We just returned from a much needed “fun” trip away to San Diego! After our trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama was canceled by Hurricane Sally, we were desperate to find a place within the continental United States that had warm weather, sun, and endless beaches. After some quick research, I decided that San Diego fit the bill perfectly! I’ve been there several times in the past but primarily spent my time at the convention center for work/education-related activities and honestly never had the opportunity to explore the surrounding area. This would be Natalie’s first time there, so it would be a unique travel adventure for both of us! While we were somewhat concerned about the amount of smoke in the area due to all the forest fires we felt it was worth the risk.
We arrived on Tuesday afternoon, and I found myself exhausted almost as soon as I stepped off the plane. We were also hungry, and it was lunchtime, so we searched for a nearby place to eat and stumbled upon Coasterra, a fantastic Mexican restaurant near the airport and overlooking the North San Diego Bay. While we don’t consider ourselves to be Mexican food snobs, having many enjoyable late-night Taco Bell meals, especially while driving, we both felt this had to be the absolute BEST Mexican food we have ever experienced! The smoky haze was obvious but tolerable.
For some reason (and I don’t think it had anything to do with the two deliciously strong Margaritas I had during lunch), I found myself arriving at the hotel (The Pacific Terrace Hotel) feeling even more exhausted and in need of a short nap. Unfortunately, the “nap” lasted 6 hours, and our first day in our new environment was spent in the room watching TV and sleeping. We lost our first evening’s opportunities because I just wasn’t conscious.
On Wednesday morning, we were both ready to go at 4:00 AM (since we were two hours earlier than CST), and we decided to check out Little Italy. There we enjoyed an excellent breakfast at The Farmer’s Table.
Afterward, we made our way to the USS Midway Museum, which had just recently reopened its lower level floors. I have to say, this was one of the highlights of the trip for me, spending a lot of time looking at the old World War 2 warbirds they had on display!
We then headed to Coronado to enjoy some afternoon beach bumming. As soon as we were perfectly pink and parched, we decided to go for a drive south on Highway 75 in search of refreshments until we were only several thousand feet north of the Mexican border. I searched for a sports bar with a beach view on Google and found the IB Forum Sports Bar & Grill.
Our “beach view” was a disappointment since the description on their website failed to mention their beach view was far in the distance and incorporated a busy street, several dilapidated houses, and a sparse fenced lot before you can barely glimpse the beach located at least 100 yards in the distance. We really didn’t have the epic view we were hoping for, but the beer was cold and wet, which made us more than content.
One thing required in the county and possibly the entire state is that any beverage purchased at a bar must also have a food order accompanying it. While I understand and support the logic, this ordinance was not easy for us since we wanted to see many different places (and we knew we were COVID-free and immune, at least for now) and really didn’t want to order food every time. Towards the end of our trip, we finally realized we could order a small bag of chips or even a corn dog (and not eat it) to satisfy the rule. Still, in the meantime, we found the majority of our solid intake being chips and salsa during this trip. We never really were hungry by the time evening rolled around.
Later that evening, we found a gem of a restaurant located a block away from our hotel called The 710 Beach Club. This bar was hands down THE PLACE to go for anything related to the Chicago Bears, Bulls, or Blackhawks! I was so excited to watch the Bears game there and asked explicitly for a seat so I could see the game. The host asked me which game I wanted to see, and when I said the Bears game, I was politely reminded that it was Wednesday and not Thursday as I thought. We ended up watching a Padres game instead, and it was actually more exciting than any Bears game I’ve seen anyway!
On Thursday morning, after breakfast, we drove to 10 north to La Jolla to see the iconic Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier at UCSD Oceanography Institution. This was a place I have wanted to see for a long time, knowing it was an excellent photo opportunity. I felt guilty asking Natalie to accompany me because I didn’t think she would necessarily appreciate it. Still, she happily agreed to see the sites with me. We spent about an hour there, and I took some shots from under the pier, satisfied that I had captured something I would enjoy for a long time.
It was hours later, and after lugging my heavy camera bag with various lenses and batteries everywhere I went, that Natalie shared some of the photos she had taken with her iPhone while at the pier, and I realized she had probably captured what I believe to be the best photo of the week. The photo shows me with my back to her (and utterly unaware that I was her subject) while under the pier with my massive camera in hand and heavy camera bag slung over my shoulder while taking a shot of the pier in front of me. As I admired the image, I realized how often the guy behind the lens is usually absent when reviewing family photos over the years. This has undoubtedly been the case in my personal life. In my mind, her picture captured an incredible moment portraying my lifelong personal passion, and she took it with an iPhone no less.
Natalie is a Soul Cycle fitness center fanatic. As part of any national travel, she wants to visit the local Soul Cycle for a ride. She also usually manages to purchase several hundred dollars worth of site-specific Soul Cycle gear. Unfortunately, since she was recovering from a concussion, she could not exercise, but that wasn’t going to stop her from trying to purchase some gear to take home regardless. We drove for over 90 minutes and visited two different Soul Cycle sites in La Jolla and San Diego in hopes of finding her much needed “Soul Cycle – La Jolla” tank top. The first one was closed off during an outdoor ride, and there wasn’t any gear to buy, and the second one was outright closed.
After the disappointing “Soul travels,” we felt we needed to spend a little time searching for our own souls and thought, what is a better place to reconnect with ourselves than a nude beach?!!???! WHAT?!!
