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La Jolla, California
We're half awake in a fake empire
After Edmonton and Princeton, we’re headed to sunny (or in this case, kind of cloudy) Southern California and the beaches of La Jolla, just north of San Diego. The pier here is operated by the Scripps Institution, which also operates a small but excellent aquarium just up the hill from here.
As an architect who likes to see buildings when I travel, I was already familiar with Torrey Pines Road- it is where Louis Kahn's Salk Institute is after all- but this was the first time that I visited La Jolla and skipped the Salk- it was actually closed in preparation for an annual fundraising event so it's not like I had a lot of choice there. So instead, I headed north on Torrey Pines Road past the golf course and visited Torrey Pines State Reserve, where the cliffs and short trails and carved steps and a stormy sea awaited.The torrey pine trees at Torrey Pines may not be dangerous, but that doesn't mean that there aren't other things to look out for. This sign in particular seems to imply that if you sit down a rattlesnake might very well bite your ass. I guess its better to be warned about such things than just surprised.I’ll freely admit that I just love Legos, and if I had an unlimited budget and unlimited time, I fear I would be one of those crazy people who has a great big Lego setup in my basement. So, when given the opportunity to drive up the coast even farther up north than Torrey Pines to see Legoland, I was (of course) looking forward to it. And it did not disappoint.
For me the big draw was a little one. Miniland is the heart of the park and fantastic at every turn, despite the fact that the scale is not consistent. I especially enjoyed the Las Vegas, New York and San Francisco models, but could have paid admission to only see this and probably been happy. Beyond Milniland there are rides that are kind of interactive, and by kind of I mean that there might be a pedal you need to push with your legs instead of just sitting like a lazy bastard like at every single other amusement park in the country. This is not a complaint, just a comment.
And in the New York version of Miniland is the only place that you will ever see this, at least for now. This is the previous design for One World Trade Center by Daniel Libeskind, with its open air frame and off center spire that pays tribute to the Statue of Liberty. I’m not sure that this building as designed would have been great (or even good to be honest), but I can say confidently that it would have been a hell of a lot more interesting than the boring David Childs design that replaced it.
Luckily for us, Legoland is a bit behind in the architectural news, although I imagine that this model’s days are already probably numbered.
And in our last stop around San Diego (without actually going to actual San Diego), we’re visiting the San Diego Wild Animal Park, a solid 45 minute drive northeast of the city. Operated by the San Diego Zoo, it’s a massive property where you can expect to get some real walking in.
And finally we’re in Detroit, although technically we’re west of the city at Greenfield Village at the Ford. This was a quick visit on a layover on a Northwest reward flight between Newark and Heathrow, where I had enough time to rent a car and drive somewhere all about a time when you couldn’t really drive, unless it was a dangerous as hell Model T.
