An Ode to San Diego, with pictures. And Why-Don't-I-Live-On-The-Beach???

Oh yeah, I don't live on the beach because it's freaking expensive. But it's also freaking beautiful.

Our mini-beach-road-trip was AMAZING. We spent the weekend going down to San Diego, first to the Marina and Seaport Village Friday night.



Here's the view from the Seaport Village shops, with an aircraft carrier in the distance, amidst other Navy ships. The opposite side of Seaport Village has a view of the marina, filled with sailboats and powerboats like a big boat parking lot.

I LOVE Seaport Village. There is so. much. to. do. Street performers and vendors line the boardwalk, which is full of cute shops and restaurants. My favorite place to eat is Marion's Fish Market-- oh my goshhhhh I love them! I get the fish, shrimp and chips (my favorite is the huge, crispy shrimp), or the clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl, yummmmm. The popcorn shrimp is fantastic too, but those big shrimp coated in all that crunchy goodness are really the yummiest. Plus the seating area is right on the boardwalk overlooking the water... time it at sunset and you'll be in paradise.

The next day we saw the Midway, then spent the rest of the morning at Balboa Park. We drove across the huge bridge in the last picture (below) to Coronado Beach after that. Nothing brings out my hunger like the beach, so we came back to Seaport Village for lots more shrimp and then spent time at the pool.

I didn't take a good picture of Balboa Park, so here is one from a blog called San Diego Daily Photo . Balboa Park is an incredible place, just gorgeous. The fountains and ponds and gardens and especially the architecture blow me away every time I go. On top of that, there are restaurants and so many museums (a really cool classical art museum, which is also FREE, is one of my favorite places. A lot of medieval and renaissance art in oil).


I love Balboa Park. Isn't it pretttttttyyyy?

Sunday we headed back up the coast to Solana Beach for a while, then to the Carlsbad Company Stores and finally Oceanside (gotta love North County). We didn't want to get home too late on Monday so we drove up the coast early to spend some time at Huntington Beach (props to the O.C., one of my usual beach hangouts) before our mini-beach-road-trip was over.

I have family in Orange County and spend a lot of time there, but there is a really special vibe down in San Diego. Everyone is super friendly and they REALLY take pride in their city (they even call it "America's Finest City"). I finished college in San Diego, so I'm probably looking back through the lens of nostalgia, but it's one of my favorite places to go.

Me, stuffed with shrimp and thoroughly happy.