Review of Captain's Cove Nautical Gift & Fine Brass Store at Seaport Village in Downtown San Diego

Before the current vampire fad it was hip to be or like a pirate... especially one who sports black eye-shadow and who moves like a cross between Keith Richards and Pepe LePew (as modeled by Johnny Depp in the popular film, Pirates of the Caribbean). I don't know any real life pirate, but there is no better place in town to stalk one out than at Captain's Cove in Seaport Village.

This little sea/pirate-theme gift store seems to house all skull and crossbones paraphernalia ever made since the time of Blackbeard and Anne Bonny. The long and thin wooden store sorts of naturally divides into three sections demarcated by the long cashier counter in the middle. It seems to be one of the more well-visited gift shops in Seaport Village, with lots of visitors and their kids filling up the place. You want to be careful as you try to move around there (especially if you're carrying a backpack or shopping bag) or you might just end up knocking something (most likely a skull) off the shelves.

Aside from pirate mugs, coin banks, murals, bandanas, shot glasses, dolls, and even full plastic skeletals, they also have t-shirts, hats, bracelets, necklaces, small model tall ships (some inside a bottle), little crystal globes with a sinking ship inside, and other sea-theme items for sale. The price is on the high side (a shot glass for $4.50... and they all come with this alarming warning sticker about the presence of cadmium and other carcinogens you may be exposed to if you want to drink off the thing), $7.50 for a skull coin bank. The items are all of good quality, though, and there are many hard-to-resist funny carved wooden signs for the fun-loving gift-givers.

The staff are really cool and nice about letting people browse the merchandise without trying to push for sale. And when you have any question, they're very willing to help. Aside from the Village's Hat Shop nearby, this is one of the stores the locals like to come in for a browsing session after having wrestled with seagulls and other thieving birds over lunch, especially on hot days. There's a comfortable wooden bench on its north porch where you can finish whatever you're eating before going inside (be considerate! The aisles are narrow in there and you don't want to sweeten any of those pirates' hoards inside with dripping ice-cream cone. That's just ruin the entire atmosphere!).

Captain's Cove also offers online shopping, but the website's inventory doesn't even cover half of what's in the store (and it a lot less fun). So, if you are in San Diego and plan on visiting its famous Seaport Village, be sure to drop in at this little shop. It's just north of the duck pond and south of the Carousel.

Captain's Cove (at Seaport Village): 851 W Harbor Dr# C, San Diego, CA 92101, Tel. (619) 234-5050
Opens daily: 10AM-9PM Website: www.captainscove.net