West Point Class of 72

Tuesday, May 6, 2025
 

The Embarcadero (“the landing place”) is the area adjacent to San Diego Bay in the heart of downtown
San Diego. This will be a walking tour along sidewalks adjacent to the bay – total distance approximately one mile.
Along this stretch of the Embarcadero are several museums, historical and military attractions as well as shops and
eateries.
Here is a link to a good description of the Embarcadero area:
https://carolmendelmaps.com/walking-tours/embarcadero/ and here is a link to a map of the area: https://carolmendelmaps.com/walking-
tours/embarcadero/embarcadero-map.html   These links portray a walking tour from south to north along the Embarcadero; our tour will go from north to south and end at Seaport Village.

Maritime Museum: Our tour starts at the Maritime Museum: https://sdmaritime.org The museum
houses the world’s oldest active sailing ship, the Star of India, as well as four other sailing ships, two steam-
powered ships, a submarine that set the world’s record for deepest dive and two other operational ships. The
museum is open 10 am to 5 pm; admission as of Dec., 2024 was $18.00 for seniors.
Walking south from the maritime museum is Portside Pier, housing four waterfront fine dining
restaurants; Ketch Grill, Brigantine, Miguel’s Cocina and Top Sail (good choices for your Company party) and the
Portside coffee and gelato shop, which is not to be missed! Continuing south we arrive at the San Diego cruise ship
terminal.

Broadway Pier: South of the cruise ship terminal is the Broadway pier area where there is a good tourist
information center and several options for boat tours in the harbor: Flagship Cruises: www.flagshipsd.com/ and
Hornblower Cruises both offer one and two hour tours of San Diego bay as well as dinner cruises. Also at
Broadway Pier is the Coronado Ferry that departs on the hour for Coronado:
https://www.flagshipsd.com/cruises/flagship-ferry

Midway Museum: Just south of Broadway Pier is the USS Midway aircraft carrier that has been converted
to a museum: https://www.midway.org Museum hours are 10 am to 5 pm and admission was $24 for veterans
with ID as of Dec. 2024. Allow 2 or more hours to fully enjoy the museum; it is a very good experience.

Embracing Peace: South of the Midway is the statue of the famous photo of the sailor kissing a nurse in
Times Square at the end of WWII. Also in the area are several plaques and monuments with good information on
various WWII battles and naval ships. See: https://www.publicartinpublicplaces.info/embracing-peace-2007-by-john-seward-johnson-ii

Bob Hope Memorial: West of the Embracing Peace statue (towards the bay) is a memorial to Bob Hope
honoring his many years of service in conducting USO tours. The memorial consists of statues of Hope and the
troops and is worth the visit.

Tuna Harbor: Continuing south along the Embarcadero is the Tuna Harbor area. You will see some
commercial fishing boats and there is a fish market on the weekends. In the early 20 th century San Diego was the
tuna capital of the world, with many fishing boats and canneries. Many of the early fishermen were of Portuguese
and Italian descent. The Little Italy area of San Diego was named after the many Italians who lived there in the
early 20 th century and worked on the tuna fishing boats.

Seaport Village: This is a popular area with many shops, restaurants, sidewalk eateries and an 1895
carousel: https://www.seaportvillage.com/ A good place to sit, relax and get something to eat. Our tour ends at
Seaport Village where buses will return us to the Humphreys hotel.

Liberty Station
Residential district in San Diego, California

 

Liberty Station is a large commercial development that sprawls across the grounds of a former naval training center. It’s home to stylish bars, restaurants, and boutiques, as well as Liberty Public Market, filled with gourmet eateries and shops. There are also art galleries and several small museums housed in Spanish Colonial Revival buildings. Along the waterfront, NTC Park has grassy lawns and bike paths. ― Google

From Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station
"At Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens, we use in-season, locally, regionally, and organically grown produce. We do this not just for the simple principles of freshness and sustainability, but also because fresh, local and organic tastes better. It's also better for you and the world in which we live. It shouldn't be surprising to hear that we also use 100% naturally raised meats. The same fresh / artisan / natural standard goes for all our food"

Shortly after the Memorial Service, inside the basilica there will  be a joint presentation  by the head historian at the basilica and Tim Lupfer.

Tim Lupfer will be working with the capable docents that work at the Mission San Diego de Alcala to have a sequel to the lecture he did in San Antonio in The Alamo on the early history of Texas, but this time on California’s Missions. Tim is on a personal quest to visit all of the missions in California.

After the presentation, there will be a number of additional docents to answer question in smaller groups.

Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá  (Spanish: Misión San Diego de Alcalá, lit.
(extract From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The Mission of Saint Didacus of Acalá) was the second Franciscan founded mission in the Californias (after San Fernando de Velicata), a province of New Spain. Located in present-day San Diego, California, it was founded on July 16, 1769, by Spanish friar Junípero Serra, in an area long inhabited by the Kumeyaay people. The current church, built in the early 19th century, is the fifth to stand on this location.[16][17] The mission site is a National Historic Landmark.[14][18]
The mission and the surrounding area were named for the Catholic saint Didacus of Alcalá, a Spaniard more commonly known as San Diego. The mission was the site of the first Christian burial in Alta California. The original mission burned in 1775 during an uprising by local natives.[19] San Diego is also generally regarded as the site of the region's first public execution, in 1778. Father Luis Jayme, California's first Christian martyr who was among those killed during the 1775 uprising against the mission,[19] lies entombed beneath the chancel floor.

The mission and the surrounding area were named for the Catholic saint Didacus of Alcalá, a Spaniard more commonly known as San Diego. The mission was the site of the first Christian burial in Alta California. The original mission burned in 1775 during an uprising by local natives.[19] San Diego is also generally regarded as the site of the region's first public execution, in 1778. Father Luis Jayme, California's first Christian martyr who was among those killed during the 1775 uprising against the mission,[19] lies entombed beneath the chancel floor.