I love living in San Diego because it’s a much smaller and more accessible city than New York. In some ways, it feels like a small town. But when I walked around Mission Hills, a neighborhood just west of Hillcrest (where I live), I felt like San Diego was the Manhattan and Mission Hills was the…quaint country town with a few notable shops.
Yes, it’s quiet and yes, there are just a couple of streets to stroll down, but I love how in the midst of this mainly residential area, all of a sudden pops up these small businesses — from salons and French-themed stores to bookstores and a diner. (There’s also the very trendy Brooklyn Girl Eatery, but even that seems to fit the area thanks to its amazing interior design. More on that below.)
It’s an area that reiterates the difference between San Diego and New York City. In NYC, no matter where you go, you’ll find something cool and exciting. In San Diego, you have to work a little harder to find the hidden gems. Sometimes it’s frustrating, but once you stumble upon it, it’s so much more gratifying.
Have you heard of Brika? It’s an online boutique filled with handmade crafts and the stories behind them. There’s everything from home goods and jewelry to kids items and pet accessories, but the one thing that unites them all is an attention to detail and an appreciation of the handmade craft. If you’re all about supporting small business owners, this is a good site for you.
I recently went through a little window shopping spree on the site and thought I’d share seven of my favorite products.
I first met Farra Miron at a recent Madewell event here in San Diego. She was so lovely and incredibly friendly, but I was equally impressed by the desserts she had made and all the seriously exquisite vintage glassware she presented it in. As the aptly titled Hostess Haven, Farra provides rental tabletop pieces as well as baked foods and styling services. (Just take a look at this gallery of her food creations!)
When I asked her if she’d be willing to take part in my series, Farra admitted that she’s “a routine girl.” Judging by what she’s shared below, I’d say she’s my kind of girl. Today she talks about lemon pistachio donuts, Ayurvedic food and what entertaining means to her.
I was recently chatting with my friend about what I had been up to. And because I don’t filter — I just don’t see the point in saying, “Everything’s great!” when it’s not — I launched into a diatribe about frustrations, lack of sleep, self-doubt and a general state of stress. (The transition to the freelance, self-employed lifestyle hasn’t been an easy one.)
Meal planning. I recently talked about how I was going to start this weekly ritual, in which I’d plan a week’s worth of lunches and dinners ahead of time to keep grocery shopping fast, easy and cost-effective. Like I said, this wasn’t an attempt to make fancy dinners and use my Sur La Table goodies. Some meals would be more involved and some would be frozen pizza.
Now that I’m five weeks in, I thought it was worth sharing my take on the process, the things I’ve learned and my favorite meals.
my rituals is taking a break this week, but in its place is something equally fun!
Last week I was so happy to wake up to news that I had won a Liebster Award thanks to Amina from Paper/Plates. What’s the Liebster Award, you ask? You could call it an online relay race of sorts, in which bloggers answer fun questions about themselves and then pass on a new set of their own questions to 5 other bloggers. It’s a way for me to share some wild and weird facts about myself and introduce (or re-introduce) you to five awesome bloggers you should check out. The idea, then, is that they fill out their questionnaire and continue to pass the baton to more bloggers.
On this day last year, I was boarding a plane in Delhi bound for New Jersey. It was the very last day of our RTW trip, and it blew my mind that the end was right there at the airport gate. Eaman and I parted ways — he was continuing on to Iran, where he would be backpacking for six weeks — while I was headed home. He kept me company at the gate, and then boarding began. Once they called my section, I started crying. And then Eaman started crying. It felt devastating to walk away from each other after everything we had been through. That said, flying home solo and having six weeks to myself gave me some perspective on what I had learned and what the trip meant to me.
Since coming back we always randomly reminisce — about that time we hitchhiked in Patagonia with a very shady Argentinian man or when our Vietnamese local bus left us behind at the border between Vietnam and Laos or every other crazy memory that inspires us to do this kind of trip again sometime soon. (When? I don’t know. For how long? Maybe six months. Where? Central Asia and Africa sound exciting.)
But the trip really wasn’t about those isolated adventures; it was about how they all came together to teach us a few lessons. I figure today, exactly one year later, is the perfect time to look back on those lessons and to see how/if I’ve taken them to heart:
Bates Nut Farm* is San Diego’s classic pumpkin patch with gourds of all varieties — huge, mini, grey, white, striped, even a type called “turban.” Located about an hour from downtown in Valley Center, this farm really does it up for fall — straw maze, hay rides, petting zoo and pony rides. Even though Eaman and I are total children and really love doing kiddie things, we just wanted to revel in the pumpkin patch and bring Teddy along. (Leashed dogs are allowed everywhere on the farm except in the store. Bring water for them; it gets hot and dry.) It’s a stunning open space with mountains on one side and corn fields on the other. Yes, I wore a tank top and skirt and it was in the 70’s, but the environment sure felt like fall.
I know pictures make you think one thing, but do know that it WAS NOT EASY BRINGING TEDDY. He’s a canine vacuum cleaner and sucks everything up in sight — whether we’re on a casual walk or at a pumpkin patch. I spent half the time pulling out pumpkin stems from his mouth. Apart from that, he was actually pretty well-behaved! He was extremely popular with the kiddies running around and seemed really amused to climb on top of the pile pumpkins. And because we’re totally annoying and cheesy, we selected two pumpkins for Teddy, put them on the ground and let him pick one. You see, we each brought home a pumpkin: a giant one we’ll carve (Eaman’s), a small white one (mine) and a round orange one (Teddy’s). We also put him in a wheelbarrow at one point. I told you we’re annoying.
There’s also a store full of snacks, nuts and classic candy like Warheads and Double Bubble in barrels. There’s other packaged candy, but I think it’s kind of a crock that they’re selling Sour Patch Kids in different packaging to make you think you’re buying homemade candy. They’re selling you a story. I chose to buy into that story only for the unique candy: chocolate-covered gummy bears, mint chocolate malt balls and pumpkin almonds. I ate half the gummy bears on the way home and the other half after dinner that night. Whoops.
* My friend who grew up in San Diego and went to Bates on school field trips said kids lovingly refer to it as Nate’s Butt Farm. I honestly can’t stop laughing when I say it out loud.
