Day #9 - A day off?

Today started quite lazy (well, for us!) Steve went for a run, and I just hung around the room while the kids slept. Once he was back, we got everyone moving. I had decided to save the pastries purchased last night for tomorrow when we'll be in a hurry to get out of the hotel. We got ready and left our room looking for breakfast. Fortunately, we found a restaurant JUST in time, because it was 10:55am, and

they stopped serving breakfast at 11! After a decadent breakfast of toasted coconut and banana french toast with mango-papaya syrup, we were off and walking through the quaint area near our hotel along the waterfront called Seaport Village. We first came across a man who rescued birds. He shared them with us and we gave him a small donation. They were a lot of fun!

We made our way down to the maritime museum where the Star of India is m

oored. We decided to purchase tickets so that we could explore not only that boat, but a submarine and other sailing vessels. The Star of India was built in the Isle of Man, so we defi

nitely wanted to see it! What a BEAUTIFUL boat! Peter thought it looked like a Pirate ship. It was built in the 1800s and used to shuttle cargo and immigrants for about 30 years, then it was used to haul lumber and salmon. It sat and deteriorated for many years before it was restored in the 1970s. It is such a beautiful ship.

After that ship, our ticket also got us into a submarine, and another personal sailing ship. We also saw racing sailboats and the museum which talked about the history of boats in the San

Diego Bay.

When we were done, we started heading back to the hotel. The thought had been that we'd hang out at the pool all day and take it easy. Well, 1/2 way back, we passed the U.S.S, Midway, which is an aircraft carrier/museum, and Emily and I couldn't resist. Andy, however, could. He went back to the room as he was tired of walking. Steve, Pete, Em and I went in and spent the better part of the next 1 1/2 hours touring this amazing ship! AND, we didn't even see it all! What a big vessel. We saw the sleeping quarters, the meeting areas, the main deck where they take off and land, and they had sample planes on the deck. We also took a special tour of the upper flight control deck. We never made it to the kitchen or the chapel, but we were running out of day, and the kids still really wanted to swim! Funny how you start with the entire day ahead of you, with no plan, and the next thing you know, the day is ending!

We hustled back through Seaport Village, where Em and I stayed and shopped for a bit while Steve and Pete went back to the hotel to get into swimsuits. Em and I found these amazing T-shirts which change color in the sun! What fun!!

Anyway, Em and I made it back to the hotel, and the boys were already at the pool. We changed into our swimsuits and finally got our swim in! I had checked with the hotel restaurant and they had a table available for us at 6:45, so we booked that. Sadly, that made our swimming time a bit short, but I knew everyone would be hungry soon.

On my way up to the room to get into a swimsuit, I heard someone in the elevator talking about seeing a star from Lost in the lobby. When I got back down to the pool I told Andy to check it out. Sure enough, he said that she was there (the girl who had played Juliet) as well as the entire cast from V (she is now in V, so that is why she was there). After a long while, he got up the nerve to ask for a photo with her, which she gladly posed for. He was THRILLED!

We showered and made it to the restaurant in time (well, Steve, Pete and I did…the other kids were a bit late) It was a Hawaiian Fusion restaurant, so the food was really rich and wonderful. I had a seared tuna with a malt vinegar aioli sauce, and Steve had a trio of fish (tuna, butterfish and salmon).

After our tummies were full and wallets emptied, we headed back over to the hotel lobby to play some cards and see if there was anyone else famous to see that day. No one famous, but we had a great time AND, when fireworks went off again (yes, they did them tonight as well) we were in the perfect spot to see them! After all the fun, we came up to the room to organize for tomorrow. It's going to be an early day, and we wanted to get organized to check out early. We want to start our second comic-con day as soon as possible!