Racecation Day 2: Sea World and My Birthday!

Sunday, August 25, 2013 – Astros game; Houston, TX & Vlog
Monday, August 26, 2013 – San Diego and Old Town & Vlog

>>Tuesday, August 27, 2013 – Sea World and My Birthday<<
Wednesday, August 28, 2013 – San Diego Zoo
Thursday, August 29, 2013 – Travelling to Disneyland/Downtown Disney
Friday, August 30, 2013 – DCA and the Disneyland Half Expo & Vlog
Saturday, August 31, 2013 – Disneyland 10K and Park time & Vlog
Sunday, September 1, 2013 – Disneyland Half Marathon and more park time & Vlog

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Tuesday morning, I woke up earlier than planned (ie, 5 a.m.). The time change really messed with me and it took several days before my body became accustomed to West Coast time. Since I was awake, I decided to go for a nice, easy run around the resort. The weather was perfect and I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my training for Dumbo’s Double Dare. This 2 mile run around the resort was my final run before race weekend.



For breakfast, we stopped by Starbucks on our way to Sea World. My coffee was free, as a birthday treat! Yay!

Siri cracks me up (and frustrates me at the same time). After leaving Starbucks, we plugged in the address for Sea World. Siri took us right by Sea World, then made us drive in a circle around a random State Park (Fiesta Island). It was as if she wanted us to take our own little scenic tour of the place!



Only one way into Fiesta Island and one way out. Made no sense but definitely made us laugh! The island was beautiful and full of runners/bikers. Looked like a lovely place for a long run!



After a little maneuvering and following road signs (Siri was turned off at this point), we found our way!



We walked through a few animal exhibits on our way to our first ride, Journey to Atlantis.



We were pretty wet after stepping off the ride, although I did use a poncho to cover my legs/feet so I wouldn’t have squishy shoes all day.

I might have shut down this ride by accident. It’s all on the vlog which will be posted tomorrow. :0)



Did you know that after getting off the ride, you can pay $5 to have a machine air dry you? No, we didn’t use them. :0)

I hate to compare theme parks to Disney because we all know there’s no comparison…however, we noticed something on several rides that was different from what we are used to. When it came time for the next person in a ride queue to actually line up for a ride, everyone was told to “choose any line”. In theory, it’s a good concept because the park goers are able to choose which part of the ride they would like to sit in…front back, middle, etc. However, when opening the door to a room similar to Mission Space in Epcot, telling 20 people to randomly choose a number on the floor and stand on it can be quite confusing. After finding our spot, I turned and told Jason, “Toto, we aren’t in Disney anymore!” I’m definitely not complaining, I just noticed the difference.



In the Wild Arctic, we saw beluga whales and polar bears…oh my!




Why hello there, Mr. Penguin!



We watched several shows while at Sea World and really enjoyed them all. I loved the picturesque backdrop for Sea Lions LIVE – San Diego is absolutely breathtaking.



Seamore was quite the character!

When I think back to my memories of Sea World as a child, the #1 thing I remember was the Shamu exhibit and show.



Out of the three shows we saw that day, Shamu Rocks was by far the best!



For lunch, I had a delicious fruit salad.



So delicious, this guy wanted a bite! :0)



One thing I wished we knew about ahead of time was the “All Day Dining Deal”. Pretty much an all inclusive “dining plan” type package for the entire day you are at the park. Had we known earlier, we would have purchased the package and eaten breakfast there as well.



Sea Turtles



Flamingos



Mission Bay



These guys live in my front yard…and at Sea World, apparently. I had to laugh when I saw them in an exhibit all the way in California.

We eat these guys…and we call them Crawfish.




Our final show of the day was Blue Horizons – it included dolphins which are a favorite of mine!



Who let these penguins out of their exhibit?!



We enjoyed a mid-day picturesque ride across Mission Bay.



You can’t tell, but I was rather scared out of my mind. I’m not a fan of bridges or other things that could break and drop me into the water. Riding in a car across a cable was no laughing matter, although I definitely enjoyed the scenery!




Stonefish



Clownfish (I found Nemo!)



Starfish



Before leaving the park, we decided to have an afternoon dessert. Sea World serves fried funnel cakes with ice cream,whipped cream, and fruit topping. Holy sugar rush, batman. We ate every. last. bite.



Someone thought he was eating beignets! Whoops!

After leaving the park, we drove back to our resort to get ready for dinner. Jason had a birthday surprise up his sleeve and wouldn’t tell me his plans.




Before leaving, we watched the sunset from the beach at our resort.



I bought this dress from Banana Republic, especially for our trip! Love it! :0)

Jason’s surprise was dinner at a local restaurant called “The Fishery”. He read awesome reviews about it online and wanted to take me somewhere “authentic” and local to San Diego. Funny story, Jason hates fish. :0) 




For starters, we shared an appetizer of a Spicy Tuna Roll. Mr. “I hate fish” really enjoyed the tuna roll! Progress!!



I ordered the Grilled Yellowtail



Jason had shrimp as his entrée. He did taste my yellowtail and said he liked it! I have no clue what came over him!



To end the evening, we were surprised with dessert, on the house. These strawberries were soaked in balsamic vinegar and brown sugar, then served with 2 scoops of house made vanilla ice cream. The perfect blend of tart and sweet. I’ve never had a dessert quite like this one, it was delicious!



In all, I had a fabulous birthday and really enjoyed every moment…from Sea World to watching the sunset on the beach and dinner at The Fishery.

Stay tuned…coming up tomorrow, a vlog of our Sea World and birthday adventures! It’s a fun one! :0)

When travelling out of town, do you visit local restaurants or do you stick with the restaurants you are familiar with?