San Diego – Week 1 Recap

Hi there!

If you’ve been following my Instagram (@amandadev4) or seen some of my recent posts, it will come as no surprise to you that I’m typing away in the beautiful November sunshine of San Diego, Ca. Chris and I decided to take a crack at the “digital nomad” lifestyle by working remotely for ~5 weeks. In an effort to preserve every fun memory of this trip, I’ll be writing weekly recaps of everything we did – food, exploring, shopping, etc. I’m sure there will be more detailed reviews of individual places, or comprehensive lists of recommendations later, but for now, I’ll be sharing these recaps in a short, sweet & casual format. I’ll be sharing how I styled my capsule wardrobe each week for this trip as well – check out that post here. Of course, I’m basically a week behind in actually writing/publishing this, but we ended up doing WAY more in our first week that I expected!

Saturday, November 13^th

We arrived in San Diego around 3PM PDT, so we had a few hours to enjoy the sunshine. We unpacked, then immediately headed towards the beach, and enjoyed a stroll along the boardwalk before heading to the grocery store to pick up the essentials. With the 3-hour time difference, we were exhausted by the time we got back to our condo, so we made a quick decision on where to go to dinner – Amplified Ale Works. Their beer was excellent – they had a great selection – and we really enjoyed our food. We started with the hummus trio (so yummy!) and then split the chicken/steak skewers for an entrée. Their dining area is open-air, and just a block off the beach, so the ambiance is excellent. The food and beer are delicious, and surprisingly affordable for the area. I definitely recommend you check it out!

Sunday, November 14^th

Our first full day! We walked from the condo to Better Buzz Coffee for the “Best Coffee Ever”, a delicious vanilla iced coffee, and went for a stroll down the boardwalk. It was still early and relatively quiet, so we walked down to Belmont park, then across to get a look at the Bay. We scootered back to Breakfast Republic for brunch, which was great and TONS of food (you can definitely split a single item!). After brunch, we walked to the local goodwill to see if we could find a crock-pot for easy dinners. I also stumbled across a pair of designer denim shorts for $9! After our Goodwill trip, we packed some sandwiches and drinks, then headed to the beach for a few hours to enjoy the beautiful (insanely warm) November weather. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the condo and making dinner, and went to bed early so we’d be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for our first day of remote work.

Monday, November 15^th

We started work before the sun came up, trying to *mostly* stay on east coast time so we would be able to enjoy a couple hours of light after work. Monday’s activities consisted of a walk together along the beach, an 8 mile run late in the afternoon along the boardwalk for me, and a trip to the beach after work that was cut short with fog. After a dinner in the condo, we made our way to the Baked bear for some ice cream sandwiches. A must-do if you are an ice cream or sweets lover like me!

Tuesday, November 16^th

We started work early again, which consumed most of the day. During lunch, I checked out a hot yoga class at the Pacific Beach Yoga Box – such a good way to recover from yesterdays run! After work, we perused the Pacific Beach Farmers Market, loaded up on produce, sauces, and all kinds of other locally sourced food. They had some amazing vendors, so we are excited to see what they have next week!

Wednesday, November 17^th

We managed to squeeze in a morning walk as the sun was rising, spent the day working, and then went exploring the local thrift shops. We stopped for ice cream at After’s, then walked the boardwalk. It was still a little early for dinner, but we were both hungry so we sat on the rooftop bar at El Prez and enjoyed margaritas & queso while watching the sun set.

Thursday, November 18^th

Another day of working from home with a lunchtime Hot Yoga Sculpt Class at Pacific Beach Yoga Box. After work, we decided to take some rented scooters the few mile ride up to La Jolla (I wanted to go to Lululemon) then got an early dinner at The Taco Stand (their carne aside burrito was soooooo good), then we went to the San Diego State Basketball game.

Friday, November 19^th

We were both pretty exhausted from being out so late for the basketball game Thursday, so we didn’t do much today. We did go to Kono’s Beach club for breakfast burritos and they were AMAZING. Definitely big enough to split, and their side of cheesy potatoes were also delicious! We worked, walked to the grocery store, made some dinner, and then watched my alumni (Rutgers) play in the NCAA tournament before calling it a night.

Saturday, November 20^th

Thanks to all the extra sleep, we were up and ready to go for Brunch & football games at backyard kitchen & tap. They have tons of great food options – and $15 mimosa buckets (juice & bottle of bubbles)! After brunch, we headed back to the condo to do some housekeeping stuff (laundry, cleaning, etc). We decided to do explore another local bar, The Local PB, which has an awesome outdoor setup, and had a vegan marketplace setup for people to peruse. We ended the day watching the UT football game & eating dinner at PB Ale House on the rooftop.

Sunday, November 21^st 

We didn’t do much today – mostly laid low and watched more of the NCAA women’s college soccer tournament. We did go back to Backyard Kitchen & Tap for lunch and it didn’t disappoint.

I can only hope that my photos will get a little better as I get the hang of this “travel blogging” thing. Be sure to follow along to see more of our West-Coast adventures!!

Until Next Time,

Amanda

Follow along on IG: @amandadev4