Sunny San Diego

Two and a half years ago I bought a Frommer's guide to California. I felt like I had won the friend jackpot when Evan moved to Pasadena and was all too happy to travel there for reading week. Little did I know that I would be lucky enough to plan our two year anniversary trip from the same book.

When we decided to go on an anniversary trip, San Diego seemed like a natural choice since it was only a couple of hours from LA and we could get there easily without a car. Trains run a few times a day from LA to San Diego, but we settled on taking the bus since it was half the price and the difference would cover the cost of a nice dinner.

When we got to the San Diego bus station, we stashed our weekend bags in the terminal lockers and went to explore the downtown region. The first stop was the embarcadero where all of the cruises depart from and where all the freight ships unload their cargo. After admiring the high density of power walkers and tropical shirt wearers, we spent a long time watching a Dole freight ship unload bananas. We moved on to the Gaslamp Quarter which was a funky district full of restaurants.



Fortunately it was lunch time. With all of the choices we had in the area, it was unfortunate that we chose the Gaslamp Tavern. We were initially drawn in by the vast amount of beer taps and the good people-watching location but the food was pretty disappointing. I ordered a Cobb salad, Evan ordered the hamburger, and I'm pretty sure both plates went back to the kitchen almost full.

After lunch we headed to the Horton Plaza. I didn't particularly want to shop, but I love the idea of open air malls and seeing the architecture of the plaza was worth the detour. It looked like it could be out of a Dr. Seuss book. Maybe the inspiration for Horton Hears a Who (or, the other way around)?





Our final stop of the afternoon was Seaport Village. This district was a bit touristy, but was great for people watching. Seaport Village is full of little specialty shops from wind chime boutiques to a beer enthusiast shop to a store that sells only candles. We spent less time shopping and more time watching the street performers, including a guy who balanced large rocks on top of each other. I didn't take a picture because then I would have to pay him, but I did snap this pic of lots of kites.



After a full afternoon we headed to Little Italy for a fantastic meal of pasta and good wine. The bus was definitely worth it.

The next day was the highlight of the trip: the ZOO!!! I woke up with the O'Sullivan zoo song stuck in my head. I always thought that my Dad had made it up until Evan found it on youtube while I was getting ready. I dare you to not sing it every time you go to the zoo from now on. This place was as amazing as I had hoped. There are only about 40 pandas outside of China and this zoo has three of them. I won't bore you with any more text, but here are a few blurry animal photos.

Flamingos!

A Tapir!

A Panda!

A Meerkat!

The pictures probably don't do it justice, but it suffices to say that this zoo is definitely not overrated and is worth the visit.

Overall, I loved the vibe of the city. The sun never stopped shining and there was so much to do and see. That, combined with being there for a romantic getaway with a very romantic guy, made it a weekend to remember.