A couple of weeks ago, I got to spend two blissfully relaxing days in San Felipe, Mexico, a chilled-out seaside town on the eastern shores of Baja California that’s lined by the Sea of Cortez, which boasts some of the warmest waters in this part of the world. It’s not one of those destinations where you fill your days with back-to-back tourist attractions and activities. With a population of just 20,000 people, it’s more dialed down than that. Water sports and fresh seafood are the main draws, but the notion of a margarita in hand, chips and salsa by your side, and a view of the sea ahead of you is the real charm behind San Felipe.
The town has been known as a vacation and spring break hub, but due to the economic problems that plagued much of Mexico in the 2000s, San Felipe is slowly getting back on its feet. Developments are on the rise, including golf courses and condo buildings, and there’s a renewed interest, spearheaded in part by SeaPort Airlines‘ decision to start direct flights from San Diego to San Felipe.
San Felipe is the kind of place you go to walk a little slower, sip a little slower, and decompress. And given the proximity to San Diego, it’s an ideal weekend trip.
Here’s my guide for exploring this sweet Mexican ciudad:
Preparing: For a visit from my college girlfriend-turned-NYC roommate. On the agenda? Fish tacos, perhaps WowWow Waffle, and an al fresco meal at Buona Forchetta. She’s coming from chilly Chicago, so her main goal is to be outside as much as possible, and I can’t think of a better outdoor seating situation than Buona Forchetta’s string light-filled patio.
Eating: This freekeh salad. Since I was too busy to make a proper meal plan this week, I just made a pot full of this salad. Healthy grains are much needed after all that seafood, especially fried fish tacos, I had last week in Mexico.
Reading: Nothing. I have so many different projects and potential projects in the pipeline that all day my mind bounces around like a Plinko chip. By the time I have a hot second to sit down, I just want to clear my head and stare at a wall. It’s not quite meditation, but it does a mind good.
Watching: House of Cards, season 3 on Netflix. The plot points have gotten a wee unrealistic, but I still love it. Robin Wright is such a damn good ice queen.
Crying: About a sweet, dwarf golden retriever named Smiley who was born without eyes and saved from a puppy mill. Since his owner saved him, Smiley has become a therapy dog and brings so much joy to people in nursing homes and hospitals. Are you crying happy tears yet? Just look at his photo.
Packing for: Vegas! I’m headed to Sin City tomorrow on a work media trip for the opening of the new Omnia Nightclub. The weekend will also include dinner at the Michelin-starred Hakkasan (pinch me) and hopefully a Justin Bieber sighting because, get this, the Biebs is celebrating his 21st birthday at Omnia the same night we’ll be there. I’d probably be more excited to see Kate McKinnon as the pop punk, but sure, I can be a Belieber for a day.
Things probably look a whole lot different around here, and I’m so happy to share the new look for My SoCal’d Life! At the start of 2015, I felt the need to re-energize the blog—for myself. I was bored, uninspired, and knew the best way to shake it up was to give My SoCal’d Life a visual makeover.
First things first: a logo. I reached out to a talented graphic designer, Jess Jaime, whose work is equal parts precise, professional, and fun, as evidenced by this great logo she recently created for my friend’s blog, La Petite Winget. I told Jess that I wanted to convey a vibe that was beachy and colorful but not in an overpowering way and with a nod to vintage type.
A (secret) Pinterest board was created, an evening coffee meeting took place, and what resulted was this inspiration board that perfectly summed up the gibberish I spouted out to Jess:
We then went through a few rounds of edits—here are a few of Jess’ initial sketches—and decided on this watercolor iteration featuring her hand-drawn script. When I saw it, it felt happy and lighthearted but still polished. I’d like to think that that’s the spirit of this blog.
For my new template, I wanted to dial things down about, oh, 10 notches and go for a much more minimalist look so that the new logo and my photos (of colorful SoCal life!) could have some breathing room. I found this particular template via Blogzilla, which I highly recommend. Not only are their designs clean and professional, but after purchasing your choice online, the DIY installation is a breeze, thanks to their handy instructions. As a side note, I’m geeking out over the static navigation bar, which makes poking around the site so much easier.
