Although the actual race was canceled, I still planned to take the trip down to San Diego. It would be one of the few times where I've taken a trip for something besides running a race. Per the usual, I drove down to the Irvine Transportation Center to catch the 7:08 am Amtrak train down to the Santa Fe Depot in Downtown San Diego. The first thing that I noticed when the train pulled into the station was that it was not the usual double-decker cars. Also there were very few passengers.
The train pulled into the Santa Fe Depot just a few minutes past 9 am. From there I walked over to the Hilton San Diego in the Gaslamp Quarter to pick up my race packet. The walk took about 22 minutes. The weather was a bit gloomy and drizzly, just the way I like it.
It was actually a little bit of a bummer to attend the race expo knowing that there won't be a race tomorrow. Per the usual, their packet pick-up process was well organized. In addition to the usual race shirt and bib, we were given a nice baseball cap and bag full of what would've been the post race snacks. One of the volunteers distributing the finisher medals wanted to place the medal around my neck. I politely declined.
After leaving the race expo, I walked over to the nearby Gaslamp Quarter Station to catch the green line out to the Westfield Mission Valley mall. Prior to boarding the trolley, I purchased a day pass on the MTS Cloud Compass mobile app.
Once I had arrived at the Mission Valley Center Station, I headed over to the mall across the street. I used my AMC A-List membership to watch Onward. While it was an entertaining Disney movie with lots of humor all throughout, I found that the story was quite predictable. I'm also not a fan of Tom Holland's acting even if it's just his voice. The majority of Marvel fans love him as the current Spider-man, but I am not one of them. He is however still better than Tobey Maguire for that role.
Baseball cap
Tote bag
Goodies
Race shirt
Finisher medal
Gaslamp Quarter
After the movie, I headed back over to the Mission Valley Center Station to catch a quick ride over to the nearby Fashion Valley Transit Center. From there I waited for the #20 bus to take me over to my timeshare rental for the weekend. I got off of the bus at the corner of 10th Ave and C St. I arrived at the WorldMark San Diego - Balboa Park property at about 1:30 pm. My room was ready for me to check-in. During the check-in process, the guy at the front desk was spraying down and cleaning the counter more so than I've seen in the past.
After getting checked-in and getting my room key, I had to make a quick stop at the concierge desk for a welcome package which consisted a bag full of snacks. I was also enticed to attend another owner update in exchange for a $85 American Express gift card. Since I didn't have a race or anything else planned for this trip, how could I say no to $85? I agreed to the owner update for tomorrow morning. I had planned to limit my potential exposure to the coronavirus and just veg out in my room for the entirety of the weekend. This would only be the one exception.
After I got settled in, I went across the street to pick up a late lunch at McDonald's. The best deal that I could find on the mobile app was: buy a Filet-O-Fish, get a small or medium fries and an apple pie for free. I took the food back to my room to enjoy.
I went back out to McDonald's later that evening to pick up dinner. This time, the best deal that I could find on the mobile app was: buy one Big Mac or Quarter Pounder with Cheese, get one for $0.25. Once again, I took it back to my room to enjoy.
Sunday 3/15
For dinner I used this deal on the mobile app: buy a Big Mac, QPC, or 10pc Chicken McNuggets, get small or medium fries for free. I went with the Big Mac. In addition to the deal, I ordered a large unsweetened iced tea for $1.
Later that evening, I started packing for my early train ride back to Irvine for work. While packing, I decided to take the spare roll of toilet paper that was under the bathroom sink. That could come useful as people have been hoarding toilet paper with the impending pandemic lockdown looming in the horizon.
Monday 3/16
Welcome bag
Onward Happy Meal toys
Sunday 3/15
The owner update was scheduled for 10 am. Per the usual, I went down to the lobby a bit earlier to wait for my Uber ride over to the WorldMark San Diego - Mission Valley property. It was the standard owner update followed by their "no pressure" sales pitch. However one thing was different. People were starting to employ COVID-19 safety protocols. Handshakes were replaced with elbow bumps. Inside of a buffet style complimentary breakfast, the meal was a prewrapped breakfast burrito. Once I endured the sales pitches and rejected all of their offers to purchase more credits, I received my $85 American Express gift card and waited for my Uber ride back to my hotel.
I stuck to my plan and vegged out in my room for the rest of my trip only going out across the street to McDonald's for food. For lunch, I used the same deal as I had used yesterday: buy a Filet-O-Fish, get a small or medium fries and an apple pie for free.
Spare roll of TP
Monday 3/16
I woke up super early, got ready, and dropped my keys off at the front desk before taking my walk over to the Santa Fe Depot train station to catch the 4:00 am train. This time the cars were the usual double-decker ones. When I arrived at the Irvine Transportation Center, there looked to be the usual large crowd of people headed to work.
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