In my opinion, the beach at Coronado is the best beach in San Diego. Maybe not for surfing, or for cruising the boardwalk (it doesn't really have one). But for the whole beach experience and setting, nothing beats Coronado - from the drive across the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, to the charm of the city, to the majestic backdrop of the Hotel Del Coronado to the beach, nothing compares in San Diego County.
One thing I've always liked about Coronado beach are the sand dunes that front the central beach area just north of the Hotel Del. The dunes are quite high, topped with ice plant (or pickle weed as some call it), and form a maze-like barrier to the wide, sandy beach. Not that many of San Diego's beaches have sand dunes. Dunes. Cool.
Apparently, though, there's more to these dunes. One day, I'm watching a local San Diego TV show, "Ken Kramer's About San Diego" (no relation to this website), a program of short reports of area history and people.
So, I'm watching this segment on Coronado's sand dunes that spell out a secret message. What? Apparently, sometime back in the 1980s, a city maintenance fellow who cleans up the beach sand with heavy equipment was trying to get rid of tons of seaweed washed on shore after a big storm. Having no place to dispose of it, he started piling sand over the seaweed, creating the dunes.
But he decided to be creative and formed the dunes into his own inside joke: he formed the dunes to spell out the word "Coronado." Yep, not only are the sand dunes man-made, they contain a message.
THe thing is, you don't really notice the secret message because at ground level, the dunes are too large. But if you have your own aircraft, you can see clearly the extra-large sand sculpture.
If you don't have the benefit of a helicopter, then click here to see a photograph.
