Marilyn Monroe is perhaps one of the greatest faces and figures from the 1950s. Which is why it was such a big deal for her to film the movie classic ‘Some Like It Hot’ in Coronado.

If you google her name followed by Coronado, you will find picture upon picture of Marilyn standing on the beach in front of the Hotel Del.

As expected, in these photos, there is a sea of people surrounding her, trying to get as close as possible.  The celebrity status and [in my opinion] her attractive shapely body drew the crowd to the beach, creating what I would imagine a giddy vibe.  Fame does things to people and having Ms Monroe on the sandy Coronado beaches certainly brought a lot of excitement.

While Marilyn filmed the movie, she stayed at the Hotel Del.  This is clearly...

Yes, that’s right, skimboarding.  Not until a few years ago did this activity become popular which is maybe why some haven’t ever heard of it.  It’s like surfing but different because you ride a skimboard along the shore.  As we all know, surfing takes place in the ocean’s waves, sometimes in deep parts of the sea or barrier reefs. Instead of taking such great risks, skimboarding is a safer alternative.  

In Coronado there are several surf shops where you can buy or rent a skimboard.  The shape is more similar to a boogie-board than it is a surfboard.  It's nearly half the length of a surfboard, and smaller than a surfboard  A skim board typically is made of wood, shaved down until about an inch thick.  Its soft and smooth...

Last week I had some friends visiting from New York.  They are a couple friend of mine, both amazing people and my BFFs from NYC.  Years before they met and before I moved to NYC, one of them made a trip to Coronado with some of our other friends for the Holidays.  The majority of them were living in New York so they figured getting out of the cold east coast for a trip to Cali was a great idea.  And let me tell you, it was a fantastic idea.

These two were living in the midst of a cruel New York winter and needed to get out ASAP. This has been one of the toughest winters in decades for East Coasters, with non-stop snow, bone chilling temperatures and winds that make you weak in the knees.  The only parts of your body that are exposed is your face...which you can...

This morning I woke up at 7:30 to a blue, cloudless sky with the sun on the rise.  I could tell it was going to be a beautiful, warm day - one of the perks of living in California in January. Itching for some exercise, I figured going for a stroll along the beach was the right thing to do.  The day was young and the sun was gearing up for some intense heat.  

The mornings can be a little chilly but I knew that wouldn’t last for long.  So I threw on my flip flops, some ¾ jogging pants, a short sleeve shirt, grabbed my mom and headed out.  We decided along the five minute walk to the beach that the plan of action was to walk one length of the beach in the soft sand and on the way back on the hard sand.  

Along the way we encountered all...

Standing on the beach looking out over the ocean at the Pacific horizon stans two islands.  These are the Coronado Islands.

Don’t be fooled, from afar, these islands look tempting as the surrounding water glistens brightly.  But the Coronado Islands are actually uninhabitable and are part of Mexican territory.  

Upon inspecting their shapes, it’s easy to see why people say they look like mummy tombs. As if the tombs were toe to toe and you are looking at the profile of an ancient artifact.  The islands can also be seen from the top of the bridge, getting a birdseye perspective of Coronado Island(s).

Because Coronado is right on the beach, the opportunity to surf the Pacific is possible, whether you have a surfboard or not.  Stop on by Emerald City and grab reasonably priced rentals. They have paddle boards, surf boards and wetsuits of all sizes.  

So, if you’re more experienced out in the ocean, you can rent shorter boards and if you’re a beginner that is eager to try, then a long board will be perfect for you.  The wetsuits may be a bit sandy, but what do you expect? The beach is sandy so it’s inevitable!  They do ask that you brush off the sand from the boards before returning (otherwise they charge a small fee). But it’s easy to clean off.

Bit of advice: put on the wetsuit before going on the ocean.  It’s damn near impossible...

If you happen to be researching the history and images of Coronado, you will find many photos dating back to the 1900s. Most of these pictures will show the Hotel Del Coronado, along with a little community lined by tents.  

Coronado was founded in 1885 with the intention of creating a resort town.  And in 1900, John D Spreckels (famous amongst Coronado residents), purchased a piece of land south of the Hotel Del.  The intention was to create a small touristic, vacation spot. This area was named Tent City.  

Nowadays, the streets are no longer lined with tents but you can see this fascinating piece of history by visiting the Coronado History Museum.  It’s located on Orange Ave, next to the  [appropriately named] restaurant, Tent City.

Coronado is home to the United States Navy Seals - and also their training camp.  Every three months a new group begins the intense, exhausting, exhilirating training course.  The toughest of men endure this epic challenge...and I don’t mean actual strength. The biggest challenge is having the mental capacity (aka courage) to survive the course.  You must be in a focused and strong mindset in order to accomplish this feat.

Day in and day out, the trainees are pushed to the limit, some tasks include: obstacle courses, skydiving and swimming.  Sure, that seems pretty straight forward and manageable.  No, wrong! They aren’t your typical swim courses or jogs along the beach.  The young Seal pups [in training] are expected to jump from helicopters...