One last trip to end the summer! If you missed my other recaps check them out here: Tennessee/Kentucky, Texas, and Colorado. It’s be great exploring some new to me cities this year and San Diego was definitely a highlight. I’ve been to LA and San Francisco but have yet to make my way further south so this trip was highly anticipated. Beach, great weather, good beer- what more could I ask for??
My husband Pat and I set off to the west coast for a 5 days trip over Labor Day Weekend. We flew out from the east early on Wednesday and arrived to San Diego in the afternoon. Hungry for lunch we headed to Ocean Beach to eat at OB Noodle House and Tiki Port. Pat is Asian food obsessed so this was a hit- highly recommend! In San Diego there is no shortage of smoothie places so this acai bowl for dessert was not my last stop.
After a short beach walk we headed to the first brewery of the trip- Modern Times. Disclaimer: we did a decent amount of beer drinking on this trip because San Diego has some really amazing breweries and it’s one of our favorite things to do together. It’s fun for us to rate the beers, brewery ambiance, area, etc. (for example this brewery had an awesome coffee shop inside and a post it mural of a monkey). That being said- when we got back I don’t think I had a drink in two weeks because I was over it.
Next we set off for the Padres game. Pat and I debated bailing on our original plan to go to the game because we were pretty exhausted but sucked it up and I’m so glad we did. It was a close game against the Dodgers and I was AMAZED with their stadium. The food included sushi, fresh fish tacos, kale salads, acai bowls. and so many delicious and health options plus beer from 8 local craft breweries. We didn’t eat or drink anything at the game because we were stuffed from lunch but this is a stadium I will definitely go back to!
The next day was a big brewery day with a bunch of stops with shared flights- stops included Stone, Viewpoint, Green Flash, Belching Beaver, Pizza Port, and Ballast Point. Best Beer was Belching Beaver- including a peanut butter milk stout. Best Spot was Stone (go to the one in Escondido)- the outdoor area is beautiful.
We basically shared a flight at each place and spaced our day out with food. Which included the most delicious smoothie I’ve ever had- it was called a butterfinger smoothie and it had carrots in it. So good. We also had Pizza at Pizza Port and tried In-n-Out Burger which was amazing.
The next morning we got up for some hiking! There are so many wonderful options for hiking in Southern California, the most popular recommendation was Torrey Pines, which was also the closest option. I believe we paid about $20 to enter and park our car but you can park further on the street and walk in. We covered 3 different hikes along the water to total about 3-4 hours of hiking.
After all that hiking we were starving so decided to grab some food from a nearby recommended spot- El Pescator Fish Market. You could basically pick any local fish, freshly caught and decide it’s preparation- grilled, poached, etc. and what sauces, plus salad, plate, a la carte. We loved this spot. I went with grilled calamari with rice and veggies and Pat opted for prawns and a swordfish sandwich.
After lunch we headed back to the coast to see the sea lions and seals at La Jolla Cove- which is a MUST! Omg these creatures are so sweet and hilarious, I think we watched them for at least and hour but easily could’ve spent longer. You can walk down closer to them along the waters edge to get a closer view. They are a little smelly (and a little scary-sometimes they would come up to you really fast) but super cool. It was a great way to end the day before grabbing some food and calling it an early night.
The next morning I got up to run, planned for about 10-12 miles as a cut back week for marathon training. It was humid but cloudy but fun to enjoy some ocean side running views. Post run, I grabbed a quiche and chocolate milk before heading back to the hotel to shower and start the day.
We decided to check out Temecula, a wine region about 1 hour outside of San Diego. It’s like a mini Napa or Sonoma with a bunch of wineries within a few miles of each other. Pat and I started at Vindemia which was good but outside and the temperature was over 90 so we sought out some indoors options. Our favorite of the day was next- Doffo which had a fun motocross theme and delicious wine. The next spot we just grabbed some food (a gigantic cheese plate) and then ended the day at Hart Winery. It was fun to chat with the locals and taste some local wine- unfortunately since we were flying out the next day and didn’t want to check any bags we walked away without any bottles.
After leaving the winery we checked into our hotel downtown- we thought it would be fun to stay in a fancy hotel in the city for one night. The views were amazing and the location was excellent.
Pat and I had planned to have a fancy dinner that evening at Juniper and Ivy, restaurant by one of our favorites chefs- Richard Blais. We had some delicious smoked oysters and bread and butter to start and the courses kept getting better. A nice dinner out is one of our favorite ways to spend quality time together so we enjoyed a ton of small plates and shared them-overall a great meal and would highly recommend checking this place out if you’re in town.
The next morning we got up for one of my more highly anticipated events of the trip- surf lessons! We signed up through one of the local surf schools and if you were planning on staying in town and hitting up the beach I would recommend doing the lesson at the beginning of the trip. After the lesson I definitely felt confident enough to try it on my own but it was our last day and we had other plans so hopefully next time! While neither of were naturals I think we both had a good time- the instructor told Pat he would have a more difficult time because he was so tall (6’2″) which was true…. apparently most of the pro surfers are pretty short. I had a fair showing and was able to stand up successfully a few times which was one of my big goals.
Thanks to a late check out at the hotel we were able to come back and shower before heading out for the day. Our flight was a red eye- leaving at 10pm at night so we still had the full day. After (free) brunch at our hotel we headed to Mission Brewery. I was pleasantly surprised with the beer overall and they had some really cute shirts but we both refrained from more purchases.
After some walking around the city we headed to Blue Water Seafood Market and Grill for lunch. OMG this place had a million awards and was pretty non frills. We waited about 40 minutes to get in the door and then ordered and sat down on the porch. We shared a salad, tacos, and with a few different types of fish. Overall it was fresh but I was a little underwhelmed. Could’ve just been my expectations were so high after seeing so many awards but I had enjoyed the lunch we had at El Pescator so much more.
To close out the afternoon we headed to Coronado Beach. We watched the sunset and took some really nice pics and just relaxed. Once the sun was gone we headed downtown to the Gaslamp District to check out the nighttime scene- it was definitely a fun party soon but not for us (anymore), haha. Lots of great places for food and drinks and having a good time. We grabbed some food and then headed to the airport.
Overall I really loved visiting San Diego and I will for sure be back! Have you ever been? What was your favorite part of your trip??
