This trip to San Diego was our second visit to this Southern Californian city. The last time we were here was part of road trip from San Francisco.
San Diego had been our final destination on what we labelled as “Big America”. Previously we had only stayed here for 2 nights and felt we didn’t get to see everything that this destination had to offer. We had done some of the main highlights like the zoo but hadn’t had chance to explore beyond the centre of the city.
This time around we had booked to stay for five nights. Hoping this would give us ample opportunity to see everything. We still managed to run out of time!
How we got there…
Before travelling to San Diego, we had been staying in Los Angeles for four nights, where we had hired a car. Our plan was to keep the car and drive down to San Diego. This was a journey of approximately 2.5 hours from the AirBnB in Malibu. Once through Los Angeles, it is an easy drive on the Interstate 405 and 5 all the way to San Diego.
Where we stayed…
Again we chose an AirBnB as our residence. A week before our departure we had a bit of hiccup with the booking. For some reason, I decided to revisit the reviews for the AirBnB ahead of our trip. This is something I would always advise anyone to do. When we first booked the apartment, all of the reviews were glowing.
One of the key things for us with the place we are staying is security and we purposely book places with onsite secure parking. The place we booked said that it had this (and that it was free). Then when I was going back through the latest reviews, one of them suggested this wasn’t the case. The exact wording on the review was:
“There is a large unhoused population living in the streets near the building and few restaurants in the immediate vicinity. However, no one bothered us walking to our parking garage…”
I contacted the host who replied: “Hi there we don’t have parking on site…parking is next door paid :)”
When I questioned about walking through the homeless population to get to it she then added: “You will encounter homelessness day to day whether your car is parked inside or not. Walking around you will find homelessness everywhere in California unfortunately”.
We live in Manchester UK, so we appreciate homelessness happens everywhere. The issue was with the “large population”.
When I contacted AirBnB, on the second occasion they dealt with this really well. They said listing the parking incorrectly was a violation and provided an immediate refund.
Luckily we were able to find another place, albeit we had to pay another £500 for the duration of the stay.
Here are the pictures of where we finally stayed.
This apartment was in a really good location in Little Italy. From what we experienced of San Diego, there is no better place for an AirBnB than Little Italy.
The apartment was very well decorated and equipped. Many people in their reviews said that the air traffic was a problem – being avid travellers we loved it!
The host was responsive and proactive.
Some points to mention for awareness but wouldn’t stop us from staying again:
The apartment door is accessible from the street albeit people would have to go up to the 3rd floor.
On checkout we were taking our bags down to the car and the code to the front door changed. We tried to call the host and realised that it is not a personal host but a company. However, we did get a response within 15 minutes after a bit of a panic.
What we ate and drank…
1. In and Out Burger
First stop for us was In and Out Burger at LAX Airport for a spot of lunch before we set off for the South. We both went for a double cheese burger.
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Many many years ago we had In and Out Burger in San Francisco. My recollection of it, was of a very simple burger. This wasn’t completely simple but we really liked it.
Two double beef patties, which were fairly thin but also nice and succulent at the same time. Nice burger sauce. Lettuce, tomato, pickles a bit too much onion. Soft and doughy bread.
We also couldn’t leave San Diego without sampling another one.
2. Eataly
Before we left Los Angeles, we called at Eataly one last time. We picked up some Lasagne, Tomato Focaccia and mozzarella to have once we arrived in San Diego.
3. Influx
Influx is a self acclaimed hip cafe serving coffee, pastries & gourmet croissant sandwiches in a modern European-style space. The one we visited was in Little Italy at 750 W Fir St #105.
My husband had a flat white coffee, which he said was good. I ordered a cherry and pomegranate San Pellegrino canned soda. However, I didn’t get the canned version. Instead the person serving created a fresh Italian soda with Monin Cherry and Pomegranate syrup and San Pellegrino sparkling water.
It was very refreshing.
5. Mein St. Little Italy Food Hall
Mein St is within the Little Italy Food Hall in San Diego. It offers a variety of Asian cuisine with highlights including house made dumplings and succulent wings. We found it whilst wondering around Little Italy on our first day.
When we checked it out online, we nearly didn’t order from here as the google reviews didn’t score above a four. However, we were fairly exhausted and hadn’t really seen anything else that appealed so we went for it. We were very glad that we did!
When I collected the order, the person that served us who I think could have been the owner appeared to be very humble.
We ordered the following:
Xiao Long Bao, which came as a portion of six (we only remembered to take the picture once we had already launched in and eaten two). These were nice and meaty with a thin soup retained within the pastry.
Pork pot stickers which were served with house made zesty garlic soy dipping sauce.
Mein St Wings, which were definitely the star of the show. These were huge with lots of succulent chicken lightly battered. The sauce which tasted like a mix between Peking and Cantonese was sweet and sticky.
