Little Miss Sunshine in CA: The Conclusion!

Today is the grand finale of Christy’s (Little Miss Sunshine) 2026 California visit. First stop is the Whaley House in Old Town San Diego State Park. From the plaque Christy is so graciously pointing to:

Built by Thomas Whaley in 1856-57, this is the oldest brick structure in southern California. In addition to being the home of the Whaley family, it served variously as granary, store, court-house and school and as the town’s first theater. Whaley’s home was the cultural center of San Diego as well as its most luxurious residence.

All of that info is fantastic, but the marketing campaign focuses on one other piece of info painted directly on the side of the structure: “America’s most haunted house.” That doesn’t hurt the ticket sales.



How the house looked in 1874:



August 1962:



2019:



Our tour guide was very entertaining and gave us some fun facts as we walked around the perimeter and then parked inside the courthouse portion of the museum:



After his spiel, we were free to roam.



Christy enjoyed putting on a show upstairs in the small theater. It was a sold-out performance!



San Diego State University did an archaeological excavation of the grounds, the family well, and the family privy which unearthed more than 66,000 artifacts between 2007-2011. Below is a small sampling of what is on display at the museum:



A selfie, taken in hopes that maybe one of the spirits would appear in the background, but no such luck:



Christy did notice a higher heart rate while in the Whaley House that didn’t go back to normal until she had descended the stairs and exited the building. For real!



Down the street is the El Campo Cemetery. This sign on one of the graves is a bit ironic.



Some of the graves are inside the fenced area of the cemetery:



…and some got paved over OUTSIDE of the fence and are now part of the sidewalk. Yikes. Careful where you step.



Christy was ready for a guest role on “Little House on the Prairie” after exploring Old Town:



Truth be told, we were both ready for some food. The restaurant of choice was the festive Casa Guadalajara Mexican Restaurant:



First things first: Christy got out the Shark to help her cool down!



Then chips and salsa:



drinks:



…and the epic Pollo Fundido! Yum!



I just couldn’t keep this girl out of the fountains.



Back in the old days, we would have taken advantage of this special BIG TIME!



Instead, we paid a visit to the Mason Street Schoolhouse, built in 1865. It was the first publicly owned school in San Diego, used from 1865 to 1872:



Wonder what’s inside?



We played teacher and got this view from behind teacher’s desk:



Enough edutainment already; it was time to get to the good stuff. Christy had never been to a See’s Candy Store. It was time to rectify this tragic situation. Free samples abounded!



For dinner, we went to the classic Rudford’s Diner in North Park; Christy posed by the JFK mural showing his motorcade driving by the restaurant in 1963:



Before we dug into the meal:



Christy is still recovering from the glow of Rudford’s JFK shake; if nothing else, I know this will get her to come back soon!



My Buffalo Chicken salad was tasty!



And then, all too soon, it was time to head to the airport. The fantastic trip by my Indiana bestie had come to a close. Dropping her off at the airport, we took one more selfie until next time:



Back in Indiana, Christy’s mom has been enjoying the See’s Candies. Her first question after eating one, “Can you buy these online?”



Shirley, you jest! What a silly question…

See more Old Town, San Diego photos at my main website.

See's: A VERY Happy Habit!

For as long as I can remember, See's Candies were part of the holidays and other times of life that my family celebrated. Founded (and still headquartered) in California, See's Candies has been around since 1921. Those of us from the West Coast are familiar with their slogan, "A Happy Habit!" One bite of their candy and you'll be hooked, thanks to their commitment to sticking to the finest, freshest ingredients, with no preservatives. Other brands may be more famous, but I have yet to taste one that begins to match See's.



In this vintage shot that a rep from See's was kind enough to share, you can see the line of people waiting to enter one of the famous black and white shops, where every guest is allowed to sample a free piece of chocolate.

When my family moved out east to Philadelphia in 1966, I was comforted to know that there would be at least two times a year that I'd be able to enjoy my beloved See's. At Christmas, my Grandmother would typically ship (or personally deliver!) a 2-5 pound box of chocolates that disappeared quickly as we hungrily devoured it. Our annual trips back to San Diego in the summer meant that I would find a pad of drawing paper and a box of See's waiting for me at my Grandmother's home.



Going to visit a See's Candy store with my Grandmother was a huge treat. The stores were (and still are) immaculate, and the ladies who worked there were impeccably dressed in their starched white uniforms. They were always gracious, always generous with samples, and always smiled at every guest. My eyes popped out of my head as I saw some of my favorite flavors behind the counter, like Kona Mocha and Apricot Delight, just to name a few.

From the See's website, here's their story:

When Charles See arrived in Los Angeles from Canada in 1921 to try his hand at the confection business, he decided that no image would better reflect the personality of his fledgling venture than that of his mother. Apart from using her recipes as a foundation, See knew that keeping things in the family was the only way to bring about the kind of lovingly crafted product he desired.

See along with his mother and his wife, Florence, opened the first See's Candies shop and kitchen on Western Avenue in Los Angeles in November of 1921. The sparkling clean, black and white shop was designed to resemble Mary See's home kitchen. Benefiting from the wide acceptance of an unusually high quality candy, See's was able to grow steadily from that first shop in Los Angeles to twelve shops by the mid-1920's and thirty shops during the depression. By 1936, See's was able to expand to San Francisco. Mary See died in 1939 at the age of 85, but the company's ability to adjust to changing times - without abandoning the passion for quality and service that Mary See represented - kept it going strong throughout the decades to come.

Following World War II, See's Candy Shops grew as California grew, and the See's family continued the tradition, opening up shops throughout the state. In the 50's, See's established itself with the new and growing phenomenon of shopping malls. See's customers continued to recognize the See's Candies product for its quality and taste, and continued to visit See's old-fashioned black and white shops, enjoying a visit to a time past where service was paramount.

In 1972, the See's family sold the company to Berkshire Hathaway Inc., presided over by Chairman Warren Buffett and Vice Chairman Charles Munger. Utilizing his philosophy of acquiring solid companies where he could follow his "hands off" policy, Warren Buffett installed Charles N. Huggins as President and CEO. Charles Huggins dedicated himself to the continuance of the company he joined in 1951, guiding it with the old-fashioned values set by Charles See until his retirement at the end of 2005. He is succeeded by current See's President and CEO, Brad Kinstler, a longtime Berkshire Hathaway team member.

Today, "California's Famous Old Time Candies®" are sold in over two hundred shops throughout the West, a true sign of their enduring popularity. And, to this day, Charles See's living motto, "Quality Without Compromise®" continues to guide the company.

I love introducing friends to See's, like my friend Rob from Indiana University who traveled with me to San Diego for Spring Break during my Senior Year in 1986.



Savoring a See's lollipop, he almost forgot the cast on his leg!



The windows are always festively decorated at See's, too; who could resist walking into such a beautiful shop?



As proof of their place in pop culture, even Barbie commemorated my favorite chocolate company:



To order the best chocolates and establish a VERY happy habit, visit the See's website at sees.com.

UPDATE! Frequent Daveland contributor Lee (aka Cox Pilot) has submitted two photos from a recent visit to See's at South Coast Plaza; I know those black and white checked floors anywhere!



Mom and her two daughters are displaying their treasures! If Lee's family is anything like mine, i'll bet they didn't last long!



See more vintage & current Daveland photos on my photography web pages.