On days like today, I would probably avoid going to the beach.  There’s a crazy storm along the souther coast of California which is bringing rain, thunderstorms and wind gusts up to 35mph.  In my 28 years, 21 of those years which I have lived in Coronado, I can honestly say I have never seen weather quite like this.

I’ve never experienced this degree of stormy weather in Coronado because the last time this happened was back in 1983.  According to weather.com, this storm should last through Saturday.  As I mentioned in my previous post, I’m really enjoying this gloomy weather as I get to cuddle up in my blankets and watch the storm unfold.

I haven’t left my house yet today. But then again I don’t need to.  Having big windows...

Need a break from your daily routine? Find some solace on the Coronado beach.  The fact that this beach is sooo big means you have lots of space to work with.  Of course I’m sure you won’t be the only one on the beach but the dunes and spots in between the main walkways are always good secluded areas.

I’m not an encourager of playing hookie but should you decide to take a day off from work, the week is definitely the best time to go to the beach.  As most kids are in school and the majority of the town is wrapped up in the daily grind, there will be no one crashing your lovely day at the beach.

Bring a towel, a book, some sunscreen, snacks and some water.  These things will be enough to last you a good couple of hours.  And if you need...

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...

Marilyn Monroe is perhaps one of the greatest faces and figures from the 1950s. Which is why it was such a big deal for her to film the movie classic ‘Some Like It Hot’ in Coronado.

If you google her name followed by Coronado, you will find picture upon picture of Marilyn standing on the beach in front of the Hotel Del.

As expected, in these photos, there is a sea of people surrounding her, trying to get as close as possible.  The celebrity status and [in my opinion] her attractive shapely body drew the crowd to the beach, creating what I would imagine a giddy vibe.  Fame does things to people and having Ms Monroe on the sandy Coronado beaches certainly brought a lot of excitement.

While Marilyn filmed the movie, she stayed at the Hotel Del.  This is clearly...

Yes, that’s right, skimboarding.  Not until a few years ago did this activity become popular which is maybe why some haven’t ever heard of it.  It’s like surfing but different because you ride a skimboard along the shore.  As we all know, surfing takes place in the ocean’s waves, sometimes in deep parts of the sea or barrier reefs. Instead of taking such great risks, skimboarding is a safer alternative.  

In Coronado there are several surf shops where you can buy or rent a skimboard.  The shape is more similar to a boogie-board than it is a surfboard.  It's nearly half the length of a surfboard, and smaller than a surfboard  A skim board typically is made of wood, shaved down until about an inch thick.  Its soft and smooth...

Yes, that’s right, skimboarding.  Not until a few years ago did this activity become popular which is maybe why some haven’t ever heard of it.  It’s like surfing but different because you skimboarding happens along the shore.  As we all know, surfing takes place in the ocean’s waves, sometimes in deep parts of the sea or barrier reefs. Instead of taking such great risks, skimboarding is a safer alternative.  

In Coronado there are several surf shops where you can buy or rent a skimboard.  It’s shape is more similar to a boogie-board than it is a surfboard as it is on the shorter side.  A skim board typically is made of wood, shaved down until about an inch thick.  Its soft and smooth surface makes it comfortable to ride...

A few days ago while I was receiving some sun therapy on the beach, my good friends who live in Chicago and New York were shivering in their boots.  The weather in those two cities is atrocious right now, some saying that their city veterans haven’t seen this much snow since the 80s.  While basking in the sun, I decided to browse through pictures on Instagram.  

As I scrolled through my feed, I saw photo after photo of friends experiencing these treacherous conditions.  Many had to shovel snow just to make it out of their homes and driveways.  Unless they wanted to freeze their butts off, they were pretty much tied to being indoors.  That’s the thing about living in a place that has full force winters - it’s nice to be inside and cozy by...

The other day I was reading an article on this dude who creates sand art.  With rake in hand, he spends hours on the beach creating designs with his simple yard tool.  It sounds very unconventional but once you’ve seen it, you will be shocked.  Seen from an aerial view, his designs appear to be intricate, using the direction in which he strokes the sand to create shadows and depth. This article got me wondering, why doesn’t someone create something similar to this at Coronado’s beach.  Maybe someone has and I just don’t know about it?

The thing about creating artwork with sand means that it won’t last very long.  Sure, if you build a sand castle, you can do so up on higher ground where it is safe from high tide.  But with this...

Near the center of Coronado beach, on the residential side, you will find a house that resembles the Hotel Del Coronado.  This mansion-like house is known as the Baby Del due to it’s architectural features.  The house was built in 1887 and was originally located in San Diego.  But in 1985, the proud owner to this home decided to re-locate the house to Coronado.  The house was brought to the island via barge, originally named the Livingston House.

When I was younger, my friend and her family lived at the Baby Del.  I loved going to this house not only because it had all sorts of quirky rooms but also because of the pool, jacuzzi, huge backyard and a tree swing.  Not to mention a cellar, which for a California girl is a novelty.  But the absolute BEST part...

When I was about eight years of age, a friend of mine found an old, weathered bottle that had washed ashore the Coronado beach.  Inside this bottle was a rolled up map leading to a buried treasure.  She brought the map to her parents where they decided that a treasure hunt was as must.  As the parents plotted, they allowed each of their children (three in total) to bring along a friend.  To this day, I will always be grateful to my friend for choosing me as her plus one.  

The map brought us through a series of steps that included using our math skills and being very precise with direction.  Finally, after what seemed like hours (fun hours, I might add), we approached what we hoped was was the ‘X’ on the map.  The secret spot was in the white,...