Photo Diary: San Diego, California

I talked about my trip briefly in the last post, but wanted to share a few photos from my vacation. Honestly, I’m just missing the cool weather, everyone I got to see, and all the places we got to visit, so I’m just looking for an excuse to reminisce. Haha!

On the day I arrived, my half (we’ve always been mistaken for sisters or twins when we were younger) Binky picked me up from my aunt’s place. She planned a weekend trip to San Diego, so she could take me around. We had to leave her youngest Ella with her in-laws but I got to hang with her firstborn Enzo all weekend long!

Her husband Jay’s friend was celebrating his birthday that weekend, too, so it all just came together. Jay would have his boy’s weekend and I’d get to tour the city with Binky and Enzo.

Before we got to the hotel, we headed out to Ocean Boulevard with a view of the Pacific Beach. After a failed attempt at the PB Shore Club, we ended up in Duck Dive on Mission Boulevard for a late lunch. It was filled with college kids (I assumed) on spring break so everyone was knocking back drinks and/or in green. After the meals I didn’t finish on my first day, I decided to split a burger with Binky. Good decision!

After lunch, Jay drove us back to downtown and we checked into the Double Tree. They gave us complimentary cookies still warm from the oven. Mmm.

We checked out the playground in Harborview, where we had the most amazing view of the sunset. Before walking back to our hotel, they took me to Little Italy, which is a quaint little neighborhood peppered with restaurants, pubs, and bars. It was a chilly night (especially for this tropical girl), but we made sure to stop for pizza before heading back. We ended up at Landini’s Pizzeria where we got the daily special. Got a pesto slice with a Cherry Coke.

In the morning, we had breakfast at Cafe Gratitude, which I had pinned in my Google Maps list for places to check out on this trip. TBH, I only know about this place because of Jason Mraz (lol) but it was an interesting experience and I enjoyed everything we ordered.

After checking out, we drove to Old Town San Diego, which felt like something out of Westworld minus the murderous robots. Haha! I loved walking around and ducking into the stores, where the sales attendants were in costume. Got a few keepsakes for pasalubong, too.

After a quick walk around and taking tons of photos at Old Town, we headed back to LA, where we picked up Ella before heading to Alyn’s place for her husband Joe’s birthday.

We spent the rest of the evening eating, catching up, and watching Enzo score goals with his ate KK. Really wish I had more time with Alyn and Binky, but I’m glad we were able to find a common weekend to hang out. Infinite thanks to the Aquinos for welcoming me into their home and taking me out to San Diego. Can’t wait to see you guys back here in Manila!