San Diego's naval side
Jack Linthicum
latimes.com
CALIFORNIA
San Diego's naval side
The Navy's been a big part of the city for decades. Get a feel for the
service at the Midway Museum and other publicly accessible naval
spots.
By Christopher Reynolds
Reporting from San Diego
January 31, 2010
Since World War I, the Navy has been big in San Diego -- so big, in
fact, that locals and tourists alike tend to take it for granted. But
the Navy's footprint here is well worth examining.
Even without setting foot on Naval Base San Diego (the largest Navy
base on the West Coast, with more than 50 ships and 20,000 military
personnel), a visitor, whether hawk or dove, can spend hours or days
looking at publicly accessible Navy spots.
Beyond the history lessons they tell, they include dramatic views,
serious weaponry, historic hardware and architecture, bike paths,
playgrounds and, yes, ballet lessons.
* USS Midway Museum, (619) 544-9600, www.midway.org, on the
Embarcadero downtown, served as an aircraft carrier from 1945 to 1992.
When commissioned, it was among the largest ships in the world, 1,001
feet long and 258 feet wide. (Mileage? 260 gallons per mile.) By the
time it was retired, it had served longer than any other aircraft
carrier, housing about 4,500 sailors at a time. Since 2004, it's been
open to the public as a museum. Its 4-acre flight deck -- a fine place
to be at sunset -- holds about two dozen aircraft, some of which you
can climb into. Three flight simulators and dozens of exhibits are
arrayed in the below-decks space of the behemoth ship. At $18 per
adult, it's not cheap. But the audio tour allows welcome independence
as you roam the vessel. And unless you enlist, how else are you going
to get on the deck of an aircraft carrier?
* Liberty Station ( www.libertystation.com) in Point Loma housed 1.75
million sailors in its years as a naval training center from 1923 to
1997. At one point during World War II, 33,000 sailors lived on-site.
But now it's gone civilian. With its most significant Spanish Revival
buildings preserved and adapted, the 361-acre complex has been
redeveloped as a new neighborhood, with more than 20 restaurants and
125 acres of open space, including a grass-fringed esplanade for
walkers and cyclists, two playgrounds, basketball courts and ball
fields. There's also the nine-hole public Sail Ho golf course.
Historic buildings now house retailers, offices and a clutch of arts
organizations (including the San Diego Watercolor Society and the San
Diego Ballet). New buildings include a residential area and two family-
friendly hotels (Homewood Suites by Hilton and Courtyard by Marriott).
The complex stands just a mile or two from the airport, convenient to
the waterfront, downtown and Point Loma. Meanwhile next door, the
Marine Corps Recruit Depot remains in business. For info on the Marine
Corps Recruit Depot Command Museum, call (619) 524-6038.
* Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, on Catalina Boulevard,
www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/ftrosecrans.asp, must be among the most
spectacularly sited graveyards in California. The 77.5-acre spot sits
atop Point Loma, neighboring various mysterious contemporary Navy
operations, looking down upon San Diego Bay and the runway of Naval
Air Station North Island. Many cyclists include it on their rides,
especially in the morning when traffic is thinner.
As of the end of fiscal 2008, 96,626 veterans and their loved ones
were at rest here. Just south of the cemetery, you reach Cabrillo
National Monument, 1800 Cabrillo Memorial Drive, (619) 557-5450,
www.nps.gov/cabr, which includes more spectacular views, the Old Point
Loma Lighthouse (1855), and a visitor center where rangers can tell
you how Juan Cabrillo found his way here in 1542.
This spot is good for watching gray whales in January and February.
And any day of year, between 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., you can follow the
road down to the water's edge to hike along surf-lashed bluffs and
tide pools. Entry to the monument: $5 per car.
* OK, maybe doves and those with sensitive ears won't be interested in
this option. But the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar stages a yearly
air show. In 2010, the MCAS Miramar Air Show ( www.miramarairshow.com)
will run Oct. 1-3, and tickets go on sale in May. For info on the
Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum at MCAS Miramar, call (858)
693-1723 or check www.flyingleathernecks.org.
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