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The UC Santa Barbara Waterpolo Team In San Diego The Reason For Our Trip To Sunny Southern California |
SEARCHING FOR AN EXCHANGE
After having agreed upon an exchange for a golf course home in Kiawah Island, South Carolina for our condominium in Costa Rica for the fall of 2008, which eventually had to be postponed for a year, we decided to try our luck again to see if we would be able to make an exchange happen a little closer to home this time, to somewhere Mark could fly our Beechcraft Travel Air. We decided to attempt an exchange in San Diego for one week while our two daughters were in a college waterpolo tournament being held at Cal Statue University San Diego. They each played for different colleges, The University of Southern California, and The University of California at Santa Barbara and were seldom at the same tournaments, but this was for the league finals where they would be both competing, determining which team would advance to the NCAA championships.
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3 BEDROOM OCEAN VIEW CONDO IN COSTA RICA 5 minutes from the beach on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica near the surfing town of Tamarindo with private beach club and golf course |
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LUXURY 2 BEDROOM DOWNTOWN CONDO Located in a luxury high-rise in the heart of beautiful San Diego, walking distance to theaters, shopping, and hundreds of restaurants with views of the city and sunsets every night Two beautiful properties with both owners looking to make an exchange to somewhere which would fit their needs. All that needed to be done was to find the right perople with whom to make the exchange. We were ready to exchange our condo in Costa Rica, but could we convince the owners of this luxury high-rise in downtown San Diego that they would enjoy our home in the tropics? After sending out an email to the owners of this property the answer was yes! "Dear Shelley, I have spoken with my husband and this will work out for us. What time of year do we NOT want to go to Costa Rica so we can start planning something. Our condo is in the heart of the Marina district in downtown San Diego. I'm sure being from California you are probably familiar with the area. But if not I have lots of suggestions for you. Also in the condo we have a notebook with restaurants and other activities for you to use. We are excited about your home. It looks beautiful and we will take care of it as our own. Let me know details and I will send you a sheet on the keys, etc. Regards, Cathy" |
After forwarding information to Cathy regarding when was the best time to travel to Costa Rica and providing answers to other questions about transportation and tours, Cathy, her husband, and another couple decided to travel to Costa Rica in November 2008, a perfect time, as it is the end of the rainy season when everything is still lush and green, but very little rain falls.
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The Lush Beauty of Costa Rica in November |
DO YOU NEED AN EXCHANGE CONTRACT?
People have often asked if we feel uncomfortable opening our home to strangers, trusting that they will take care of it, and if there is some sort of contract or security deposti required of one another when making a home exchange. After fifteen exchanges I have had only one party request a contract for each of us to sign, specifying the details for each exchange including dates, cleaning responsibilities, delivery of keys, and what each party is allowed to use in each home. No one else has suggested this, and all of the details have been handled by email, only having spoken on the phone with two fellow exchangers. Homeexhange.com offers a sample contract which can be used and which can be viewed here. One important issue which needs to be clarified, whether it is in a contract or just verbally, regards cleaning of the home upon leaving. We have found that it is best when each homeowner pays for the cleaning of their own home after the exchange guests have left. We request that the beds which have been used be stripped and that the linens and towels be placed in the laundry room when leaving. This seems to be pretty standard with all of the other homeowners we have dealt with. Home exchanging is a trust-based enterprise and I have always felt that if you are going into someone's home knowing that they will also be in your home, that extra special care will be taken, not like a vacation rental home which is often times abused. This has proven to be true for all fifteen exchanges we have made, and we have never had any theft or damage done to our home. Of course, there may always be an exception and some people will feel more comfortable with a signed contract from both parties.
