We Finally Made it to California! 2.5 Days in San Diego

Note- Our thoughts are with the people of Los Angeles as they deal with the aftermath of the terrible wildfires that occurred in January. For updated information on the wildfires, resources and travel guidelines, visit the California State Website or Visit California.

After traveling around the country, and the world, for 15 years, we finally set foot in California in July of 2024. We left the heat of Arizona for the lovely 75 degrees of Southern California.

We were only in San Diego for 2 1/2 days, but we tried to hit some of the highlights.

Overall observations on America’s Finest City (which, per Google, is the city’s nickname): It was not as different from other places as we expected (California just always seemed like such a different world). There were quite a few homeless people, but it was not as bad as people online had made it sound (we had no issues). People do party late into the night, at least in the Gaslamp Quarter. There were a lot of bachelorette parties. The weather was indeed very nice.

What We Did

Our second stadium of this particular road trip (see our Phoenix post here) was Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. This was a nice park with dedicated fans. I think it’s fair to say we saw less Braves fans here than in Phoenix. One notable thing was that the stadium has a wine bar and sushi, which, not to stereotype, seems very California. We enjoyed ourselves at this park, especially in the game we won lol.

Though we didn’t have much time in the city, we knew we had to check out La Jolla. It was recommended by everyone we knew who had been to San Diego. We walked down to the beach to see the seals (sea lions?) and ventured inside La Jolla Cave. We also strolled along the shore, jumped out onto rocks (don’t tell our moms), and tried to teach a dad and his kids how to say anemone.

We also stopped in at the Cave Store to purchase a few cute gifts for friends and family. As everyone else said, we definitely recommend checking out La Jolla.

When we first decided that we were going to San Diego, we knew we wanted to visited The San Diego Zoo. It has long been said that this is the best zoo in the US, and we had to know how it compared to the ones we had already been to. It was pretty impressive, definitely the biggest zoo we have ever visited. They even offered bus tours to take you to the various attractions. We ended up spending an entire day here, trying to see everything. If you like zoos, add this one to your list.

What We Ate

The first place we ate upon arriving in town was Taco Centro. Mal- I had the burrito bowl w/ carnitas. It was good but had too many black beans for my liking. The guac was decent. Court- I had the Pollo Asado taco and the Birria taco. They were both really good. I think I was expecting something more since I read that San Diego is known for great tacos, so I thought these would be mind-blowing. They were great, but similar to ones I can get at home. We may not have found the best taco spot, but I would eat here again.

Close your eyes and imagine a brunch spot. Did you see plants and flowers galore? How about sheep hanging from the ceiling? Well that is Queenstown Cafe. This felt like the brunchiest brunch spot we’ve ever visited. The decor was on point. They had indoor/outdoor seating. We got lucky by grabbing a window seat, that was partially indoors and partially outdoors, with wicker chairs. It was a lovely spot for brunch. Mal- I had the shrimp and grits and a pina colada. They were both very good but, a caution, it did cost upwards of $50. I will give the staff props because they saved my life with an emergency feminine product. Mother Nature has no respect for my vacation! Court- I had the breakfast fried rice and a Biscotti espresso martini. The fried rice was delicious, but the martini was fine. We also shared a cinnamon roll and it was sooo good. I am still thinking about that fried rice and cinnamon roll.

While strolling along in La Jolla, we stopped at a Kong Coffee stand (the Kong Coffee stand?) for a pick-me-up. Mal- I had a latte with coconut that, though not my favorite coffee ever, was quite satisfying. Court- I had the Vietnamese coffee, iced and it was also good.

After our first baseball game, we jumped in (at the right time!) at Barleymash. This place is very busy, especially after ballgames. We lucked out by snagging a table outside. It was nice because we were able to people-watch on the busy street. The staff was great and so was the food. Mal- I had the brussel mac n cheese (very good) and a pina colada (I was on a kick). Court- I had a cucumber cooler drink that was spicy and delicious. I also had the barbecue burger and it was equally good.

For breakfast on our second day in town, we walked over to Chiefy Cafe, a cute little cafe in the Gaslamp Quarter. Mal- I had the acai bowl (my first, I am now a fan) and a honey lavender latte that was probably the best coffee I had in CA. Court- I also had an acai bowl, I just got mine without peanut butter. It was delish.

After our second ballgame, we ate dinner at The Field, an Irish Pub near the stadium. The atmosphere was very dark. Literally. (Mal- I was sitting in a corner that was so dark, I couldn’t see the bench I was sitting on.) Besides not being able to see much, we enjoyed this restaurant. Mal- I had the bacon and blue burger with fries and the Heavenly vodka cocktail. All very tasty. Court- I had a Coronado Golden Ale, which was really light and refreshing. I got the shepherd’s pie which was good, but not great. We also shared some brussels sprouts that had bacon, balsamic, and bleu cheese that were good.

Whilst at the zoo, we ate lunch at the Bee Cafe in the park. Mal- I had pizza and it actually wasn’t bad. We also shared a honeybun made with local honey that was tasty, if not a little dry. Court- I had parmesan, truffle chicken wings that came with an arugula salad and it was all very tasty.

Where We Stayed

We chose the Moxy San Diego Downtown Gas Lamp Quarter for our stay. We read a lot of positive reviews about this funky hotel and had to check it out for ourselves. You check in at the bar and get a complimentary drink ticket that you can use anytime during your stay. This is cool but just know that your drink must come off of a pre-selected menu and does not contain much alcohol, at least ours didn’t. The hallway leading to the rooms look a bit like a prison, but not in a bad way (sounds weird but true). The rooms are small, similar to rooms on cruise ships, but the bathroom is much nicer. The staff was friendly in general, but not really to us. They weren’t rude necessarily, they just didn’t seem interested in engaging with us like they did other people checking in and out or sitting at the bar. The bartender largely ignored us. Maybe they were die hard Padres fans…

Overall our stay was positive and it was one of the more interesting places we’ve stayed. If you haven’t checked out our Instagram page, we have a segment called Elevator Chronicles and we got some interesting ones at this hotel.

So there you have it, our first, and hopefully not last, trip to California. San Diego was a fun place with nice weather and great ocean views. Have you been to San Diego? Let us know your favorite things about it. What did we miss?