Yes, we soon found out that San Diego is home to Black’s Beach, one of the largest nude beaches in the United States. It’s very popular with nudists and naturalists in Southern California, and we felt we just had to experience this lifestyle for ourselves. The beach is a secluded section of beach beneath the massive unstable cliffs of Torrey Pines and part of the Torrey Pines State Park. A submarine canyon funnels swells into Black’s Beach, making it appealing to the surfers but dangerous for inexperienced swimmers.
The path to the beach was extremely dangerous as well and caused some honest fear for me as it was very steep, very rocky, and very steep. Did I mention how steep it was? And rocky? Let’s just say I thought I would die a traumatic death during the descent. If I survived, I would undoubtedly die a cardiovascular death during the ascent. I later read on the internet about the number of people that have fallen and perished on that very spot. Luckily Iām alive and well and able to reflect on this without any personal damage.
On the bluffs and overlooking the beach is the Torrey Pines Gliderport. It was first established as a soaring site in 1930 and is the home to hang gliding, paragliding, radio-controlled model sailplanes, and full-scale man-carrying sailplanes.
After we tanned areas that don’t usually get tanned, we made our way back to the top of the cliffs and headed out for dinner to watch the Bears game! Unfortunately, the 710 Beach Club was packed with people, and we had settle for the Pacific Beach Ale House, and it was perfect.
Friday morning and after watching the Bears barely beat the Buccaneers, we were ready for a much need and highly anticipated couples massage. We really enjoy having the opportunity to relax in complete solitude with the Zen music playing in the background as candles infuse a subtle sweetness into the surrounding air. It really was going to be one of the highlights of our trip, and we had planned it far in advance of our arrival.
We met our masseuses, Dorothy and Miyoome, at 9:00 AM. We filled out the obligatory questionnaire assuring the ladies that we weren’t suffering from any heart conditions or other afflictions that might preclude our much-desired massage. We PASSED, and the 90-minute massage session was about to begin!
Before starting, we were asked to undress and lay on the tables while the masseuses were out of the room. I did as I was asked but questioned Natalie if I really needed to take my underwear off and eventually decided to leave it on because I am a modest guy after all, except when I’m at the nude beach.
Everything started wonderfully with sedating spa music, warm towels, scented candles, and my aching shoulder and lower back muscles were long overdue of the much-needed attention they deserved. It was such a peaceful moment, and I was so relaxed for 30 minutes…
… when suddenly, Dorthy whispered quietly in my ear that she wasn’t feeling very well and needed to step out of the room. Oh No!!! I opened my eyes and watched her sink into a stool against a wall dripping with sweat and becoming more incoherent by the second. I quickly jumped off my table with nothing on but my underwear and grabbed her as she slinked down towards the floor.
I managed to get Dorothy onto my massage table, where I could help her through her crisis while at the same time looking down at my near-naked self, thankful I kept my underwear on. Once on the table, I placed her in a Trendelenburg position holding her legs overhead, and waited for her pulse to return. Since she was still dripping sweat and still feeling queazy, I asked Miyoome to run out and get some orange juice to help further revitalize Dorthy.
Things slowly improved to the point I felt it was appropriate to put on my pants and shirt. Natalie, in the meantime, continued laying naked but covered on her table next to us while Miyoome was frantically making calls on her phone to the higher-ups to determine what to do next. The final determination was that we were not to be charged, our massage would be abruptly canceled, and the next clients would be notified that they were simply out of luck as Dorthy was done for the day. Dorthy felt better and was extraordinarily apologetic, and I felt so bad for her that I offered both of the ladies a generous tip.
After getting the rest of my clothes on and waiting for my heart rate to slow, I suddenly realized that half of my body felt supple while the other half was still in agony. We left disappointed but amused by the situation and decided that the only thing that would make us feel more whole again was a Bloody Mary at The Duck Dive Restaurant followed by a trip to see some sea lions. After breakfast we drove the short distance back to La Jolla to enjoy the sea lions at the Children’s Pool.
The combination of the failed massage and fascinating sea lion experiences stirred up an intense desire to drink a little more, and we soon found ourselves at The Shack Bar and Grill. After a few margaritas and friendly conversations with the bartender, we somehow knew that we HAD to get a tattoo!
I have no idea how this all happened, and I had never had an intense desire to get a tattoo. Still, there was something about the fainting masseuse, the sea lions in La Jolla, the hazy smoke-filled air along with copious amounts of tequila throughout the day that opened our now glossy eyes to the wonderful world of tattoos. As we finished our drinks, we immediately started searching for a tattoo parlor in San Diego that was reputable and able to take walk-ins. This would be my first, and I wanted to ensure I had a good experience. Natalie has several tattoos, so this was old hat to her.
We managed to find Funhouse Tattoos near our hotel and spent the early evening there planning and getting tattooed. Our tattoo artist was Gabe, and he was a wonderful gentleman from Brazil. He loved to talk, and at times I worried that he wasn’t focused on that task at hand. In the end, we were both more than satisfied with the end result, and I honestly think I may get another one soon. Why not?
I think this may have opened a new door in my life and I can finally get that multicolored blender tattoo that I always joke about getting.
The next morning was already the end of our trip, and we reluctantly packed our bags for the 5-hour journey home. During these crazy times in which we are currently living, our quick trip to San Diego was a wonderful respite for us, and we hope to have more spontaneous travels in our near future.