The new look is mostly complete, but there are still a few tweaks to be made, so please bear with me during the process. Hope you love it!
We flew down to San Felipe, Mexico on Thursday for a two-day getaway sponsored by Baja California Tourism, SeaPort Airlines, and the San Felipe Marina Resort & Spa. I’ll be sharing all the details about the trip in a separate post, but I had to include one peek. Valley of the Giants, a cactus valley near San Felipe, is home to hundred of cacti, some of which are 2,000-year-old! Standing amongst these monsters was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
The five best things I saw, did, and ate in February…
1. Teddy turned 2. In my more than 20 years of wishing for a golden retriever, Teddy is everything I could’ve hoped for and then some. Anyone who’s met this spunky guy can attest to his vibrant personality, playfulness, affectionate nature, unwavering love for both human and animals, and his never-ending desire for belly rubs. I’m pretty maternal by nature, so it gives me a lot of joy to take care of him, but considering the stresses that Eaman and I face as business owners who both work from home, he takes care of us a whole lot, too. He makes us laugh, gets us exercising, and is generally just a really funny dog. I’ll be the first to admit that he was a bit of a nightmare during his puppy and teenage months, but now at age 2, he’s all love—and licks.
I’ve been waiting to find that neighborhood in San Diego with a strong pulse, one where people are passionate, community-driven, innovative, artistic, young, and energetic—and I’ve found it in Barrio Logan. The largely Hispanic area just a few miles south of downtown San Diego is flourishing right now, thanks to plenty of art galleries, restaurants, cafes, and community events. This year also marks the 45th anniversary of Chicano Park, Barrio Logan’s park beneath the Coronado Bay Bridge that lays claim to the largest number of outdoor murals in the U.S. And just last year, Barrio Logan finally received its own marquee neighborhood sign, one that so many other San Diego nabes already have. Barrio Logan, you can say, is having a moment.
I’ve been to art shows here, eaten tacos here, talked to shopkeepers here, and it’s clear that everyone in Barrio Logan is passionate about collaborating and proudly showing off how far the neighborhood has come from its gritty reputation. I rounded up some of my favorites from the area in this month’s San Diego Magazine, which you can read here, and to do more exploring of your own, here are a few upcoming Barrio Logan events:
After contracting some sort of GI bug yesterday, I thought I could get myself together in time for a post today, but it’s become abundantly clear that yeah, that ain’t gonna happen. I do feel much better than yesterday, when I had a fever, chills, and major body aches, but I’m still feeling residual weariness today. So excuse me while I crawl back into bed and go back to my Gatorade and white rice regimen.
Oof, this week was exhausting. Between too much time working on the computer and riding the emotional roller coaster that is self-employment, I think my brain is more tired than my body. I’m looking forward to a dinner date tonight with my boyfriend, a dinner date Saturday with my girlfriend, and a double dinner date on Sunday. Oodles of dates. Plus, as much as I love the loyal sunshine in San Diego, it’s supposed to rain the entire weekend and that’s good news not only for the drought-ridden state, but for me as well. We rarely get those days of gloom and drizzle, so a little imposed couch time and afternoon nappin’ sound downright luxurious.
Hope you have a happy one! Here are some reads to take you into the weekend:
Generally speaking, California, especially SoCal, is the land of flakers and people running late. This doesn’t bode well for me, someone who is insanely obsessed with punctuality. These six charts aptly describe by annoyance. (The Bold Italic)
This pineapple fried rice recipe is so dang good. (Cookie + Kate)
The new season of House of Cards has arrived! Here’s a fun (and grim) infographic about all the people Frank Underwood has backstabbed, blackmailed, manipulated, and/or killed. (Huffington Post)
How to brew the perfect cup of tea whether you’re drinking green, black, or loose leaf. (PAPER/PLATES)
Ten essential San Diego hikes. I still need to do Devil’s Punchbowl and Three Sisters, but I’m a little terrified of the latter. (UT-San Diego)
The remedy for dark under-eye circles? Red lipstick as a concealer. Yes, really! (Today)
