San Diego, CA – July 2010

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What a whirlwind these last couple of weeks have been!  Boyfriend and I spent the 4th of July weekend in San Diego, CA, and then immediately following that, I spent three days in Traverse City, Michigan.  You can read about my cherry festival fun here and here, and here are some photos and notes from the California trip!

Life List Item #48

The first thing of note, and my favorite part of the trip, was the time we spent on the beach.  We walked along the beach on the west side of Coronado Island (I’d like to live there sometime, please), and I got to cross a super fun item off my life list.

{Official video of me crossing #48 off my Life List}

This Item #48 was on my Life List because while I’ve been to California before, I’d never actually made it TO the ocean.  I finally did, and absolutely loved seeing that part of California for the first time!

City Girl, Community Girl

So, we were in San Diego because Boyfriend has family out there, and they have an annual 4th of July party/reunion sort of thing, so we went out there for that.  I got to meet and hang with his cousins, see beaches, eat fresh seafood, add another MLB stadium to the ones I’ve been to (Life List tem #72), and ogle cute and funny-looking animals at the San Diego Zoo.

Now, I don’t know if smaller-town Boulder is doing this to me or what, but while the Big City Girl in me LOVED the pretty skylines and busy bustle, another part of me really appreciated being able to explore smaller neighborhoods.  Places like the Gaslamp Quarter, Coronado Island, and Ocean Beach… They had such a cohesive and complete feel to them in and of themselves, and I loved exploring those little pockets just as much as I loved jetting across the city.  The Gaslamp Quarter was so awesome – so many great little restaurants, martini bars, sports bars, cafes, and shops.  Shops! I’m not much of a shopper, but I did manage to score a new swimsuit in the neighborhood Quicksilver and two new hats at what we clearly determined was the Best Hat Shop in the World.  No, really.

San Diego Zoo

We spent a solid 3+ hours at the San Diego Zoo, and from what I’m told it’s the “best” zoo in the country, though as you’ll see here – I don’t let Boyfriend really get a word in edgewise to explain why.  This video is of us (me) on the skyride (“Skyfari”) moving from one end of the zoo to the other.  I’m afraid of heights which makes this whole video really awkward and full of nervous laughter…

All of the animals were adorable (well, except some of the ugly ones).  Boyfriend was most interested in the Secretary Bird (no, it does not take messages), and I loved the flamingos because I thought it looked like they were doing yoga (modified tree pose?).  The zoo itself was pretty huge and I don’t think we quite covered everything.  Guess we’ll have to go back!

Foodie Fun

All in all, San Diego was amazing.  I love that Boyfriend shares my love for good food and dining experiences, because we manage to run the gamut from cute little hole-in-the-wall Mexican places in Ocean Beach (with AMAZING fish tacos!) to really phenomenal Bay-View rooftop patio restaurants like Top of the Market where I get to try fresh Swordfish for the first time and we were met by the friendliest service in the history of service.

Travel Lessons

We’re learning more and more each trip about how to make this travel habit as seamless as possible – which isn’t too tough considering how laid back we both are in general.  Even so, there are obviously some things you learn along the way.  Things like how/what to pack, how to maintain a healthy lifestyle while on-the-go, and how to roll with ideas that don’t always go according to plan.

One thing I have learned is that we’re a dynamite team in general, and even more so when it comes to jet-setting and exploring.  And I like that.

How was your last trip?   What’s the most indispensable travel tip/advice you’ve ever been given?

Tagged as: airports, California, San Diego, Travel