72 Hours: San Diego

Simply put, San Diego is beautiful. The amount of sunshine the city gets is insane. I left a dreary Houston on a Thursday night to wake up in a light sunny San Diego. The city is filled with quirky coffee shops, sandy beaches, breezy palm trees, and a lot of outdoor activities. We stayed in the North Park neighborhood and instantly fell in love with its casual hipster vibe and walkable streets. That first day in San Diego I walked over 26,000 steps! All the walking was ultimately for the reward of being able to eat a lot- San Diego is a surprisingly food centric city. There were so many places we wanted to eat at so this trip was really a #foodcation!

Where We Stayed

North Park

I’ve follow the travel and lifestyle blogger, CestChristine, since her New York days so after she moved to San Diego and raved about the North Park neighborhood, I knew I wanted to stay there if I ever had the chance to visit the city. There aren’t any hotels in the area since its mainly a residential neighborhood so we chose a cute little Airbnb home as our base for the weekend. All the homes in North Park are so adorable and full of personality- some even have dreamy white picket fences! But the best part of being North Park residents for the weekend was the bounty of cafes, desserts, yoga studios, unique stores all within walking distance. For 3 days, I really felt like I was a San Diego local out for my morning coffee and a peaceful walk. And that’s one of the aspects I love the most about traveling- the ability to peek into how the locals live and to leave that mundane tourist life behind.

Where We Ate

Little Italy Farmers Market

I didn’t expect this Farmers Market to be as popular and crowded and so dang enjoyable as it turned out to be! The Market is located on a pedestrians only road in the heart of Little Italy and there are tons of produce stands, food stalls, and craft vendors lining the sides of the road. San Diegoans come out in full force with their pets and families to enjoy the sunny Saturdays. Parking is difficult so coming early is a good idea.

Liberty Public Market

Walking around indoor food markets is something I really enjoy doing in the various cities I visit. It provides the opportunity to taste more than one type of food without having to exert much effort. My original plan had been to eat meatball sliders at the nearby Soda and Swine, but after seeing (and smelling) everything at the Market I opted to taste arancini balls and a spam musubi sandwich as well. The Market is located near a naval base and is housed in brown adobe looking buildings. There are stores selling artwork nearby and even craft stores that offer the opportunity for an afternoon of creativity.

Underbelly Ramen

Don’t let the line out the door deter you from eating their delicious bowls of ramen! There is plenty of seating available at this North Park open concept restaurant, but first you have to get your order taken at the door so that’s where the bottleneck occurs. I went for the brisket ramen with a poached egg and short rib dumplings- so yummy! Underbelly prefers its patrons slurp the ramen broth so spoons are not allowed. Be prepared for a messy, but delicious foodie experience!

Morning Glory

This brunch spot is so aesthetically pleasing (think pink and loud) that the wait is usually 1-2 hours. We waited a total of 1.5 hours, but time went by fast because we walked the Farmers Market in the meantime. Reservations aren’t allowed here so make sure to come right when they open! The food is a mix of international fare and classic American staples- we ordered the bouncy Japanese souffle pancakes and the cheesy Georgian kachapuri (one of my favorite dishes when I lived in New York). Don’t miss out on the bathroom! It’s a large space covered in sparkling mirrors!

Communal Coffee and Kitchen

The perfect spot for a little coffee break in the mornings! Communal is located in a white corner building- look out for the Coffee + Flowers sign outside. There is plenty of tables and comfy chairs located around the cafe near its big sunny windows. My iced latte and herb cream cheese and tomato toast was the most ideal to start my San Diego vacation.

Lucha Libre Tacos

This Mexican boxing themed taco shop is so much fun and even better, offers the tastiest tacos! The taco shop is located on University Ave in the middle of North Park and is filled to the brim with pink walls, a boxing ring table (must be reserved), and a lot of boxing paraphernalia. Come here for a late night snack and cuteness overload!

Hammond’s Ice Cream

Located down the street from Lucha Libre, Hammonds is known for its unique ice cream flavor variety. There is ube and cream, brown sugar, peanut butter guava jelly, white chocolate macadamia nut, and so much more. My friend and I must have spent so long making a decision- thanks to the patient employee who waited for us slow pokes!

