Vacations involve a bit of work no matter where we go. As I wrote about and retain an interest in siting sports stadiums (stadia?) I always try to include one on a visit. Since I enjoy clients involved in transit and transportation issues, I check out the issues wherever we visit. I also take advantage of opportunities to gain perspectives on current issues.

This spring recess centered around a visit to our daughter who lives in Los Angeles.

Instead on centering our visit around L.A., we decided to fly into San Diego where Marisa would meet us.

Our first day there included a visit to La Jolla where we got to observe seals hanging out on a beach.

That evening we attended Sabbath services and a Passover seder at a synagogue set on three acre campus in the aptly named University Town Center area. We also crossed the border to Mexico spending some time in Tijuana and Puerto Neuvo. With all the discussion about The Wall, getting a first hand look a the border and passage via car and/ or by foot left me with a clear sense the sought for barrier advocated for really involves a metaphor – just as the death penalty became an issue in the 1977 New York City Mayoral race (even though no New York City mayor can enact that criminal sanction.).

Of course we got to visit Petco Park, the home of the Padres. While the home team did not prevail, we found the fans and stadium personal all very nice and friendly. It was a warm stadium but I still prefer Citifield. But one thing the Padres do involves the escalators. Citifield does not reverse them when the game ends; I already mentioned that the escalators at Petco Park work in reverse to my Mets group sales representative.

Returning to L.A., we just did not experience the congestion issue folks complain of in NYC. My observation: NYC endures tens of thousand of app-based for hire vehicles that clog many central business street. Our daughter gets around L.A. quite fine relying on its public transportation system.

where she gets around fine without her own car.

Interestingly back in New York, we will cap the vacation week at our son’s place in Brooklyn