Breathtaking Blue Whale Watching

San Diego offers some of the best whale watching in the world.

During winters between late December and March, whale watching is quite common as grey whales migrate to the warm water lagoons of Baja California. However in the past 4-5 years, the Summer Blue Whale Migration has allowed us to spot these mammals during the warm summer months and fall period too.

Come and spot the giant blue whales as they migrate to the waters off Newport Beach and make Southern California waters their home. The blue whale is more than 90 feet long and weighs around 170 tonnes. No wonder, it is the largest creature on earth. Along with blue whales you can also get to view finback whales (the second largest whale), humpback whales, minke whales, sea lions and dolphins.

Till the beginning of 20th century, blue whales were found in abundance. However, they were on the verge of extinction due to hunt expeditions. But with the efforts of international community, blue whale sightings have increased. In the summer of 2012, more than a thousand of blue and finback whales were spotted.

The sheer size of the whales is hard to imagine. During the summers, many whale watching cruises are available. One of the whale watching cruises is offered by Newport Landing Whale Watching.

So take a break and plan a vacation to San Diego and don’t miss out on a whale watching cruise.

Some of the things that you need to carry on your whale watching trip are:

• Sunglasses with UV protection
• Camera to capture beautiful creatures
• Binoculars
• Jacket because summer or winter it can get chilly as you leave the shore

Don’t forget to book a San Diego accommodation in advance during the busy summer.

Approved by the AAA and a proud member of the San Diego’s Chamber of Commerce, the California Suites Hotel is a leading budget hotel in San Diego which provides good services at affordable prices. The best part is that California Suites Hotel is centrally located. Needless to say, most of the beaches, Balboa Park, shopping centers, and other major attractions are a short distance away.

Our facilities include continental breakfast, large warm swimming pool, cable with HBO, wireless internet access, free parking, safe deposit box, laundry facilities and more.

Picture Courtesy:  Newportwhales.com

Does music make your world go round? Is music your food for the soul? If music is your life, then you must not miss the La Jolla Music Society Summer Fest at any cost. Soon to be held from Aug 6 to Aug 29, 2010, in La Jolla,San Diego, this music festival presents an array of programs to provide music enthusiasts with an enriching musical experience.

A long list of artists are slated to delight the audiences with classical as well as new, contemporary compositions. Orchestra aficionados can look forward to some lively concerts when the most celebrated performers from all over the world descend in La Jolla to enchant you with their performances.

There will also be exciting jazz performances by the best names in the industry. This year, the La Jolla Music Society summer fest is bringing together more than 70 renowned artists from all over the world.

The La Jolla Music Society summer fest began in 1986, and since then millions of music lovers have been enthralled by the over 650 artists who have performed here. On the opening night, attendees can watch “String Spectacular’ to be performed by none other than Cho-Liang Lin; the music director of the summer fest.

Some programs will also be dedicated to the music of Chopin and Schumann. Check out ‘Schumann I – A Poet’s Love’ by Harrell and baritone Kelly Markgraf on August 10.

This three-week-long music festival also features workshops, family concerts, multi-disciplinary lectures, pre-concert talks, round table discussions, and other social events. All concerts and programs are scheduled to take place at Sherwood Auditorium, except August 7 when the’Age of Enlightenment’ program by keyboardist Anthony Newman will be presented at the St. James by-the-Sea.

The festival spans three weeks and it will be convenient for any music tourist to find a hotel in San Diego from where La Jolla is nearby. Known as a value price leader among budget hotels, California Suites Hotel is centrally located from where La Jolla and other major attractions are within easy distance. And even San Diego International Airport is just a 15-minute drive away from the hotel.

California Suites Hotel provides fine services and facilities at competitive prices including a complimentary “extended” breakfast, laundry facilities and most importantly awesome discounts, San Diego packages and California vacation packages to their guests. Not everyday you get a chance to watch performances of widely respected musicians, or a chance to interact and learn from them. Don’t miss this richly varied music festival.

Photo courtesy:http://www.instantencore.com

Shark Week is one of the most popular events in San Diego attracting thousands of visitors in a week. As the name suggests, Shark Week is dedicated to sharks. To be held at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps at La Jolla, the Shark Week will run from July 17 to July 23.
The famous Birch Aquarium is home to more than 10 species of sharks. Once you are at the Birch Aquarium you can get up close and personal with different species of sharks including leopard sharks, brown banded bamboo sharks, wobbegongs, whitetip and blacktip reef sharks, Port Jackson sharks and more. You can watch the videos of the sharks in the wild or go on a shark scavenger hunt.

Shark Week at the Birch Aquarium allows you a one-of-a-kind experience of close encounters with sharks, which you can’t expect anywhere else on land! You can touch swell shark pups and docile horn. And don’t forget to get yourself photographed with a white shark.

If you are planning your California family vacations in July, do make it a point to bring your kids to the Shark Week. This 7-day long program educates visitors about these powerful creatures.

Sharks are usually portrayed as dangerous species which kill their vulnerable preys indiscriminately. However this is an unfortunate myth associated with sharks. The researchers at the Scripps do a great job in educating visitors on how sharks are important to marine life, how they can be just as vulnerable and why there is a growing need to protect their declining population.

In order to best enjoy the activities and all the fun at the Shark Week, you should stay at a San Diego lodging from where you can commute easily to the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla.  There are several San Diego accommodations which provide nice San Diego packages and California vacation packages. Talking about best budget motels and hotels, California Suites Hotel offers fine quality services at competitive prices. It is located 15 minute away from the San Diego International Airport, and other attractions such as the Sea World and the Zoo and of course, the sun kissed beaches of San Diego.

San Diego attracts a heavy inflow of tourists during this season, so book your rooms in advance. And don’t forget to include Shark week at Birch Aquarium in your itinerary on your San Diego vacation.

Photo courtesy: blogs.inlandsocal.com/moms/weekly-topic/