San Diego, CA
- Emily Patterson
- Aug 8, 2020
- 3 min read
Updated: Oct 30, 2020
June 6-14, 2015
San Diego, California, is such a fun and beautiful city. It was a whirlwind getting there, but completely worth it! I was a bridesmaid in one of my best friend's weddings the same day we were to fly out, so we left directly from the reception to catch our flight.
Our first day in San Diego, we had breakfast at Richard Walkers Pancake House, where it's not uncommon to find a line out the door to get in. While it's unfortunate if you have to wait, it's a good sign that you won't be disappointed! I, of course, ordered the chocolate explosion crepe, more of dessert, while the others ordered more typical breakfasts, including pancakes and eggs. After a delicious breakfast, we headed to the San Diego Zoo for the day with a few of Chad's coworkers. We finished the day with a great dinner at Sally's, which was located just behind our hotel.
Over the next several day's Chad participated in a work conference, and I explored on my own, not venturing out too far since I was in a new city by myself. (Similar to any other big city, it wasn't uncommon to see police involvement or to be asked for money while walking around. I even had one lady sitting outside of a Starbucks with a drink and grocery bags at her feet look appalled that I kindly declined to help her carry her groceries home as I walked by. I'm not against providing a helping hand, but when alone in a new and big city, I felt it best to err on the side of caution and not walk off with a stranger.)
After Chad's portion of the conference was over on Thursday, we went straight to In-N-Out Burger for lunch with his coworker, and our travel buddy, Kenny. From there, we drove to Sunset Cliffs Natural Reserve and walked along the coastline until dinner.
We had to take a trip to Sea World since we were only 20 minutes away, and Chad had somehow never been! Sea World alongside Disney World holds so many fun childhood memories. I even got to work at Sea World Orlando as part of a campus ministry summer project in 2011. I think the group (Chad and a few of his coworkers) was a little skeptical that they would enjoy the experience, but after the otter, dolphin, and the whale show, I think they realized how magical the experience is at any age! (For peace of mind and to fully enjoy our time, we have always chosen to leave the DSLR camera behind when rides or water are involved. Luckily, phone cameras have greatly improved since 2015, so you can still capture good quality memories with something that can easily fit in your pocket!)
Normally it would be hard to top a day at Sea World, but we spent the next day in La Jolla soaking in the California coast, and we couldn't have asked for a better last day. We went to Torrey Pines National Reserve, which offers a variety of trails and beautiful views. We walked for several miles along the cliffs and eventually made our way down to walking alongside the ocean. At one point, we even found ourselves on a clothing-optional beach, which coming from North Carolina was quite a surprise. We kept our heads down and kept on going until we finally found a town where we had a late lunch that would also count as dinner. From there, we headed to La Jolla Cove, where we got to see not just one or two sea lions, but cliffs covered in them. They don't smell great, so that limited the time we spent there.
Itinerary:
Day 1 - Flight RDU-DFW-San Diego
Day 2- Richard Walker's Pancake House / San Diego Zoo / Sally's Fish House & Bar
Day 3-5 - Chad Worked / Dinner at Blue Point and Lou & Mickey's
Day 6- Chad Worked / In-N-Out Burger / Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
Day 7- Richard Walker's Pancake House / SeaWorld
Day 8- Torrey Pines State Reserve / La Jolla Cove
Day 9- Flight Home
Food Recommendations:
Accommodations:
Things to Note:
-Our first time using Airbnb was in La Jolla, and the experience almost ruined Airbnb for us. Luckily, we have had great experiences since then. It seems you get what you pay for with Airbnb in the US. In Greece, we stayed at some very cheap places and had wonderful experiences.
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