HeYyYyY
I'm back from California, just about as sunburnt as expected, and I cannot wait to get back on my normal schedule. June is an insane month for Rob & I - just got back from his sister's wedding (WOOO!!! GO SARAH!!!!), have his cousin's wedding this upcoming weekend, then we're moving into our new apartment July 1! My gym/eating/sleeping schedule has been trash and I feel like a dehydrated shadow of my former self, but I'm working towards reestablishing myself as a functioning member of society sooner than later. We're not going to have a bed or a couch until 2 weeks into our new apartment life so I'm anticipating having my shit together no earlier than the beginning of August.
That being said, we had so much fun in San Diego/during our 2 days in LA & we're already hoping to go back and scope out LA a little more for once this new 14 month lease comes to an end. San Diego was great though! It's so beautiful there, our hotel was awesome, and we finally spent some time at the beach! I wore a bathing suit!!! No photographic evidence but I did pull trig and actually wear a bathing suit on a beach so that was big time! Especially after putting down like, 9lbs of eggs from Kono's. If you're ever in Pacific Beach and want to eat your body weight in eggs for about $6, Kono's has the biggest breakfast burritos I have seen in my life & I genuinely was not hungry until 9 hours later.
The wedding itself was beautiful! Sarah is genuinely one of the most attractive people I've ever seen in my life & she would've looked good walking down the aisle in a juicy couture tracksuit, but she wore her mom/grandmother's wedding dress and it was just WOWWWWW. WOWOWOWOW. Rob looked so handsome UGH he kills me. I think we cleaned up pretty nicely, especially considering the fact that I almost died trying to keep up with people at the rehearsal dinner after not drinking for over a month (I think I might keep alcohol consumption on the low for awhile, my body can't handle it and I keep accidentally blacking out and terrorizing my loved ones). I was feeling kinda sick all day, definitely consumed some gluten unintentionally, so by the time I actually started getting ready for the wedding I was a lillllllllllll behind schedule. I didn't feel great about myself but my dress was my personal cinderella gown and somehow made up for the fact that I did my hair and makeup in about 45 minutes and was hiding a gluten bloat with Spanx. & of course Rob is so cute that its borderline impossible to look bad next to him (though I have for sure managed).
I wore Cinq a Sept dress in, as you can see, the PRETTIEST Tiffany blue color. I tend to have the problem with a lot of higher-end dresses (and all dresses, honestly. A bitch can't win) that if my chest fits, its going to be huge on the rest of my body and vice versa if it fits my body, my chest isn't getting in there. I did have to get it slightly altered because the neckline should be higher (the dress was REALLY long wearing it tied the way it is in these pictures) but it ended up being perfect. I love the ribbon tie back, it was supportive without squeezing me in & looked so cute and feminine. Admittedly it was a bit of an investment piece, but I will be wearing this literally everywhere for the rest of the summer. I had bought a pair of strappy Schutz sandals to wear with the dress but the midi length didn't really work with them :( so I threw on my beautiful Jimmy Choo Anouk heels that hurt my fat Irish feet SO badly but are so, so pretty. I almost exclusively own them to wear for pictures but they're still worth it.
I think the best part of vacation was Rob & I getting a breather. There is nothing I love more than posting up in a boujee hotel (Tower23 was like, millennial boujee?? is that a genre? cause it worked??), putting on a bathrobe, and chillin' with my buddy. Even though we live together, we don't get a ton of time to just hangout and enjoy each other's presence, so it was great to have a few days where it was the two of us on our own schedules. I loved having our little balcony and the rooftop to sit out on and do absolutely nothing. The hotel and the restaurant inside were SO good & I think I ate a years worth of Chilaquiles in 15 minutes at JRDN (pronounced Jordan but we just called it JER-DIN in a loud, southern accent). Also loved laying on the beach and doing nothing but eating melting chocolate covered gummy bears. Eating, doing nothing, and boogie boarding were my 3 favorite activities during vacation. We actually had a ton of fun driving up and back from LA - I think we might be the only people to ever say "we had fun driving through LA," but we really did!! We barely hit any traffic which I've been told is miraculous & basically just spent 2.5 hours in the car reading road signs in a "Californians" accent and singing The Middle.
(if you're ever staying in PB, do the ocean front view at Tower 23. Literally could have stayed there with my cheese and crackers on the balcony all day)
This was only my second time in San Diego but I feel like I've seen a surprisingly good portion of it by now! I've gotten a bunch of asks for recommendations on restaurants/things to do and while I definitely maintain that the most fun thing you can do is get a boogie board and allow yourself to get demolished by the waves for a few hours, here are some of my other favorite things to do in San Diego!
Food
Breakfast Republic : We went TWICE when we were there & it was sooooo good. A lot of gluten free options (including BOMB gluten free French toast) & its a cute, quirky-but-not-obnoxious spot! I didn't want to order the Sweety Cocky because frankly I didn't want to say it, but it was great & the mashed potato omelet put me in a coma.
Hodad's : There are a lot of good burgers in San Diego but these win, hands down. They're huge, no one gives you shit for ordering a lettuce wrap, and they're gluten free friendly! They chop up bacon and make a bacon patty if you order a bacon cheeseburger and I don't know why anyone does it differently?? Its a cool little place, very clear why it was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, and in a really cool spot in Ocean Beach!
