local, national and
international artists and have been traveling on the road in places
such as Chicago, Washington D.C., San Francisco and will be on display
in Los Angeles and London in 2009.
Colourful kites are for sale in Seaport Village
Further north of Seaport Village is the Embarcadero which features
the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier that was in operation between
1945 and 1992. It was donated as a museum ship and has been moored
on San Diego’s Navy Pier since 2004. Visitors can tour the
ship’s flight deck, mess hall, bridge, flight control area,
officers’ quarters, sickbay and portions of the engine room.
Evening events are frequently held on this massive ship and a café
adorns the rear of the ship. A portion of the ship overlooking San
Diego Harbor can be accessed free of charge while admission to the
rest of the ship is $17.00.
The USS Midway
San Diego has long been a centre for the US Navy and the area around
the USS Midway features many reminders of military history including
the Battle of Leyte Gulf Memorial, dedicated to a historic naval
battle in 1944. The Bob Hope Tribute, also called the National Salute
to Bob Hope and the Military, is an impressive collection of larger
than life-size bronze figures that commemorate Bob Hope’s
five decades of support in entertaining soldiers, airmen and sailors,
starting in 1943.
A Tribute to Bob Hope
The National Salute consists of 16 figures on a circular plaza
that surround a sculpture of Bob Hope, entertaining the crowd in
front of a microphone. The surrounding figures are authentic depictions
of military personnel from different eras including World War II,
the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War era and the first
Persian Gulf War.
Some of the bronze figures that make up the National Salute
Among the many pieces of public art along this waterfront walk,
one of the most stunning is “Unconditional Surrender”,
a 25-foot sculpture of a sailor kissing a young nurse. The sculpture
commemorates the moment when World War II was finally over, and
joy and euphoria swept the world. Inspired by a famous photo of
the V-J Day Celebrations on Times Square, this sculpture by Seward
J. Johnson is on loan to the San Diego port until the end of February
of 2009.
"Unconditional Surrender"
Further north along the waterfront is the Cruise Terminal, located
at the B Street Pier along North Harbour Drive. San Diego is a port
of call for many major cruise lines including Carnival, Holland
America, Celebrity, Royal Carribean and Princess Cruises. Almost
620,000 cruise passengers arrived in San Diego in 2006. Local harbour
cruises can also be accessed in this area, and a central office
of the San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau is located right
across the street from the cruise terminal.
San Diego - a popular cruise destination
Now it was time to head back into the head hotel and finally check
in. Within less than ten minutes I had arrived at the Sofia Hotel.
The front office staff was very friendly, and our suitcases had
already been brought up to Suite 602, a Deluxe Studio Suite. Our
sleek modern bedroom was enhanced by a sitting room with a second
flat screen television and an ergonomic desk. Our bathroom featured
a full bath with a luxurious shower head, and a vanity area complete
with fresh orchids in the bedroom area.
Our comfortable suite
Always driven by my curiosity, I managed to convince two of the
hotel’s employees to give me a tour of the entire hotel a
few minutes later. Brian Wells from the front desk and Danny Miranda,
a bellboy, graciously agreed and started by explaining the history
of the Hotel Sofia to me. Two of the hotel’s towers were built
in 1926 and opened a year later as the Pickwick Hotel. The property
was part of the Pickwick Corporation, a company that provided 22
stage coach routes in California. The design was Neo Gothic and
in 1928 two additional hotel towers were added.
Our sitting room
From 1928 to 1944 the hotel even became the location of a broadcasting
station called KGB (no association with the former Russian secret
service agency). In 1929 Pickwick Stages merged with the Greyhound
Corporation. During the 1940s and 1950s the Pickwick Hotel remained
a popular tourist and entertainment location, and locals and guests
alike enjoyed the Piccadilly Lounge. During the 1950s city council
required the decorative architectural elements to be removed from
the façade, to prevent potential injuries during an earthquake.
Gorgeous vanity area with fresh orchids
From the mid 1950s to the mid 1980s downtown San Diego experienced
a protracted decline and lost its luster as a retail and entertainment
destination. Now under new ownership, the Pickwick Hotel started
to show its age as well.
New owners Ken Winslow and Harki Parekh purchased the property
in 1986 and systematically started to repair the hotel over the
next 20 years. With the opening of the immensely successful Horton
Plaza retail mall, the rejuvenation of the historic Gaslamp District
and the construction of Petco Park, downtown San Diego became a
desirable destination again. The location of this hotel was absolutely
ideal for us in our discoveries of downtown San Diego.
Brian and Danny, my tour guides
After this brief introduction of the hotel’s history, we
stepped outside the hotel, which is located at the intersection
of West Broadway and First Avenue. The statue of the businessman
outside the entrance was dedicated to the Center City Development
Corporation and City Council as a way of thanking the city for revitalizing
this entire district. Brian pointed out that Horton Plaza and the
Gaslamp District are literally just a 10 minute walk away. The Sofia
is also just seven blocks from the waterfront and the Port area.
The sculpture of the businessman outside the Sofia Hotel
Talking about history, the Sofia Hotel became a member of the Historic
Hotels of America last year and is the only historic hotel in downtown
San Diego. A photo in the entrance area shows the radio towers that
used to adorn the hotel in 1934 where 50,000 Watts of airwaves were
beamed out all over San Diego.
