San Diego: Envious and Multifaceted

San Diego is LA’s chill older sister who gave up sex, drugs, and rock and roll, but married rich and now lives among some of the country’s most coveted zip codes. She can take her pick from multiple beaches each with a different feel – from luxurious to hippie to wild. She can also show off quite a bit of well-preserved history, an amazing zoo, and more. I’d definitely live here if the city’s residents didn’t have the highest gas, water, and electricity bills in the country.

Let’s start with the beaches. A couple of years ago, I came across @michaelboyyd on Instagram and TikTok. He is a free diver who documents his sea lion and harbor seal encounters around La Jolla, a neighborhood in northern San Diego. Sure enough, not long after as we got off the bus from Old Town, we could see the ocean and hear sea lions barking. Along the coastal walkway at Ellen Browning Scripps Park, we looked down onto the lower cliff outcroppings to see dozens of sea lions climbing over each other and lounging in the sun. At La Jolla Cove next to the park, guess what? More sea lions! And a beach with gorgeous shades of blue. I put my goggles on and saw bright green grass, a big orange fish (which I think was a Garibaldi fish, the state fish of California), and a grey striped fish. However, a sea lion venturing into the water made everyone come ashore for a bit. Which brings me to my next point: Do NOT set foot in parts of beaches clearly sectioned off for wildlife, even at La Jolla Cove. You can enjoy the animals just fine from a bit of distance. They will bite and are protected by law.

sea lions blend in well

zoom in to see the sea lion

After braving the freezing Pacific water and getting thrown around by waves for a bit, we followed the coastal walking trail to Children's Pool La Jolla. I tried not to get my harbor seal hopes up too much, but was incredibly surprised when again, everyone got out of the water because of three harbor seals trying to get onto a big rock. One got up easily while the other two didn’t quite get on so smoothly. I sat on a rock closer to the beach and just stared at them, hoping to memorize every detail of the day. In total, there were four harbor seals at the Children’s Pool and eventually one huge sea lion too. Easily one of the best experiences of my life.

zoom in for seals

Elsewhere around the cliffs and beaches of La Jolla is The Cave Store. Head here for souvenirs and to get access to the Sea Cave, an ancient geologic formation that was allegedly a former hideout for booze seekers during Prohibition. The cave itself isn’t super amazing, but the store feels wonderfully local and vintage. On your way to all of these places, stay close to the ocean because aside from sea lions lounging, birds often perch among the cliffs below the park areas too.

La Jolla is one of the fanciest parts of San Diego, like Lamborghini levels of bougie. Hardly any trash or fast-food chains, and you can tell that people in this community are rich enough to have time on their hands for high culture leisure. When walking along streets that Cher Horowitz would love, be sure to stop at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library. This building hosts musical performances, but also features shelves of vintage books devoted to history and its intertwinement with the arts. Warwick’s, the oldest independent bookstore in the US, is a popular place for more books and unique items. I found some super cute mini stationary booklets here. Very specific, I know, but also a great example of the fun things you can buy here. Other artsy places to shop include the gift shop at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and the La Jolla Open Aire Farmers Market (Sundays only).

Ocean Beach closer to central San Diego is a hippie free-spirited part of town easily rivaling Venice Beach in LA. Cheech and Chong and Fillmore from “Cars” would all definitely hang out here. The streets leading to the beach are filled with anything from thrift stores to burger joints. You get the sense that lots of people here know each other in this little pocket of a much bigger city. Definitely stop at Hodad’s, even if you don’t actually want to eat here. Peeking in just to look at the décor will definitely provide a California bro feeling. There are lots of surfers here too, but unfortunately I didn’t hear anyone say, “Righteous, Man!” Maybe that’s a stereotype.

