All of this is to say that last week I visited the city "which course, in German, means a whale's vagina."
My best friend and roommate in Chico, Sarah, grew up in Encinitas and her parents continue to reside there. Often during breaks at the holidays, I like to get out of northern California and head south, where the Mexican food is straight across the fence and the weather is continually 70 degrees.
Nikki, our third traveling companion last year in France, joined me on my flight from Sacramento. This was my second time traveling to San Diego on Southwest, and let me tell you, they have yet to disappoint a girl.
The Diet Coke is always crisp (vital) and the peanuts are always plentiful. PLUS Southwest keeps it real with the classic airline snack, which makes a seasoned traveler feel at home when a bag of peanuts is tossed over her sleeping, drooling neighbor (and yes, I am talking about Nikki).
After our long, drawn out totally treacherous hour and ten minute flight (read:sarcasm), we arrived at SAN and set out for a mid-day meal in Hillcrest, which is undoubtedly the gay-friendly 'hood, with its Urban Outfitters on every corner, French restaurants, men in tight jogging shorts and rainbow flags waving proudly.
Our lunch, to say the least, was uh.maiz.ing. We had a giant oval-shaped 1/2 BBQ chicken 1/2 pesto bruchetta pizza at the 4 star rated joint, Pizza Fusion. We loved this perfect-for-a-lunch-date place for its gluten free menu, soy cheese options, save the earth mantra and organic veggies on every slice. Oh, and the waitress had dreads. Win.
After lunch, we hit Buffalo Exchange, which is a not-your-average-thrift-store type of joint, specializing in recycled designer threads. Last time I was down there, I got a Vera Bradley wallet in Pacific Beach for $19. Yes, PLEASE.
Wednesday morning I woke up with Los Angeles on the brain.
Recently, Sarah and I have decided we want to move to LA this summer; which for me means post graduation and for her means summer internship. City of sun and sand, here we come!
Why LA, you ask? It's far, far away from here.
Don't get me wrong, my heart beats for northern California, and always will, but the itch to be somewhere new has crept up on me in the last few months, and I'm yearning for a different adventure.
PLUS.
LA has more job postings on Craigslist than any other city west of New York.
What a lot of people don't know about the PR industry is that there are so many sectors of the biz.
Though all cities have ALL categories, here's a few IE's: San Francisco frequents tech jobs (hello Silicon Valley!), Sacramento agencies have food and wine clients up the whazoo, and LA is fashion forward, lifestyle and celebrity PR.
What says Caitlin Wallace more than fashion, lifestyle and celebrities? Not much.
I've been obsessed with Kate Middleton ever since she and Bill vowed to seal the deal, I've @'ed Chris Colfer so many times on Twitter that I'm expecting his restraining order via USPS any day and I knew Lance Bass was gay before he frosted his hair in the late 90's.
I have a gift for celebrity gossip- I can see it now: PR pro to the stars.
The three of us spent the day galavanting ( as we so often do ), with lunch on the way to LA at The Cliff in Laguna, which has oceanside dining and an avocado spread to absolutely die for.
The must haves on the menu are: The Southwest Chicken Wrap and The Turkey Wrap (try the fresh fruit OR the fries). Don't even get me STARTED on the sun-dried tomato mayonnaise!
Thursday morning, we hit one of our favorite hidden gems, Saint Tropez Bakery and Bistrot.
Not only have I been to the cafe's namesake, but the minute I walked in, I felt a stab of homesickness for my time in Provence. The tablecloths were a delicate yellow with olive branches, just like all the fabrics in the boutique shops from Nice to Avignon.
The glass pastry case in the shop filled with the glazed raspberry tarts of our past lives as students on the french riviera washed waves of familiarity over us as the pink, green and brown macaroons stared back at us just like they did in Paul, our favorite patisserie in Aix-en-Provence.
Along with morning tea at Saint Tropez, riding The Coaster downtown is a must do in San Diego. For about $12 roundtrip, you can ride from north county (Carlsbad-Encinitas) to downtown, sans traffic and gasoline. The train follows the tracks oceanside and takes about 45 minutes.
If serious shopping is what you're into, look no further than Horton Plaza. This outdoor shopping mecca has some of the best stores and selections of anywhere I've been, and is well taken care of, due to to it's roots in the Westfield family.
I fell in love with downtown San Diego, before we'd even reached the famous Gaslamp Quarter, which is often considered to be the heart and soul of the city.
Friday morning, we arose early to catch our flight back to the Northstate. The familiar security measures seemed gloomier than before ( and not just because we were felt up by TSA ) as we left our wonderful vacation behind.
One of catch 22's about traveling is that just when you think you need to take a trip to satisfy a need, you get on your returning plane or train yearning for your next adventure.
I often find myself telling future study abroaders that I went abroad to see Europe, because that's really all I wanted to see; I thought a year over there would quench my thirst for world traveling, but as I returned home, all I could think of was all the places I have yet to see.
“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins
* Also a HUGE thank you to Mark and Virginia Mann. As always, you were truly wonderful hosts and I appreciate your willingness to let us spend our holidays in your coastal villa.
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