You may ask what is precisely America's Finest City, here is your answer - San Diego! My husband and I had refunded plane ticket money to use up, so after some research, we landed upon traveling to California. Year-round the sun is just about always shining. The locals we met said they actually appreciate it when there is a cloudy day since they are rare to experience. Make sure to wear and reapply sunscreen because you will get fried. We chose to visit at the end of April, it felt as if it were in the mid-60s-70s most of our time there. In my opinion, the Pacific ocean was colder than Lake Superior, although my husband dove right in. It wasn't quite a "beach vacation", but no matter what time you go, there is an endless list of what to do in San Diego. In this blog I will be sharing our very booked and affordable itinerary for the entire week we were there.
Planning Our Trip:
When finding flights, I always simply use Google Flights. I love the ability to look at the entire calendar month to pick out the best prices available. We chose to stay in a little cottage through Airbnb. For the entire week, it cost us $1k. It was in a suburb of San Diego called Ocean Beach, most places took about 10-15 minutes to drive to. Our host lived behind the cottage, they greeted us upon our arrival and had all the accommodations we needed. Traveling around San Diego is definitely easiest by car, although you will have to pay for parking at most places, it is worth the expense to have the freedom. Since my husband and I are <25 years of age, we stick to using Hertz and using our AAA benefit of waiving the underage driver's fee. It cost us only about $500 for the entire week.
Day 1: Arrival
We landed at the San Diego Airport later in the evening, it took time to navigate to the rental car shuttle bus, and drive out of the lot with our Toyota Corolla. Our first stop was at the famous In&Out Burger, it was our first time experiencing the super busy iconic fast-food restaurant. Did you know the owner loves Jesus and includes verses on some of its packaging? We had to wait a while to receive our order, it was very affordable, and we were entertained by their busy kitchen. The food wasn't anything special, Chick-fil-A is much better, but the experience was worth it. Then we ventured to Trader Joe's, stocked up on groceries for the week, and collected some 'traveling CA' tips from an employee. Finally, we made it to our Airbnb by around 9 pm.
Day 2: Tasting San Diego
Once morning came, we headed out to find Woody's Breakfast and Burgers located on Pacific Beach. It was a chilly morning with the ocean breeze, but once we got our hearty breakfast bowls and coffee, our bodies warmed up. We watched a group of kids at surfing school, and lots of runners, and walkers with their french bulldogs. Then we drove to the Cabrillo National Monument, our arrival time was before it officially opened to the public so ended up casually driving in without paying. I think the entrance person thought we were some contracted employees. It was a little nerve-racking since we had no idea where we were headed once we made it through the gate, but we ended up finding a parking spot along the sea cliffs and saw an abandoned sailboat tucked away near the tide pools. It was absolutely beautiful there, even though we never ended up making it to the actual monument. Our next stop was Harper’s Topiary Garden, something fun (and free) to drive by and appreciate.
Then we went to Balboa Park, parking surprisingly wasn't an issue here, it is free too! We chose to skip visiting the variety of museums here and enjoyed simply walking around. Since we kept our experience free, there really wasn't much to do besides soaking in the beautiful architecture and plants. We went to the cactus garden and bought horchata from a local vendor. Honestly, I remember I wasn't that impressed when we were there, but it is a beautiful place to visit. If you love museums, you could probably spend multiple days here. Our next stop was La Jolla, parking here was very difficult. It took us several loops around the area to find a spot. We ended up walking to La Jolla Cove and watching all the sea lions "arrrf arrf arrf", also they were sure stinky, you've been warned hah. Then we got Bobboi Natural Gelato (it was okay) and headed to Liberty Market. Other things to do in La Jolla include: Windansea Beach, Mushroom Beach, The Secret Swings, kayaking, and the Birch Aquarium.
Liberty Public Market is a must-visit! It is like a food court, beautifully put together with a variety of vendors and even shops. We really enjoyed the atmosphere! We made a stop at Seaport Village, which has touristy shopping and pretty views of the bay. Lastly, we ended our evening by hustling over to the Sunset Cliffs. We luckily made it to watch the sunset, it was vibrant and the perfect way to end our first packed-in day in San Diego.
Day 3: Hiking and Cultural Experiences
We began with another early morning and an easy egg and toast breakfast at our Airbnb. We hopped into the car and took off to Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. When we arrived, it was packed. We had hoped to drive up the cliff into the park, but there was a long line. We decided to find parking elsewhere and walk. It ended up being the right move, we walked along the Torrey Pines State Beach and made it to Razor Point Trail. I would highly recommend it, it was gorgeous! Then we went to downtown San Diego to experience Little Italy Mercato Farmers Market, we had amazing pizza and my husband picked out a necklace for me. Next, we went to Old Town San Diego - it was fantastic. We did not expect this place to be one of our favorites. It is huge! We enjoyed educating ourselves on the roots of San Diego and visiting the variety of little shops. We ate an early dinner here and picked out some souvenirs. Our last stop of the day was watching the SeaWorld fireworks, we parked in the South Shores parking lot for free and enjoyed the fireworks from our car.
Day 4: I Love Vegan Food
My husband worked remotely from our Airbnb this day, so I decided to go out and do some shopping! I made a stop at Target, then I wanted to find a Madewell store. I came to find Fashion Valley - an open-air shopping mall in Mission Valley. It was the nicest and most beautiful mall I have been to. I found a few things to take home from Madewell and called it a day. Parking was difficult here, but I managed to find free ramp parking. Once my husband was done with work, we had dinner plans with one of his work friends who lived in San Diego. He and his girlfriend picked out the restaurant called Trilogy Sanctuary, located in La Jolla. It is a vegan rooftop cafe and aerial yoga studio, with an ocean view! We had a marvelous time getting to know them and soaking in another stunning sunset. I tried their mac and cheese which was made with cashews, it was excellent! We loved simply walking around San Diego, the neighborhoods are stunning, the people are so friendly, and you are never too far from the ocean.
Day 5: Beach Bums
We had another egg and toast breakfast at our Airbnb then took off for a day at Laguna Beach. We stopped at Costco for gas (Costcos in California are SO much better, they even have a car wash!) and eventually made it to the beach. We found $ street parking and walked to Laguna Beach. We enjoyed our PB&J sandwiches on a bench, then layed on the beach. The sun was toasty and my husband jumped in the water. We bought Hawaiian shaved ice and walked along the coast. On our way back, we stopped at a Lululemon Pop-up store and Salt & Straw - an incredible ice cream shop recommended by our new Cali friends. You have to go there, it is sooo good! We cooked a salmon dinner back at the Airbnb and called it a day. Other things to do out toward Laguna Beach are: Point Dume, Matador, Crystal Cove, and Hospital Beach.
Day 6: We Did Too Much
This day is when we unlocked our GoPasses, we paid for a 2-day pass for each of us ($120/pass), and it was totally worth it. I planned our trip accordingly so we could maximize our passes. These passes include a long list of paid attractions, once you begin using your pass, you can fit in as many of those attractions as you would like in your paid pass. We chose to visit the San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld on this day.
The San Diego Zoo was one of our greatest highlights from this trip. We could have easily spent two entire days here. This zoo is a zoo you actually feel GOOD going to, the habitats and their mission for endangered species are encouraging to see. Your feet will be tired, so make sure to prepare with comfortable shoes. Also, arrive early! The zoo does allow outside food and beverages to be brought in, so make sure to do that. We ended up eating at the zoo, and like most zoos, their food was very overpriced and wasn't impressive. The first thing we did when we arrived was riding the double-decker tour bus, which is included in your admission. There is no perfect way to tackle walking around the entire park, you just have to start somewhere.
Try to pick out your top exhibits to see, we used a pen and crossed off each one we saw. I would also recommend riding the Skyfari® Aerial Tram, also included in your admission. The zoo did not feel crowded walking around, only at the main attractions, it is absolutely gorgeous.
After the zoo, we were exhausted, plus those burgers from their cafe were not sitting in our stomachs well. Yet, we pushed ourselves to at least say we've been to SeaWorld. When you arrive, you will have to pay for $$ parking. Truthfully, this park was a total disappointment. It wasn't attractive, all the tanks were dirty, some even empty. The poor penguins were wing to wing with other penguins, way too many were in that exhibit. The turtles were all along the glass of the tank, trying to swim their way out, desperate to be set free. It was so sad. We rode their water raft ride, which was actually quite fun, my husband got soaked! Then we watched a seal show, they did a great job putting that together. Very cheesy! Then we watched the orca whale show, we loved seeing the guests get drenched with the cold water by the whales. Other than that, we'd recommend skipping SeaWorld, they do not treat their animals that well. Instead, take your time at the zoo and spend the whole day there.
Day 7: War History is Fascinating
More eggs and toast to begin the day! This was day #2 of our GoPasses. I had scheduled us to have a speed boat tour in San Diego Bay, included in the pass price. We literally drove a tiny speedboat around the bay! It was so much fun, my husband did a great job being the captain. We followed our boat behind our tour guide and behind us was a sweet couple visiting from Alabama. Through a radio system, our guide educated us on the Navy base, famous ships, and more. Our next visit was to the USS Midway, which transformed into a museum in 2004, and we were able to explore the ship. The people working there were military veterans and some even had served on the USS Midway during its active duty. We used their headsets and enjoyed an audio tour of the ship. The entire time we were filled with awe and fascination with its rich history. I loved seeing their pharmacy, ICU room, and kitchen. Make sure to ride their flight simulator, it was a blast, mainly for me, as Derek was a bit dizzy in the copilot seat;) Next, we went to Coronado Island and rented a tandem kayak (also included in our pass). We just did this to use up the rest of our time having our GoPasses.
Day 8: Our Last Day
Another recommendation from our San Diego friends was that we HAD to have breakfast at Morning Glory. This place is a must and you have to arrive there early! Otherwise, you are out of luck. They take no reservations. I am so glad we woke up early, packed up our bags, and scurried over to this gem. It is eclectic, funky, and absolutely delicious. It is worth it! Highly recommend their french toast. After filling up our happy tummies, we went to Elfin Forest to hike. It is free! Free parking finally! I highly recommend this hike, make sure to take the educational trail at least one way (up or down). I found their educational boards very interesting... did you know Sumac berries were used by Native Indians used to make lemonade? After our hike, we had some time to burn before heading to the airport. We found a beach to chill at for an hour, then again went to Costco to fill the tank, and end our time in America's finest city. It was one of the best trips ever, we certainly hope to be back one day!
Other places to visit/do:
Our Grocery List:
Our Packing List
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