San Diego: In A Nutshell
You step out to a calming warm breeze from the airport, the smell of the ocean in your nose and salt tickling at your hair. You take a peaceful 10 minute Uber ride to the city, where you fall onto the cloud-like bed in the loft you rented for a decent price and take a power nap. Later, you explore the safe, clean, friendly city and take a dip in the breathtakingly beautiful turquoise sea with a couple of shy seals. No matter where you go, the beach surrounds you in practically all directions — calling to you. The nightlife is one in its own, the food is spectacular, there are endless adventures, and the weather is amazing all year round. That’s San Diego in a nutshell.
View of San Diego from the plane
Picture Taken by: Anieka Sarmer
When I decided to escape Seattle for a week and take a plane down to San Diego with my college friend, it was one of the best decisions I made this summer. We spent so much of our time soaking up the sun, chilling by the beach, and exploring all that San Diego has to offer. By the end of the week we were so sad we had to leave.
Here are a few day trip plans, based on what we got to do on our trip:
You could take a day trip to La Jolla, where you could walk through the various beaches along the coves, admire the adorable stinky sea lions, sign up for a kayak/snorkeling tour to explore the various coves, and spend the rest of your time amongst the warm sand and the sapphire waves.
Sea Lions at La Jolla Cove
Picture Taken by: Anieka Sarmer
You could also take a day to explore Coronado Island, where you could take a tour of the Hotel del Coronado, walk along Orange avenue, enjoy some sweet Gelato, a pizza, some clams, or a taco at the taco stand located on the beach right outside the hotel.
Sandcastle sculpted by Bill Pavlacka on Coronado Island
Picture Taken by: Anieka Sarmer
You could even take a day to explore Balboa Park, where the San Diego Zoo is located, as well as various museums. There is a wildlife reserve connected to the San Diego Zoo about an hour away from Balboa Park that would also be an amazing experience.
Lion statue at the entrance of the San Diego Zoo
Picture Taken by: Anieka Sarmer
I will have more blogs to come about specific activities and fun spots around the city, but these are just a few of the bigger more “touristy” plans. The constant sun and warm weather of southern California, makes for a fun, adventurous, and thrilling trip for any person.
I would say if you’re gonna go anywhere in San Diego for some nighttime fun, it would be the Gas Lamps district, where there are plenty of bars to hop around at and rooftop lounges to socialize. Gas Lamps is a cute little historical area of San Diego that has plenty of gorgeous buildings and obviously, history. You can take your friends here on a chill night stroll around town, or dress up for a night out.
Gas Lamps Quarter, San Diego
Picture Taken by: gocartours.com
Another place I would suggest which I had easy access to, is Little Italy. There is this one restaurant/bar a few blocks over from the main street of Little Italy called King and Queen’s Cantina. It is open pretty much till the crack of dawn serving food, drinks, and music. My friend and I were able to hear this music from our apartment at all times of the night, which was a bother when we were trying to sleep, but if you’re looking for a place that’s hopping, King and Queen’s is that place.
King and Queen's Cantina, San Diego, CA
Picture Taken by: Anieka Sarmer
There is also a secret speakeasy right across the street from it called False Idol. It’s a funky tiki bar hidden inside Craft and Commerce on Beech street and doesn’t open until the evenings. My friend and I weren’t able to make an appearance there, but the next time I make my way down south, you bet you’ll see me sipping a flavored mojito down there.
One comment I will add about the night scene, is if you’re trying to stay out and have a fun night hitting the bars, don’t make your way over to La Jolla thinking you’ll find a bunch of popping spots near the coast. Instead you will find a sleepy town, where businesses close early and people are off the streets the second the sun sets.
San Diego isn’t just known for sunshine, but also for its near-authentic Mexican and Latin American cuisine. Being less than an hour away from the US-Mexico border, San Diego has a Mexican restaurant almost on every block, and they all serve delicious food. One restaurant that I would recommend above all else would be Puesto in La Jolla. Their tacos and burritos which are full of rich and eccentric flavor are to die for and their drinks are the perfect amount of fun and tame. Not only that, but they have the most amazing vegetarian tacos with portobello mushroom that make even the meatiest of meat eaters water at the mouth. They have a cute terrace with a street view that you can enjoy all day every day, and the ambiance is just what an adventurous hungry tourist would be looking for.
The delicious mushroom rice bowl at Puesto, La Jolla
Picture Taken by: Anieka Sarmer
If you’re looking for a place along the water in downtown San Diego, Miguel’s Cocina port side, is where you should go. They also have the most delicious eats and drinks, as well as a spectacular view of the bay and the plane runways. As you eat, you can enjoy the sunset and peaceful splashing of the waves, as well as a view of the outgoing and incoming planes from the airport.
Portobello mushroom burrito at Miguel's Cocina
Picture Taken by: Anieka Sarmer
Another area I would recommend for an amazing foodie experience is Little Italy, where there is an Italian place everywhere you turn, as well as many adorable and aesthetic cafes and brunch eateries. One place that I found myself going to a lot was the Parakeet cafe. This establishment isn’t just native to Little Italy but can also be found in various spots around the city, including Coronado Island. I’ll have more information on food in San Diego in later blogs, but these were a few of the places which stood out to me.
Most of the time, my friend and I used Ubers to get around, or we snagged a ride from our local friend. However, a few alternative transportation methods could be the bus system or the trolley that takes you all around San Diego, as well as neighboring cities. There is a 351 mile long train route, which takes you from the airport down south to the city center and even further, as well as up north through Orange and Los Angeles. There are also bike rentals in places like La Jolla and Coronado Island, as well as a ferry that takes you from the waterfront to Coronado if you don’t want to take the bridge across.
I would rate San Diego a 8/10 on the safety scale. As two young women with no prior knowledge of the city, we felt extremely and almost unnaturally safe. As a person used to other west coast cities like Seattle, Portland, or San Francisco, San Diego was an illuminating relief. For being in downtown most of our trip, my friend and I never got to an area where we felt extremely sketched out or unsafe. All of our Uber drivers were hospitable and open to giving us advice on where we should spend our time during the 5 days we had in San Diego, and people on the street were also very welcoming (polar opposite to Seattle haha). Walking around at night also wasn’t completely sketchy. There was only one incident where a man started following us briefly but when a cop car turned the corner he decided not to pursue. I still wouldn’t recommend coming to this city alone unless you know the area, and still definitely take precautions like you would in any other major city.
View from Wipeout Beach, La Jolla, CA
Picture Taken by: Anieka Sarmer
For more information about San Diego and its many restaurants, bars, beaches, towns, and activities, visit my profile for more specific blogs about this amazing city. Also, follow my Instagram, aniekasarmer, for updates on future destinations and blogs.
Now go out and experience!
— Anieka ♡
