My family and I visited my sister in San Diego this winter and it was a nice little getaway. It was an eventful week, but the sunshine and beach was a much needed break from the hustle of everyday life.
During the winter months, San Diego gets pretty chilly and windy, so sitting on the beach wrapped up in sweatshirts and blankets was the norm. It was still warmer than Midwest winters, so I’ll take it!
This flight was my youngest sister and brother’s first plane ride and they had all the questions before, during, and after the flight. Long story short, they took tons of pictures, videos, and learned a quick physics lesson on how the giant metal bird actually flew thru the sky. They loved it and can’t wait for their next trip!
Naturally, our first stop after landing was In-N-Out. I seriously wish the Midwest had a few of these! If you haven’t been to an In-N-Out, you should add that to your bucket list. It’s a whole experience on its own!
We spent the first two days a bit north of San Diego in our hometown – San Clemente, CA. Being back home was bittersweet as we reminisced on memories of our time there and re-visiting our favorite spots. San Clemente is the most charming, little Spanish Village by the Sea and is a must-stop visit the next time you travel to Southern California!! I highly recommend visiting the Pier and eating dinner at Fisherman’s to watch the sunset over the water!
We stayed the rest of the week in a beach house right on Ocean Beach and it was a total dream. Waking up for the sunrise peaking over the palm trees lining the streets and then reading with a glass of wine while watching the sunset over the sea every night was me living my best beach bum life! These beach frolicking ‘Nows’ were main character moments and will forever be some of my favorite memories 😊
I can’t even tell you how many burgers were consumed during the week, lol, but we seriously must have tried every burger joint in our immediate 10 mile radius. I think the best one we tried was on our last day before heading to the airport. We stopped at Hodad’s Ocean Beach after a family friend recommended it. This burger was loaded with all the toppings and the juiciest burger I’d ever had. So amazing, highly recommend!
We also tried a cafe on the UCSD campus called Caroline’s Seaside Cafe. Waking up at 6:30am on vacation was justification enough for my morning mimosa at breakfast. 😂 I did eat some eggs, fruit and sourdough toast as well, gotta get that protein in! The chai latte was also worth the early wake-up call!
We spent one of our days at SeaWorld, which was fun! We had been to SeaWorld years ago when we lived in Southern California, but the amusement park was closed for maintenance, so we just walked around the sea life exhibits and saw the different shows. This time around, we were able to experience all of the rides, which were well-worth the visit! It was also pretty empty on a weekday during the off-season for the park, so short lines were a great bonus!
I think my favorite place we ate at was Blue Waters Seafood in San Diego. Their Seafood Taco Tuesday deals are the best! And their outdoor patio was a total vibe with the twinkle lights and space heaters and glass dividers to block out the sea breeze. Some of the freshest seafood I’ve had in a while!! So yum!!
Getting away from the snow and cold back home to lounge on the beach with a good book was definitely needed! Food for the soul if you will! And good food all week too!
What is your favorite thing to do on vacation? Relax and recharge or see all the sights??
Until next time SoCal, all the love! ~Jai🤍
Journeys with Jaiden 