Combo Chow Mein, which consisted of wok-tossed noodles, broccoli, carrots, onions spinach, bean sprouts, savory soy sauce.
Chicken fried rice which was again wok-tossed with beansprouts, peas, scallions, onions, egg.
Both chow mein and fried rice were massive portions. After the starters we didn’t even scratch the surface. The next evening we ordered two portions of the chicken wings and reheated the left overs.
6. Pastries & Juice from Little Italy Mercato Farmers’ Market
After a good stroll around the Farmers’ Market in Little Italy, we finally purchased some pastries.
First up was something called Kouign Amann, which was apparently one of a kind! It was sugary, flaky, buttery pastry filled with raspberry heart. When we took this out of the paper bag to eat, the pastry looked quite dry and crisp. It’s appearance was misleading. It was some of the best pastry, I have ever had the pleasure to experience. It was light and fluffy. The raspberry jam on the inside was just the right amount. The jam was so obviously home made as it had the a sweet pure fruit taste that you don’t get from a mass made jam.
From a different stall on the market, we bought an apple pastry. This was a lovely tart with chunky slices of apple on a bed of vanilla custard and supper puffy pastry. It was extremely yummy.
The pastries were washed down with this wonderful pineapple and mango juice.
7. Sovereign Modern Thai Restaurant
Featured in the Michelin Guide for the past 3 years, we couldn’t not try Sovereign. On our first day we walked to the East Village in San Diego where Sovereign is located to check it out. I’m glad we did as it tuned out to be in a not very nice area in San Diego. Armed with this knowledge when visited we did so by Uber.
When we arrived and we were sat in a booth, which I always like.
We ordered….
Thai cracking sticks.
Northern Thai Spicy Sausage. I know the clue is in the name but these were extremely spicy.
They had run out of the Golden Crispy Pork Belly so we had Hat Yai Fried Chicken with Tomato Chili Jam.
It had the most amazing crispy skin like Peking duck but even better. The chicken was so tender.
We also had Dry Turmeric Curry, which had a deliciously mild spice on the minced meat.
All in all we enjoyed the food here, particularly the mains which were fantastic.
8. La Puerto
On our last night we wanted a relaxed Mexican meal so headed to La Puerto at 560 Fourth Avenue.
On arrival we were offered the worst table in the place. We requested a booth, which they didn’t want to give us one so we sat at the bar.
The waiter was a lovely chatty guy who said he originated from Warrington.
For drinks, we ordered cocktails. I had a Whole Lotta Love. This was La Puerta’s hand crafted house Margarita made with Reposado Tequila, Agave nectar and fresh lime.
My husband had the Low Rider. This was La Puerto’s Cadillac Margahita made with Anejo Tequila topped with a blend of cognac and orange liquer.
I have to say neither of them were particular strong. There might have been some watering down going on.
For food we ordered…
Mix ‘n’ Match Signature Street Tacos. This was a combination of three tacos served with refried beans, rice, rajas con crema (sliced poblano pepper with cream), cotija cheese, limes.
The tacos we selected were:
Carnitas, my personal favourite. This consisted of slow roasted pork, guacamole and pico de gallo.
Ranchero Shrimp, which was sauteed shrimp, ranchero sauce, cabbage, cilantro and crema.
Pollo Asado, which included grilled chicken, guacamole and pico de gallo.
Along with this we also had Pollo Asado Fries. These were really tasty loaded fries known as Papas Fritas La Puerta. Topped with Cotija cheese, jack cheese, grilled onion, poblano, crema, guacamole, pico de gallo and cilantro. The icing on the cake was the mixed in grilled chicken.
What we did…
1. Little Italy and the Mercato Farmers’ Market
The Mercato Farmers’ Market in Little Italy is one of the best farmers’ markets I have ever had the good fortune to visit. It takes place on a Wednesday and a Saturday and is well worth a visit.
There was an array of stalls with fresh produce, baked goods and hot food. Here are just a few that we took photos of.
2. Fiesta Island, Mission Beach
On the journey from Los Angeles to San Diego, we had spotted Mission Beach. Once we had finished at the Farmers’ Market, we decided to take a drive up to Mission Beach for a walk around Fiesta Island.
Although we managed to get in a good walk, the island itself was a bit odd. It’s probably a bit livelier in the Summer months as there were fire pits scattered, a dedicated dog park and no doubt plenty of opportunity for water sports. We did manage to see a small amount of bird life and some views of the city from a far.
3. Mission Trails Regional Park
The next day we were in need of a substantial hike. We headed out of central San Diego to a place called Mission Trails Regional Park. The drive here was only just over 15 minutes.
We parked near the visitors centre and pretty much followed the Oak Canyon to Grasslands Trail found on AllTrails.
On the day we visited it was extremely quiet and we only saw a handful of others out and about. As one of our fellow walkers said as we were passing “Just another crappy day in paradise!”. He hit the nail on the head.
