A day in Balboa Park

I always wondered about that bridge that I pass by when driving on I-5 in downtown San Diego. It is so high and looks old which indicates there is history behind it. I found out yesterday that it was leading to Balboa Park, the famous landmark of San Diego. You can park your car near the entrance and take a free red trolley that takes you to the center of the park where you will find various museums and a Japanese garden among other things. The highlight of the park is the cultural exhibit which represent a different country each week. This weekend it was about India. If you continue walking you will reach a bridge that leads to the zoo in about ten minute walk. At the end of the park you reach the museum of man, where they have a collection of instruments of torture that were used in the middle ages. At that edge of the park you find the bridge that you pass under when driving on I-5 I was talking about.

The picture you see above is near the bridge of a park area where a couple of weddings were taking place. See how huge the tree is. Overall it is a nice park but needs much more than the couple of hours we spent there. The park hours go well into the evening up to 8 pm, and some places continue to 10 pm. But soon in the winter the hours will be shortened to only 5:30 pm. There are some restaurants and cafes there but nothing special. The picture you see on the left is at the visitors center. Overall the park is a nice place to spend a day in the weekend, and it is worth it to stay from morning until evening. The museums are not free but the admission to the park itself is free. Tickets to the museum of man cost $12.50 for those who are interested. There is a 3-D movie theatre in the natural history museum, and an IMAX theatre in the science museum. I saw also a space museum, but I suspect that any of those would come near the museums of the Smithsonian in DC.