San Diego: Downtown & La Jolla

Oh my goodness. Is today Thursday?

You see, friends, I caught a horrible cold (or something more epic?) during our trip over to the west coast, and it has been taking over my life ever since. I can’t remember the last time I felt this sick!

I guess you could say that the timing was less than ideal. That redeye plane ride home Tuesday night … wow. I truly hope you never have to experience flying with a head cold. Am I underwater? Am I talking ridiculously loud or soft? I still don’t know, and there’s no doubt in my mind that I embarrassed myself.

I’ve been doing my best to rest and get back to a normal work schedule at the gym, and I’m finally starting to feel a little more like myself today. Phew!

Despite catching the plague, I had a fabulous time visiting San Diego, California! Scott and I left Detroit last Friday and stayed with our dear friends Joel and Kylee at their city apartment in Little Italy. The views didn’t suck.

We were very grateful for their hospitality while we were there, and we left feeling utterly jealous of the new city they get to call home. (We met both of them when they lived in Detroit!)

 

Day One

 

We saw way too many things for me to compile into one post, so I’m going to be breaking our trip down day by day.

Here are the highlights of Day One!

 

Downtown San Diego

We set out on foot in hopes of finding a quick and casual spot for fish tacos shortly after we landed and dropped our bags off at the apartment.

Neither Scott or I are big fans of fish, but he enjoys fish tacos. After searching online, Downtown Fish Joint seemed just like what we were were looking for, so we took a fifteen minute walk over to C Street & 4th Avenue.

They offer a great selection of tacos and combo plates that include (fantastic) waffle fries and cole slaw. I tried a bite of everything on Scott’s combo plate and kept my order “light” by ordering two shrimp tacos.

And when I say “light”, I really mean that I left overly stuffed and proud of myself for finishing it all. (Portions are huge!)

It’s a good thing I powered up, because we strolled around the city for the rest of the afternoon. First we stumbled on upon Westfield Horton Plaza, which was a beautiful 5-story strip of stores we could have window shopped for hours.

It’s also close to the Gaslamp District, which we’ve heard is a lively part of the Downtown area that is perfect for dinner and/or drinks after a long day of shopping. We wanted to venture back over towards the water, so we walked and saw as much as we could on the way, including a building I instantly recognized: the Santa Fe Depot (Union Station).

We loved how easy it is to use public transportation in the city! We never hopped on the trolley during our visit, but a lot of people we talked to while we were there say they do it all the time and love the convenience and price.

Close by, we found the water and a sight Scott got really excited over … the USS Midway!

It’s huge and very impressive sitting right there in the harbor. We didn’t want to spend the time to take a tour right then, but Scott came back to see the museum and walk the tour the next morning while I attended a barre class. He loved it!

Wanting to explore more, we grabbed a couple of bike rentals and pedaled our way through a good thirty minutes or so.

It was beautiful out! My favorite part was Seaport Village. We had to walk our bikes on the sidewalk through the shops, and there was so much to do and see.

I’m not sure what we were expecting out of San Diego – but it was absolutely gorgeous. There’s beaches, mountains, a big city feel (downtown), a small beach town vibe (closer to Pacific Beach or Ocean Beach), big stores, small markets, and everything in between. There’s a little something for everyone!

If we had our choice of anywhere to spend the most time in, however, it would have to be La Jolla. You know, if we had endless amounts of dollars to spend on housing and food …

 

La Jolla

My pictures won’t even come close to doing any type of justice to just how stunning the views are in this community within the city of San Diego. It’s appropriately called the “Jewel by the Sea,” and is one of California’s most visited beaches.

We took the 15-20 minute drive up to La Jolla and made it just in time to catch the sunset. Actually, we went up to a restaurant that friends of ours said we have to visit for a drink on the balcony while overlooking the sunset.

(outdoor seating area at George’s)

When we got up there, however, we discovered a talkative group of sea lions right on the rocks below! Of course we had to go back down and explore first.

Scott and I were just in awe of everything. We’d both visited California before, but neither of us had previously had the opportunity to walk around the beaches and really soak in the beauty the state and shores have to offer. I mean … how awesome is this walkway even?

Just heading down for my daily walk on the beach, no big deal … (what?)

It didn’t take us long to find the sea lions. A big group of them were huddled up together near an overlook point!

There were plenty of people stopping to snap photos of them, and they didn’t seemed phased by the attention one bit. Especially these two …

(They’re snuggling. I died.)

I took way too many pictures to share, so I’ll leave you with the highlights from the rest of it.

Sea lion selfie!

Basically … this place is what dreams are made of.

After the sunset, we made the trek back up to the restaurant and took advantage of their happy hour specials. (The menu is pretty pricey, but you can get a variety of different appetizers and even meals for $5 during Happy Hour!)

George’s at the Cove is a wonderful spot! The views are incredible.

Enjoy dinner overlooking the water, an artesian cocktail at the rooftop bar, or go down to the second story for a more casual vibe. (Dinner on the lower level is considerably dressy, by the way. I went down to use the restroom in a sweatshirt and thought I entered prom on the beach. It was the craziest thing!)

After nibbling on some appetizers, we headed back Downtown to meet Joel after work. We planned to do something, but all of us decided to turn in early instead. I guess we were wiped out. Ahhh the beach life.

 

More San Diego and Los Angeles adventures to come … stay tuned!

See you bright and early in the morning with Friday Favorites!