The Hotel Del Coronado

If the San Diego-Coronado Bridge were the only way to get to Coronado Island, I would never have seen The Hotel Del Coronado nor walked on Coronado Beach. Between my fear of bridges and heights, I would have to have stayed on the San Diego side. It's hard to get a picture of just how high and long this sweeping bridge is. It's actually lovely from a distance - as long as I don't think about crossing it.
Luckily it is possible to drive on 'The Silver Strand' via Hwy 75 from Imperial Beach to reach Coronado.

The Hotel Del Coronado was opened in 1888. It is one of the few remaining examples of the wooden Victorian beach resort. Somewhere in my life I had become acquainted with this famous hotel. I assumed I had seen it in a movie, though none of the movies listed as having been made there are familiar to me.
The movie, "Somewhere In Time" was based on the book, "Bid Time Return" by Richard Matheson. He wrote much of the book while staying at the hotel, but when the movie was made in 1980 it was actually filmed at The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
In the 1960's, a new owner planned to demolish the old hotel in order to develop the area. Instead he decided to refurbish the rooms and add on to the original hotel. Since then two other subsequent owners have upgraded "The Del".

There is something magical about walking on any beach. The Coronado Beach looks as though it has been strewn with gold dust which certainly adds to the magic. Other beach goers didn't seem to be trying to scoop up the golden sand, so I assume it was mica.
It would seem "The Golden Strand" would be a more appropriate name than "The Silver Strand" - though not as alliterative. Plain old Hwy 75 works for me; just so I don't have to cross that bridge!