Howdy, all. Dana Mentink here. One of the wonderful things about the writing life is research, especially if it includes a holiday getaway. What better way to research for my Pacific Coast Investigations series than to visit the Southern California Island resort town of Coronado, home to the historic Hotel Del Coronado. Here are a couple of coolio facts about Coronado which may or may not have made their way into Dangerous Tidings, my new Love Inspired Suspense.
1. Coronado Island isn't really an island. It's a peninsula. Back (way back) in the day, it was used as a manly destination for jackrabbit hunting, and was home to an ostrich farm. Go figure.
2. The SS Monte Carlo, San Diego’s “floating pleasure palace", a 300 foot refurbished freighter, was launched in 1936 offering fine dining, dancing, and gambling. Anchored off the coast of Coronado, it was a sensation until it ran aground due to a heavy storm. Hundreds of vacationers watched the ship break up, even wading in for souvenir roulette wheels and other gambling flotsam. The ruins are still visible at low tide.
4. Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis filmed Some Like it Hot at the famed Hotel Del Coronado.
5. Today, during the Christmas season, you can enjoy the festivities on the Hotel Del Grounds, including the ice skating rink which sits immediately next to the beach. No joke!
What's your favorite holiday getaway?
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Fun and interesting history of that peninsula. From ostrich farming to skating on the beach. Who would have imagined? I have to ask if the rink has artificial ice or if it's real ice.
ReplyDeleteIt's real ice, if you can believe it!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite getaway is anywhere my granddaughters are.
ReplyDeleteHow fun!! I can't imagine skating by the beach! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm an hour away from an ostrich farm. They not nice birds.
ReplyDeleteHey Dana, you'll find this interesting!
ReplyDeleteI got my Sunset magazine in the mail a couple of days ago, it features places to go, things to do and restaurants to eat at on the Pacific Northwest (primarily California, Oregon & Washington coasts). Anyway, I had just read your post the day before I got it & so what did I see when I started reading the magazine?? A picture of an ice-skating rink right next to the beach!! And I thought to myself "I wonder if this was what Dana was talking about". Well, I turned to the page where it talked about (you guessed it) The Hotel Del Coronado :-D It has a short article about the hotel and ends saying this "At least once a week during the holiday season, someone proposes there"...awwwwwwww!!
I was blown away finding this article & really did find it fascinating! It sure is an interesting sight when you see the actual picture. I can see where you'd have a fun research trip for "Dangerous Tidings", always neat to find inspiration for your books this way! Thanks for sharing, Dana.
P.S. I just took a second look at your book cover and realized it's the exact ice rink...haha! I never really saw that, I guess :-) I thought it was a boardwalk along the ocean.
Oh how funny, Trixi! My hubby and I just couldn't get over that ice rink literally on the beach. So crazy! Thanks for the comment. I'll have to see if I can get a copy of that Sunset Magazine! :)
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