4. Morning Run Along North Harbor Drive
On our last full day in San Diego, I decided to do a run along North Harbor Drive. It was a glorious morning with the sun shining and clear blue skies.
Running along Harbor Drive, as well as seeing all the immaculate little yachts you also run past the Navy Pier. This is home to the USS Midway Museum, which houses a historic aircraft carrier. This is a truly magnificent sight to see.
5. Torrey Pines State National Park
The Torrey Pines State National Park as the name suggests is a reserve dedicated to preserving the Torrey Pine tree. For us it was 20 minute drive from the AirBnB in Little Italy.
The National Park hugs a stunning stretch of the San Diego coastline. The trail we had wanted to do was the Torrey Pines Beach Trail Loop, which we found on AllTrails. However, what we hadn’t appreciated until we got there was that the trail was directly on the beach. Our timing wasn’t great as by the time we got there the tide was rising so we were unlikely to make it across the beach without getting soggy feet.
Instead we opted to walk partially along the beach and then head up to the Guy Fleming Trail. We got to see the famous Torrey Pine, the rugged cliff sides and some spectacular views along the coastline.
6. La Jolla Cove
On our way back to San Diego from Torrey Pines, we took a slight and enjoyable detour to La Jolla. Parking wasn’t the easiest but we managed to find a 30 minute slot. This allowed us enough time to wander down to the La Jolla Cove.
On the day we visited in late November, the cove had an abundance of wildlife. We managed to see many boisterous sea lions, who all wanted to be the centre of attention. Alongside these adorable beasts, were countless pelicans who were catching the last set of rays on the rock face of the cove. Further down the coastline the pelican’s mingled with the elegant black feathered Brandt’s Cormorant.
7. Street Art in Carlsbad and San Diego
Carlsbad
On our way to San Diego, we took a minor detour to this wonderful mural called Capnap. It’s located at 2906 Carlsbad Blvd, Carlsbad. Created by artist Michael Summers to illustrate the concept to change. It was well worth the visit.
North Park
On the way back from our hike at Mission Trails, we went to see some of the street art in North Park.
The first one we stopped at because I thought it there would be a Prince mural. Either I got the location wrong or it has since been painted over. Anyway this purple lady can be found at 3215 Adams Avenue.
Next up: The Dude Abides by @TheAnimalWithArms at 3076 University Avenue.
After The Dude Abides was this very psychedelic tribute to North Park, found around 4231 30th St.
The final piece was “Greetings from San Diego” located at 4223 305th Street.
Little Italy, San Diego
On my last day, I took the opportunity just before leaving the AirBnB to see what street art was around the streets of Little Italy. The following murals were all found around India Street and Kettner Boulevard.
How we got home
We got a British Airways flight back from San Diego via London Heathrow to Manchester. San Diego Airport only has 3 international flights per day of which we were one.
We travelled Business Class, which meant we had access to the Aspire Lounge. It was a pretty dreadful experience. Nothing like the Quantas Lounge, which we had experienced at LAX.
The lounge was absolutely full to capacity so we struggled to get a seat. The buffet was limited to salads, cold meats and nachos. British Airways customers did have access to limited free alcoholic beverages, which was a blessing. The Wi-Fi couldn’t cope with the volume of customers. If you did manage to connect then it was for a limited time only.
Boarding thankfully happened really promptly. We were first on the plane!
Our flight home took off late. We were meant to depart at 18:05 but finally got in the air at 18:51. Some of the delay to take off was due to the plane that landed before we took off hitting some birds, which meant a runway inspection was required.
Once in the air, our in flight food and beverage order was taken.
Here are the menus….
We both had a G&T as our post take off drink.
We also both ordered the Tuna tataki, smoked trout and salmon with poached prawns, coleslaw, boiled egg and horseradish, cocktail sauce.
The best part was the Smoked trout and horseradish plus there was green pickle thing that was delicious.
Worst part – prawns meant prawn but it was big one. Egg meant barely a quarter of egg.
However, overall very flavoursome and a good starter.
The bread roll was a little bit dry and could have done with being warmed a little..
For the main course, I ordered the rosemary ricotta cannelloni.
When it arrived it was too hot to judge whether it was any good. As time past, the flavour improved but it felt like wasted calories so I stopped at half a portion.
When it came to dessert, I couldn’t decide between the toffee tart or the sweet crepe. I was offered to have both, which was a bit extravagant so in the end decided on the sweet crepe and a Baileys.
The crepes were an attempt at american pancakes. Not sure if this was the intention. There was a lot of the vanilla creme. It was strange in terms of flavour and texture. I did question my decision. I might have been better going for the toffee tart!
We enjoyed our second visit to San Diego. We got to experience a variety of good quality food within the city. As well as this, there are a decent selection of beautiful trails for some interesting walks and hikes. Plus opportunities to see some wildlife in it’s natural habitat and some striking urban art. Well worth the trip!