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travel MEDIA & LEISURE SEPTEMBER 2004 Sun-splashed San Diego has a multitude of attractions for the family. From baseball at downtown’s brand-new Petco Park to aircraft carriers in Coronado Bay to picnicking in Balboa Park, the city offers something for everyone, making it the perfect weekend getaway. Here are four places that get high ratings for any family vacation. 1. San Diego Zoo Located on the north end of beautiful Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo is home to more than 4,000 rare animals from 800 species, spread out over 100 acres. Brand-new exhibits include “Absolutely Apes,” where guests can get up close and personal with playful orangutans, and the SBC Giant Panda Research Station, one of four panda habitats in the United States. For a different vantage point, hop on the aerial tram for a bird’s-eye view of the park. And through Sept. 6, guests can remain at the zoo until 10 p.m. What Not to Miss: Perennial favorites include Gorilla Tropics, a large area of lush African rainforest featuring cascading waterfalls, grassy slopes and climbing areas; and Polar Bear Plunge, a 2.2-acre tundra habitat featuring Siberian reindeer, Pallas cats, and polar bears swimming in a 130,000-gallon pool. How to Get There: Follow I-5 south to San Diego. Exit at Pershing Drive and follow signs to the zoo. Parking is free. Admission: $21 for adults; $14 ages 3-11. Park is open daily from 9 a.m.-10 p.m. through Sept. 6, and from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. year-round. Appropriate Ages: For all ages. The zoo is large and parts are hilly, so bring a good backpack or stroller and be ready for a walk. Those with very young children should buy the Express Bus pass for rides around the park, and may want to take the Guided Bus Tour, a 40-minute double-decker trip that visits most of the zoo’s wildlife. For more information: Call 619.231.1515 or visit www.sandiegozoo.org. 2. San Diego Wild Animal Park The San Diego Zoo’s more rugged sibling, the world-famous Wild Animal Park, offers the unique chance to see elephants, lions, giraffes, gazelles, antelopes and more living in their natural habitat. Spread over 1,800 acres, the San Diego Wild Animal Park houses 3,500 animals representing 429 species. Most animals live in the park’s expansive African and Asian habitats. The park also houses Condor Ridge, a six-story walk-through aviary that lies at the center of the zoologists’ breeding efforts for the endangered bird. What Not to Miss: Take the Wgasa Bush Line Railway, a 5-mile, 1-hour tour offering close viewing of the animals in open plains. For an additional charge, go on a real-life safari with a private guide in a canopied safari truck. Also, the new lion habitat allows close viewing of the cats, both in a 1-acre habitat and through glass inside a research tent. How to Get There: Take I-5 south to the State Route 78 east exit in Oceanside. Proceed east onto I-15 south. Exit at Via Rancho Parkway and follow signs to the park. Parking is $6. Admission: $29.50 for adults; $22 ages 3-11. Park is open daily from 9 a.m.-10 p.m. until Sept. 6, and from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. year-round. Appropriate Ages: Families will find attractions for all ages. Grade-school children in particular will love the park’s up-close viewing of fearsome predators and exotic animals. The park is pedestrian-friendly but vast bring your walking shoes. Families with younger children should plan on taking the rail tour. For more information: Call 760.747.8702 or visit www.wildanimalpark.org. 3. SeaWorld For an aquatic thrill, head to SeaWorld in Mission Bay, home to celebrity whale Shamu and much more. The 190-acre park is known for its combination of animal entertainment alongside serious research and conservation. Whale, seal, and dolphin shows provide a chance to sit down and relax, and with a little walking just about any other aquatic animal can be found in the park. Board eight-passenger Greek fishing boats and experience the just-opened Journey to Atlantis, a water attraction that tells the story of the mythical continent with simulated earthquakes and floods. Riders eventually dive 60 feet into a lake where guests enjoy an underwater view of Commerson’s dolphins. What Not to Miss: The ever-popular Shamu Adventure features the whale and friends performing in a million-gallon pool. The park’s famed Shark Encounter exhibit where guests view the sharks from an underwater acrylic tube is not to be missed. For younger guests, Shamu’s Happy Harbor offers a 2-acre playland with more than 20 interactive attractions. How to Get There: Take I-5 south to the Sea World Drive exit. Follow signs to the