Up until just a few months ago, I had never been to Mexico, which is crazy because I’ve been to far-off locales like Malaysia, Myanmar, Patagonia and New Zealand. But Mexico? I had never set foot in the land of super cocina and beautiful beaches until a June work trip sent me on my inaugural visit to the country, specifically to the the laid-back beach town of Rosarito.
In just two days us journalists and bloggers had a gastro-extravangaza. We indulged in the region’s famous Puerto Nuevo lobster, attended the first annual craft beer fest, stopped by the city’s first winery, met the family behind a local organic produce market, visited organic farms and had the best tacos of my life at Tacos El Yaqui (photo above), a small, nondescript shack that always has a line spilling onto the street. You can read my full story in the current issue of San Diego Magazinehere.
The best part was that all of this is just a short drive from San Diego, and that’s why I wanted to partner with Baja California Tourism on a cool contest that gives you the chance to win a trip to the Baja region for a three-night stay. Here’s the deal:
1. Follow @Discoverbaja on Twitter
2. Send a tweet and tell us how you “Do Baja,” including hash tag #DoBaja. For example: “@Discoverbaja when I #DoBaja, I snorkel in the Sea of Cortez.”
3. Extra entries will be given for tweeting a personal photo of Baja and tagging both @Discoverbaja and #DoBaja *Contest ends October 1* UPDATE: Contest now ends November 1!
I’ll be going on my own Baja trip in the next couple of months and can’t wait to share my experience. Mexico, Round 2? I’m ready!
Good luck to everyone participating and happy Friday!
This post is in partnership with Baja California Tourism. Thanks for supporting the collaborations that bring fresh content to My SoCal’d Life.
A few of the hilarious, sad, insightful and clever things I’ve come across the web this week:
What would your fashion blogger name be? The Cut’s name generator can help you find out. Mine is Je ne Sais Quinoa. (NY Mag)
The Simpsons inspired auto-correct, the plot of The Hangover and eight other popular phenomena. (Huffington Post)
I went on a bit of a shopping spree yesterday—all sale items! I haven’t gone shopping like this in a few years! my old clothes have holes in them!—and it was at Ann Taylor Loft that I discovered the cool capsule collection Lou & Grey. Very hip, very New York, very lounge-y, very black, white and grey. (Loft)
There were many moments at the beginning of my time in San Diego that I felt friendless. And despite how much I’ve adjusted and acclimated, there are some days even now when I feel friendless. So when I saw a post by a woman in her late 20’s asking for advice on how to make friends, I was all ears. But as it turns out, this age is one of the hardest times in our lives for friendships. (NY Mag)
*Shameless Plug* Do you love The Princess Bride? Then you should check out the piece I did on 13 things you never knew about the cult favorite. (Yahoo)
I sweat. I sweat a lot. I have no idea what it’s like to be one of those pretty girls at the gym who merely glows. I’m too busy adjusting the sweatband at my hairline and toweling off the sweat that is literally rolling off my face and arms. (And that is why I never enjoy and will never again do hot yoga.) But now that I’m a regular yogi committed to three vinyasa classes a week—I love it so!—I realize that I need to take better care of my mat, which is the victim to all that salty sweat.
A yoga mat spray is a great way to keep your mat sterilized and smelling lovely. There are plenty on the market, but it just didn’t make sense to pay so much for something I could easily make myself. After combing through a few recipes, here’s the concoction inspired by Free People‘s that I came up with:
1. I think the best way to eat Mexican in San Diego is divey, hole-in-the-wall shacks, whether they’re by the beach like Bull Taco or in a Gala Foods parking lot, like the Marisco’s seafood truck. For the longest time I didn’t know where to go if I wanted quality and a comfortable place to sit down, that is, until I went to Puesto, the upscale eatery with street food eats. The downtown location is a giant, beautiful warehouse, while the La Jolla location, which was just renovated, is more intimate and equally artistic. (The new space is designed by prolific L.A. artist Thomas Schoos.) In August I dined at Puesto La Jolla for a dinner-with-strangers type night that included a group of creative women in San Diego. Amazing tacos (try the chicken verde) plus amazing conversation made for a happy night.
The East Coast may be my original home and San Diego my new home, but Chicago will always hold a special place in my heart. It was where I went to college and though my campus was just outside the city in Evanston, I spent tons of time downtown, eating, drinking, dancing, biking and playing. Every time I return, it’s like a homecoming.
With my friend’s wedding in Michigan over Labor Day, Eaman and I decided to make a trip out of it, starting in Chicago, where we saw his sister and some of my favorite friends and hit up all our favorite food spots. San Diego is a city in theory, but it’s really more of a suburb with urban flair. I do miss public transportation (a lot) and city streets and the busy rush (sometimes), so being in Chicago was like giving love to a side of me that I’ve been neglecting for the last few years. Chicago also happens to be one of the most beautiful big cities ever, so walking around, especially by the Lincoln Park Zoo and by Lake Michigan, was such a treat. (I would definitely live in Chicago if it weren’t so cold in the winters.)
We then headed up to Camp Newaygo, a summer camp one hour from Grand Rapids, where the main wedding festivities took place. Our friends planned the most perfect wedding: a lakeside ceremony, intimate reception and a full day of camp activities, like kayaking, archery, zip-lining and swimming on Sunday. The camp itself was beautiful—I can forgive the mosquitos—and staying in dorm bunk beds with a bunch of 20- and 30-somethings took me right back to college.
There was something really lovely about feeling isolated in nature, plus it was the first real relaxing vacation Eaman and I have taken together since our big trip, and I’m not going to lie, there’s a bit of post-vacation blues around these parts right now.
I’m skipping out early this week because I’m off to Chicago, my college stomping grounds, for a few days before my friend’s wedding in Michigan (at a summer camp by a lake!). Enjoy the long weekend and see you next Wednesday!
A local alt weekly once deemed San Diego not a coffee city; the writer reasoned that perennially warm temperatures hold us back. Well, I’m pretty sure that’s a bunch of bull because judging by places like Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, Caffe Calabria, Cafe Moto, Cafe Ipe and others, I’d say we have a pretty darn great, forward-thinking roasting scene.
One of the more popular spots in the city is the sleek Coffee & Tea Collective in North Park. The space is undoubtedly trendy and hipster—Eames (or Eames-style chairs), minimal decor, and a definite cool-kids clientele—but the team backs it up with really quality coffee. I’d compare it to Blue Bottle, and though I’ve enjoyed the coffee, their latte is my true love. The cafe also welcomes a variety of foodie talents, from waffles and Prager Brothers’ bread topped with melted butter and jam (a pricey $4 but fun to share) to Tribute Pizza, a pop-up pie company.
I work at a lot of coffee shops around town, but Coffee & Tea Collective feels more like a place where you should just enjoy your cuppa, and not just because they have great playlists and cute dogs trot in. Much like their beautiful Instagram feed, the cafe is a great combination of talent, taste and design.
Even though I’m a writer, I’ve rarely had friends in the biz. My best childhood friends are doctors, my college friends are techies and engineers, and my boyfriend is a Wall Streeter-turned-entreprenuer. I love that they expose me to new ideas and prevent me from talking shop after hours, but meeting U-T San Diego reporter Katherine Harvey reminded me that it’s pretty amazing to have a friend who speaks the same career lingo.
The Birmingham-bred writer worked at an Alabama newspaper before moving to Hawaii to write for the Honolulu Civil Beat, where she won tons of accolades for her work. Now she covers small business and retail for the U-T, San Diego’s major paper, and—get this—has a bone broth business with her husband.
Today she talks about canine therapy, the great outdoors and her chef husband.
