Since Eaman and I work for ourselves, we rarely get time off–I even worked while in India–but the stars aligned for Christmas week and we got our very first real vacation. A whole week! And to say we took advantage is putting it lightly.
It was as if the parents had left three kids (me, Eaman and Teddy) home alone, and we were left to our own devices. We ate candy until our stomachs hurt, baked Funfetti cupcakes, spent a day in beautiful Bird Rock, watched tons of trash TV and enjoyed being complete wastes of space. Good old-fashioned G-rated fun. I think the best part was getting tons of Teddy time. We took him everywhere and probably induced some separation anxiety. As in I miss him even when he’s just in the other room.
Oh, that’s just elementary school-age me on the right at my uncle’s annual Christmas party. (My huge extended family would congregate there each yeat and right after midnight us cousins would open our presents one by one from youngest to oldest.)
I’ll just leave you with that image as I take a bit of a blog break this week to fully enjoy my first Christmas in San Diego, which means 75 degrees on Wednesday and a legit break from work (not always easy as a freelancer). You can find me on Instagram if you really miss me.
See you next Monday and have a lovely holiday week ahead!
Yesterday I got a chance to tour The Headquarters, a new shopping and food destination located next to Seaport Village in downtown San Diego. The space was once home to the Old Police Headquarters, a complex of several historic buildings surrounding an open-air courtyard. Much of the landscaping and tiling has been preserved, and they’ve even kept some of the jail cells in tact! They’re creepy and depressing, but they’re also tucked far away from the rest of the festive space.
I’ll be honest: When I first heard about the complex and briefly passed by only to catch a glimpse of The Cheesecake Factory, I wrote this place off. But it’s a good thing I got a tour because there’s a lot to love here, from famed L.A. pizzeria Mozza to a shop dedicated solely to local artisans. Check out the 7 things to love about shopping and eating at The Headquarters:
Four words: puppy on a slide. OK, 12 more words: a peaceful bike ride around Coronado Island on a rare gloomy day. I had an expiring deal for a bike rental, and considering how much I love bike riding (for pleasure, not necessarily endurance), it’s crazy that I let it go this long before making good on the coupon.
We decided to take Teddy along because I’m making an effort to socialize him beyond the dog park. He gets too excited in the off chance we take him to a cafe or store, so he’s my shadow these days. For the ride, it was decided early on that Eaman would handle the dog because even though I love biking, I’m not actually coordinated and knew I’d fall if the pup made a dash for it. Eaman was ever so dexterous and after an initial shaky start during which Teddy realized that he could pick up anything off the ground because we were on bikes, Teddy got the hang of it, too. A steep learning curve, it was.
Coronado is a beautiful, if not a strangely Pleasantville-like, island south of San Diego. Residents there live in their own bubble of well-manicured lawns and multimillion-dollar homes, but for visitors like us, it’s home to a great dog beach and the perfect bike route.
We rode around the whole island…and yes, put Mr. T on a slide. Check it out:
I’ll be honest: I’ve been a bit underwhelmed by San Diego restaurants. Yes, I’m a total New York snob when it comes to food and yes, I’ve been lucky enough to travel internationally and eat my heart out for a whole year, but I did expect more out of the restaurants here. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve found gems like Mama’s Bakery for Lebanese and Buona Forchetta for pizza, and of course the produce and Mexican eats here are way better than anything New York could dream up, but it’s taken work and a lot of trial and error to find my favorites.
That said, when I find something I like, you know that I really dig it. And that’s how I feel about Sab-e-lee a homestyle Thai restaurant low on frills and high on spice. (They offer a spice range of 1 to 10 and, to give you some perspective, when we ordered a 4, I woke up in the middle of the night with heartburn and a stomach ache — and I can handle my spice!)
The setting isn’t anything fancy and the location is completely random (tucked away in Linda Vista), but it feels like a Thai momma’s working in the kitchen. There are a lot of items we love — fried rice, green curry and Thai iced tea to name a few — but last night we shared a trio of tofu pad thai, chicken larb (our favorite dish from our time in Thailand) and beef salad. If you want the best mix of flavors, go for the beef salad, made with lemongrass, Thai eggplant, fresh chili, green onion and spicy lime juice.
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.
