What's going on around town?
Prior to moving to the area, I grilled our friends who were previously stationed here to find out things they enjoyed while living here in San Diego. Some told us that we are absolutely going to love it and that there is so much to do. Upon our arrival, others told us the same things.
Being new to the area, I have been researching free or inexpensive activities for our family to explore together. In my research, I found that there are many companies who support active duty service members and their families in such ways as free admission to some attractions.
Parade of Flight and North Island Open House - February 12, 2011
Gates open at 8am and Parade of Flights at 1pm; free admission, free parking and free blanket seating
Free bowling for active duty 11am - 1pm
Monday's at Sea 'N Air Lanes NASNI
Wednesday's at Admiral Robinson Recreation Center NBSD
Seaport Village - Walk around and enjoy free entertainment. The offer free Sunday Concerts 1-4pm in the East Plaza Gazebo. 2 hours of free parking with purchase.
Automotive Maintenance Monthly Training Programs - Free program 2nd Saturday of every month, NBSD Auto Skills Shop, Bldg. 3234, 9am - 12pm. Refreshments are provided and no car needed to take class. Reserve your space by calling (619)556-7009. January 8 - Brakes, February 12 - Oil Change and Under Car Inspection.
Gaslamp Quarter - Walk around and enjoy all the shopping and dining.
2011 Bob Hope Classic, January 9-23, 2011 - Free admission for active duty military personnel and their families plus access to the New Eisenhower Medical Center Military Hospitality Lounge with valid ID.
San Diego Zoo and San Diego Safari Park - Free admission for Active Duty with valid military ID card.
USS Midway - Free admission for Active Duty and Reservists with military ID card. Free for children 5 and younger.
Here's to the Heroes Salute - Free single day admission to a service member with valid ID and form filled out for up to three family members:
MWR Movies - Always free.
Lowry Theater NASNI, Bldg. 650, (619)545-8479
Naval Base San Diego Theater, Bldg. 71, (619) 556-5568
QZone Theater NAB, Bldg. 337, (619) 437-5487
Discover San Diego Beaches.
Discover Vietnam Memorial Monument.
Point Loma Tide Pools - No collecting of any kind, rules enforced by the park rangers.
Museums at Balboa Park - Free Tuesday Admission to museums for San Diego City & County Residents with ID and Active Duty military and members of their family.
Park Ranger Tour at the Balboa Park Visitors Center in the House of Hospitality - Free tours at 1pm on Free Tuesday Admission days.
Discover San Diego Trails.
Squaw Valley - Free admission for Active Duty with valid military to Ski & Ride Free.
The Century Club of San Diego Farmers Insurance Open - Free admission for Active Duty and their immediate family at the gate with active military ID.
Discover San Diego's Farmers Markets.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library:
Free admission to active duty military on February 6 (Ronald Reagan's Birthday)
San Diego Archaeological Center - free and open to the public.
The New Children's Museum - Free admission on the second Sunday of each month.
Free fly fishing lessons at the San Diego Fly Fishers Club on Sunday mornings 9am - noon at Lake Murray located in La Mesa. If you don't have your own gear, arrive early for free gear rental.
Discover Mission Bay Park.
Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, Resident's Free Tuesday's.
US Olympic Training Center - Free tour each Saturday at 11am on a walk-in basis.
If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share your thoughts on family friendly explorable activities in or around the San Diego area.
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Travel. Show all posts
Friday, January 7, 2011
Friday, December 17, 2010
Our New Home
Moving across the country has been a busy and stressful time for all of us. We packed out in mid November and arrived in sunny California the last week in November. The drive from east to west coast was very long. Along the way, we were able to meet up with a few people we had not seen in awhile. The first day we drove to Virginia to see my husband's family. We had not seen them all year so it was a wonderful visit.
Our next stop was Arkansas where we stayed a night in the hotel using a military discount and it even came with a continental breakfast. Then for the next two days we made our way down to Texas where we met up with friends we had not seen in 4 years. We stayed the night and the next day. They took us around to see The Alamo, The River Walk and The Natural Bridge Caverns. We had a blast and we had a lot of fun catching up. Our kids enjoyed catching up and playing together. We were sad to leave but we knew we needed to make our way over this way.
