Truth be told, I’ve been to downtown San Diego and in the Coronado area in the past but, I’ve never really seen all of what this city has to offer until now. On this trip, I had time in my hands to dig deep and find what I desired to see that I’ve never done before. Oddly, this was the first time I made a list which I ended up checking off and completely completing.

La Jolla

When I arrived in San Diego, my first stop was La Jolla. I read about this cave being there and I wanted to see it. It turns out this cave was dugged up by 2 Chinese laborers hired by a painter name Gustauf Schultz back in the early 1900s. It is a small cave in my opinion with several steps that’ll take you to an opening overlooking the ocean at the end of the stairs. Is it worth it? Yes. Would I go again? No. I thought it was cool but, this is one of those one time experiences.

Entrance Fee: The cost to enter is $5 for adults, $3 for 3-17 years old & FREE for infants 2 or younger. The earlier you go the better as it can get quite crowded.

Parking: I parked in the neighborhood area a few blocks up the road from The Cave Store for FREE. Otherwise there are a few metered parking spots along the coast.

After the cave exploration, I walked along the coastline. It was a beautiful sunny day and there were people already in the water kayaking, snorkeling, doing stand up paddles and lining up at the rocks watching sea lions sunbathing. I joined the crowd and took a couple of shots. I made my way towards the shops a few minutes later and found it quite similar to Beverly Hills with its upscale shops and restaurants. I didn’t bother going in to any of the stores as I had other places in mind that I wanted to see but, La Jolla was definitely worth visiting.

Liberty Public Market

Around lunch time my stomach started complaining. I left La Jolla to grab some food at the Liberty Public Market, a market with hip eateries, craft vendors and specialty foods.

When I arrived, I made a loop to check out the different types of food and decided on empanadas from Paraña. I ordered 3 kinds of empanadas; 1 with cheese, 1 with beef & 1 with chicken. The beef won which I was not surprised at all as it was slow cooked for 24 hours. I probably could’ve eaten 5 of those easily, however, I wanted to try these steam buns from another vendor. Those were also good but, not as good as the empanadas.

Outside the market are various galleries. I walked around the quad area for a few minutes then decided it was time to head towards the hotel.

Parking: they have a free parking lot area and it is busy.

Seaport Village

After 20 minutes of driving from the public market, I arrived at Seaport Village around mid afternoon and the place was packed. Parking was difficult and found a metered parking spot across the street near some condos. I walked over to the main area of the village and immediately understood why so many people flocked here.

Seaport Village is a waterfront shopping and dining area housed with galleries, shops and eateries. The view of the sea is the main draw of the crowd but, I think the best view is truly from the 40th floor at the Hyatt hotel. I didn’t eat here but, I did stay a few minutes for the view.

This area was compact with a few tables for eating and drinking. I can’t comment about the food and drinks because I didn’t stay long. However, it looked like a great place for happy hour. They also seem to get booked pretty quickly so, make sure to reserve (if possible) or come early right when they open the doors.

To be continued…

See my posts on Hotel Del Coronado, Visiting The Skyline & The Gaslamp District, viewing the best sunset at the Sunset Sea Cliffs and more.