Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world, Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Seacliffs, Torrey Pines State Reserve, La Jolla, aerial photo.

 SIO Pier. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography research pier is 1090 feet long and was built of reinforced concrete in 1988, replacing the original wooden pier built in 1915. The Scripps Pier is home to a variety of sensing equipment above and below water that collects various oceanographic data. The Scripps research diving facility is located at the foot of the pier. Fresh seawater is pumped from the pier to the many tanks and facilities of SIO, including the Birch Aquarium. The Scripps Pier is named in honor of Ellen Browning Scripps, the most significant donor and benefactor of the Institution, La Jolla, California

Scripps Institute of Oceanography research pier, La Jolla.

 Hotel del Coronado, known affectionately as the Hotel Del. It was once the largest hotel in the world, and is one of the few remaining wooden Victorian beach resorts. It sits on the beach on Coronado Island, seen here with downtown San Diego in the distance. It is widely considered to be one of Americas most beautiful and classic hotels. Built in 1888, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977

Hotel del Coronado, Coronado Island, aerial photo.
San Diego Coronado Bridge, known locally as the Coronado Bridge, links San Diego with Coronado, California. The bridge was completed in 1969 and was a toll bridge until 2002. It is 2.1 miles long and reaches a height of 200 feet above San Diego Bay. Coronado Island is to the left, and downtown San Diego is to the right in this view looking north

Aerial photo of the San Diego Coronado Bridge, which links San Diego with Coronado Island.

 Downtown San Diego and USS Midway. The USS Midway was a US Navy aircraft carrier, launched in 1945 and active through the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm, as of 2008 a museum along the downtown waterfront in San Diego

Aerial photo of downtown San Diego and USS Midway aircraft carrier museum.

 San Diego Convention Center, located in the Marina District of downtown San Diego. Built in 1989, the San Diego Convention Center offers 525,700 square feet of exhibit space. It is noted for its distinctive "sails" made of Teflon-coated fiberglass suspended over the central exhibition hall, aptly named Sails Pavilion

Aerial photo of the San Diego Convention Center, located in the Marina District of downtown San Diego.
Marriott Hotel towers, rising above the Embarcadero Marine Park and yacht marina, San Diego, California

Aerial photo of the Marriott Hotel towers, rising above the Embarcadero Marine Park and yacht marina.

 Crystal Pier, 872 feet long and built in 1925, extends out into the Pacific Ocean from the town of Pacific Beach. Mission Bay and downtown San Diego are seen in the distance

Aerial photo of Crystal Pier, Pacific Beach.

 New Point Loma Lighthouse, situated on the tip of Point Loma Peninsula, marks the entrance to San Diego Bay. The lighthouse rises 70' and was built in 1891 to replace the "old" Point Loma Lighthouse which was often shrouded in fog

New Point Loma Lighthouse, situated on the tip of Point Loma Peninsula, marks the entrance to San Diego Bay. The lighthouse rises 70' and was built in 1891 to replace the "old" Point Loma Lighthouse which was often shrouded in fog.
Downtown San Diego and Petco Park, viewed from the southeast

Downtown San Diego and Petco Park, viewed from the southeast.

 Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world, Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world.

 Camp Pendleton, Pacific coastline, north of San Diego county and the city of Oceanside. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton

Camp Pendleton, Pacific coastline, north of San Diego county and the city of Oceanside. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
Torrey Pines balloon aerial survey photo. Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world. Peregine falcons nest at the edge of the cliffs. This photo was made as part of an experimental balloon aerial photographic survey flight over Torrey Pines State Reserve, by permission of Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

180-degree north-south panorama of Torrey Pines State Reserve seacliffs, with flat rock and Torrey Pines State Beach, photographed with a balloon aerial survey photography rig.
Torrey Pines balloon aerial survey photo. Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world. Peregine falcons nest at the edge of the cliffs. This photo was made as part of an experimental balloon aerial photographic survey flight over Torrey Pines State Reserve, by permission of Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Torrey Pines balloon aerial survey photo. Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world. Peregine falcons nest at the edge of the cliffs. This photo was made as part of an experimental balloon aerial photographic survey flight over Torrey Pines State Reserve, by permission of Torrey Pines State Reserve.
The Children's Pool in La Jolla, also known as Casa Cove, is a small pocket cove protected by a curving seawall, with the rocky coastline and cottages and homes of La Jolla seen behind it

The Children's Pool in La Jolla, also known as Casa Cove, is a small pocket cove protected by a curving seawall, with the rocky coastline and cottages and homes of La Jolla seen behind it.

