LA to the Bay: San Diego
I’d never had the desire to go to San Diego before my LA to the Bay Contiki trip, but friends, I get it now.
Listen, I don’t know what it is, but I was never huge into the beach. Maybe I never liked the feeling of little grains of sand getting into everything, or being nervous about leaving my stuff on the beach while I go into the water.
But our day in San Diego changed my mind about all of that.
Greetings from San Diego (August 2023)
We drove from LA to Mission Beach and had a full, free afternoon to enjoy the sunshine.
It was the most relaxing day I’ve ever had on a Contiki trip. Usually, they’re super busy and fast-paced, but beach day was fantastic.
Sophie and I grabbed lunch and a cider from Draft South Mission and just soaked up the sun on the patio before heading to the sand for some R&R.
Enjoying the Mission Beach sun (August 2023)
I’m not hugely in love with the idea of swimming in the ocean, but I had to take a dip.
The waves were pretty strong that day, so I sat in the water until it tossed me back out again, and then sat back on the beach until the sun dried me off.
Once we were done with the sand, Sophie and I walked along the beach road looking for a snack. That’s when we found Dreyer’s. There’s something about blue bubblegum ice cream (my absolute favourite) under an umbrella on a beach in California that hits different.
Tacos in the gas lamp district (August 2023)
We had a reasonable amount of time to ourselves before we had to get back on the bus to the hotel. The group got checked in and had time to clean up before heading out for a night on the town.
For us, that meant finding a nearby restaurant for dinner (tacos!) and then joining everyone to watch the group karaoke. I’m usually a karaoke lover, but there was something about this group that I hadn’t particularly connected to.
Maybe it was the fact that I had come with a friend. Maybe it was because I was 32 and most of these people were in their early 20s. But I just didn’t really feel connected with my fellow tourmates. And maybe this time that was okay.
Sophie and I had a nice time having tacos and a cocktail before heading back to the hotel for an earlier night than most (a pattern we’d soon be known for) and getting ready for a long trip ahead.
