If It Wasn't For Family I'd Be Living Here.
The latest adventure was a family trip to San Diego, CA. Although our trip included activities in San Diego, our hotel (The Welks Resort) was located in Escondido; which is about 45min north of San Diego. I enjoyed staying out of the city, as it was a quick trip to the coast and other suburbs, like Carlsbad, Vista, and close to Stone Brewery. It was also beautiful as our hotel was mixed in with the rolling mountains, which you don’t quite get in the city of San Diego. If you have plans to venture in and around San Diego, like going to the Zoo, USS Midway, Gaslamp District, Coronado or all the amazing breweries, traveling from a hotel in a suburb is not bad, I was amazed at the highway system in San Diego, it is very easy to get around. I did not do much research on hotels or Airbnbs in the city, as I did not need to do my research on this vacation, so I am not able to give my opinion on other places to stay, I can just say being in surrounding suburbs is perfect and easy to get around.
I will say that I was amazed by the San Diego and surrounding area. The food was amazing, the coastline is incredible, and the beer was oh so good. The first thing that came to mind when I was in San Diego was the same though I had when I was in Portland. Depending on which direction you travel there is lots to do just outside San Diego, going west you obviously run into the Pacific Ocean, where there is lots to do. If you head south, bring your passport and you can head into Mexico (by foot if renting a car). Head west and you can find yourself in the mountains, near the Salton Sea, then find your way to Joshua Tree, and go explore the desert. If you head north you can be in wine country of So Cal in Temecula, and keep heading north to LA. When you find yourself in a new place, the best thing you can do is venture out of it, and explore what the area has to offer.
This probably goes for every city on the Cali Coast, but drive the Pacific Highway, it is a road that meanders along the California coast from Mexico to Oregon. I hope to one day do the entire highway on a trip, but for now, driving along the pacific highway, stopping for amazing views, surfers, and good eats was well worth it. An easy route is from San Diego to San Clemente. Make sure you make a stop just outside of San Diego in La Jolla to spend some time in the sun with the seals and sea lions, then capture the sunset on the amazing rock formations along the coast.
Lastly, the beer! Man o man was it delicious, it is IPA heaven. We made it to seven breweries during out trip. Of course we wanted to stop at more, but time did not permit us to. Out of the seven we visited my top three were, Stone (of course), Ballast Point, and Wavelength. There were some others like Alesmith and Green Flash that would probably change my top three a bit, but we did not get to stop and visit them. If you find yourself near Wavelength Brewery or Mother Earth Brewery check out Yellow Deli. The Yellow Deli is run by the Twelve Tribes, which is a religious community (some say cult) you can read about them hear; (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Tribes_communities) .The place is amazing, the food is delicious, and well worth a visit. They will most likely try to entice you to come check out their community. We were going to, but time didn’t allow. You must, must, must, go to Stone Brewery in Escondido, it is incredible, even if you don’t like beer go and get an appetizer or dinner. Then walk around the amazingly designed restaurant and gardens. You will not be disappointed.
Enjoy the Photos: