Sights & Scenes of San Diego

I’m back to share the fun things that we did on our San Diego trip!

THE COLORS | I tend to find color everywhere that I go, but San Diego made it so easy! There were florals in pinks, oranges, yellows, and more everywhere we went. My sister’s boyfriend asked if I was going to take pictures of every single plant we saw. Uh, yes. Yes I will, and yes I did. The donut shop was pastel to the max, the red stop signs all popped among the plethora of green cacti, the old VW buses at the beach took me back to 70s color palettes — I LOVE IT ALL! I’ll spare you though… here’s three.

THE OCEAN | This was Mr. Heid’s first time stepping foot into the Pacific Ocean and he couldn’t contain his excitement (not that he should). Our first ocean trip was to Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma, and the naturally carved cliffs and panoramic views of the Pacific were breathtaking. You can walk right up the edge of the cliffs, which damaged my calm. Full disclosure — I was telling everyone not to get too close to the edges for fear that they might slip and fall. I was definitely unnerved. BUT there are parts where you can make your way closer to the water, which I did with Mr. Heid, and feel the ocean’s mist on your skin.

Our second stop was Mission Beach, where Mr. Heid could actually splash around a bit in the water. The area is a lot more touristy, so there were little shops and food stands everywhere; it had a really cool vibe.

THE HISTORY | Before dinner, we shopped and explored Old Town San Diego. The whole area was established in the late 1700s and has been called “The Birthplace of California” — or so the signs told me. We were there a little late, so we didn’t see many of the live demonstrations, but between the plaques and structures, we were able to learn what life was like there between the late 1700s and early 1900s. It was fascinating and quite pretty.

THE ATTRACTIONS | On our first day, we moseyed through Balboa Park just to see what it was all about and to think about where we wanted to visit when we returned. They have a few museums, some enclosed gardens, and some open garden and water features. We saw a few street artists, heard some live music floating through the air, and saw so. many. succulents. #heaven

When we returned to Balboa, we visited the San Diego Museum of Man. The first exhibit was a history of beer throughout different cultures, which was definitely all new to me. Apparently, in the days of building the pyramids, the Egyptians gave their workers beer because it was filled with nutrients. Today’s beer is definitely not. The next exhibit was about the Mayans, so it felt like a regular museum for a bit there. And then we moved on to exhibits about monsters, race relations, cannibalism, PostSecret, and our relationships with animals.

All the while, I kept forgetting we were in a museum and thinking, “Where am I and why is there a display about this?” Not that there shouldn’t be a display about any of these topics, but I’m so used to museums being about the past. It was odd that I could feel myself being pushed out of my box and into one where a museum could mean examining and exhibiting mankind as a whole here in the present. Every single exhibit was fascinating, and the museum does a great job displayed the information. For example, the exhibit about race and education was set up with desks from a classroom, the display regarding the wage gap included stacks of money labelled by race, delivering a huge and undeniable impact, and the cannibal exhibit included a game of The Oregon Trail where you end with the option to die of starvation or eat a member of your crew.

We headed to the Botanical Building next, which dates back to 1915! It’s filled with gorgeous plants from ceiling to floor, wall to wall. As it turned out, we spent so long in the Botanical Building, that we only had five minutes to tour the space before closing time. So Mr. Heid did a brisk jog through the gardens, stopping along the way to snap a few pics.

We also did a full day at the zoo with our parents! We grew up with Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, so by comparison visiting the Greenville Zoo has been a bit of a letdown. But the San Diego Zoo is massive and did not disappoint! We stopped for like a solid 20 minutes to watch a very young Orangutan attempt to play with a teeny tiny Siamang baby. The Orangutan picked up the baby Siamang and went to walk away like, “This is my baby now…” and the parents were like, “Not so fast!” You had to be there. Anywho…

There’s one point where it’s faster to get to the other side of the zoo via a sky lift than walking, and Mr. Heid was terrified. The photos I took will supply me with giggles for years to come.

NEXT TIME | Barrio Logan as a whole was full of color and street art! I would love to spend more time there and see what it has to offer, including Chicano Park! Baby Bro showed us a glimpse of the Japanese Friendship Garden that you could see along our walking path; they were closed, but I’d like to take a explore it and their tea pavilion. And maybe this should have been in my last post, but I definitely want to go to Balboa Park’s Food Truck Fridays.

xoxo,

K

Food & Beverages of San Diego

Mr. Heid took a trip with me and my family to San Diego to watch my baby bro graduate! We had a blast and I’m finally sharing the food and beverage side of our trip with you here!

THE PURPOSE | The foremost purpose of heading to San Diego was to watch my Baby Bro graduate and it was my absolute favorite moment of the trip! He looked so excited and proud, as he should be and as we all are! Congrats, Baby Bro — the best is yet to come! The second reason was to explore the City that he’s called home for the past two years.

THE DRINKS | On our first day, Baby Bro took us to a few breweries and a winery. The sours at Sourworx were sooo delicious — they had a few dark sours, which are my favorite. I really wanted one of everything there, but alas… pacing. Bolt Brewery had a super chill atmosphere and apparently Pizza Fridays! We weren’t there on Friday, though...

We hit La Mesa Wine Works next, which is actually a pour room for two wineries. They were doing a BOGO on flights, so our table looked ridiculous and we got a liiiittle goofy. One of our last stops in San Diego was Border X Brewing in Barrio Logan. They boast Mexican craft beer, and their beverages are as unique as their atmosphere! Their walls are covered in doodles by a once-local artist (I think I’m remembering that correctly), and their Blood Saison was on point with its hibiscus and agave flavors.

THE FOOD | Three words. The. Taco. Stand. Baby Bro took us here for our first meal and it was insta-love. You guys know my passion for tacos. I could eat them morning, noon, and night — every meal. Throughout the trip, everyone kept saying, “The taco stand was so good,” “We should go back to the taco stand,” “Remember the churros at the taco stand?” We decided that this restaurant earned a second visit despite our being in a new place with many untried options. So as we were walking down the street, I said, “What is the name of this place anyway?” And everyone simultaneously says, “The Taco Stand!” The whole time we’d been talking about it on the trip, I thought they were just referring to it as a taco stand, not realizing that they were calling it by its actual name.

Their North Park location is so tiny, but everything about it is awesome — corrugated metal menu, the fading painted words on the wall over a line of hot sauce bottles, the little window where you can watch tortillas being made and pork turn on a spit… The food comes out so hot and fresh. And the churros?! They’re melt-in-your-mouth good. UGH! I need a location close to me STAT!

For our first dinner we stopped at Cross Street Chicken & Beer because the reviews were great and the photos were mouth-watering, but we were all a little disappointed. It’s probably my bad for ordering on the assumption that the spice would be spicy-hot versus spicy-literal (meaning the chicken was just covered in some spices of sorts). The good news is that we also stopped into Bing Haus for something to stay warm while we waited to be seated. I got a beautiful Chai tea, while Baby Bro got a Mexican hot chocolate.

The next morning, Mr. Heid and I got up super early to try Rose Donuts and were quite pleased. The donuts were airy, but full of sugary flavor… they reminded me of a little place in my hometown called Daylight Donuts that we frequented when I was a kid. Once everyone else greeted the day, we met up with our parents at Breakfast Republic. I honestly can’t remember what all we ate because everyone took a nibble of what everyone else was having, but I can say that it was all on point! I do remember that my parents ordered a pancake flight and I sipped on a margarita with blanco tequila, ancho verde, lime juice, and some grapefruit Stiegl Radler. It was incredibly refreshing and I should definitely attempt to make my own on our next taco night.

Before Baby Bro’s graduation, the fam went to Cafe 222 where I enjoyed their huevos rancheros. Their restaurant is tiny, so we were lucky to get a seat and not have to wait. After graduation, we celebrated in Little Italy at Buon Appetito Restaurant. The owner seemed to be living his best life, and their food was decadent; thinking about it now has me craving some really good Italian. That same evening, we had a dinner at Cafe Coyote in Old Town San Diego to celebrate my birthday — the food was really flavorful, the carnitas were crispy, the taco was covered in melted cheese, the tamale was legit, the prickly pear margarita was perfect, and the venue was huge, like a colorful maze of classic Mexican decor.

And last, but not least, we hit 85C Bakery Cafe. Serving up Asian and European pastries, their options were different than what I’m used to, but they’re each between $1 and $3, making our visit there an affordable exploration of new things.

NEXT TIME | I’d love to check out Little Italy Food Hall next time I’m in San Diego. Food halls are always fun because you can try a nibble here and there or get a full meal. I’m also willing to eat all of the tacos anyone will give me, and I wouldn’t mind checking out a few more seafood places.

Stay tuned for my next post where I detail our sights and scenes from San Diego!

xoxo,
K