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What to Do in San Diego, Part 3

Previous San Diego Posts:

What to Do in San Diego, Part 1

What to Do in San Diego, Part 2

Well, I pretty much dropped the ball on my San Diego recaps.  I would have let it slide, but we ate so well while we were there and I didn’t want to keep all of it to myself….

While eating gigantic pancakes was quite enjoyable, one of the things I love about California is all of the delicious healthy food options.  Among those options are acai bowls, apparently a huge trend on the West Coast.   I would describe them as a thick antioxidant-filled smoothie topped with fresh fruit, granola and other fun toppings of choice.  They are commonly found at juice bars and starting to become popular in other parts of the country (though still not easy to find in NYC).

What to Do in San Diego, Part 3 -restaurant and hiking recommendations!

Well, to say we became obsessed would be an understatement.  Matt and I went to Juice Kaboose towards the beginning of our trip and made it back at least two or three more times after that.  Juice Kaboose is a La Jolla juice bar known for its acai bowls but also touted as being the first to offer a pitaya bowl.  Honestly, I don’t know a lot about all of these super fruits, but apparently pitaya is even healthier than acai.  Oh and it is also this gorgeous color (acai looks more like a chocolate shake in color)!

What to Do in San Diego, Part 3 -restaurant and hiking recommendations!

I tried a couple of variations but their Original Pitaya Bowl was my favorite.  Matt also got on board and was so taken with the whole world of the juice bar that he was even doing ginger shots and wheatgrass shots.  The people who worked at Juice Kaboose were so nice and friendly.  They also didn’t make us feel stupid when we asked a million questions about what we were ordering.

What to Do in San Diego, Part 3 -restaurant and hiking recommendations!

But alas, balance.  We might have started one morning with gigantic pitaya bowls, but it did not stop us from indulging in some crazy ice cream sundaes later on.

If you ever take a trip to San Diego, I highly suggest spending a day in Coronado.  It is such a pretty town with a gorgeous beach.  The day we went the weather was too cool for laying out but perfect for walking along the water and just sitting to soak in the California sunshine.

What to Do in San Diego, Part 3 -restaurant and hiking recommendations!

What to Do in San Diego, Part 3 -restaurant and hiking recommendations!

What to Do in San Diego, Part 3 -restaurant and hiking recommendations!

Oh, and I have to mention this crazy intricate sand castle that was there to celebrate the hotel’s (Hotel del Coronado) birthday!

What to Do in San Diego, Part 3 -restaurant and hiking recommendations!

What to Do in San Diego, Part 3 -restaurant and hiking recommendations!

So after building up our appetite, we stopped for lunch but really, it didn’t matter where we went or what we had there because all I could think about was dessert.  Kathy had told me that we needed to go to Moo Time Creamery and wow, so glad she did.

What to Do in San Diego, Part 3 -restaurant and hiking recommendations!

The ice cream shop was actually adorable but I was so distracted by the huge variety of options they had.  There were so many ice cream flavors, sundae options, etc. that it was really hard to decide what to order.  After a few tastes of different flavors, I settled on a sundae with peanut butter ice cream and double dark chocolate ice cream, whipped cream and Oreos.  I usually stick with frozen yogurt when I am out, but this ice cream was completely worth it.

What to Do in San Diego, Part 3 -restaurant and hiking recommendations!

Mine was pretty amazing, but I did have order envy after I saw Matt’s gigantic sundae.  He had vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, Oreos and whipped cream.  Not only are there Oreo crumbs in there, but there are also at least four whole Oreos.

What to Do in San Diego, Part 3 -restaurant and hiking recommendations!

Lucky for me, Matt couldn’t finish his entire Sundae so I picked up where he left off.  Yes, I can pretty much out-eat anyone when it comes to dessert.

What to Do in San Diego, Part 3 -restaurant and hiking recommendations!

