Solo in San Diego
Well sort of…
My big bro (also known as my 3rd cousin Steve) decided at the beginning of 2019 to pack up & move across the country from Tampa, Florida to Encinitas, California with his girlfriend Kayla. It was sad at first to not have them here in Tampa anymore, but then I thought “new place to travel to!” Always gotta see the glass as half full :)
I knew that Encinitas was about a 40 minute or so drive north of San Diego, so I wanted to take full advantage of being by such a fun city while also seeing Steve & Kayla. I ended up spending two days solo in San Diego, then headed up to Encinitas to spend the weekend with them.
Two days is NOTHING when it comes to exploring all that San Diego has to offer, but I feel like I squeeeeezed in as much as I could in those 48 hours.
How I got there
Southwest has DIRECT flights from Tampa to San Diego (score), so I got in around 9:41am to make the most of the days I had. I also paid for the $50 priority booking because it was an early flight and I wanted an aisle spot. Total cost ~$335
Where I stayed
I decided on staying downtown because I wasn’t as familiar with the area and knew I wanted to be in a central location to jet around from. Since it was only for a few days I figured the hostel type situation was fine to save some money. The room had my own sink, fridge, microwave, closet, and coffee machine so the only thing shared was a private hallway bathroom. The second two nights I stayed at my cousin’s place. Total cost 2 nights $223
Itinerary
9:41 a.m. - Arrive at Airport (SAN) flight time 4.3hrs
10:15 a.m. - Arrive at Airbnb downtown
10:30 a.m. - Breakfast at Donut Bar
Right around the corner from my Airbnb. The butter beer and Oreo filled were my favorite!
11 a.m. - Uber to La Jolla Beach (about 25 minutes & roughly ~$20 one way)
This spot is great for sea lion watching at La Jolla Cove and Seal Rock, taking in the views at the La Valencia hotel, or grabbing a quick bite at the eclectic Parakeet Cafe. I wasn’t fond of the $30 price tag for lunch, but man that Kale salad and matcha latte was good! I used Bird Scooters after lunch to just take in the beach cliff views of the cove.
6-8 p.m. - Sunset Cruise Mission Bay
I have a tradition of always booking a tour on water in a new city- whether that’s a river cruise, ferry, or sunset sailing. Seeing a city from a different point of view is easy when from the water, and the tour guides usually have good ideas of spots locals enjoy. This tour, Ship ‘N a Bottle, I actually booked as an experience through Airbnb and it was a great value! There were only 6 of us on the boat, the captain had great insider knowledge about the Bay & the city of San Diego, and I met two new friends! We each got a half bottle of wine and our own Charcuterie board as well. Total Cost $40
8:30 p.m. - Pacific Beach Tacos from The Local
Grabbed some famous Pacific Beach tacos from The Local and stayed for their Trivia Night. Pacific Beach is near a local college and law school, so it’s the trendy spot to be as a young professional.
Day Two
5:30 a.m. - Woke up (thanks jet lag)
6 a.m. - Uber to North Park Better Buzz
If you’re looking for a good cute coffee shop in San Diego, I found the one! Better Buzz is a local chain that feels more like a work space than coffee shop. I loved the vibe. The caffeine must have been super strong, because it got me through a 7am Barry’s Bootcamp class!
10:30 a.m. - Breakfast at Breakfast Republic
Also FYI, so far my uber costs were racking up. I’m going to be totally transparent that when people talk about San Diego, they mean San Diego County which is HUGE. I mention the ubers because I literally tried to scooter from Breakfast Republic in North Park to Balboa Park and well lets just say I nearly wiped out on a big hill because my breaks weren’t working, so I called an uber to take me the rest of the 2 miles…..
12 p.m. - Explore Balboa Park all afternoon
Balboa Park is AMAZING
I gave myself the whole afternoon and that still didn’t feel like enough time since I didn’t go into any of the museums. Just some fun facts for you: Balboa Park is DOUBLE the size of Central Park and home to 15 museums, 11 gardens, and the world famous San Diego Zoo! My favorite spots were the Spanish Village Art Center and the Botanical Garden. I could have spent days in this magical place.
4 p.m. - Stop at Holy Matcha
I had been anticipating going to this trendy instagramable cafe for as long as I could remember. It was everything and more! I tried their regular matcha latte and their vegan chocolate baked donut with matcha frosting. I would pay so much money to have another one of those donuts right now. Swoon.
6:30 p.m. - Dinner at Crack Shack
It’s like Chick-fil-a, but on crack. Hence the name. So good I had it a second time before I left. I recommend the Firebird Sandwich.
9 p.m. - Meet up with the girls from the Sunset Cruise at Altitude Sky Lounge
Cool rooftop bar that overlooks the Dodgers stadium located in the Gaslamp District.
Day Three
Lot’s of eating and family time today.
9 a.m. - Check out of Airbnb, head to Little Italy for brunch at Morning Glory
I was so excited that my work bestie who lives in Los Angeles drove down to hangout Saturday morning. It was gross and rainy so we stayed at the restaurant catching up, but every Saturday there is a cute street wide Farmers Market which we would have loved to walk around had it not been pouring rain.
11:30 a.m. - Drive up to Encinitas (about 45min drive)
2 p.m. - Lunch at Le Papagayo followed by drinks at The Biergarten of Encinitas
7 p.m. - Watch sunset from balcony
I’m still AMAZED by SoCal and how you can be in your backyard up on a hill and overlook the ocean. It’s a truly beautiful landscape.
9 p.m. - Late night bites at The Besta-Wan Pizza House
The oldest existing restaurant in Encinitas! Try the zucchini sticks and bbq chicken pizza. Your welcome.
Day Four
9:30 a.m. - Breakfast at Ki’s Restaurant, followed by driving along Cardiff by the Sea
11 a.m. - Drive up to The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch
This was my FAVORITE stop of the whole trip. Imagine 50 acres of rows & rows of fresh colored Flower Fields. The colors were this vibrant and as you can tell from these photos brought me so much joy! The fields are only open end of March to Mothers Day so only 8 months, 1 week, & 6 days till you can enjoy these beauties again. Don’t miss the flower maze as well! Total Cost $12
6 p.m. - Get Crack Shack AGAIN
It was that good haha. Plus Steve & Kayla hadn’t had it yet so I had to enlighten them. We enjoyed it while watching GOT. Still not over this last season. Goodnight.
Day Five
11 a.m. - Quick Lunch at Ballast Pointe Brewery
Just grabbed food- I am on a meatless Mondays kick so I had the veggie burger and it was really good!
12 p.m. - Find the Greetings from San Diego Mural
I’ll give you a clue, it’s in North Park.
And that’s a wrap!
This was probably one of my slower paced vacations since I was visiting family and wanted to just enjoy the time. That being said, I have many things I can’t wait to do next time so I listed a few below to add to your agenda. Hope this post was helpful!
What I can’t wait to see next time
Coronado Beach & Hotel Del Coronado
Spruce Street Footbridge
S3 Coffee Bar
Communal Coffee
Pigment
Torrey Pines Hiking
San Diego Zoo
Sunset Cliffs
Old Town San Diego
OB Dog‘s Beach
