COFFEE AT CORONADO

Anyone up for a nice, restful afternoon after all the stresses of the week? Then the place to head for is Coronado Island. The way to it is over a huge bridge that spans across the bay affording spectacular views. Views that remind you that San Diego is truly what all the travel brochures call ‘picturesque’.

Quaint, old fashioned neighborhoods, sidewalks just meant for ambling along, stores just perfect for browsing. That about describes picture-perfect Coronado. Oh, I forgot to mention the lovely old hotel. It boasts of having had various Presidents stay in its romantic old rooms. The hotel is all white with a red roof, right out of a story book. I was convinced that if I looked hard enough, I would find a piece that I could break off and eat. The white walls are sure to be made of white chocolate and the roof of marzipan; colored red.

Outside the hotel, there are vast vistas of white sand that just beg you to take off your shoes and bury your feet in its warmth. And the icing on the cake: beautiful views of the ocean that bring out the poet in your soul.

Let me hasten to add that for the afternoon to be truly perfect, you have to bring along a friend. One who you can sit around shooting the breeze with, one who doesn’t think you’re weird just because you talk about the colors of the sea, one who is willing to listen when you want to bitch about your mother-in-law.

So there you have it, the recipe for a perfect, lazy afternoon: A sunny day, Coronado Island and a good friend. Life is sometimes so simple.