Chill into the San Diego summer vibes, with year-long sunshine. surfers glam, and tacos every day.
Let's start with where to stay. I stayed at Sonder apartments which were 5-star stays and made me feel at home. Renting a car is a must, the neighborhoods are far from one another and public transportation is very poor. Uber can get expensive.
La Jolla and Bird Rock; offers the sacred trilogy of yoga, vegan food, and sunsets. This classy neighborhood is located near the ocean, with young surfers' vibes alongside the old population.
What to do in La Jolla?
Start your day with Yoga and a healthy smoothie at Trilogy Sanctuary to feel a bit local, and watch the sunset at La Jolla Tide Pools together with the afternoon brave surfers.
Take a bike and ride along the beautiful old churches in the neighborhood.
Spend a day at The Museum of Contemporary Art and later stand in line to eat crafted tacos at The Taco Stand.
Take an afternoon walk to watch local tenants [the sea lions] at La Jolla Cove.
North Park and University Heights
This is the hipster and young neighborhoods of San Diego, full of craft breweries and fun restaurants. Don't try to compare this with Williamsburg or any other hipster neighborhood you've visited, it had much more chill and laidback vibes. I stayed there for two weeks in Sonder and it was great, I felt local and safe.
Where to eat in North Park?
Communal Coffee was my favorite and a great space to work remotely.
Bivouac Ciderworks to grab a drink after work.
Make reservations for delicious Italian Buona Forchetta, or pick up pizza at home.
Taste the best Ramen in town at Menya Ultra Ramen, also Michlin-rated.
And my favorite dinner spot was Madison on Park with Mediterranean food and live Jazz music on Tuesday nights. [make reservations]
Coronado Island
A super fancy semi-island that used to be a military base in WW2 and today is known for its beautiful beaches and fine dining.
Enjoy a full day at the beach, and visit Hotel Del Coronado, a famous hunted victorian hotel from 1888. Grab lunch at the Taco Shack on the hotel beach.
And make reservations for dinner at Little Frenchie restaurant [Michelin rated].
Please note that the ocean in San Diego is wild, take it easy this is not a safe swim.
Balboa Park
Go back in time and spend a day or an afternoon in Balboa Park, an historic architectural landmark from 1868, with Spanish colonial history. The park offers more than 17 museums onsite and a performance art center. I recommend parking near Lily Pond in the center of the park.
Old Town San Diego
The Old Town is a historic area with Mexican heritage from early Mexican-American times. It's very touristic but I do recommend visiting for lunch at Tuetano Taqueria [Michelin Honored] which is the best tacos I've had in SD.
Hiking in San Diego
Torrey Pines National Park [a short and easy hike uphill to view the coast]
Sunset Cliffs Cave for beautiful sunsets and walk along the cliff [an advanced hike is available into the cave only when the tide is low/negative]
Point Loma Tide Pools National Park [a short and easy hike to view the lowest and highest tide point of SD, with a diverse ecosystem of marine creatures.
Potato Chips hike [advanced, out of town]
Day Trip and Weekend Getaway
Day trip to Temecula the wine district
Weekend getaway to Palms Springs and Joshua tree National Park
Little Italy is hectic, and can be a great spot for lunch or dinner. Try Ironside Fish & Oyster for seafood. or Born and Raised for American dinner.
Enjoy the sunshine!