Visiting Balboa Island, in sunny southern California, proved an exciting experience that I will never forget. I had a great time and enjoyed sharing it with my relatives from Italy. I had never been to Balboa Island, even though it is located only about an hour from my home in northern San Diego. Although it is somewhat of a local tourist destination, I had never ventured there before and felt eager to explore a new place.

I immediately noticed all the shops and inviting displays surrounding the main street. Our first stop was for a delicious specialty called a “Balboa Bar”. It is a famous chocolate covered ice cream on a stick, created many years ago. As we navigated the narrow streets toward the ferry, I also saw the interesting architecture that stood for decades. Many of the building designs seemed like dollhouses and someone in our group mentioned that the style was called, Victorian.

Once we parked on one of the narrow and crowded streets, we boarded the ferry sailing to Balboa Peninsula. As I looked around the boat, I caught sight of a daring seagull flying very close the water and our boat. Within less than two seconds, a little girl near the ferry’s edge jumped out to touch it and shockingly fell into the water! Instantly her dad, who stood nearby, jumped in after her and everyone on the ferry ran to observe the drama. The boat’s engine stopped and both father and daughter grabbed onto a life preserver while the crew onboard rushed to pull them to safety. Luckily they survived the short ferry ride and received assistance immediately upon docking at the peninsula.
At Balboa Peninsula my family and I looked at the various shops, especially for food! It is amazing how the excitement of our boat ride really made me hungry. We walked to the pier and saw a single restaurant at the very end. We enjoyed our lunch there, at the first Ruby’s Diner ever opened in southern California. Although I have been to other restaurants of this popular franchise chain, being at the very first is a great memory.

On our way back to Balboa Island we stopped at the huge Ferris wheel, bought some salt water taffy, and played games in the arcade. It was an unexpectedly entertaining afternoon walking around and seeing all the different things to do on Balboa Island. My relatives and I hold great memories and photos, too. I look forward to returning soon to spend some time on the beach or maybe even to try pier fishing!