Coronado Ferry Landing, San Diego

This last weekend I played tourist in my own town and rode bike trails completely around the town of Coronado. The streets and restaurants were packed with visitors, especially around the Hotel Del Coronado, but most interesting were the quieter neighborhoods. We rolled past classic Craftsman homes, beach bungalows, faux Italian remodels and a few angular, modernist homes – all charming. We passed sand dunes near the Naval station gate and rode on through parks filled with barbecuing  families – all with breath-taking views of the Coronado bridge, like an airborne snake flexing over the channel.

While you have to walk your bike on most of the beach walks in town, the calmer neighborhoods invite cycling. Best find: pizza and the local brew in a ferry terminal restaurant where we parked long enough to enjoy a Tex-Mex band playing under the trees. Between buildings and bodies were gorgeous views of downtown, the sailboats and ferries scooting between island and skyscrapers.

It’s very relaxing to escape freeways and everyday cares just a few miles from home and it’s becoming a trend worth following as MSN reported on America’s coolest suburbs worth visiting.

If you want to have an backyard adventure in San Diego, head over to Coronado Island. You step off the ferry landing and into the Marketplace, with restaurants and shops. Rent a bike at Bikes and Beyond to explore the flat island easily. Pick up a picnic lunch in one of the many restaurants and slake your thirst at one of the bars.

Copyright 2010, August 23, Elaine Masters, RYT, speaker and author of Drivetime and Flytime Yoga.