Having friends move away is always bittersweet, but it does allow the opportunity to check out a new part of the US! Last year, some of our good friends moved out to Arizona and since one of their birthdays is coming up, we decided to do a west coast adventure in San Diego to celebrate with her! We were fortunate that another group of friends who live in LA could also drive to San Diego for the long weekend! At this time in my life, I had just accepted an offer at a new school so this was a fun trip to celebrate with friends a new life update as well!

Lodging:

We opted for an AirBnb since our friends were bringing their dog. It fit perfectly within our budget and it was in the beautiful Pacific Beach neighborhood. Pacific Beach is home to San Diego State and while there are plenty of things to do in this neighborhood, you can tell it is targeted to college age students. Some may prefer a different vibe, so make sure you do some research before you book your accommodations!. Even though we stayed in Pacific Beach, we had a lot of flexibility since both of our friends were within driving distance, so I recommend renting one to enhance your experience!. 

Day 1:

Tea/Coffee Run at Better Buzz Coffee:

One of the perks to our AirBnb location was this coffee shop within walking distance. They offered a variety of coffee flavors like lavender and I enjoyed a delicious chai latte!

Pacific Beach:

After our coffee run, we continued our walk down to Pacific Beach. Since our friend’s dog was with them and it was her first beach trip, it was super fun to see her run around in the sand. Even though we walked,there was lots of parking for a Saturday morning! I did love that Pacific Beach has a concrete “boardwalk” if you want to walk/run/bike without being on the sand. Dogs are allowed on this beach before 9 am leashed, but it was a little after that time and there were still plenty of dog owners still there. 

Brunch at Broken Yolk Cafe:

After our beach filled morning, we were ready for some food. We headed to the Broken Yolk Cafe just down the street. I love that they had a digital waitlist so you can add your name on your way over for early seating. We sat on their rooftop while enjoying their delicious mimosa flights. Our food came out super fast and I enjoyed my Sopa benedict thoroughly. 

Wine Tastings:

The next part of our day we decided to do a bit of winery hopping. There are some great wineries outside the San Diego metropolitan area, but many of them have tasting rooms in the city. Calling ahead to put in a reservation or let them know a large group is coming is key.  

The Blue Door Urban Winery:

Our first stop of the day was at Blue Door. The location is right in the middle of a warehouse district, but once we walked in, it was full of delicious barrels of wine. We were one of the only groups there and the owners were so sweet and informative about their wine. They specialize in both French and Italian red wines and the location is dog friendly with  some outdoor seating. It cost $15 for a 5 wine tasting. 

Record Family Wines:

Our second stop of the day was a little more in town. Record Family Wines was located on a pretty busy street, so there is easy access to food options. They are a women owned business that had just opened in this beautiful mid century modern location. Record Family has an indoor and outdoor space and is dog friendly outside. You pay by the tasting glass and they are between $4-$6. We tried 1 white wine, 1 rose, and 2 red and paid around $16. 

Négociant Winery:

Our last stop of the day was just down the street from Record Family. The vibe here was more relaxed with lots of locals and it was pretty busy on a Saturday afternoon. We didn’t have time to do a full tasting but I just had one quick glass of white wine. They do have tastings for 5 wines for $15 and a full wine shop to easily bring wine and gifts home to others. Négociant is dog friendly inside as well as outside. 

After our wine adventuring afternoon we decided to head back to the AirBnb to chill out for an hour or so before dinner. We took advantage of the intimate backyard with some white claws and pop music. 

Dinner at World Famous PB:

After we enjoyed some downtime, we walked to The World Famous PB Restaurant located right on the water. The google reviews of this place were very high and everyone said it was the best seafood.However, for us it didn’t live up to the hype. The food was very overpriced for small quantities and the seafood wasn’t as good as we expected. We ordered the brussel sprouts to share and I had the mussels as my entree. Sadly, one of my friends got food poisoning after eating here. 

Day 2: 

Breakfast/Coffee at Better Buzz Coffee:

We loved the coffee shop so much the first day we decided to come back the second day! We also added some food items as well. I ordered the chai latte again with a bacon and egg sandwich on ciabatta. 

Hike at Mission Trail Regional Park:

It was a gorgeous day outside so we decided to go to a local trail for hiking. We originally set out to complete the South Fortuna Trail and Fortuna Saddle Loop, but the dog was getting tired, so we cut through the Suycott Valley Trail in the middle of the canyon to make it a smaller loop. It ended up being a 3.5 mile hike and took us about 2 hours. 

Ballast Point Brewery Miramar for Lunch:

After our great hike, we headed to the Miramar location of Ballast Point Brewery for lunch. I ordered a cider and we shared some nachos, chips and guac together. Ballast Point has a huge indoor and outdoor space – perfect to enjoy the beautiful weather. This location is dog friendly outdoors! 

Saint Archer/Kings & Convicts Brewery:

We then headed to this fantastic brewery! It was a great spot to enjoy a cider and we played Monopoly Deal with our friends. Since we visited, they have rebranded to Kings & Convicts Brewery, but they are still serving the same quality beer! 

Dinner at Pueblo Pacific Beach:

That night for dinner we didn’t have any reservations or plans, so we decided to walk down towards the beach and found this great spot. Pueblo’s was very modern and had a great list of margaritas and Mexican-American food to order. This wasn’t an authentic spot but it was delicious and easy to get to. We ordered some guac to share and I had the beer battered fish tacos as my entree. I loved the refried beans that came with it! 

Day 3: 

Breakfast/Coffee at Better Buzz Coffee:

We went 3/3 for this local spot, so that just goes to show how great it was! Today I tried their acai bowl and added almond butter. 

Explore La Jolla Tide Pools:

We headed a little north to La Jolla to spend the day! First stop was the infamous tide pools and the lookout spots to see the seals. There was lots of free parking on Coast Blvd S. We started there and walked north towards the seals which are always a treat to see! 

Lunch at Duke’s:

After our mid morning stroll, we were ready to eat some lunch. Duke’s is located right in the heart of La Jolla. We started with the panko crusted calamari which was amazing. For my main dish, I ordered the Hawaiian plate lunch with tuna and double rice instead of the macaroni. It was very fresh and filling. 

Coast Walk Trail:

We had originally planned to go kayaking today, but the weather didn’t look very promising,so we decided to continue our afternoon with a walk on the Coast Walk Trail. Enter“The Cave Store” as your starting point and you will see the trail right beside it as it winds north up the coast. The walk is a little over a half a mile with relatively low elevation gain, but offers stunning views of the Pacific! 

Afternoon Snack at Bobboi Natural Gelato:

On our way back towards our car, we decided to continue enjoying the weather with some delicious gelato. The flavors are very rich and the small cup is just enough to fill you up. My husband fell in love with the charcoal vanilla flavor and wouldn’t stop talking about it for months! We enjoyed our gelato outside with a view of the ocean at Ellen Browning Scripps Park. 

After indulging our sweet tooth, our sweet friends dropped us off at the airport just in time for our red eye flight back to Atlanta. When we arrived at 7pm, there was only one spot at the airport that was still serving food, so try and grab food before you come if you can! 

San Diego was a lovely place to spend a long weekend with tons of great things to do! I highly recommend this for a girls trip, a family trip or a solo trip! 

Budget Overview:

As you can tell we went out to eat for every single meal which drove up the cost. If we picked some more budget friendly places or cooked at the AirBnb more we could have lowered the price to around $1200.