Tourist places in San Diego |
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| Thursday, 01 May 2008 | |
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History
of San Diego
As long ago as 1542 a Spanish expedition under Juan
Rodriguez Cabrillo had sailed into San Diego Bay and discovered what was later
to be known as California. On his voyage along the Californian coast 60 years
later Sebastian Vizcaino entered the bay and gave it the name of his flagship,
St Didacus de Alcala. Didicus (Diego in Spanish) was a 15th century Franciscan
monk who was canonized after his death as a reward for his fantastically strict
regime of penitence. In 1769 an expedition came from the governor of Baja California,
Don Gaspar de Portola, to Alta California with some Franciscan monks on board,
including Father Junipero Serra, beatified in 1988, who started to build the
first of 21 mission stations on July 16th 1769 which is also the date when San
Diego really came into being. The present-day Mission of San Diego de Alcala is
to be found some 6mi/ 10km inland from its original site.
San Diego is situated some 120mi/200km south of Los Angeles. The town's southern boundary is also the border with Mexico. Being on two protected bays, San Diego Bay, which is separated from the sea by Point Loma and by Coronado
Island/North Island, and the multi-lobed Mission Bay
north of the San Diego River, San Diego has become an important port. It is the
biggest American naval base after Norfolk. The equitable warm and dry climate
and the beautiful and fertile surrounding countryside (oranges, tomatoes,
avocados, fruit and vegetables) make San Diego a popular place in which to
live.
The town is a favorite center for seminars and conventions, as well as being
important in the research sphere (space travel, oceanography, electronics and
three universities). This is where the "Atlas" rockets used in space
flights were developed.
Tourist
Attractions in San Diego
San Diego - Mission
Bay
The Mission Bay section of San Diego lies northwest of Downtown and south of La Jolla. With its many small coves Mission Bay, covering some 4,500 acres/1,800 hectares, is a convenient and beautiful holiday resort for the citizens of San Diego. Every conceivable kind of water sport is practiced here and thanks to the constantly warm climate can be enjoyed practically all the year round. The beaches are almost 27mi/43km long; there is also a yacht club, a marina from which you can take steamer trips round the bay, half a dozen luxury hotels for permanent guests, as well as several golf-courses, one of which is even floodlit at night.
If you drive west along the U.S. 5 as far as the exit to East Mission Bay Drive
you will find an information counter where you can get all the details you
require.
San Diego - Seaport
Village
San Diego Maritime
Museum and Star of India
The
three-master "Star of India" is a sailing ship which was built in the
Isle of Man in 1863 and sailed round the world several times. It plied between
England and New Zealand as a passenger and cargo ship, and often had on board
as many as 400 British passengers who were emigrating to New Zealand. From 1901
to 1923 it was in service for America on the Alaska route before coming to San
Diego. The ship, which is still seaworthy, last went to sea on the occasion of
the celebrations to mark the bi-centenary of American Independence on July 4th
1976.
San
Diego - Balboa Park
San
Diego – SeaWorld
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