By the beginning of September 1970, I think things had settled into a somewhat normal routine. I believe I had finally left the Glorietta Bay Inn and moved into the Bachelor Officers Quarters (BOQ) on Naval Amphibious Base (NAB), Coronado.
This photo was taken recently (building is circled in red, upper right). Great shot, hunh? There are not many overhead photos of NAB and definitely not from the Seventies. The compound containing Naval Special Warfare Group, Pacific was located in an area at bottom left in the photo. My commute was comfortable. I hope I walked.
The facility, remodeled I’m sure, is now part of the Navy’s “Gateway Inns and Suites” intended for military personnel on TDY (temporary duty) and short-term stays.
“Bachelor” has been outdated in the Navy for a long time. I think much of the on-base housing now is described as being for “unaccompanied” personnel.
This shot of the BOQ is a little more contemporary to 1970.
Those “decks” provided a view to the south, and a great one it was. The “Silver Strand” to the right was the land connection to Imperial Beach and the rest of San Diego. On clear days, of which there were many, one could see the mountaintops in Mexico.
And here’s a gallery of pictures of the interior of the room, the least interesting view. (Why I decided to take pictures of the room at night, in a mess, is unfathomable.) As you can see, the bed was a convertible couch.
I remember there being a small kitchen at the BOQ and no common dining area. Menu was “limited.” I guess I would call down and place an order for take-out. My usual was a cheeseburger and milk shake (which probably had a bit to do with my weight gain). Another might have been franks and beans.
The room included a small, built-in refrigerator, mainly for liquid refreshment.
The base had a small Navy Exchange, like an adjunct to the main facilities, which were located at Naval Air Station, North Island and the Naval Base on the other side of the bay. There was a McDonald’s, I think. San Diego was the home of Jack-in-the-Box, but I suspect McDonald’s had the federal contract.
I did go a few times to something like this. 🙂 