A Flat Ride On San Diego Bay is Always A Good Idea.

55 Miles down. 45 to go to hit 100 miles in 28 days. This past week I did the same ride at two different times of day and WOW what a difference. I rode from downtown San Diego Gaslamp District to Shelter Islandand back. The path is flat and pleasant. The first ride I did at 6:30 am during sunrise. The second ride was on President’s Day at 2:30 pm.

I started on 6th avenue right in front of the Hard Rock Hotel. Did you know that if you park at a meter on 6th avenue & J there is no charge until 10:00 AM?? What a score!!

I rounded the corner and headed toward the Hilton Bayfront and Convention Centerand snapped this gorgeous pic of good ole mother nature at her best. Just as I passed the convention center I encountered one of my favorite sculptures from Niki Saint Phalle. She was a local sculpture/artists here in San Diego for many years. She’s known for her mosaics. You’d probably recognize her work around town at Balboa Park, and in Escondido at Queen Califia’s Magical Circle.

I used to do boot camp at the park between Hilton and Convention center where Niki’s huge face sculpture towers over the grassy lawn. I never knew anything about this sculpture at that time. Several years later, my cousin in-law and I learned about the sculpture when we went hiking through Kit Carson park in Escondido and stumbled onto this gorgeous garden (Queen Califia’s Magic Circle) of larger than life mosaic sculptures. After that visit I noticed mosaic sculptures everywhere in San Diego. Between the sunrise and the reconnection with NSP, it was an excellent start to the ride.

As I rounded the corner of the convention center I noticed a collection of people gathering that were wearing T-shirts that said Alpha Project. They looked helpful and organized but I didn’t know what it meant until I went home and looked it up later that day. Apparently, it’s an organization that helps, empowers, educates and assists with recovery services for homeless people. I suppose since the convention center has been a homeless shelter during Covid, that would make sense there’d be collections of helpful people from organizations like The Alpha Project hanging around the grounds.

I rode the flat path past the fancy yachts on the bay and through Seaport Village. Bikes are technically not permitted on this path however, since it was so darn early, and since Covid killed tourism, I felt safe with the risk. I rode down a little further and took a loop at Embarcadero Park. I was delighted to see is complete. The Shell is a brand new outdoor live music venue that was supposed to open in 2020. Covid had different plans for it but it seems like it will open as soon as California lets us gather again.

I had heard about The Shell at the end of 2019 at a function on the Petco Park playing field. The San Diego Symphony was there sharing their partnership with Petco Park. They were excited to be offering it to groups for functions like general sessions, keynote speakers and concerts. I was thrilled to have another live outdoor music venue in San Diego. I remember seeing Radiohead in that same spot many many years ago and couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen more concerts there. As I understand it, The Shell is predominately for San Diego Symphony but will also offer public live concerts and ability to book for private events. In any case, I had not seen it live and complete yet and it looked awesome. The grounds were well manicured. It appeared they had worked out some logistics of lines and ticket booths. I was not able to take a pic because I was riding but snagged this one from the website. It looks exactly the same in real life, minus the chairs.

Riding this stretch was nice because the water was calm and clear. There was barely anyone on the road or path. I really got to feel the sun and breeze that a nice San Diego morning has to offer. The view of the fancy boats is inspiring.

I headed to Harbor Island. From Gaslamp to Harbor Island it’s a little over 4 miles. Jumping into Harbor Island from Tom Ham’s to Island Prime is exactly 1.5 miles. Doing the full Harbor Island loopty loop is exactly 3 miles. It’s another gorgeous and easy ride. There is no path. It’s all road riding on Harbor Island but it was fine and I felt safe. Harbor Island holds such a special place in my heart because it’s this view that made me

move to San Diego almost 21 years ago.

I will never forget having traversed the city for 3 days going on interviews, navigating the hills, one way streets and freeways that just seemed to stop. I had an interview at the Sheraton on Harbor Island and it was this view, this one right here, that made me say “I am going to live here some day.” After that day I went back to Ohio and told my family I was moving to San Diego. I ended up working at the Sheraton on Harbor Island and had many a karaoke night at Tom Ham’s Lighthouse before it got pretty. I remember Harbor Island before Island Prime and C-Level lounge. It used to be an old buffet, I can’t remember the name of it, but the well marinated San Diegians would go for blue hair specials and early bird brunch. Harbor Island is so much more built up and beautiful than it was 21 years ago. However, every single time I reach the end of the stretch behind C Level, I take that same deep breath in and exhale, feeling so thankful to be here still. It was magical on this ride to see it at sunrise. And that view never ever gets old for me.

A couple days after the sunrise ride I did the ride on President’s Day at 2:30 PM. This was much different than my nostalgic peaceful ride earlier in the week. I’d still do it any time of day but just know that doing this ride after 10 am any day of the week is going to be busy. I was amazed at the number of tourists or local staycationers were on the road. I rode mostly on the road and stayed off the path this time from Gaslamp to Harbor Island due to the massive amounts of people walking the path. Everyone was nice and it wasn’t annoying but it would not have been a good idea to ride on the path that time of day.

Harbor Island to Shelter Island is another 3 miles. I like how this ride takes you to a new part of town every 3–5 miles. It breaks up the monotony and gives you a different flavor with each switch. As I rode through Shelter Island on President’s Day I felt so happy for the restaurants that had been previously closed. Their patios were bustling and it felt like there was a renewed hope in the air. People sat an enjoyed beer and food at Jimmy’s Famous, Eppig Waterfront Biergarten, and Mitch’s Seafood. It appeared that everyone was physical distancing, wearing a mask and being respectful. It made me feel safe to be there and excited to head back when I have more time to just grab a beer after a bike ride and relax. Next time I’ll go further down the island to Fathom Bistrowhich is right on the water with a killer view of the San Diego skyline. Enjoying a pulled pork kimchi sando and a Societe Beer from there at the end of a ride will be a treat for sure.

For both rides I made my way back from Shelter Island to Gaslamp District much faster than on the way there. I am not sure why but it just felt easier on the way back. I did another quick loop on Harbor Island on the way back to get in a quick extra 3 miles and headed to my car. I am so thankful to be doing this 100 mile 28 day bike challenge for the good physical and mental health benefits. However, the unintended consequences of the trips down memory lane it was provided for me have been wonderful. I highly recommend this ride for all bike riders — beginners and advanced. You can go at your own pace, stop for a beer, see a sunrise or sunset and experience the best of San Diego in a quick 12–15 mile round trip.

Virtual Tour De Palm Springs in full effect, 55 miles down, 45 miles to go. If you have a bike route I should try or a ride playlist I should jam too, send it my way on my Instagram account To get alerts on Mandi’s journey to 100 miles in 28 days, add her to your RSS feed or check back on the Brain Trails blog on https://www.mandigraziano.com/sales-tales-book.

Originally published at https://www.mandigraziano.com on February 16, 2021.