I really can’t believe we were in San Diego three months ago.  Thanks to Krissy, I also enjoyed meals at these restaurants:

Davanti: We actually went here with Krissy and her husband which was so fun!  The food was also delicious… everything was good but I still remember the brussels sprout salad as being extra amazing.

Neighborhood:  Everything we had that night was good, especially my black bean burger (not usually a noteworthy item)

The Cottage: I highly recommend for brunch! Matt had one of the egg sandwiches, I had a version of eggs benedict with roasted tomatoes, and we shared a lemon ricottta pancake

What to Do in San Diego, Part 3 -restaurant and hiking recommendations!

And finally, I highly recommend a scenic hike at Torrey Pines.  It wasn’t as intense as our first hike. but the views were gorgeous.

What to Do in San Diego, Part 2

While my favorite part of travelling is exploring a new city through its food, I love getting some physical activity in the form of a long hike with gorgeous views almost just as much.

San Diego Hiking

Well, after eating pancakes like this, it is kind of necessary.  I’m actually fairly new to hiking, but I really do love it.  It can be physically challenging, but it is also the best form of free therapy.  Fresh air, vitamin D, and a couple of hours to just think or talk about life.  Oh yeah, and take endless photos.

San Diego Hiking

Lately when we have been planning our trips, we look for a couple of hikes to go on and try to make sure at least one of them is somewhat long and somewhat challenging.  This particular hike on the Iron Mountain Trail was perfect for us.  I think it took us about 2 1/2 hours or so.  On our previous trip we did a 4-hour hike where towards the end, we got a little antsy.

San Diego Hiking

Unfortunately my photos don’t even do it justice, but it was pretty cool to be able to see San Diego from the top of the mountain.  I actually wish we had done this hike again while we had the chance!

San Diego Hiking

Pancakes and eggs benedict apparently were the perfect hiking fuel, but afterwards we wanted something fresh and light.  Matt was on a mission to eat as many fish tacos as possible on the trip and thanks to a recommendation via Twitter, we knew we needed to try out El Pescador Fish Market in La Jolla.  On this visit (it was so good we went back later in the week), Matt had fish tacos (duh) and I had an incredibly fresh seafood-topped salad.

La Jolla Fish Tacos

Matt probably won’t appreciate me sharing this, but he actually said that if he could eat like this all the time at home, he probably wouldn’t eat red meat.  Shh, don’t tell him I told you.

La Jolla Fish Tacos

California, I love you.

La Jolla Seafood Salad

And speaking of fish tacos, Kathy had told me that we needed to check out Las Olas while we were in town.

Las Olas Mexican Food

And if you can believe it, this was the view from our table.

Las Olas Mexican Food

This actually ended up being a perfect early dinner for us.  We stopped at Las Olas on our way back from Disneyland (yes, we went there!), just in time for sunset.

Las Olas Mexican Food

The fish tacos weren’t quite as good as El Pescador’s…

Las Olas Mexican Food

…but crossing the street after dinner for this was unbelievable!

San Diego Sunset

San Diego Sunset

I only wish I had my tripod with me, I couldn’t help but take a billion photos as the sun went down.  How do people get to live here (and why don’t I)?

San Diego Sunset

San Diego Sunset

San Diego Sunset

San Diego SunsetSan Diego Sunset

San Diego Sunset

San Diego Sunset

San Diego Sunset

What to Do and Where to Stay in San Diego, Part 1

Wordless Wednesday: San Diego

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

Spring officially starts in a few days, but you wouldn’t believe it with the snow on the ground and freezing temperatures outside.  This blast of winter in mid-March is making me wish I was back in San Diego!

We had such an amazing trip that I wanted to share some of our favorite places that we visited in the week that we were there.

Matt and I looked into a ton of different hotel options but ultimately decided to stay at Estancia La Jolla.  We were convinced by the website’s photos of Spanish-inspired architecture and I’m happy to say that it was even more beautiful in person.  I should have gotten more photos of the hotel, but I was too busy taking it all in and enjoying the sunshine.