park. Parking is $7. Admission: $49.75 for adults; $39.75 ages 3-9. Park is open until 10 or 11 p.m. through the end of summer. Appropriate Ages: Guests of all ages will find something to enjoy. Younger children should see the animal shows and interactive areas; older children will enjoy attractions like Dine With Shamu and the Dolphin Interaction Program, where guests can enter the water with the animals. For more information: Call 619.226.3929 or visit www.seaworld.com. 4. LEGOLAND California If your family has seen enough wildlife for a lifetime, head for LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad. With more than 50 rides, shows, and attractions, LEGOLAND has no shortage of activities for the most energetic child. From Imagination Zone, with an emphasis on Lego building, to the interactive Explore Village, where guests can drive their very own Lego jeeps and more, no young child will be bored here. And parents rejoice, the park promises a break from traditional theme park fare, offering hand-rolled pasta, fresh salads, and specialties like salmon with grilled vegetables and Thai steak salad. What Not to Miss: The popular Coastersaurus rollercoaster reaches speeds of 20 mph as it speeds in and around a prehistoric jumble of jungle and life-size, animated Lego dinosaurs. The Block of Fame offers a three-dimensional art gallery featuring Lego busts of George Washington, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and many more. How to Get There: Take I-5 south to Cannon Road East in Carlsbad. Follow signs to LEGOLAND. Admission: $43.95 for adults; $36.95 ages 3-12. Appropriate Ages: LEGOLAND is great for young families; however, you are pushing your luck taking children ages 11 or older. For more information: Call 760.918.5346 or visit www.LEGOLAND.com. Jeremy Beecher is a summer intern for Churm Publishing, Inc. TRAVEL TIP Gettysburg Cyclorama display at risk One of the must-see attractions for any visitor to the Gettysburg National Military Park over the past 40 years has been the Cyclorama Center, the round white building that houses the great circular oil painting completed by artist Paul Philippoteaux in 1884. It depicts Pickett’s Charge, the Rebel army’s desperate assault on the Union lines on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg. The National Park Service now plans, unfortunately in the minds of some, to demolish the Cyclorama Center and relocate the painting in a new museum and visitor center to be built on the Baltimore Pike in Cumberland Township. Every generation of Americans should have the opportunity to place a tribute to the men who struggled and fell on these fields to create the nation in which we are all so fortunate to live. A tribute which disrupts the landscape as little as possible, but also says something about the people who put it there and the time in which they lived. Many of the monuments on the battlefield and there are thousands were put in place by actual veterans of the battle or people for whom the Civil War is a living memory. The Cyclorama Center, built in 1962 by renowned California architect Richard Neutra, is just as sincere a tribute to those heroes from 20th-century Americans. A grassroots effort is underway to try and save the Cyclorama Center, one of a diminishing number of Neutra buildings still standing. The odds are long. It seems that the National Park Service has decided that it must destroy history in order to save history. For comment, go to: www.nps.gov/ and click on “Contact.” By Michael J. Medley Translator How to speak the language Parlez-vous francais? You don’t need to be fluent while traveling overseas to get by. Books such as the Frommer travel series are good sources for overseas phrases and key words. Now, in our electronic world, Franklin, a New Jersey-based publishing company, has come out with a five-language European Translator. The pocket-sized gizmo provides more than 200,000 translations to and from English, French, German, Spanish and Italian. In addition, some 5,000 conversational phrases are included, such as Travel & Directions. Also included is a Rolodex databank to store names and phone numbers and a calculator to convert currency figures. I remember, back before the electronic age (or so it seemed), standing in line in Madrid to buy a bus ticket to Alicante. My Spanish was so dramatic that it sounded more Transylvanian than anything. As I turned around with my ticket, a long line of people stared at me, mouths agape. I needed a better translation. European Translator, by Franklin Electronic Publishers. $24.95. Available at Best Buy, Borders, Office Depot and Staples. For more Information: www.franklin.com. By Craig Reem |
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