inspired
Florence is one of the most amazing cities in the world. It’s hard to believe for it’s size, but it is incredibly rich in history and art. That’s why millions of people visit from all over the world every year. If you find yourself in …
The Huntington Strolling around gardens is one of my favorite things to do. You’ve probably noticed this if you followed my blog a while ago. It’s a wonderful way to spend a few hours of your day relaxing and taking photographs. And that’s exactly what …
I have had San Diego on my mind quite a bit lately. I spent two years of my life living there while I was getting my degree. Once I finished school, I decided to move back home to the Bay Area. Somehow it feels like just yesterday I said goodbye to the city of sunsets and tacos. Friends and family were surprised when I told them I was leaving. Even though San Diego is an amazing city, The Bay was not finished with me yet.
It might be controversial for me to say this, but I believe San Diego is a better city to vacation in than Los Angeles. At least for people flying in to see California from a different country. San Diego has better surfing, transportation, less traffic, cheaper (but still just as tasty) food, and friendlier people. The only thing that’s really missing is Disneyland and Universal Studios, but it’s only a two hour drive if they decided to visit those parks while in San Diego. Although, they may not even decide to go since San Diego has one of the best zoo’s around, Sea World, and Lego Land close by. Now, I’m not saying San Diego is an all around better place than LA. But, if I was planning a trip to California, I would rather spend a week vacationing in the San Diego area.
Balboa Park
My first week in San Diego I walked over to Balboa Park from the house I was staying in while I figured out where I would live while attending school. I have visited the park countless times since. It was a great place to take friends and family when they came down to visit.
Balboa Park is near a lot of the action and an easy place to get to using ride sharing apps and MTS (metropolitan transit system). I usually took a bus or trolly in San Diego to save some money since it’s $2.25-2.50 per ride or $7 for a day pass. The buses in San Diego do take up a lot of your time though. I would take two buses to get to the airport from my apartment, which was about an hour and a half. If I used a ride sharing app, it would take me only 20 minutes (if there wasn’t heavy traffic on the freeways).
What’s really nice about Balboa Park is you’ll never run out of things to see there. They have lovely gardens, 17 museums, restaurants & cafés, several theaters, and events happening throughout the year. The San Diego Zoo is also located right inside!
San Diego State University
Since I told you that I attended school in San Diego, I thought I would also share some photos of the campus for people that may be interested. Whether you’re applying to colleges soon or not, stopping by the campus may be of interest to you. SDSU has great events, an outdoor food market on Thursdays, and a huge library that the bookworms and film nerds would really enjoy. Plus, the campus is beautiful!
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
Sunset Cliff is a popular place to, you guessed it, watch the sun set. It’s located in a nice area with beautiful homes nearby so it’s worth walking around when it’s not too windy. I went once in April and felt like I could blow off the cliff into the ocean. When I went in July, it was a beautiful day so we ended up walking alongside the cliff. I wouldn’t recommend this for everyone because you get close to a busy road and the edge of the cliff. But there are good places to stand a safe distance from the edge of the cliff where everyone goes to take their photos.
Side note: If you keep going down Point Loma, you’ll reach a beautiful park with trails and a view of a famous lighthouse. I’ve been told Point Loma has some great places to watch the Independent Day fireworks too. If you’re in San Diego this week, or the first week of any July, it could be a fun place to go in the afternoon for a walk and stay for the fireworks! Look into Cabrillo National Monument and Above The Fireworks if you’re interested.
La Jolla Shores
If you’re dreaming of a day at the beach, I very much enjoyed La Jolla Shores. San Diego has many beaches, and all of them are pretty great, but I liked this one the most. It’s one of those beaches that has something for everyone. La Jolla is also a very nice part of San Diego to explore and dream about moving to.