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

Before we even arrived at the hotel, their hospitality was apparent through tweeting with them.  When we did get there, they continued to impress us.  Everyone at the hotel was nice and helpful.  We were treated with a surprise bottle of champagne and chocolates that we enjoyed for a quiet night in with room service one evening.

Below is a photo right outside of their spa.  Matt and I splurged on a couple’s massage and it was completely worth it.  Before the massage, I was sitting outside by the fire in a fluffy robe reading my book, pretty sure that was one of my favorite afternoons.

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

While the weather in San Diego is unbeatable, I didn’t think it would be warm enough in February to go to the pool.  Even though I dreaded the thought of putting on a bathing suit, the unseasonably warm temperatures that we had at the end of our week swayed me.  How can you not want to live here?

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

Oh, and the food!  We didn’t pick the hotel for its dining options, but I was more than impressed with breakfast.  We had gotten a package that gave us a $25  daily breakfast credit so we had a couple of morning meals in-house.  Can I just say this was one of my favorite hotel breakfasts ever?  It was an egg white frittata with a bazillion veggies and chicken sausage.  I skipped the cheese because there were so many flavors and didn’t miss it at all.  A little avocado smeared on whole wheat toast with a slice of this frittata was a pretty great way to start the day.  Matt and I actually shared it after the first time I ordered it because the portion was so big!

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

Speaking of breakfast, if you ever visit San Diego, you NEED to go to Snooze Eatery… and promise me you won’t be on a diet that day.

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

We actually enjoyed our first meal / breakfast at Snooze and what a way to kick off vacation.  We had woken up at 4am that morning (well, pretty much every morning), so we had no problem arriving just a few minutes after they opened at 6:30am.  The best part of that was missing out on the crazy wait that they apparently get every morning.

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

We first heard about Snooze from our friends who actually just got engaged this past weekend (!!!), but everyone else who knows anything about San Diego also said we needed to go there.

The first order of business was pancakes.  They have an incredible variety of decadent dessert-flavored options on a regular basis, but apparently there is also a Cinnamon Roll option that isn’t even on the menu.  Glad I had the inside scoop:-)

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

The best part? They let you mix and match!  We were able to select three different flavors for our order and went with Sweet Potato, “Coffee and Donuts”, and Cinnamon Roll.

This photo is not a joke.

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

Both of us agreed that the sweet potato was the best one.  The texture and flavor of that pancake were so perfect that you didn’t even need any toppings.  The cinnamon roll pancake was a close second with its insane toppings (it is the one in front in the photo above).  The coffee and donuts was just ok.  The coffee dipping sauce was pretty amazing but I would have preferred another sweet potato pancake instead.

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

Supposedly there is also some crazy good peanut butter cup option but I didn’t want to get one that Matt wouldn’t share.  Guess I just need to go back on another visit!

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

The other thing that Snooze is well-known for is its eggs benedicts.  Honestly, this is not something I usually get excited about, but Matt loves eggs benedict and I figured it wouldn’t hurt to add some protein to the meal.

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

This is another place where you get to mix and match.  We got one of the basic Ham Benedict III and one of the Chilaquiles Benedict.

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

As someone who isn’t a big red-meat eater and really could be vegetarian pretty easily, I have to say that the Chilaquiles Benedict was kind of lifechanging.  The meat under the egg was just so melt-in-your mouth perfect and even though it sounds like something that would completely gross me out, it was seriously incredible.  I think Matt was more excited about me liking it than he was about eating it lol.

Oh, and we scraped off most of the hollandaise because it was completely unnecessary.

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

We could not have picked a better way to kick off our vacation.  This meal is my new favorite hiking fuel.

What to do and where to stay in San Diego, Part 1

I can’t wait to share more photos (and food!) from our trip!

This is not a sponsored post.  Matt and I paid for the hotel and meals and all opinions are my own.