a place where my parents used to enjoy taking us out when we were still kids...
We would have picnics out here with the banig (Philippine woven mat) spread out over the grass while we played around on the grass. We would eat cold fried chicken, rice, and corn along with fresh cut fruit and snacks like Chicken in a Biskit crackers! Does anyone remember those?
Well, Shelter Island's changed a lot over the years, with the Bali Hai's remodel, as well as the Kona Kai (which was back in 1995 because we were supposed to have our wedding reception there and that didn't happen so we had it somewhere else), and the addition of cherry trees encircling the Friendship Bell. Did you know that San Diego's sister city is Yokohama?
TC wanted to ring the bell but of course, there are invisible electrified force fields and piranha filled moats encircling the set up. Just kidding.
A ways down, there was the Tunaman's Memorial...
Up until the 1980's, tuna fishing was one of San Diego's biggest industries with many of the workers situated in the waterfront communities of Point Loma, Little Italy, and Barrio Logan. Behind the sculpture is a plaque honored those who were founders and pioneers in the industry as well as a sad section for those "lost at sea".
Shelter Island even has it own little fishing pier.
It's not quite as long as OB's pier though! You can't beat the view at this pier or...
the view here, at one of the outdoor area near the Bali Hai. Looks like this was set up for a wedding. We saw the wedding party arrive shortly thereafter, with the men in tan suits and the women in lovely coral dresses...
Gone is the shagadelic font from the 60's...Now it looks...kind 80's! Ha ha.
Back in the early 50's when visions of the romantic South Pacific were still fresh in people's minds, I'm sure this was considered exotic back then. The Bali Hai has a bit of the retro kitsch factor but I've heard the restaurant's improved over the years. One of these days, Bert and I should eat here.
There's a photo of my mother standing in front of the Bali Hai in one of my parents' photo albums. It's late 1968 and she is pregnant with me. The old sign used to have a native face with either a bone in his hair or through his nose.
Wait, I found a vintage image. Voila....bone through the NOSE!!!!!
(image courtesy of www.tikiroom.com)
But I actually do miss seeing that! In that same album, my father is patting a tiki's belly. Back in the late 60's and up to the 80's, there used to be a really pretty garden area in the back, complete with curved Japanese foot bridges over water. That's all gone now.
View from the back. Love the floor to ceiling glass windows on both the bottom and top floors.
Tiki heads by the boat ramps.
"DUM DUM YOU GIVE ME GUM GUM!" (this is only funny if you've seen "Night at the Museum"
We walked around the back where the staff were setting up for a wedding reception. We also admired how the other half lives...
The OMG cake and dark chocolate covered salted caramel remained uneaten. We had to carry it with us so it wouldn't melt in the car (it was mid 80's that day) but we would end up enjoying it later that evening.
On our way home from the Grape St. exit.
I've always liked those round Holiday Inn hotels. We finally stayed in one back in the late 90's (the room was wierdly shaped). It was off Sunset Blvd in L.A.; Bert, Superman and another friend of mine went to a Filipino American History conference at UCLA and stayed one night there. Later, we, as a family, stayed there during one of our early road trips when TC was still a toddler. I remember TC enjoying their pool.
Anyhow, going to Shelter Island is always a nice blast from the past for me, thinking of how my parents snapped shots of themselves as parents to be. My dad had a blue 1967 Mustang back then and he wore plaid shirts and skinny legged trousers (it was "the style at the time!) while my mom had a pixie haircut and wore mini shift dresses. Gotta love the groovy 60's!
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