by Ellen Uffen
Quick-what do you know about San Diego? The weather and the zoo, right?
Not to disparage either of these wonderful things-which alone are worth the trip-but there's also the fact that ASHA's 2005 Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Convention will be held at the San Diego Convention Center Nov. 18-20.
So start making your plans and find out first-hand what 70 degrees feels like in November.
And for those ASHA members who already happen to live where it's warm in November, please join the rest of us. There'll be plenty going on in San Diego aside from the perfect weather. But more about Convention activities, including specific information concerning registration, hotels, and schedules, is slated to appear on the ASHA Web site and in future issues of The ASHA Leader. Right now, let's talk about San Diego.
Attractions
The second most populated city in California after Los Angeles (and the seventh-largest in the United States), San Diego is a stunning place in the luckiest of natural settings that offers a diversity of activities-and some excellent eating (for a tasty sampling, see Cheryl's sidebar of favorites). It's also a sprawling city, but one whose major attractions are surprisingly accessible by foot or public transportation.
There are things here not to be missed so plan carefully around the many events at the ASHA Convention and make some time to be a tourist in San Diego.
You're already in the San Diego Convention Center-there's a convenient trolley line right there to take you wherever you choose to go. Or you might want to take a stroll around the downtown area first. The Embarcadero-the harbor-is a fine place to roam. Breathe in that wonderful salt water scent and look around. You'll be within walking distance of the Museum of Contemporary Art and the San Diego Maritime Museum. Little Italy's also close by-stop for lunch or dinner or a snack.
Or wander through the Gaslamp Quarter, only eight blocks long, so easy to negotiate, and once home to saloons and bordellos, among other colorful sites. It's now a National Historic District that's a lively area of restaurants and art galleries. There's also plenty of shopping in the vicinity-the shops of Seaport Village are right next to the Convention Center and Horton Plaza is also close by. The new PETCO Park-the home of the San Diego Padres-is nearby as well.
Then choose a direction: Find your way to the Broadway Pier west of the Convention Center and take a short ferry trip to visit the fabulous Hotel del Coronado-it's an all-wood Victorian over-the-top sight much worth seeing and, just in case anyone asks, "the del" is the place where the Prince of Wales first met Mrs. Simpson (the hotel's Prince of Wales Restaurant commemorates the occasion). The Museum of History and Art is right in the neighborhood too, as is the U.S. Naval Air Station.
Or head north and a bit west of the Convention Center and visit Old Town. See where San Diego began. History is recreated in the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. And while you're there, don't miss the colorful Bazaar del Mundo-do some shopping and stop (again-why not?) for a snack, this time of wonderful and authentic Mexican specialties.
Balboa Park
However you spend your time in San Diego, make sure to save some of it to visit Balboa Park. In fact, it wouldn't be bad advice to just visit Balboa Park and forget everything else-but we wouldn't want to twist your arm even though we can promise you that you'll never forgive yourself if you don't see the San Diego Zoo, the most famous spot in the park and perhaps in the city as well.
Balboa Park, of course, has a lot more than the zoo in its 1,200 acres. There are 15 museums, at least one for every eclectic taste, including the San Diego History Museum, Museum of Art, and Model Railroad Museum (the world's largest of its kind). There's a carousel and a miniature railroad. There are natural wonders wherever you look-Balboa Park is home to 15,000 trees of 350 different species and there's a Desert Garden, Old Cactus Garden, a rose garden, and native plant preserve. And all of this barely scratches Balboa Park's splendid surface.
But, back to the zoo. You say you've already been to the San Diego Zoo? How many times? Once? Twice? Take our advice: Go to the San Diego Zoo. Some say it's the greatest zoo in the world and some of us have no argument with that assessment. And who told you it's just for kids? Don't believe that for a minute.
This is a zoo with everything. It's been growing since 1916, when Henry Wegeforth got the idea from the previous year's Panama-California International Exposition, with its display of animals, which was held in Balboa Park. Wegeforth quickly put together a board of directors, found some donors and, by 1921, received approval to move to 150 acres in Balboa Park.
From the few animals left over from the Panama-California International Exposition, the zoo now is home to more than 4,000 animals in beautifully designed natural habitats as well as 6,500 plant species. There's a tropical aviary, an Asian rain forest, the Polar Bear Plunge, the Giant Pandas, and don't miss the Absolutely Apes display. The zoo is huge-you might want to look into taking a tram or a Skyfari or you'll get very tired very fast.
And lest you spend so much time at the zoo that you have little time left for souvenir shopping, don't worry-do your shopping right there at the zoo's own gift shops and some of what you spend will go to support zoo programs.
The zoo also runs a Wild Animal Park, north of the city, which is definitely worth the time, if you have any to spare. It's a giant wildlife preserve where habitats are natural and animals run free. You'll feel like you're on safari.
And, if you have some more time, even though it's a little far afield, don't forget SeaWorld-it's a lot more commercial than the zoo, but a lot of fun anyway. Shamu the killer whale puts on a terrific show, as do his aquatic colleagues the dolphins and sea lions and sharks and manatees and other creatures of the waters.
And, a couple of other things: San Diego also has 70 miles of spectacular beaches-Mission Bay's the place to see-and you're also a stone's throw away from Mexico, a fact that is certainly architecturally and culinarily evident. But you already have so much to do, maybe we'll save the Mexican connection until your next trip (however, if you can't wait and you're determined to get there, the San Diego Trolley's a good way to do it-it's fast and convenient).
Convention Theme
Lest we get more involved in the pleasures of where we are, let's for a moment consider why we're there. The ASHA Convention itself is, of course, one of San Diego's prime attractions, at least from Nov. 18-20, and Convention co-chairs Brenda Ryals (for audiology) and Brian Shulman (speech-language pathology) are promising some heady treats. Using Evidence to Support Clinical Practice-the 2005 Convention theme-will be the basis of exciting sessions and professional development opportunities for members at every stage of their careers.
The ASHA Audiology Convention this year will highlight a different topic each day-vestibular issues, auditory processing disorders, and genetics, with nationally and internationally known speakers scheduled to present their work. The morning audiology keynote addresses will not overlap other sessions, so those attending the keynotes can still attend that other special presentation that sounded so interesting.
Since the theme of evidence-based practice is of increasing importance to both audiologists and speech-language pathologists, expect many sessions that will attract professionals from both areas. Planners are hoping that SLPs will attend audiology sessions-and vice versa. The ASHA Convention is a rare opportunity for members of both professions to meet, converse, and share each other's work.
So make your preliminary plans and keep your eyes on The ASHA Leader and the ASHA Web site. More specific information on the 2005 ASHA Convention is coming soon. And, come fall, don't pack away the warm weather clothing and sunglasses-happily, you'll need them in November.