San Diego Girl's Trip in December

Old Dec 17th, 2014, 01:57 PM
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San Diego Girl's Trip in December

We did a 5 day/4 Night Girl's Trip in the San Diego area the first week of December. We're fairly active (although mom is a senior and prefers limited walking) and enjoy nature. I'm a foodie & craft beer lover. We flew into San Diego, rented a car, and stayed in Escondido with most of our time spent outside of Escondido. It rained half the time we were there, but we still enjoyed ourselves and can't wait to go back.

Day 1: Escondido

-Orfila Winery (it was dark and raining when we visited but would have loved to have gone on a nice day). They have a map of all the grapes they grow on the property and it looks like there's a nice sitting area as well. Felt like we were driving to the middle of no where but our tasting was pretty good and they had lots of knick-knacks/snacks you could purchase in their tasting area. Apparently, they do weddings too.

-Dinner at Stone Brewing Company (again, dark and raining when we visited but would have LOVED to see the beer garden on a nice day or even night. It was a pleasant surprise in this industrial-type area.) If I could go back in time, I would have timed it so we could do the brewery tour. There was a huge glass window in their dining room so you could see the glorious vats of beer, and I feel like I missed out. Unfortunately, I think the food was over-hyped (duck tacos) but the pretzels as a starter were pretty good. Beer was an obvious hit, and you could tell this is a place for a beer enthusiast. We ran into a family that is looking to open up a brewery in their own hometown, so that solidified the notion that this is THE place for beer.

Day 2: Coronado/Gas Lamp Quarters/Old Town (again another rainy day)

-Hotel del Cornado - Fab. There was a convention going on so a lot of the rooms were roped off but it was fun to just walk on the grounds of this Historical Resort and check out the shops.

-Lunch on Orange Ave - Again, fun to just stroll past the shops. We had lunch at Delux Dogs. Not bad...very interesting combinations (blue cheese on a hot dog?! yes please), just don't go around lunchtime or you'll run into all the high school kids.

- Gas Lamp Quarter/Old Town - Breezing through these. Since it was a rainy day and we didn't want to be soaked for the remainder of the day, we just drove through these areas. Gas Lamp Quarter was very cool. Likely would be awesome nightlife or a good time after a Padres Game (the ballpark is literally in the middle of downtown! So cool). My mom was creeped out at how much of a "ghost town" Old Town was (again it was a rainy day, so maybe that had a lot to do with it), so we drove through pretty quickly.

Day 3: Pacific/Mission Beach/La Jolla:

-Somehow found our way to the Pacific Coast Highway and drove down to Pacific Beach (in the end we got re-routed through downtown La Jolla but mom got to see at least some of the BEAUTIFUL coast). Very cool to see the coastal towns. Encinitas seemed like a great place to stop, have a cup of Pannekin coffee, and check out the boutiques/shops

-Segway of Pacific Beach - We rented segways from Segway of Pacific Beach and I regret it not one bit. Mom was happy she didn't have to walk the entire boardwalk and although we looked like tourists (and mom thought she looked pretty cool), our feet were happy with us at the end of the night. Only regret is that based on other forum posts, we went north and checked out Sail Bay vs. going down Ocean Front walk south towards Belmont Amusement Park to get a more "boardwalk feel". It was definitely less crowded but there's only so long you can look at the same bay. Give me more ocean!

-Happy Hour at Herringbone - Can't say enough great things. Fabulous happy hour. Amazing ambiance and warmth. Very tasty food. Go. Seriously, you won't regret it.

-La Jolla Caves - After dinner, we took a quick stroll towards La Jolla Cave. It was really dark so you couldn't see too much, but still a beautiful view of La Jolla at night and we were still able to make out the outline of the Caves and saw some neat looking birds (Pelicans?). This area of La Jolla was so charming with its strip of shops, I wish we had spent the afternoon there.

Day 4: San Diego Zoo/Balboa Park

-Lunch at The Prado - Again, I think the food here was over-hyped. We split the seared beef sushi roll and had the chicken chopped salad and grilled portobello mushroom salad with our sangria. In my opinion, it was like going to cheesecake factory, which isn't a bad thing, but certainly not "the best....". I did like the Sangria though. Also, with us parking at the Zoo it was pretty difficult to find with a reservation to keep in mind. Very stressful!

-San Diego Zoo - Mom was pretty happy with this one. We bought a one-day pass that got us on the Guided Bus Tour AND the Skyfari aerial tram. We were able to see most of the habitats and see an aerial view of the whole Zoo. And once we saw the Pandas, we were able to take the tram from one side of the park to another with one short walk for the win!

-Balboa Park December Nights - If you are visiting during this weekend in December, I'd highly recommend going. Food trucks are out in full force, people are in their Christmas gear, trees and lights are on display, and there's a whole lot of caroling (and did I mention Santa?!). It does get pretty packed but it's a really wonderful way to get a feel of the community. I wish I took my pictures of the Park in daylight too, but we got pretty lost getting to The Prado! (We eventually ended up asking the staff at the Prado for a map of the Park, which was very helpful. Find one if you can!)

Let me know if you have any questions, be happy to help. I can't wait to get the final part of the Pacific Coast Highway checked off the map. Next up: SanFran to San Diego Road Trip!
heythererena is offline  
Old Dec 17th, 2014, 03:01 PM
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Sounds like a nice time in spite of the rain. Thanks for the report.
emalloy is offline  
Old Dec 18th, 2014, 01:50 PM
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Thanks emalloy.

I almost forgot!

-Cabrillo National Monument - Pretty decent views of the city (we popped in here before lunch at The Prado). But if you go at low tide, once you enter the site, take the 1st right. It will take you to some really cool cliffs and you get to see some tide pools. This was a highlight of our trip (Mom got to put her feet in the Pacific Ocean!) If you keep going past the Visitor's center (which has the views of the city, as well as some educational videos that run every couple hours), there's a lighthouse too. There's a ranger stationed near the "entrance" to the tide pools that gave us a bit of education, and he recommended going to the lighthouse. Unfortunately, we had to get to lunch, so didn't have a chance to catch that.
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Old Dec 20th, 2014, 05:21 PM
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Great trip report! I agree about the food at The Prado, but it's really the only sit down restaurant in the park. The ambience though is nice. I'm glad you mentioned December Nights. I'd forgotten about that. I'll have to check with DD and family. The GK might enjoy it. Sorry you were here with all the rain. It hasn't rained for years (at least it seems like it).
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Old Dec 21st, 2014, 02:27 PM
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Thanks for the report and glad you had a nice time!
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Old Dec 26th, 2014, 04:13 PM
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"Dinner at Stone Brewing Company (again, dark and raining when we visited but would have LOVED to see the beer garden on a nice day or even night. It was a pleasant surprise in this industrial-type area.)"

Hi heythererena. I was just glazing through your post and noticed this statement which I didn't catch before. I was wondering which Stone Brewing restaurant you visited? The only one I know of is in an upscale planned community development called Liberty Station (it used to be a large military - naval training center) with lots of beautiful historic buildings, large park areas and overlooks the San Diego Bay and skyline, and has very trendy shops and boutiques. There is no industry in the development. Just curious. Thanks
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Old Dec 26th, 2014, 08:27 PM
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Many thanks for that survey and also thankful you
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Old Dec 28th, 2014, 11:48 AM
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nanabee - The "original" Stone Brewing Co is in Escondido. Has been for years. heytherena was staying in Escondido and I understood her to say that's the Stone Brewing Co they went to.

I have never had a meal at The Prado that I really liked.
elizzie4000 is offline  
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