San Diego Week Two

I’m starting to feel like a local! Another fun week here in Southern California. I have walked a ton of miles! It’s a reminder to me everyday of how fortunate I am to be in good health. I don’t take it lightly. There will come a day when I am not able - but today is not that day! So here are the highlights of places I have been this week.

I spent most of a day at the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. It is located right next to the famous golf course but doesn’t overlap. It is almost 2000 acres and named after our nation’s rarest pine tree. Beautiful hiking trails with gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean, sandstone cliffs, natural vegetation and beach access. Some of the trails are fairly flat and easy to navigate but there are significant stairs and an uphill climb for others. Totally worth the time. I love this view of the trail to the beach.

That’s me standing on Flat Rock which is at the very southern end of the reserve. Not as easy as you might think to get up on it! Bottom left is the Torrey Pine tree.

From Flat Rock I headed south walking down the beach, and was a bit nervous that everyone else was heading back north. First thing I saw was a sign that said “Unstable Cliffs Stay Back”. Well my option was walk by the unstable cliffs or stay really close to the water and hope I didn’t get hit by a big wave. I had thankfully checked on the tide before concocting this plan and was assured it was low tide until later in the afternoon. At high tide there is no beach at all. My plan was to end up at the Cliff Hanger Cafe about a mile and a half down the beach and get a bite to eat while watching people much braver than I paragliding. So while I was definitely the only person on the beach I continued my trek. This is not an idol threat as just last week on the news in this exact area there was an area of cliff that crumbled onto the beach. Here is a picture of the unstable cliff I was walking by.

My next concern as I walked along under these cliffs was once I hopefully made it to the cafe up on the bluff, what if there is no way to get up the cliff? Well I could start to see the gliders in the sky above me so I knew I was close. I was looking intently to try and find a way up and finally spotted what appeared to be a set of stairs. The worst set of stairs ever! There was a sign at the stairs that said “Unstable Stay Back”. My question was is that the cliff or the stairs? Or both? But I had no choice so started to ascend. They were patched together with old tires, railroad stakes, broken slabs of concrete, and a very steep climb. I exhaled when I finally got to the top safely and lo and behold was exactly where I wanted to be at the cafe. Success! I had soup and a sandwich and it was fine but the food is really irrelevant. Sitting there watching people strap into what are basically kites and ascend is amazing. You can pay for a tandem ride and someone will take you up, but a lot of the people doing it had their own equipment and clearly knew what they were doing. Not something I aspire to do but very cool to see it up close. The Cliff Hanger Cafe is right behind the University of CA San Diego campus right above the ocean.

I spent another good part of a day at the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Considered to be the birth of San Diego the park contains restored and reconstructed buildings that are now museums, shops and restaurants that illustrate the community between 1821 and 1872. I specifically planned to go on a day when a free one hour walking tour was offered and really found that to be a huge contribution to my enjoyment of the park. The dates the tours are offered are listed on the website and the other benefit is that typically on those days areas that aren’t always open are available. For instance the Blacksmith Shop was open and had demonstrations happening all day. The guide was very knowledgeable and interesting and we got to go into buildings that aren’t open if you’re there on your own. Only 18 people allowed on the tour so get there before as you need to sign up for it. Tour is at 11AM so arrive by 10:30 as a number of people after that were turned away.

I wandered into a number of the cute shops many of which had beautiful pottery from Mexico, candles, clothing, sweets, jewelry etc. There were a number of restaurants and so I decided to go with Casa De Reyes which my Uber driver had recommended. Not the best Mexican food I’ve ever had but it was fine - just soup and a side of beans and rice - but an outside space that was lovely and the staff couldn’t have been nicer.

After lunch I walked around the area and just happened upon Heritage County Park. As someone who loves architecture and historic homes I felt like I had hit a jackpot. San Diego County purchased the land in 1970 after concerned citizens realized that downtown’s rapid growth threatened the many fine Victorian homes with destruction. Private and public funds were used to acquire, move and restore these endangered Victorian structures. There are 7 structures in this park - 6 homes and Temple Beth Israel. In reading about each home I was struck by the dates of construction coinciding with the dates of the start of the career of Frank Lloyd Wright - an architect near and dear to my heart. It confirmed again how Wright was such a ground breaking architect and had such an impact on the evolution of an American style of architecture.

It’s not really a Patti Part Two adventure if there isn’t at least one stop at an art museum - so that was next on my list. I spent a couple of hours at the Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, and it vastly exceeded my expectations. I’m not an art of any kind expert, and even less so of contemporary art - but this is a really beautiful museum. It is a fabulous building that overlooks the Pacific Ocean right above the La Jolla Cove so that alone is worth a visit. The rooms overlooking the ocean have windows with breathtaking views so you see amazing art and then nature at its finest. It was so much larger than I expected and when talking to one of the employees and expressing how impressed I was she told me the museum had just reopened after a very large expansion making it five times larger than before. So if you have visited in the past it’s definitely worth another stop.

Now for some food I enjoyed this week. In my quest for the best fish tacos I think I found them. At the Fish Shop. Three locations in the San Diego area. The BEST! (Survey of one😬) Usually when you order fish tacos you don’t get to pick what kind of fish. Not here. They have 11 different kinds of fish always and sometimes even more. You can get your fish in a taco, salad, sandwich or on a plate. Don’t come looking for a burger here. You pick your fish, marinade, and then how you want it. Need a side with your fish? They have some great choices. Halibut in a taco with Fish Shop Seasoning in a flour tortilla please! Delicious! Going back again soon!

You say you want to eat breakfast at the beach? Try Woody’s! You can’t get any closer to the beach, and I’ve walked by it 20 times and it’s always busy. Breakfast or burger - that’s your choice. No inside dining. Boardwalk or roof. I went with Popeye’s Scramble. Eggs with spinach (duh!) mushrooms, onions and peppers. Delicious rosemary potatoes and an English muffin. Their slogan is “eat some breakfast, then change the world”. Well ok! A great place to people and surfer watch.

Another awesome place I ate at was Sugar and Scribe. A bakery and restaurant in downtown La Jolla. Open for breakfast and lunch and on a Sunday morning was a mob scene. One of the benefits of being a party of one is that sometimes they can squeeze you in asap if you’re willing to sit at a counter. And I was so got seated immediately for brunch. So many great things to choose from. Also an amazing coffee bar and the bakery items were gorgeous. I got another type of scrambled eggs with a side salad and incredible Irish toast that came with made from scratch blackberry jam. Also a delicious latte. Another spot I want to return to again. A number of their menu items were Irish but the decor was really more French to me. So pretty and a great outdoor space too.

Another cute bakery - The Olive Baking Company located just off the boardwalk in Pacific Beach. Touts their cinnamon rolls which were delicious but I also got a blueberry muffin that I liked even better. A large selection of sweet and savory kolaches as well.

The açaí bowl of the week was from Vili’s Health Bar. Equally as delicious as the one from the Ocean Cafe last week so not necessarily worth the extra $5 it cost. But I do love all their yellow decor. So cheerful.

Now just a few random pics. Walking down the street I noticed my first every tsunami sign. Unclear as to which way to run but I’m guessing away from the ocean?🤔

The view from one of the windows at the art museum overlooking La Jolla Cove. Spectacular!

The most adorable house ever in La Jolla that looked like something out of a fairy tale. Zoom in to see the pink hose hanging from the spigot and a glass gazebo filled with flowers on the inside. If I ever win the lottery (which first I would need to start buying tickets) I am going to buy this house. Magic💕

Sunset is even pretty on a cloudy day if it’s over the ocean. Thanks for coming along on my trip!