Inside Hodad's

street leading to the beach

post-wave resting

Of course there was a record store at
Ocean Beach, and of course Mom found it

The last beach I had the pleasure of seeing was on the Coronado peninsula. Coronado is technically its own city and much of it is military property as San Diego is a major navy city. More on that later. A highlight is Hotel del Coronado, a massive wooden hotel with a long list of famous guests throughout its 130+ years of history. Inside, you’ll see photos of Marilyn Monroe, multiple U.S. presidents, Babe Ruth, and others who passed through the hotel’s ornate Victorian lobby. The hotel reveals Coronado’s history as a whole too. This part of Cali has been a vacation destination for decades. If Hotel del Coronado was too expensive, beachgoers used to stay in what looked like mini carnival tents. Thankfully, there are now plenty of Coronado hotels somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.

You don’t have to book a room to walk through the ground floor of Hotel del Coronado or to enjoy the beaches behind it, yet it still feels like you’re in some sort of exclusive resort. There are colorful places to eat and drink, and surf instructors to gawk at. Legend has it, my high society alter ego is still hanging out there – when she’s not in France.

Back on the mainland, you can delve into the aforementioned military side of San Diego. Climb aboard the USS Midway Museum, a huge aircraft carrier with exhibits below deck and on top where planes take off. Aside from getting close to over two dozen military planes, you can learn about the Battle of Midway, a significant naval battle during World War II. Further north along the port, you’ll find the Maritime Museum of San Diego with more historic ships, including one that would look at home in a pirate movie.

Further inland is Old Town San Diego. While some of the buildings have been rebuilt, this historic park shows what the city looked like in the 1800s. San Diego’s Mexican influences are in everything from the buildings to the restaurants to shops in Old Town. You might even catch some live music. Paranormal fans will want to explore this part of the city too. The Whaley House just past the church is among the most haunted places in the country. 

If the hippie part of San Diego is Ocean Beach, then the yuppie hipster part of town is the Gaslamp Quarter. Among the skyscrapers, you’ll find plenty of restaurants, bars, cafes with healthy options (it is California after all), and Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. But as in the downtown areas of many cities, here is where my rose colored glasses came off. At the southern part of the Gaslamp Quarter is 12th and Imperial, a major inter-city transportation center. Quite a few people who are definitely not having an amazing California Dreamin’ life were hanging around this part of town. The short distance from here toward the bridge to Coronado is unkempt and almost looks abandoned. How upscale luxury manages to be this close to such run-down parts of a city still shocks me even though I see the same staunch juxtaposition even in my own much smaller Midwestern hometown.

But let’s not end on that note. One of the most beloved zoos in the United States is the San Diego Zoo. I thought I’d need two days to see everything, but found that it can be done in one day. This facility is doing some amazing things for wildlife research and I got to see some animals in person for the first time, like sleepy koalas in spaces that skillfully emulated their natural habitat. There was a group of capybaras too, the world’s largest rodent! Its aviaries are particularly immersive and filled with birds of every color. The San Diego Zoo is even mentioned as a beautiful zoo in the 2005 film “Madagascar.” San Diego Zoo is in Balboa Park, a massive green space with even more museums. Take your pick from museums focusing on natural history, air and space, art, veterans, cars, Comic-Con, and even model railroads.

All of this sounds expensive, and it can be. Thankfully the Abpópa Hillcrest hotel was centrally located and on the slightly cheaper side. Highly recommend if you’re ok with using a ladder to get to a loft bed. Samesun Ocean Beach - San Diego is a super artsy hostel if you really want to go cheap and feel even more like a beach bum just going wherever the wind takes you. In that case, right on, man.

Transportation Tips:

• I found the buses in San Diego to be much better than those in LA. Still, I ended up using Uber a couple of times, but that might just be momentary lapses in patience.
• Old Town Transit Center literally right by Old Town is another stop for inter-city transportation, particularly Amtrak. Lots of bus routes stop here too. Take Bus 30 UTC/VA Med Center to  Silverado St/Herschel Ave right in the heart of La Jolla. No transfers needed!