South Pacific Day 5
ms Westerdam
San Diego, California
Arriving: 7:00 AM
Departing: 5:00 PM
Clear Skies - 70 Degrees
We awoke this morning to a perfect day in San Diego, Westerdam docked alongside her sister ship Zeiderdam and the Star Princess. Three ships in paradise.
Everybody loves San Diego. Great weather and the laid-back easy lifestyle to enjoy it. We are embracing both today, with a quick and quiet visit.
We walked up Broadway, with a stop at the grand and gracious US Grant Hotel, and took a stroll down 5th Avenue, the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter.
"What's the best Mexican restaurant in San Diego?"
It seems like an innocent question, but it's the best way to confuse and frustrate a local. The best answer we've received so far: "There isn't one." OK. In Old Town, they cater to tourists and in the Gaslamp to hipsters. Somewhere they must cater to Mexicans, but we couldn't find it. Zagat, however, always has an opinion:
El Agave Taquileria
Old Town
An “escape from the touristy tortilla chip–giant margarita experience” so common in Old Town, this “upscale” “favorite” is rated the No. 1 Mexican in San Diego thanks to its “sensational” moles and other “mind-blowing” “gourmet” dishes served up in an “unlikely” location “above a liquor store;" it also boasts a “magnificent” tequila selection that’s “perhaps the largest” in town, a “stellar” staff and an “inviting," “unique” interior that ensure its prices, considered “expensive” for the genre, are declared “worth every cent.”
We rode the San Diego Trolley to Old Town, walked right past the state historical park, and up the hill to El Agave Taquileria.
It's an unassuming and uninspiring location, but it's all inspiration inside with ceramic tiles, dark woods, and an encyclopedic collection of tequilas backlit on shelves lining the room. We had a very nice lunch, beginning with the aptly named Perfect Margarita.
El Agave Taquileria Menu:
Perfect Margaritas
Chips & Salsa - Red, Green and Black Bean
Tampiquenas
Grilled Tender Flat Filet with Enchilada Roja, Poblano Chili Strips,
Guacamole, and Black Beans
Tacos de Pescado
Deep Fried Sea Bass Strips "Baja Style" Accompanied by Pico de
Gallo, Chipotle Chili Cream, Agave Rice, and Black Beans
Tacos de Arrachera
Carne Asada with Onions and Cilantro, Served with Poblano Chili
Strips, Guacamole, and Black Beans
Mexican Chocolate Crème Brule
We returned Downtown to the Santa Fe Depot on the San Diego Trolley with some very interesting people, and then made our way through the construction zone, that will someday be a very nice waterfront boulevard, and back to the ship.
Sailaway was late today, provisioning for 30 days at sea takes time. We pulled away from our berth at the Port of San Diego at 6:30 sunset, the modest downtown skyline fading as the Navy's bugle call to dinner rang out across the harbor.
Next Stop: Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii
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