La Jolla and San Diego

We stopped at a scenic overlook near Oceanside on our way to San Diego. It was overcast, breezy and cold.

From San Diego

Sad to say, the T-tops stayed on the remainder of the trip. It was such a waste. We could have taken my car and saved on gas.

From San Diego

There were these fat squirrel looking things all over. They moved like rats. I hate rodents. Most people would probably find these cute, but they creeped me out. We saw them again in La Jolla. I referred to them as water rats. Yuck.

From San Diego

From San Diego

We also stopped in La Jolla on our way to San Diego. We’ve never been, we wanted to check it out and grab lunch. We drove around, parking was a nightmare, we finally found a spot near La Jolla Cove. It figured it was in a residential area far away from the restaurants, we’d have to wait for food, but we walked the shore to see the cliffs.

From San Diego

The fish smell was really strong through here. Blech.

From San Diego

From San Diego

You can spot a few water rats scattered across the grass

From San Diego

From San Diego

We had enough of the cove, we wanted food, so we went back to the car and searched for another parking spot, one near the shops and eateries. Fortunately, we found a spot a couple blocks off the main drag. We ate at the Whisknladle. They use locally grown foods and make everything in house. It was great find. I knew we were in for a treat when the menu showcased a quote that went something like this… don’t just eat to consume calories, try dining…

We started with a cutting board that offered a selection of cheese, meats, pickles, condiments and fruit. Simply fantastic. The salami, chorizo and sopressa are smoked in house. The chorizo was my favorite, combined with manchego – I was one happy girl.

I had scallops with fennel risotto and fennel chips. They had a perfect sear and the risotto melted in my mouth. Yum! Frank had a Caesar salad with the sweetest tasting shrimp I’ve ever encountered. They were cooked to perfection, tender and absolutely delicious. The salad was crisp, the dressing was light, it was well done. We thoroughly enjoyed our lunch.

After lunch we returned to the car and continued on to San Diego. Below are a few photos from the walk back. Also, many stores had water out for dogs near their entrances. I’ve never seen that before. Evidently, La Jolla is very dog friendly.

From San Diego

From San Diego

From San Diego

We checked into our hotel, Hilton Mission Valley, I got a great deal on Orbitz so it was a relief when the hotel was actually as nice as pictured. It was the nicest place we’ve stayed in San Diego. Ironically, it was the cheapest too.

From San Diego

We got settled and took another siesta. A couple hours later, we set out for downtown. We decided to give the trolley a try. The nearest station was about a ten-minute walk from the hotel. We bought a 24-hour pass for five bucks each. Fortunately, we had a short wait for the next trolley.

From San Diego

Frank, while we were waiting. It was chilly, about 60 degrees.

From San Diego

We had to transfer at the Old Town Station. That leg took forever. We quickly learned that the trolley wasn’t nearly as convenient as my reading led me to believe. We arrived downtown about an hour and thirty minutes after we left the hotel. I led us on a goose chase thinking Los Panchos was on 7th street, after walking a few extra blocks, we found it on E St. between 4th and 5th. Los Panchos has become San Diego tradition, they have great margaritas, chips and salsa. We stopped in for dinner; the California Burrito for Frank, Carne Asada tacos for me and two Cadillac Margaritas each.

We would’ve liked to hang around after dinner, but we were nervous that we’d miss the trolley back to the hotel. It was approaching 10:00 and we were told they stopped running between 11-midnight. Suddenly, our leisurely vacation was on a time schedule. We weren’t thrilled. Sure, you can get around by trolley, but if you have access to your own transportation – use it. Another hour or so later we arrived at our stop. And we still had the walk back to the hotel. Lesson learned: the trolley is not convenient. We stopped at the gas station next door to pick up a sixer of Pacifico and lotto tickets. We returned to the hotel, drank cervezas and scratched off a couple winners. Nevada should have a lottery. We’re missing out.