Upon our arrival, we were very fortunate to be able to stay with a friend's family for a few days until we were able to get into our new place. We sincerely appreciate our friend's having us stay with them during our transition.
The day we moved in to our new place, was stressful because our household goods arrived the same day. From the time our first shipment of household goods arrived until the second shipment of household goods, we have been going through all of our belongings weeding out whatever we do not have room for or whatever we no longer need. We moved from our house with a full attic to a house with no attic or basement so that part has been challenging. The challenge in this case is good because it forces us to look at what we own and see if we really need it or if we can do without it.
Our 2nd shipment of our pack out had been screwed up from the start. Von Paris Movers in Maryland refused to inventory our household goods after it got dark after complaining about their employers for an hour when it was still light out. Then they practically were throwing our stuff into their truck because they were pissed off about working all day and coming from another job to finish our job up. Then they "lost" our shipment and all of a sudden because we were complaining we did not have our stuff they said corporate was working on our shipment. United Van Lines approved us purchasing air beds to sleep on until our 2nd shipment arrived. So we went out and purchased air beds so we wouldn't have to sleep on the floor anymore. That was a big help and I appreciate them taking care of us that way. Von Paris Movers on the other hand is a bunch of screw ups. I do not recommend ever using them, even as a last choice because their company is not as together as it sounds. We have never once received an apology from them acknowledging that they screwed up on our shipment.
From the day we moved in, I have been trying to stay away from purchasing fast food and trying to make things at home to save money and to eat a little healthier. I have to say, the first few days were exceptionally hard because we were so exhausted from unpacking, sorting and organizing. After that, we have been doing really good about eating meals at home when we can. Once we got out to the commissary, it was good to pick up food we needed. Occasionally we will go out and have a good time to change the pace of the daily grind.
Since moving here we have been researching cable and internet companies trying to find the best deal for our money out here. After a week of research using internet on our phones or using Starbuck's free wireless internet, we decided the best deal for our family is Time Warner. They are currently running a special for cable/phone/internet for $99 with free upgrade to turbo speed and free wireless internet + a $30 setup fee. We had our service installed this morning and the installer said that everything was good to go with our televisions and that there were issues with our data line so someone would be coming by for that. When the kids wanted to watch tv this afternoon, neither of their's worked. Come to find out there is no cable attached inside the wall to the cable outlet on either of them. Somehow if the installer knew that the cable was not working for either tv by checking to make sure it was working and all hooked up, he should have searched for the reason why they were not working. When I called customer service, they said their first appointment would be Friday morning would be the earliest. This evening when my husband called because he was so upset and angry that our cable was not installed correctly, they told him tomorrow afternoon is the earliest they have. If these issues do not get resolved tomorrow, we will terminate our service with them and find another provider. No one should be treated like this by their cable/internet/phone provider.
Ok so we spoke with Time Warner's cancellation department and they told us that everything is covered under the $30 setup fee and that all 4 of our tv's and computer's are covered and that the installer did not complete the job. She sent out a technician today who corrected the problems and now our cable is hooked up just the way we signed up for. Thanks Alex for a job well done!
Last night our youngest had their Holiday Concert at their school. The concert was wonderful and it is always great to see your kid up there singing with their class. They sang Mele Kalikimaka, Feliz Navidad, Jingle Bells, Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer, Reindeer Paws, Hippopotamus, Dradle and I Want To Wish You A Merry Christmas.
When we moved in to housing, they gave us a gift certificate to Domino's Pizza for a free large 2 topping pizza that we are redeeming tonight for dinner. The one here has a delivery charge of $2.27. The Hawaiian pizza was delicious!
Today I hung out with a friend who took time out of her busy schedule to show me around the area. We drove around awhile and she showed me places I had not seen before and one of the best part is we found 99 Ranch Market. Thank you Melody for showing me around our area! To show her how much I appreciated it, we had some lunch.
As we settle in to our new place and our new surroundings, we will continue to venture out and discover all the wonderful places San Diego has to offer. All the wonderful places everyone says they love about the area.
Our next stop was Arkansas where we stayed a night in the hotel using a military discount and it even came with a continental breakfast. Then for the next two days we made our way down to Texas where we met up with friends we had not seen in 4 years. We stayed the night and the next day. They took us around to see The Alamo, The River Walk and The Natural Bridge Caverns. We had a blast and we had a lot of fun catching up. Our kids enjoyed catching up and playing together. We were sad to leave but we knew we needed to make our way over this way.