Nomad Donuts

Get the mango strawberry donut! The flavors were very vivid and the donut itself, so fluffy and chewy- literally the most perfect combination ever. Nomad Donuts is also located on University Ave in North Park (another reason why you should stay in the neighborhood when visiting), although its donuts are occasionally served at other cafes around the neighborhood.

Extraordinary Desserts

A very expensive and high end dessert cafe, but so worth it! It’s waiter service, but customers still have the option to peruse the pastry and cake counters like a bakery and then note down the dessert of their choice on a sheet of paper. The drink menu is a mile long and includes tea (hot/iced), coffee, lemonades, hot chocolate, and alcohol. My sparking kiwi lemonade and raspberry tarte were so delicious and filling (I had to eat slowly so it wouldn’t be too much sugar at once!) and re-energized me after a tiring day of walking around the city.

Cross Street Chicken

No vacation is complete without my fill of fried chicken! Especially Korean fried chicken. In Asiatown. Saturday night, my friend and I headed to Convoy area, which is known to be where the most amount of legitamite Asian food resides, to try the popular Cross Street Chicken. We were actually pretty full from the Korean hot dogs (see below), but still managed to eat their Garlic Honey and Soy Garlic chicken wings. Parking is terrible, but there isn’t a long wait for a table and the chicken is hot and cripsy- so worth it!

Myungran Hot Dogs

I’ve been wanting to try Korean hotdogs on a stick for the longest time, but they are so hard to come by in Houston. For those of you who don’t know, this popular Korean street snack is basically a fried corndog looking contraption filled with either a sausage or cheese or pretty much anything you want. The outer fried breading can contain pieces of french fries, ramen, squid ink, or anything really, It is essentially what cheesy dreams are made of. This outlet is located inside the HMart in Convoy and is the most popular out of all the food stalls- its a San Diego must!

It’s Boba Time

I love trying boba from cities that I travel to and San Diego is no different. It’s Boba Time is also located in Convoy in a little plaza and typically has a line forming inside its doors. There are several choices for drinks including milk tea, smoothies, fruit teas, etc…

Subterranean Coffee Boutique

My white mocha strawberry latte was delicious and just the right kick I needed to jump start my last day in San Diego. The popular (and I mean popular- check out their Yelp page) North Park cafe has a long list of specialty drinks for order and a spacious space for sitting down and enjoying on a Sunday morning. There is even a giant chess set!

Better Buzzed Coffee

I loved Better Buzzed. The cafe aesthetics, the coffee choices, the big open space- everything was perfect! A friend recommended the iced matcha latte with oatmilk to us and boy, it did not disappoint. One of the best matcha lattes I’ve had in a while! We loved the cafe so much we even went back on our last day for cookies and more coffee. The Hillcrest location is its headquarters and its most popular location- don’t miss out!

Cafe Madeline

In a last ditch attempt to explore more local neighborhoods, we finally ventured out of North Park to the South Park neighborhood for Sunday brunch. South Park is similar to North Park, but not as cute! However, Cafe Madeline with its red corner storefront and Parisian sidewalk cafe vibes was too adorable for us to resist. Our crepes (they serve paninis and croque madames as well) fully satisfied us and was a great last San Diego meal. We arrived before 9am and not long after, the lines of people started appearing.

Phil’s BBQ

No instagram quality photo available for my Phil’s BBQ meal, because I scarfed down the meat mid way through my flight from San Diego back to Houston. San Diego’s most famous barbecue has two locations and one of them is inside the airport at Terminal 2 near all the United gates. And even though I’m from Texas where bbq is abundant and top notch, I couldn’t resist Phil’s out of curiosity! While not as legitimate as Texas bbq which rely on the meat and smokiness to enhance its flavor, Phil’s sauces are truly mouthwatering and is what makes the meat’s flavor improve immensely.

