Hello again!
If you are new here, welcome! My husband and I decided to take a crack at the “digital nomad” lifestyle by working remotely for ~5 weeks in San Diego, CA. This is a recap of all the fun things we did during week 2 – if you missed Week 1, you can check it out here. 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.
Monday, November 22nd
Today is my birthday! We had quite a bit of work to do, so we started with an early morning walk to get some coffee & check out the Thanksgiving dinner options at the local food stores. We celebrated my birthday by heading into the Gaslamp district for dinner and drinks. The first stop was Ballast Point Brewing for a quick drink before our dinner reservations at Herb & Wood. We ended up getting the oysters & marrow as an appetizer, followed by the veal plate & pesto pizza for dinner. The veal was by far the best I’ve ever had! The cocktails were also excellent, and the service was top-notch. The restaurant was VERY dark, so I didn’t get great photos of the food (but I’ll post them anyways, because I have no shame).
Tuesday, November 23rd
We decided to start the day with our usual walk along the beach but decided to try out a different breakfast spot – Woody’s. There always seems to be a huge line of people waiting for breakfast here, so we figured it had to be good. I love the setup of this place because it’s all open-air seating facing the ocean – talk about breakfast with a view. We ordered a carne asada breakfast burrito to share, and as usual, the burrito was huge, so it was plenty for the two of us. We spent the rest of the day working, and then prepping for my in-laws to fly in for Thanksgiving. They landed that evening, so we met them for dinner and drinks at Waterbar.
Wednesday, November 24th
This was the first full day with the in-laws in town, so we figured it was time for an adventure! We headed out to Coronado Island in the late morning, and picked up a golf cart to explore the island with. My father in law has a really hard time walking, so this was the best way to experience the beauty and fun of the area without an actual car to mess with. We started with lunch at Miguel’s Cocina on the patio, which had great food and downright delicious margaritas. The frozen strawberry margarita just might be the best I’ve ever had! After lunch, we drove along the coast to check out the beaches and scenery. It might be late November, but it was sunny, warm and beautiful on the island. I highly recommend taking some time to check out all the houses on the island as well, there are some gorgeous properties there. After riding around the island for a while, we headed to the Hotel Del Coronado to check out their shops and Christmas décor. It was easily one of the coolest hotels I’ve ever seen, and the Christmas décor didn’t disappoint! They even had a home décor store in the shops selling all kinds of adorable Christmas décor. After The Hotel Del, we made a final stop at Moo-Time Creamery for ice cream before returning the golf cart, and heading back to the condo.
Thursday, November 25th
I started the morning with my own little turkey trot, running a scenic 5 miles on the boardwalk. The weather on Thanksgiving day was beautiful, so naturally we spent the entire morning & early afternoon on the beach. We grabbed lunch from a brightly-colored restaurant steps from the sand called Baja Beach Cafe. I ordered nachos, and it seriously might be the biggest plate of nachos I’ve ever seen. We watched the sunset from the boardwalk before heading back to the condo to whip up a Trader Joe’s thanksgiving feast!
Friday, November 26th
We got a late start Friday morning, but spent the afternoon further inland at Bernardo Winery. They have the cutest setup – a restaurant, tasting room, and a bunch of little shops you can check out on the property. Their Rose and Prosecco were excellent, and it was a great way to spend the afternoon, and the food was top-notch. We finished the day by watching more NCAA women’s soccer and munching on thanksgiving leftovers.
Saturday, November 27th
Chris and I were up pretty early Saturday, so we headed back to Backyard Kitchen & Taphouse for breakfast & to watch some college football games. One of my former Rutgers Soccer Teammates had recently moved to San Diego, and was throwing a birthday party at Firehouse PB – great timing for us! We spent the afternoon on the rooftop with Allie and her local friends enjoying cocktails and yummy appetizers. We will definitely need to check this place out again! With the whole family, we headed out to Little Italy for a cocktail at Camino Riviera before a dinner cruise in the harbor. The cruise was a great time – it was so pretty to see the city all lit up from the water, and they even had a DJ on board. The food left a lot to be desired, but it was a good experience overall.
Sunday, November 28th
We were out fairly late with the dinner cruise the previous night, so we all slept in today. After a long solo walk on the beach, and some time spent watching the surfers, Chris and his parents headed up to La Jolla to see Bird Rock and the Sea Lions. They were kind enough to bring back some In-N-Out burgers and fries, which I haven’t had in YEARS. We spent some time down on the beach before getting interrupted by some very strange (and cold) fog that came through. For dinner, we headed into La Jolla to enjoy some Italian food at Piatti. The food was incredible, and the outdoor dining setup was adorable. This will definitely make my list of recommended places to go! I’m SO MAD I didn’t think to take more pictures of the food before we started eating!
It was definitely an interesting experience hosting family Thanksgiving from a little condo in a different city, but it turned out better than I could have expected!
Until Next Time,
Amanda
Follow along on IG: @amandadev4
Amanda Marie Kennedy 