A Scenic Hotel

In the late 70’s and living in Pacific Beach, on most days I was lucky enough to be able to leave my car at home and ride my bike to work at The Diving Locker, where I held the position of Assistant Manager. Though it was a low paying job, it did have a lot of benefits; Free dive boat trips; huge discounts on scuba equipment; almost nightly partying at Swan Song, the local bar & restaurant hangout where scuba instructors would take their students after class. Most nights they’d have a Flamenco guitarist up on the small stage.

My usual route into work wasn’t the most direct, but it was always scenic. Leaving the parking structure of my apartment complex, I would turn right and aim my bike toward the ocean, a few blocks away. Once I got to La Jolla Blvd, I’d turn left on Loring St., right on Crystal Dr. and follow the street until it turned into Ocean Blvd. From there I’d take the concrete walkway that edged along the bluffs overlooking the beach full of surfers and sun worshippers. A section of this path runs directly in front of Capri By the Sea, a beachfront hotel, which offers “Scenic and uninterrupted views of the Pacific Ocean and Crystal Pier….”

One particular morning as I pedaled past the 12-story monolithic structure, I happened to glance up to the 4th or 5th floor, just as a lady walked up and stood close to the floor-to-ceiling window of her hotel room. Typically, this seemingly benign glimpse would not have made a nearly 40-year imprint on my brain, but this particular woman happened to be attractive. And naked. Shortly after I noticed her standing at the window, she noticed me looking at her and quickly stepped back out of view.

Today, decades and 100’s of bike rides or walks later along the same concrete walkway in front of the hotel, I still take a few moments to glance up at the hotel windows, just in case . . .

A scenic hotel, indeed.