What We Did

Spruce Street Suspension Bridge

It’s probably clear from the lengthy What We Ate list above, that most of our activities involved some for of eating or drinking. However, we did squeeze in some exploring around all our food stops. Since San Diego isn’t a huge tourist town, I searched on Instagram for what we could do and where we could take some pictures. This Suspension Bridge came up and we decided to make a stop- turns out the Bridge is located in the middle of an affluent residential neighborhood and is a really random sight. It connects to parts of the neighborhood to each other and is surrounded by large homes and hiking trails. This whole trip I’ve felt that the city is really talented at combining nature into everything and this Suspension Bridge proved me right!

Old Town

Old Town San Diego invokes all those nostalgic feels. The buildings look like they appeared straight out of a Wild West movie, there are costumed workers walking around, and the combination of American and Mexican cultures was very apparent. While there isn’t too many activities to do here, it was nice to spend 2 hours simply wandering around the town, venturing into the buildings to learn more about San Diego’s history, and gazing at the Mexican inspired gift shops. There is a Wells Fargo (yes the bank) museum, the McCoy House Museum, and a museum showcasing what an old restaurant would have looked like.

Balboa Park

Originally, I thought that Balboa Park would be similar to New York’s Central Park. But I was wrong- it is so much bigger! I found that out the hard way when, in my attempt to watch from North Park to the Botanical Building inside Balboa, accidentally had to hike up the side of a hill using one of its many hiking trails. With the sun shining in full force, it was quite the interesting experience is all I can say. Balboa Park has so many things to do- I could have spent an entire day wandering around and visiting the Zoo and the museums. But since I was on a time crunch, I selected the Botanical Building (free entry) with its picturesque lily pond and the Japanese Friendship Garden ($12) to tour, Both are covered in beautiful flowers and other natural sights. I loved the peacefulness of the Japanese Garden, which was built in 1991 to celebrate the friendship between San Diego and the Japanese city, Yokohama. I also wandered around the Park and spotted the Museum of Man, Spanish Art Village, San Diego Zoo, and many more gorgeous surroundings. Be sure to bring sunscreen though because shade isn’t much of an option in many areas.

Sunset Cliffs

Come to the Cliffs around sunset to enjoy the full experience that the natural wonder provides. It’s truly one of the most gorgeous places ever. There is plenty of parking on the surrounding streets and the beauty of the Cliffs is only a short walk away. While there are set walking paths, people are allowed to venture closer to the edge of the Cliff for better pictures (be careful of loose rocks and sudden drops!). There were even people meandering down the cliffs to the beach below- we passed on this though since we weren’t dressed appropriately. Getting to view the sunset from the Cliffs was truly mesmerizing. Bonus- we witnessed a marriage proposal taking place!

La Jolla

La Jolla Cove is a must see for an trip to San Diego. It is located about 20 minutes from the city center, but feels like its some far off Caribbean beach town. The palm trees sway in the slight breeze, the bungalows are painted bright yellow, there are surfers everywhere towing their surfboards, and of course, the beach is covered in sparkling soft sand. We found a kayaking tour on Airbnb that let us explore the caves as well as paddle around the Pacific Ocean- we even saw a seal swimming in the water! Afterwards, we walked a bit further down the beach to Scripps Pier for a mini photoshoot (thank you Instagram for the inspiration). The Pier is off limits to non students, but beneath the Pier is where the beauty is. A little further along the coast is one of the #secretswings of La Jolla. Perched on a tree branch near the UCSD campus overlooking the La Jolla beach, the tiny swing was such a magical spot! It was a bit hard to find though and I’ve heard it moves around every now and then so be sure to search online for specific instructions before going.

Seaport Village

Seaport Village is a little tourist area near the San Diego Bay and has several gift shops and on the water dining options. There isn’t too much else to do besides eating and shopping (although sometimes that’s all you need for a good time), but the pedestrian only boardwalk along the waterfront is a nice stroll. There are lots of opportunities for beautiful photos as well!

San Diego felt like a true vacation- good food, good weather, and good memories. It was the perfect 72 hour break from reality! Although, I’m still kind of in shock over all the food we ate!