Having never explored this area before, we were not sure what to expect. We are happy to report that this area is awesome. There is so much to do! Fun Fact – San Diego is the eighth most populous city in the United States and the second most in California, next to Los Angeles. Although this was just a day trip for us, we covered lots of territory.
The first place on our agenda was to La Jolla to explore Shell Beach. La Jolla is a neighborhood in San Diego known for its Torrey Pine trees, rugged coastline, and ocean views. Another Fun Fact – the Torrey Pine tree is a rare species found only in California and is extremely endangered. Once parked, we headed down a staircase to the beach. The beach is quite small, but it has incredible coves! Note to future visitors – if the tide is up, there is no beach, so you can only come here during low tide. Additionally, there are major riptides here, so no surfing is permitted. If you like to shell hunt like us, this is your spot! The coves are what fairy tales are made of…. you turn a corner and BOOM, tons of shells and sea glass appear, trapped from the ocean currents.
After doing our fair share of treasure hunting, we crossed the cove to see the La Jolla Cove seals. These little guys are hanging out for viewing pleasure from May 16 to December 14. This portion of the beach is closed the remainder of the year to protect newly born seal pups. We encourage everyone to come here…the seals are very cool to see. Please remember to respect the boundaries placed out for the seal’s protection…remember this is their home, not ours. We saw several people getting too close and scaring the seals…it was disheartening to see the selfishness of these folks. If you want to get closer to the seals, there is a bridge that you can walk out on that not only gives you fantastic views of the seals, but it allows for stunning wave photographs as well. The swells can be pretty big!
After we took our photos, collected our sea treasures, and dried off our sandy feet, we headed towards Little Italy! Little Italy is a community within San Diego that transports you out of the United States. Originally a tuna fishing town, this predominately Italian area is now filled with restaurants, grocery stores, art galleries, and residences. We are likely the ONLY people who have come to Little Italy and passed on Italian food, but we will be back for the pizza! Here are some of the spots we enjoyed…
~ Rosamariposa – Located on Fir Street, this small business is known as the house of love. This is according to the ground as you walk in. Once inside, you will find an assortment of jewelry and dreamcatchers. We picked up a dream catcher for our home…it never hurts to have extra protection!
~Love & Aesthetics – This store is full of swear words, hearts, and lots of swag! It has a very eclectic mix of merchandise…you will find Toilet Paper Magazine Mugs, Jonathan Adler everything, jewelry, wardrobe, colognes, candles, and more.
~ Harumama Noodles & Buns – This restaurant “reimagines traditional Asian recipes and infuses them with a cute, modern flair.” Long story short…they have character bao buns! Just do it for the gram people! We got Pig Buns, which are filled with pork and caramelized onions, and also picked up the Bunny Buns, which are filled with Nutella. These are tasty and most definitely photo worthy.
~ Pop Pops Paleta – Located on India Street, this place is a must go for a refreshing treat. For those of you that are not familiar, a Paleta is basically a Mexican popsicle. It is a frozen treat typically made with fresh fruit and creamy ingredients. As you walk into this small shop, you will see a display case filled with endless options…. once you pick out your paleta, you can choose toppings to cover it with. We picked a cotton candy paleta and topped it with rainbow sprinkles. DELICIOUS!
After finishing our sweet treat, we hopped in the car and headed to our final stop…Coronado Island. Coronado is a peninsula in San Diego Bay that is connected to the mainland by an isthmus called the Silver Strand. In order to get to Coronado, you must drive across a 200-foot-high bridge roughly two miles long. Once we arrived, we walked along the shore and checked out the town, ultimately landing at the Coronado Brewing Company. What can we say, we like breweries! This spot has good food, good beer, and a good atmosphere! Our favorite beer was the Orange Ave Wit. The brewing company says it is “bolstered by orange zest, coriander, and orange blossom honey, it’s Belgium by way of Coronado.” It reminds us of Blue Moon.
We really enjoyed our time and look forward to coming back to the area to further explore.
Seas the day,
TnT