Upon our arrival, we were very fortunate to be able to stay with a friend's family for a few days until we were able to get into our new place. We sincerely appreciate our friend's having us stay with them during our transition.
The day we moved in to our new place, was stressful because our household goods arrived the same day. From the time our first shipment of household goods arrived until the second shipment of household goods, we have been going through all of our belongings weeding out whatever we do not have room for or whatever we no longer need. We moved from our house with a full attic to a house with no attic or basement so that part has been challenging. The challenge in this case is good because it forces us to look at what we own and see if we really need it or if we can do without it.
Our 2nd shipment of our pack out had been screwed up from the start. Von Paris Movers in Maryland refused to inventory our household goods after it got dark after complaining about their employers for an hour when it was still light out. Then they practically were throwing our stuff into their truck because they were pissed off about working all day and coming from another job to finish our job up. Then they "lost" our shipment and all of a sudden because we were complaining we did not have our stuff they said corporate was working on our shipment. United Van Lines approved us purchasing air beds to sleep on until our 2nd shipment arrived. So we went out and purchased air beds so we wouldn't have to sleep on the floor anymore. That was a big help and I appreciate them taking care of us that way. Von Paris Movers on the other hand is a bunch of screw ups. I do not recommend ever using them, even as a last choice because their company is not as together as it sounds. We have never once received an apology from them acknowledging that they screwed up on our shipment.
From the day we moved in, I have been trying to stay away from purchasing fast food and trying to make things at home to save money and to eat a little healthier. I have to say, the first few days were exceptionally hard because we were so exhausted from unpacking, sorting and organizing. After that, we have been doing really good about eating meals at home when we can. Once we got out to the commissary, it was good to pick up food we needed. Occasionally we will go out and have a good time to change the pace of the daily grind.
Since moving here we have been researching cable and internet companies trying to find the best deal for our money out here. After a week of research using internet on our phones or using Starbuck's free wireless internet, we decided the best deal for our family is Time Warner. They are currently running a special for cable/phone/internet for $99 with free upgrade to turbo speed and free wireless internet + a $30 setup fee. We had our service installed this morning and the installer said that everything was good to go with our televisions and that there were issues with our data line so someone would be coming by for that. When the kids wanted to watch tv this afternoon, neither of their's worked. Come to find out there is no cable attached inside the wall to the cable outlet on either of them. Somehow if the installer knew that the cable was not working for either tv by checking to make sure it was working and all hooked up, he should have searched for the reason why they were not working. When I called customer service, they said their first appointment would be Friday morning would be the earliest. This evening when my husband called because he was so upset and angry that our cable was not installed correctly, they told him tomorrow afternoon is the earliest they have. If these issues do not get resolved tomorrow, we will terminate our service with them and find another provider. No one should be treated like this by their cable/internet/phone provider.
Ok so we spoke with Time Warner's cancellation department and they told us that everything is covered under the $30 setup fee and that all 4 of our tv's and computer's are covered and that the installer did not complete the job. She sent out a technician today who corrected the problems and now our cable is hooked up just the way we signed up for. Thanks Alex for a job well done!
Last night our youngest had their Holiday Concert at their school. The concert was wonderful and it is always great to see your kid up there singing with their class. They sang Mele Kalikimaka, Feliz Navidad, Jingle Bells, Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer, Reindeer Paws, Hippopotamus, Dradle and I Want To Wish You A Merry Christmas.
When we moved in to housing, they gave us a gift certificate to Domino's Pizza for a free large 2 topping pizza that we are redeeming tonight for dinner. The one here has a delivery charge of $2.27. The Hawaiian pizza was delicious!
Today I hung out with a friend who took time out of her busy schedule to show me around the area. We drove around awhile and she showed me places I had not seen before and one of the best part is we found 99 Ranch Market. Thank you Melody for showing me around our area! To show her how much I appreciated it, we had some lunch.
As we settle in to our new place and our new surroundings, we will continue to venture out and discover all the wonderful places San Diego has to offer. All the wonderful places everyone says they love about the area.
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