My hubby sent me on a girl’s trip this month to visit two of my best friends! They all surprised me two weeks before I left and it was a much needed vacay! Now this is not my first time to San Diego, but I did get to experience new places and see it from their perspective (locals now).
Follow along for my weekend away!
We started the weekend by making a quick stop at the Naval Port to get a pic with the famous sailor and woman statue. Aren’t we cute!
Then headed to Coronado for some fun shopping and a light lunch. The weekend we were there the Film Festival was taking place. We snapped several pics of the Walk of Fame stars displayed to commemorate the festivities.
We stopped in these two stores for successful purchases and ate lunch at Leroys. My Hibiscus Margarita was delicious. Ellie and I shared the pretzel and salad!
We headed back towards town to check-in and get ready for the evening. The past two times I visited San Diego we stayed at the US Grant Hotel. This is a gorgeous venue with a lot of history, beautiful decor, and amazing proximity to key areas of the city. They have a ton of meeting and banquet space, there is a floor dedicated to past/present First Ladies and Presidents that have stayed at the hotel, it is known for it’s early bootlegging days, and the bar/restaurants are delish!
It’s located near the heart of the Gas Lamp District and next to Horton Plaza. There are several bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues that flank the hotel too!
Dinner that night was in University Heights. We ate at Madison’s and were not disappointed. I have been to this area several times before and every time I go the food is truly amazing. I’ve learned that San Diego does restaurants and food right! I had the burger because I had not eaten much during the day and I give it a 100%. The flavor was perfect and it was cooked just right!
We finished the night bar hopping and had the best time at . The people watching was a riot and the beer was plentiful.
Saturday was spent in La Jolla after a mouth watering breakfast in the Gas Lamp District and walking/scootering around . I had the avocado toast and a Bloody Mary. Wow is all I can say. The Bloody Mary’s could be made four different menu ways with the choice of vodka or gin and spice! You must try Rustic & Brunch.
Seaport Village was a short distance away. We started off walking, but as you know I tore my plantar fascia ligament so we decided to hop on the scooters. FYI – in San Diego they have to be used on the street. That is kind of scary in a city. We zipped over to Seaport Village and went to the fish market, watched seals swim, and grabbed a cupcake that one on the Cupcake Wars – the Habenero Chocolate Dulce de Leche. Yes, you need to try this one! I blanked on the name of the bakery, but it is located right by the the cow bench. =)
La Jolla is always a great time. We park near Caroline’s which is a nice restaurant that overlooks the beach and walk down. The weather was sunny and warm and the water was surprisingly warmer than normal. That’s saying a lot for the Pacific Ocean. Surfers are out in hoards and the tide was down so we could explore. We did see an octopus too (I could not get a pic because it was playing cat and mouse).
That night we ate in Little Italy. Dinner was at Barbusa. This came highly recommended from our Uber driver that said it was great food at a great price. Plus, there was not a long wait and we did not need reservations. We shared a bottle of wine, pizza, and cheese board for under $100. The thing that was neat about this restaurant is they offered communal seating. You could visit with new people or keep to yourself. We also got to sit near the kitchen and watch the prep and display in action!
Next door was a bougie bar/restaurant. We went to the rooftop and had a glass of wine and a ton of laughs. First, people want to be seen at this joint. They were dressed to the nines and out to party. Second, there is a loft across the street and you are treated to a reality set of couple’s sharing their lives. Nothing x-rated. Promise! Last, the decor and bathrooms are worth checking out – think to the point, gold, sparkle, and glam!
The night took us two more places. Back to Seaport Village for a quick drink at the Top of the Hyatt. It’s 40 floors up and if weather permits offers a fantastic skyline! Unfortunately, we were met with a ton of fog. The service was quick and the drinks and ambiance were nice. I will see due to the weather the bar did make me tired – everything was dark!
Our final visit of the night was to the Sugar Factory. Several celebrities are investors in this establishment. The decor is fun, the candy is everywhere, and the service is slowwwww. The drink below is one that was on the table the whole hour plus we were seated. The drink on the right took one hour to make. The staff was really nice, but it was not worth the hype. We did see some local makeup celebrities and fun birthday parties though!
Sunday was a day of R&R! We hung around the hotel before heading to the airport. The hotel let us have a let check out which was one hour later. Normal checkout is at noon. The hotel was not too busy, but the security lines are not very robust so expect to wait. I recommend getting their early or grabbing Global Entry to bypass the wait.
I had a great time and was so happy to share a lot of new memories with lifelong friends. I highly recommend all the restaurants and the areas if you are visiting San Diego.
Stay classy friends! What movie????
Vanessa
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