Trendy Cafés
San Diego has some of the best food I have ever eaten in my whole life. And I’m not just talking about Mexican Food. The food scene might not be as large as LA’s, but it is very similar. There are loads of unique, cool, tasty, and famous places to eat and drink. As a huge tea and coffee lover, I personally enjoyed trying out some incredible coffee bars while in San Diego. Depending on where you live, it’s not always common to find tea and coffee that’s almost too pretty to drink.
Coronado Island
Coronado might be my favorite place to visit while in San Diego. Not only does it feel like you’re on vacation whenever you’re there, it has a rich film history. I’m a sucker for cult classics and famous films so when I read Some Like It Hot was filmed at the Hotel del Coronado, I thought it was the coolest thing. Even though I never stayed at the hotel, I did explore the lobby and some of the hallways that had open balconies with a view.
↑ I like how this picture looks like something the cast of The O.C. would take. ↑
I hope you enjoyed seeing and reading about my favorite places in San Diego. I may do a post all about my favorite restaurants in San Diego in the future. Let me know if that’s something people would be interested in.
-Ayla♥
Carmel-By-The-Sea This small beachside city is known for it’s scenic ocean views and art galleries galore. I’m not surprised countless films and television shows have used Carmel as their backdrop. It’s gorgeous and charming to say the least. Make sure not to miss it when …
The first time I noticed the flower fields was on my way to San Diego. We were driving on highway 5 with fields on one side and the ocean on the other. I desperately wanted to stop and take photos in the fields but we were almost at our destination after a very long drive.
After almost two years of living in Southern California, I finally got the opportunity to visit the fields and take some photographs with friends and family. The photos of me were taken by friends Grace and Eddie. (You may remember I went on my Mediterranean cruise with Grace.)
I was expecting it to be a warm, sunny day on the day we went since we were going in May. I was even worried about the fact that we were going right at the hottest time of day when the sun would be too bright to get good pictures. Boy, was I wrong. It was a cold, very windy day with occasional light rain. I was not expecting this in May. On the positive side, we had overcast the whole time so no harsh sunlight. I was, however, upset that it was so windy and cold. I curled my hair right before we left and as you can tell, it was not curly for long at all. Actually, as soon as we walked to the fields, my hair was completely straight and in knots from the wind. My eyes could barely say open because they were so dry from the wind blowing directly into them. As far as my complexion…purple and red due to my cold, pale skin. These conditions were not ideal for a photoshoot. Although, we were lucky that the fields were not full of people. No one was staying there too long because it was too cold and windy.
On a sunnier day, in the late afternoon, this would be the perfect stop to take some photographs and do a photoshoot. There was actually an engagement the day we were there!
Most of the staff at The Flower Fields were very kind! There was one who watched me like a hawk to make sure I didn’t cross over the green tape. I found out we were being watched by this person when I stepped over to an empty spot to squat next to flowers and that person came full speed on their golf cart within seconds to tell me I’m not allowed. However, we did have a good experience with a different staff member. A group of people were blocking off a whole section of the fields for their engagement and told me not to come into that section. I started walking away disappointed because it was a good spot for pictures. When the staff member heard them say I need to leave, they walked over and said I can stand anywhere I want. No one is allowed to block off parts of the field for their own photos. So if you go and someone kicks you out for their own photos, lay down the rules! It’s unfair for them to hog a spot when we all paid the same amount to get inside and take photos.
Address: 5704 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad, CA 92008
Hours: 9am-6pm
Admission: $18 for adults
It was a pleasant surprise to see The Flower Fields wasn’t just flower fields. There were games/activities for children, food, a sweet pea maze, and a few tents with flowers that aren’t in the fields.
I didn’t realize it until after we had left, but the LEGOLAND Resort is behind The Flower Fields. You may want to stop at both if you’re in Carlsbad!
If you’re thinking of going next spring, plan your trip accordingly. The Flower Fields are only open for around 9-10 weeks in spring.
-Ayla♥
If you’re not from the Bay Area, or have been living under a rock your whole life, the Conservatory of Flowers is a greenhouse located in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park filled with rare and unusual tropical plants and holds special exhibits. I went during …
