San Diego Getaway

San Diego may be one of my favorite places on this planet. In my younger single days, it was an escape. After work on a Friday, I would throw a duffel bag in my car and trek the 350 miles, music blaring all the way. No plans, no itinerary, no worries. I would just find a place to stay, soak up the perfect eighty degree sea air, walk for miles on the beaches, hang out in the bars, and eat as much seafood as I could handle. It would be a spontaneous weekend that a kid from northern Minnesota could not even have imagined a few years earlier.


Last weekend, after a twelve year absence, Jan and I made the trek again, albeit a bit more organized and planned than in the past. We hung out in the Gaslamp Quarter downtown, staying in the Omni Hotel next to the new Petco Park stadium and took in a ballgame. After that, we just walked around the revitalized downtown, where the weekend nightlife is awesome. People everywhere, some dressed up and clubbing it, others just casually hanging around in the vast number of bars and restaurants, all within walking distance. I love cities with places like that. Somebody designed this place right.

On Sunday, before heading home, we stopped by Mission Beach for breakfast at The Firehouse, one of my faves. Mission Beach is where I had hung out over a decade before. Not much had changed, but it didn't seem quite as incredible as I remembered. Jan reminded me that I have seen a bit more of the world since my last travels here and maybe I am just not as easily impressed anymore. Probably true, but I still love it. I will be back.

As we headed home, I couldn't help but start planning another possible location for getting together with friends. It would be fun to stay one night downtown taking in the nightlife, then the next night or two at Mission Beach, hanging out, grilling seafood and steaks, and pounding a few drinks at one of the bars just off the boardwalk. A cottage can hold 4 to 6 people, so a group of 6 to 12 would be pretty easy to accommodate. Just another possibility to think about down the road...