 Point Loma peninsula, with scalloped sandstone cliffs edging the Pacific Ocean, looking south. Navy facilities are scattered along this section of Point Loma, San Diego, California

Point Loma peninsula, with scalloped sandstone cliffs edging the Pacific Ocean, looking south. Navy facilities are scattered along this section of Point Loma.

 Coast Highway 101, looking south from Del Mar, with Los Penasquitos Marsh on the left and the cliffs of Torrey Pines State Reserve and La Jolla in the distance, San Diego, California

Coast Highway 101, looking south from Del Mar, with Los Penasquitos Marsh on the left and the cliffs of Torrey Pines State Reserve and La Jolla in the distance.
Ocean Beach Pier, also known as the OB Pier or Ocean Beach Municipal Pier, is the longest concrete pier on the West Coast measuring 1971 feet (601 m) long. Sunset Cliffs and Point Loma extend off to the south, San Diego, California

Ocean Beach Pier, also known as the OB Pier or Ocean Beach Municipal Pier, is the longest concrete pier on the West Coast measuring 1971 feet (601 m) long. Sunset Cliffs and Point Loma extend off to the south.

 Old Point Loma Lighthouse, sitting high atop the end of Point Loma peninsula, seen here with San Diego Bay and downtown San Diego in the distance. The old Point Loma lighthouse operated from 1855 to 1891 above the entrance to San Diego Bay. It is now a maintained by the National Park Service and is part of Cabrillo National Monument

Old Point Loma Lighthouse, sitting high atop the end of Point Loma peninsula, seen here with San Diego Bay and downtown San Diego in the distance. The old Point Loma lighthouse operated from 1855 to 1891 above the entrance to San Diego Bay. It is now a maintained by the National Park Service and is part of Cabrillo National Monument

 San Diego Mormon Temple, is seen amid the office and apartment buildings and shopping malls of University City, La Jolla, California

San Diego Mormon Temple, is seen amid the office and apartment buildings and shopping malls of University City.
Torrey Pines balloon aerial survey photo. Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world. Peregine falcons nest at the edge of the cliffs. This photo was made as part of an experimental balloon aerial photographic survey flight over Torrey Pines State Reserve, by permission of Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Torrey Pines balloon aerial survey photo. Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world. Peregine falcons nest at the edge of the cliffs. This photo was made as part of an experimental balloon aerial photographic survey flight over Torrey Pines State Reserve, by permission of Torrey Pines State Reserve.
Torrey Pines balloon aerial survey photo. Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world. Peregine falcons nest at the edge of the cliffs. This photo was made as part of an experimental balloon aerial photographic survey flight over Torrey Pines State Reserve, by permission of Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Torrey Pines balloon aerial survey photo. Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world. Peregine falcons nest at the edge of the cliffs. This photo was made as part of an experimental balloon aerial photographic survey flight over Torrey Pines State Reserve, by permission of Torrey Pines State Reserve.
Coronado Shores, a group of 10 condominium buildings south of the Hotel Del, on the water on Coronado Island, San Diego, California

Coronado Shores, a group of 10 condominium buildings south of the Hotel Del, on the water on Coronado Island.

 Mission Bay is the largest man-made aquatic park in the country. It spans 4,235 acres and is split nearly evenly between land and water. It is situated between the communities of Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Bay Park and bordered on the south by the San Diego River channel. Once named "False Bay" by Juan Cabrillo in 1542, the tidelands were dredged in the 1940's creating the basins and islands of what is now Mission Bay

Mission Bay in San Diego, California.