Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Coronado

I want to die in Coronado. I came to this conclusion on Monday morning after dropping my boys off at Fiddler’s Cove for a week long sailing camp. When my oldest son, Andrew, stepped out of the car, he took a deep breath in and enthusiastically declared “This is the greatest smell in the world!”

“What smell?” my daughter wanted to know

“The smell of salt water” he told her.

I want to die with that smell in the air.

Coronado reminds me of the faded photos of Coney Island my mom keeps in a cardboard box in her basement linen closet. When I was a kid, she would tell me stories about summer days filled with the ocean. I could picture my grandfather’s slacks pulled up above his knees and my grandmother in a freshly pressed floral dress. I envision my mother’s red curly hair tucked away in a swimmers cap, her long freckled legs splashing in the Atlantic. I see my aunt Rose tagging along eagerly in her shadow, while her oldest sister, Esther, sunbathed, and Anna, her middle sister bravely dove into the waves. I picture my uncles off on the board walk sneaking cigarettes and trolling for girls.

I imagine those were the moments in which my bickering grandparents loved each other the most. For an afternoon they left the world behind and took in the ocean.
The stories of Coney Island are the ones mostly easily pried from my mother. She always smiles in the retelling of her summer adventures.

In my mind Coronado is Coney Island. Orange Avenue heavy with tourists and picture-perfect moments is the tourist trap of my mother’s youth. The hotel Del, old and stoic, everything unique and dusty, nothing glaringly strip-mallish, the park with its gazebo, the old fashion dinners, and coffee shops, are the images I associate with my mother’s youth. The farmer tanned tourists in their newly purchased t-shirts, the people on beach cruisers, and the cars traveling at a snails pace without a care in the world.

I want to spend the rest of my life across the big blue bridge with its polite summer scent and welcoming picket fenced beach bungalows. From the top of the Coronado Bay Bridge the skyline of San Diego glimmers close enough to touch but far enough to tuck comfortably away from view.

My boys have fallen in love with the Island. On Tuesday morning just before entering Fiddler’s cove, we see a group of military men in full fatigues running on the beach, assault rifles on their hips helmets on their heads.

“Look!” Andrew shouts frantically from the backseat. “They have guns!”

“This is the coolest town in the world,” Jake yells back.

They are both grinning.

When I pick them up every afternoon they are brimming with stories of maneuvering sail boats, capsizing, learning the fine art of bolen knots, and playing king of the hill on overturned kayaks. On Wednesday, they managed a 16 foot sail boot alone with three other boys while there instructor rode alongside in a small boat creating pseudo waves. They sailed all the way to the bridge and back.

I am envious of their childhood. I can see them living in Coronado, sailing on the weekends, riding vintage Schwinn bicycles to their elementary school, sitting on picnic blankets in the park while eating ice cream in waffle cones.

By Wednesday evening I am on craigslist checking the cost of three bedroom homes in Coronado. There is not a single home under the price of $800,000. Within a matter of minutes my two day dream of the easy life on Coronado Island is crushed. There is a reason why all the cars on Orange Avenue are BMWs, and Jags. I recover quickly, realizing that Coronado will be my children’s Coney Island. Someday they will whimsically recount their summer learning to sail on the island to their own children.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all

Previous article

Gonzo Report: Half Hour Late lives up to their name at the Template

Deadhead-inflected band right at home in Ocean Beach
Next Article

2024 continues to impress with yellowfin much closer to San Diego than they should be

New rockfish regulations coming this week as opener approaches

I want to die in Coronado. I came to this conclusion on Monday morning after dropping my boys off at Fiddler’s Cove for a week long sailing camp. When my oldest son, Andrew, stepped out of the car, he took a deep breath in and enthusiastically declared “This is the greatest smell in the world!”

“What smell?” my daughter wanted to know

“The smell of salt water” he told her.

I want to die with that smell in the air.

Coronado reminds me of the faded photos of Coney Island my mom keeps in a cardboard box in her basement linen closet. When I was a kid, she would tell me stories about summer days filled with the ocean. I could picture my grandfather’s slacks pulled up above his knees and my grandmother in a freshly pressed floral dress. I envision my mother’s red curly hair tucked away in a swimmers cap, her long freckled legs splashing in the Atlantic. I see my aunt Rose tagging along eagerly in her shadow, while her oldest sister, Esther, sunbathed, and Anna, her middle sister bravely dove into the waves. I picture my uncles off on the board walk sneaking cigarettes and trolling for girls.

I imagine those were the moments in which my bickering grandparents loved each other the most. For an afternoon they left the world behind and took in the ocean.
The stories of Coney Island are the ones mostly easily pried from my mother. She always smiles in the retelling of her summer adventures.

In my mind Coronado is Coney Island. Orange Avenue heavy with tourists and picture-perfect moments is the tourist trap of my mother’s youth. The hotel Del, old and stoic, everything unique and dusty, nothing glaringly strip-mallish, the park with its gazebo, the old fashion dinners, and coffee shops, are the images I associate with my mother’s youth. The farmer tanned tourists in their newly purchased t-shirts, the people on beach cruisers, and the cars traveling at a snails pace without a care in the world.

I want to spend the rest of my life across the big blue bridge with its polite summer scent and welcoming picket fenced beach bungalows. From the top of the Coronado Bay Bridge the skyline of San Diego glimmers close enough to touch but far enough to tuck comfortably away from view.

My boys have fallen in love with the Island. On Tuesday morning just before entering Fiddler’s cove, we see a group of military men in full fatigues running on the beach, assault rifles on their hips helmets on their heads.

“Look!” Andrew shouts frantically from the backseat. “They have guns!”

“This is the coolest town in the world,” Jake yells back.

They are both grinning.

When I pick them up every afternoon they are brimming with stories of maneuvering sail boats, capsizing, learning the fine art of bolen knots, and playing king of the hill on overturned kayaks. On Wednesday, they managed a 16 foot sail boot alone with three other boys while there instructor rode alongside in a small boat creating pseudo waves. They sailed all the way to the bridge and back.

I am envious of their childhood. I can see them living in Coronado, sailing on the weekends, riding vintage Schwinn bicycles to their elementary school, sitting on picnic blankets in the park while eating ice cream in waffle cones.

By Wednesday evening I am on craigslist checking the cost of three bedroom homes in Coronado. There is not a single home under the price of $800,000. Within a matter of minutes my two day dream of the easy life on Coronado Island is crushed. There is a reason why all the cars on Orange Avenue are BMWs, and Jags. I recover quickly, realizing that Coronado will be my children’s Coney Island. Someday they will whimsically recount their summer learning to sail on the island to their own children.

Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.