San Diego Day 4 Report – A day at the beach, sort of

With a more leisurely day planned, I had a window to get a pretty solid ride in, so was up early to take advantage.  The fog seemed a little heavier this morning and it was chilly, but nothing too severe to effect the ride.  I made my way through Old Town to the Pacific Hwy and then north through Mission Bay before getting sidetracked by signs for Mt Soledad.  I climbed up through residential streets with increasingly less visibility as the fog thickened and my glasses steamed up as well.  After a few wrong turns I finally made it to the memorial at the top.  I had heard the view was spectacular from here, so was ready for my reward…

And that’s what I got, a wall of fog.  Oh well, it’s about the journey, I guess.

At least I was able to sort of take in the memorial itself before returning down the hill.  Once the descent was done, I retraced my route so as not to get lost and made my way back to the hotel. 

After I grabbed the wife, we went in search for a new coffee shop for breakfast.  We found a local chain called “The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf” that was quite delicious.  They offered made to order oatmeal and fruit & yogurt parfaits, pastries, and a variety of coffee and tea drinks.  After a leisurely breakfast, we headed toward the beach.

         

We arrived at Pacific Beach among a swarm of people.  After realizing we didn’t have any towels to lay on and that the sun was hiding behind the clouds, we decided that relaxing at the beach may not be the best option.  We called the audible, rented a cruiser bike for the wife (I brought my rental in the car) and rode the 4-mile route to La Jolla.  From there we locked up the bikes and walked around looking for a place for lunch.  We found another local chain, SmashBurger, and the wife got her fried pickles fix.  We walked down to the cove where a band was playing for the “Concert by the Sea” series. 

We kept walking until we reach the bird rock with lots and lots of birds and some sea lions.  Despite the loud noises the people were making, the sea lions were just lounging around not more than 100 yards from where people were swimming.

We grabbed some gelato, did some window shopping, and headed back to Pacific Beach.  We walked along the shoreline down to Mission Beach.  People were really partying at the bars there which was somewhat surprising because it was a Sunday evening.  We stopped by a bar for a few drinks (and the Bengal’s pre-season game) before heading back to the hotel.

A friend had recommended a restaurant in North Park which boasted locally grown, organic food and a unique, fresh menu, so we decided to give it a go.  The atmosphere was nice, although the menu was a presented in a bit of an over the top “hip” fashion and the prices were higher than I was expecting.  The yellowtail I ordered was just okay, but the summer squash gratin served with it was delicious and unique.  Overall, the restaurant was worth checking out, but I’m in no hurry to return, mostly since I couldn’t afford to eat there on a regular basis.

We were night owls this evening, out until around 10:30, because we like to party.  Tomorrow is the last full day of the vacation and we are taking on the zoo.