Travelers' night

Vancouver: A married couple flew to San Diego to stay for two days, then they're taking a cruise back to Vancouver. They went to the Fashion Valley mall. They said because they have two small children, they only wanted to be away for five days. "We left out plenty of food and water, so they should be okay," the guy said. I looked at him in the mirror, then we all laughed. The kids are actually with gramma. For a moment I thought I would have to call the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or whatever those red-coated guys are called.

North Carolina: Another married couple, who were amazed at how nice San Diego is. They had checked the web earlier, and discovered that San Diego has the best climate in the Western Hemisphere -- better than even Los Angeles or Tijuana, which are very close. They were glad that San Diego is in the middle, politically, rather than far left, like San Francisco. They went to the Westin Horton Grand, on the edge of the Gaslamp Quarter.

Ohio: After moving from Puerto Rico, this family lived in Iowa (what could be more different?!), then Sao Paolo, Brazil, and finally Ohio. The patriarch of the family said the change from Iowa to Sao Paolo was huge, mainly the crime. In Iowa you can leave your front door unlocked, in Sao Paolo, all the locks in the world won't save you from criminals. They went to the Hyatt Grand Manchester on Harbor Drive, downtown.

Australia: Two guys with the Australian military, who are temporarily stationed at one of our Navy bases, told me they went to the Trophy Lounge in National City last night. National City is called Nasty City because it's the arm pit of San Diego. It was hip-hop night, and there were at least 150 black women in gang-like outfits, and they were all over 6' tall. The Australian military is made up of very brave people, but there are limits.

Seattle: A lady and her teenage her daughter were disappointed that today was overcast. They get a lot of that up north, and were hoping for better on their trip. They went to a steak place in Chula Vista.

Marseilles, France: Married couple in San Diego for a few days. Guy is attending a small medical conference. I asked how the weather in San Diego compares to Marseilles (I've heard it's similar). They said Marseilles is warmer in summer and colder in winter. When we were on part of I-5 that was five lanes wide in each direction (going north from downtown to La Jolla), I asked if there were any highways of this size in Southern France. They laughed at that. Three lanes is the largest. They went to the Marriott Residence Inn, La Jolla.