JRDN (JER-DIN) @ Tower23: Everything I had there was ridiculously good. Like nothing was mediocre - everything was amazing. Some of the best sushi I've ever had & if it weren't for my stupid gluten allergy I would have absolutely housed an entire sticky bun. I had chilaquile stains like, up to my eyes at brunch.
La Puerta : I have eaten A LOT of Mexican food in my days, but this is absolutely, no competition, the best Mexican food I've ever had. You know how cold tacos are usually pretty gross? I ate leftovers the next morning and they were still the best tacos I've ever had. They also do really fun frozen drinks & are right downtown in Gaslamp!
Kono's: "A surprising amount of eggs" - Rob's brother
Baked Bear: I know its a chain, I know I know, but we don't have them in Massachusetts & every time I can get my hands on a gluten free ice cream sandwich - I'm going for it.
Puesto: SUPER good Mexican food in La Jolla. I had zucchini flower tacos and guac with parmesan in it that were sooooo good. I wasn't even hungry and I ate 4 tacos.
Duke's La Jolla: Some of the best tuna I've ever had & beautiful views! They also have really fun drinks and its nice if you're looking for somewhere more upscale (then again, you're in La Jolla so, that's pretty much anywhere).
PB Ale House: Go for the drinks and the view! The food is pretty good, but the lavender elderflower lemonade - BOIIIIIIIIIIIII.
Things to Do
Hillcrest Farmer's Market : So much food. I know I just did a whole section on food, but this is like, food and an activity. There are so many cool vendors, the food is unbelievable, and people are literally throwing it at you. The sales tactic worked and I think I brought home like, maybe 5 different gluten free desserts (GF CHEESECAKE IN A CUP, BABY). It's a super fun vibe & right near downtown so its a cute place to go and eat before heading to the Balboa Park area.
The San Diego Zoo: DO IT!! I know its so cliche and so touristy but its AWESOME and totally worth the hype! They also serve craft beer there (though I can't drink it, I've been told San Diego is the craft beer capital of the world & that you should all try Cali Creamin') & you can get a little bracelet that let's you get drinks at every new station (were Rob and I rocked by the time we left the zoo? ya). The sky wire thing that goes over the park is a little anti-climatic considering the wait (still a really cool view) but the zoo itself is unbelievable. We spent six hours there and still didn't see everything.
Balboa Park: Balboa Park is huge & there's sooo much to do there. I'd recommend checking out their website and making a little itinerary for yourself so you're not too overwhelmed! Rob and I are museum nerds so we loved doing the Museum of Man (the cannibal exhibit was weird but oddly interesting and informative?) and the Natural History Museum! The gardens/grounds are beautiful, we actually got really good food there, and if you have the time to do the Japanese Friendship Garden - especially when the cherry blossoms are blooming - its like nothing I've ever seen before.
Torrey Pines: I am not an outdoorsy person for the most part, but I loved hiking at Torrey Pines! The hike was easy & the views were unbelievable. Rob and I did the whole thing in about 2 hours and hung in La Jolla after! It's nice to get some form of exercise in when you're been pounding tacos and tequila all week (or anticipate to later in the week) and the reserve that the hiking trails are on has a lot to do! Rob and I really wanted to go golfing this time but we couldn't find the time to get up there :( We ended up hiking in Laguna Beach on the way back from LA, but I sorta wish we did Torrey Pines again!
La Jolla Cove: SEALS. SEALS EVERYWHERE. KINDA STINKY BUT VERY CUTE 11/10.
Beaches: We really regretted not getting to the beach enough last time around so we made a point to go more this time & I'm so glad we did! As much as I love getting out there and *doing* stuff on vacation, I love just getting to lay on the beach and relax for the day. If you love dogs, go to the dog beach in Ocean Beach! There are TONS OF DOGS, RUNNING AROUND FREELY, AND THEY WILL COME SNUGGLE AND TRY TO GET YOU TO PLAY ITS BEAUTIFUL. OB is also just like, the most hippie place I've ever been and its hilarious people watching. People watching in San Diego is unmatched. The more calm beaches (in terms of waves) are in La Jolla, but I love Pacific Beach. The waves are huge, its crowded ( I never really went to "party beaches" growing up so its a fun change of pace from the Vineyard/up the Cape/Rhode Island) and the boardwalk is really cool. There's no shortage of bars, restaurants, and shops & again - people watching. PB is the more "young adult/college kid" area of San Diego if you're looking for that scene!
Gaslamp Quarter: This is the fun, downtown area of San Diego! Tons of good food, bars, and events. It's definitely the ~city~ part of San Diego & really fun for a night out! This is where La Puerta is!
Seaport Village: I STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN THERE! HAAAA. BUT - My parents got engaged in San Diego and almost just stayed out there ( but then my Dad got a job in Mass, boo) & my mom always talks about how much she loves the Seaport Village. My mom has fantastic taste and is a fun person so if she likes it that much that she's still talking about it almost thirty years later (lawd) I'm sure its worth going to!
As I sit here, literally still in recovery mode from the amount of food and sun my body endured, I hope I've compiled a pretty good list of things to do in San Diego! If you're more of a go-getter than me & have done more things besides laying on the beach and eating rapidly melting candy like a 4 year old, please feel free to give me some tips! I'm sure I'll be out there again & I'd love to check out some new places! I'll try to do a few outfit posts in the upcoming weeks, but I'm easing back into things over here still & just wanted to share some things I got questions about from vacation! Hope you're all having a great summer so far! I started BBG again this morning so please pray for me.