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View From Our San Diego Condo At Dusk |
A TRIP TO SAN DIEGO
A couple of months after my initial contact with Cathy we loaded up our Travel Air in Sacramento, and after the 2 1/2 hour flight arrived at the small general aviation airport of Montgomery Fields, a few miles outside of downtown San Diego, picked up our rental car, and drove into the City. Following the directions I received from Cathy and winding our way through the busy downtown city streets we were able to find our new home, collect the key from the doorman who was expecting us, find our designated parking spot, and let ourselves in. Our temporary new home was located on the fifteenth floor of a twenty story building with spectacular views out over the city and the San Diego Bay. Directly across the bay from us was the North Island Naval Air Station where the U.S. Navy ports its large aircraft carriers and fighter jets
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USS Midway A few blocks from us we could also view the Navy Pier where the aircraft carrier USS Midway is a permanently docked museum (and a great tour to take), and further down the street we watched cruise line ships arriving daily into the port of San Diego. An amazing view with something always to watch. |
Living Room With View Of The City The two bedroom apartment was beautifully furnished, had a fully stocked kitchen with a computer and printer available for our use, and we were within walking distance of everything we needed. A large grocery store was just across the street, and located on the opposite corner was Nordstrom, in the Horton Plaza shopping center along with all the stores I could ever ask for. We were all set for a week in the big city!  |
Master Bedroom With View Of Nordstrom! |
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Horton Plaza |
PARTY TIME IN SAN DIEGO
While we were checking out our new digs we noticed a folded shopping cart in the closet and wondered why it was there, until we had walked over to Ralph's Market and then had to come back carrying all of our heavy groceries. Oh, that is why they had a shopping cart in the closet! The only people I had ever seen using a shopping cart in Sacramento were homeless people, but I now came to realize what a great tool this was and how effortless it was to be able to load up my shopping cart in the store and then just walk back home with it fully loaded. And that little cart got quite a work out while we were there! Because we were staying in our apartment and there were many other team parents also staying in the city, but in hotel rooms, we decided to host two cocktail parties for the two different teams. This of course meant stocking up at Ralph's with food, beer, wine and other miscellaneous beverages. As we returned to our apartment with our over flowing shopping cart stacked high with alcohol we received quite a few looks, and even were asked by a gentleman if he could join our party. Sorry, waterpolo parents only!
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| Gas Lamp District of San Diego |
The two parties we hosted were a huge success. I had to worn the dooman that we would be having quite a few guests and he helpfully directed everyone up to our place, where the views of the city were enjoyed by all. The first party was for the UCSB parents, and after some eating, drinking and socializing, we all decided to walk across the street for dinner at Napa Valley Grille located on the top floor of the Horton Plaza Shopping Center. What a simple way to entertain! The party for the USC parents was the next night, and after another enjoyable evening of cocktails we all walked to a different restaurant in the famous Gas Lamp district of San Diego, about five blocks away. I was certainly enjoying the convenience of city living, and even started imagining living there.
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USC Team Lines Up For Final Game |
WATERPOLO GAMES
During our week in San Diego we of course attended many waterpolo games and were able to cheer the USC team on to victory as they won the league title.
The Santa Barbara team struggled, as this was the year that their new coach quit halfway through the season, leaving them with an inexperienced assistant coach taking over the job. It is always wonderful to be there for your children when they win and to be able to share in their celebration, but it is even more important to be there when they are loosing and discouraged. I am so glad that we were able to be there that week for both of our daughters, and when the games were over, Gillian, our USCB daughter was even able to stay with us in our apartment the last night, which is always a treat for us, and
was important for her as well.
was important for her as well.
TIME FOR SOME GOLF
In between waterpolo games and entertaining we were able to squeeze in one day of golf at the Four Season Resort (now the Park Hyatt) Aviara Golf Course which overlooks the Pacific Ocean in Carlsbad, just a few miles north of downtown San Diego. This beautiful course designed by Arnold Palmer, and ranked as one of the best golf resort courses in America took us through rolling hillsides, colorful flowers, plenty of bunkers, and of course the ever present water challenges, and even though I played badly, I always enjoy the beauty of golf courses such as this one, no matter how difficult it may be to play and how poorly I perform.
GOODBYE SAN DIEGO
After a wonderful week in San Diego we were sorry to have to say goodbye to the sunshine, ocean, golf, and the big city living we enjoyed, and decided that we would have to come back some other time. We packed up our belongings, returned the key to the doorman, and headed for the airport, along with Gillian who we would drop off in Santab Barbara on our way back home to Sacramento. The first of many successful exchanges. I hoped that Cathy and her friends would enjoy Costa Rica as much as we had enjoyed our stay in San Diego.
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The View From Our Exchange Home in San Diego Next Exchange - A Week of Celebration in Santa Barbara |
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