Back from Cali...
Well, I'm back from So Cal, and it was BEAUTIFUL. The weather was a little windier and colder than I expected (or packed for), but the scenery is even more beautiful that I could've imagined! Coastline for miles, rocky cliffs, green hills, flowers and plant life in every color of the rainbow.
Thursday night we went to La Jolla (pronounced la hoya) for dinner. It was dark by the time we got there, but our restaurant overlooked the ocean. Beautiful by moonlight.
Friday we spent the day at the beach. Not as nice as the East Coast. The sand is purer and silkier. But the ocean washes up piles of kelp all over, which apparently, in turn, attracts what I have affectionately named "kelp gnats". Nasty little "flies" that literally swarm around the kelp. The kelp is apparently combed up each morning, but little, smelly, gnat-covered piles are still scattered across the beach. A little gross.
Friday night was downtown San Diego. So fun. Downtown is perhaps the cleanest, youngest, most vibrant American city I've ever seen. There are stores, bars, and restaurants just bustling with people, most of whom were fairly young and attractive. And as a beach town, even the supposedly "swanky" downtown area was relatively laid back and unpretentious.
Saturday we unfortunately had rain. Quite unlucky since it only rains about 10 days PER YEAR there. I blame Whit. It has rained each time he's had people come to visit. Nonetheless, he did save the day by taking us on a Jeep tour of the city. We saw Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, Mission Bay, downtown by day and his Naval base. We even got a tour of his ship. Very cool. By late afternoon, the rain stopped and we made the Hotel del Coronado (the Hotel del or just the del, to locals) our final stop. The del is where Marilyn Monroe filmed "Some Like It Hot". A very old-school swank hotel that can't even really be described in words. Truly "awe"-some.
Saturday night we had authentic Mexican food at "Gringos". Oh the irony of that restaurant's name. Anyway, the food seemed authentic and tasted great! Then Saturday night we went to a local Pacific Beach bar, Moondoggies. The jet lag and time difference really set in about 11pm California time each night, so there were no true late nights to speak of at this point. However, on this night, the highlight was the "scenery" inside Moondoggies. There was a woman in the bar who, I kid you not, had low-rise jeans on that covered no more than 1/3 of her ass. As in, she had a good four inches of crack sticking out the back. And from the front, she had a top on that very precarious clung to just the edges of her areola (sp?). She could not have shown more skin if she had tried, and it seemed very obvious that she WAS TRYING! Anyway, we along with every other person in the bar, stared in dismay and amusement as she shifted and posed on her bar stool until she was finally escorted out by security.
Sunday we went to Tijuana for "cheap shit". We found some here and there, but mostly we just found a very sad, poor town. Perhaps its got a different draw when you're 18 and on Spring Break, but it was without a doubt one of the saddest places I have ever seen first hand. While leaving Tijuana you literally pass signs on the highway that say "Caution" and then have a picture of a family (mom, dad and child) holding hands running. After a moment of confusion, we realized this was So Cal's version of "Slow - Children at Play", except here it means, "Caution - Mexican families fleeing across the highway". Think about it. There was obviously a large enough problem of Mexican familes get run-over on the highways while fleeing the border that these signs were needed.
Anyway, after Tijuana we went to Balboa Park. A sharp contrast. Balboa Park is a large network of park areas, museums, science centers, nature walks, and the San Diego Zoo. It was a beautiful day on Sunday, and the area was so crowded with people enjoying the sunny, beautiful day that we couldn't even find parking to get out and explore by foot. Our driving tour was still amazing though.
That night we left our fearless tour guide (Whit) to have one last girls' only night out on the town. We ventured back to the downtown area for a final "authentic" Mexican meal and a few drinks. The authentic Mexican meal was good, but I'm happy to return to my generic, Southern style Mexican now.
Then after dinner we went to a bar for some girl time. We made absolutely no attempt to talk to any boys at the bar (honestly), but amazingly, while deep in our own conversation, one of the two guys that me2 had noted was attractive came right up to us and introduced himself. Eddie (who, may I say, could be me2's ex's brother based on the resemblence) was fairly nice. He waved a friend over to even out the numbers and talk to me while he hit on me2. They bought us drinks, and though Eddie was undeniably the cuter of the two, as is often the case, the nerdier, less attractive friend turned out to be the more articulate and entertaining. After a few free drinks, the conversation got boring, so me2 and I excused ourselves to the dance floor where we stayed until closing time.
All in all, the trip was wonderful. A little tamer than me2 or I expected, but it was a restful break from our everyday lives and a fun few days with a good friend. We both agreed that San Diego was an amazing town with WAY more to see and do than we could fit into our long weekend, so that only means we have an excuse to go back someday!
