around san diego - Travel

8 things I want to do, see and eat in SoCal

January 21, 2013

I’d be lying if I said moving to a new place is easy. Of course, I knew we’d have to build an apartment from scratch (so to speak), find jobs, make all new friends and get to know the city, but I guess I hadn’t really understood what that would feel  like. And now I know, it feels like anxiety.

I have a lot on my mind (see above) and lost a few hours of the weekend dwelling on all of it, but then, being the list-oriented girl that I am — you say Type A, I say just fine — I jotted down, bookmarked and made mental notes of the things I’d like to see myself doing, seeing and eating as I get adjusted to this new place. Look forward, not back, right? Right. Think about fun stuff, not a lack of income, right? Right!

Here’s to some positive thinking.

1. Road trips to Palm Springs, Santa Barbara and oodles more. Part of the reason we decided on San Diego was because it was so close to so many places we’ve always wanted to visit. Beyond the usual suspects like San Francisco and Santa Barbara, I’m itching to take a slow road trip, where we stop at every small beach town along the coast. A lot of locals have already bemoaned the commercialization of many quaint beach villages, which is all the more reason this road trip should be at the top of our list. Also at the top? A stay at the Saguaro (below), a color-crazy hotel in Palm Springs.

2. All the farmer’s markets. Don’t get me wrong, I like farmer’s markets on the east coast. I’m just not that into only root vegetables in the winter. What I am into is a huge bag of blood oranges for $3 at a California farmer’s market. And that’s just what we bought this past weekend at the very large, very busy, very vibrant Little Italy Farmer’s Market. I love how colorful and plentiful the produce options were — not to mention the fact that there were enough samples to substitute for breakfast and I can peruse the vendors while wearing shorts in January. I’d be happy to go back to Little Italy’s every week, but I still have the Hillcrest and North Park markets, among others.

3. The San Diego Zoo. Animals! But entry is $44. Yikes. That can wait until we have more money.

4. Stand-up paddleboarding + yoga. At this class in Mission Bay Aquatic Center, you get your downward dog on while balancing on a paddleboard that hovers in Mission Bay. Is this not the craziest thing you’ve heard of?

5. The Long Beach and Rose Bowl flea markets. We sadly had to skip the Long Beach market this past Sunday, but I vow to go back next month! (It’s every third Sunday of the month.) It costs $5 to enter and is supposed to be home to many a beautiful antique and vintage good. If it’s good enough for Tori Spelling, it’s good enough for me. I also have my eye on the famed Rose Bowl flea, which is held every second Sunday of the month in Pasadena, CA. This one costs $20 to enter, but it’s known as the mother of all flea markets, hopefully for good reason.

6. Rock climb. My friend Sara has asked me mandated that I try this with her.

7. Discover quirky shops. I am all about cool boutiques. Some of my favorite memories of my former cities involved strolling down Southport (in Chicago) or navigating through vintage shops (in New York). I already have a few here in mind, but Pigment and Progress are at the top of my list. Both are home decor and gift shops with a keen eye for design.

8. Cookies by The Cravory. The trio of San Diego guys behind this line of cookies wanted to adapt the Ben & Jerry’s model of wacky ice cream flavors to the world of cookies. And this is why they have 950 different cookies, some of which are sold at the La Jolla and Hillcrest farmer’s markets. Just look at the picture below. Need I say more?

Images via 1, 2, 3

6 thoughts on “8 things I want to do, see and eat in SoCal

  1. Kate

    So many fun things to do! You’ll love the Hillcrest farmers market…my sister recommended that one to me when I was out visiting her. I ran out of cash I kept finding things I wanted. And The Cravory’s cookies are the best! Some strange flavors yet those were my favorites.

    Jealous of your new city!

    Reply
    1. Archana Post author

      Thanks, Kate! We’ve been doing both something else the past 2 Sundays we’ve been here, but I want to go to Hillcrest’s soon — and not just for those cookies!

      Reply
  2. Fareesa

    The roadtrips sound amazing. Also… the yoga on board. Although if I ever tried it, I would definitely be soaling wet!

    Reply
  3. Christine Pasalo

    Randomly came upon this post from last year and I have to know: Have you made good on the rock climbing yet? If not, why not?! I recommend starting indoors at either Vertical Hold or Mesa Rim so’s you can learn the basics, both climbing and belaying, and get comfortable with the gear. I’m loyal to Vertical Hold myself — great community of climbers, and Saint Archer’s Brewery is about 200 feet away.

    Reply

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