A downtown landmark since 1926: The newly remodelled Hotel Sofia
In a hallway to the left of the lobby we stopped to admire some
pictures of the renovation. Brass pictures of the designer, the
architects and the owners adorn the wall. One of the pictures shows
the renovation, and the unique thing about the entire remodeling
process was that the owners kept 12 housekeepers as well as Brian
and Danny on staff to help with the demolition. The team removed
carpets, ceiling fans, sinks and toilets from 242 hotel rooms, and
720 old doors were ripped out. Danny and Brian said it was great
to keep their jobs during the renovation phase and to participate
in the transformation of this hotel. Their sense of ownership and
pride of the newly restored and glamorous Sofia Hotel was obvious.
A true historical landmark
Less than three weeks away from Christmas, the lobby was aglow
with holiday decorations. Brian added that the hotel currently features
a total of 14 Christmas trees, all decorated by the owners. Real
orchids adorn the common areas as well as all the hotel rooms. At
the back of the lobby facing the entrance is a painting of a young
girl on the beaches of Coronado. This girl, Ken Winslow’s
granddaughter, is named Sofia and was the inspiration for the new
name of the completely remodeled hotel. A cozy sitting area invites
guests to sit down and relax by the fireplace.
A well-equipped business centre
To the left of the lobby is the business centre which features
three brand-new desktop computers, high-speed fibre-optic Internet,
colour and black & white printers and fax capabilities. This
business centre is available to the guests 24 hours a day.
Dramatic architecture inside the "Currant" restaurant
Strolling back out into the lobby we turned right into “Currant”,
the sleek modern 120-seat restaurant on the- main floor of the Hotel
Sofia. Established in 2007, Currant offers upscale American-French
cuisine and is open every day for hotel guests and the public. High
ceilings, graphic tiles, elaborate chandeliers, uniquely-styled
furniture and a private room secluded with sheer curtains, offer
a sophisticated ambience.
Beautiful high ceilings and arches inside "Currant"
Heading upstairs now we were on the mezzanine level where several
of the Sofia’s awards are proudly on display. Within less
than two years since its reopening, the Sofia Hotel has won two
Best of Citysearch awards as well as an Expedia Insider’s
Select Award. This distinction is only granted to the top 1% of
hotels. The restaurant has also won some awards, and the Sofia has
also garnered an ASID Design Excellence Award.
Some of the Sofia Hotel's many awards
Around the corner Brian and Danny took me to two state-of-the-art
conference rooms that are equipped for video conferencing and projection.
The larger boardroom holds 32 people while the smaller 20-seat boardroom
is anchored by a massive antique wooden table. Down the corridor
we stepped into the Yoga and Fitness Centre, an amenity that is
open 24 hours a day. The hotel even has its own yoga trainer and
offers guests TVs, DVD players, fresh towels, bottled water, and
infused orange water. The Sofia Hotel has even produced its own
yoga DVD!
A antique wooden table in the conference room
After the common facilities Brian and Danny took me to room 633,
a corner room. A standard room with a queen bed, this room offers
an excellent view towards the Port of San Diego. A smaller-size
but well-designed room, it features high-quality beds, therapeutic
queen pillow tops and luxurious down comforters. A flat-panel TV,
digital safe, ironing board and iron, and blow dryer add to the
amenities. A coffee maker and a microwave allow guests to look after
their most basic needs. Ice machines on different floors provide
the necessary cooling power for a private evening retreat with champagne.
Suite with a nice view over Broadway Avenue
The hallways are decorated in a sophisticated sage green colour
scheme and the carpet is of upscale quality. After the renovation,
the number of rooms was reduced to 211 guest rooms, down from the
original 242 rooms. The extra space was taken up by the conference
rooms and the yoga / fitness studio.
The Yoga Studio
Steps away in suite 601, Brian illustrated the conveniences of
a private bedroom featuring a queen size bed and a sofa pullout
bed in the sitting room. A queen-size suite can therefore accommodate
up to four people. High-tech reading lights can be angled in any
direction, and the alarm clock radio comes with an Ipod / MP3 docking
station. Flat panel TVs are available in the bedroom and the sitting
room. All the vanity areas feature attractive dark wood cabinets,
all adorned with real orchids. Upscale soaps and toiletries pamper
the guests, and bottled water is complimentary.
Just steps away: the Horton Plaza shopping centre
To conclude the tour, Brian and Danny gave me a few tips for exploring
San Diego: Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo, Seaworld, Old Town, Seaport
Village and Coronado are among the most popular local tourist attractions.
The upscale area of La Jolla and the Scripps Institute of Oceanography
are a little further afield. I was already looking forward to joining
tomorrow morning’s tour through the Gaslamp District, offered
free by the Sofia Hotel. A visit to Balboa Park would round out
our adventures in San Diego.
Balboa Park - one of San Diego's prime attractions
Not only had we found a great central location in San Diego; by
staying at the Sofia Hotel we had also connected with local history
and discovered a unique place that has tastefully preserved a 1920s
property and brought it into the new millennium with top-notch modern
amenities.