20220618_134730Alcazar Garden in Balboa Park, San Diego (June 2022)

This month last year, I went on a long weekend getaway to San Diego with my family. Although I’d gone the year prior, it’d been only a day trip– this time, it was an extended three days in town, and we had ample time to see and do a lot more than before.

San Diego is located about 120 miles/193 kilometers south of Los Angeles, and it’s only 17 miles/27 kilometers from the Mexico border. That said, San Diego is the prime location for locals to make a quick trip to Mexico (specifically the city of Tijuana) before crossing back to the U.S., as well as for its pristine beaches and laid-back, surfer lifestyle along the southern California coast.

My family and I spent the morning first at Torrey Pines (north of San Diego proper), where I got horribly sunburned. Afterwards, we pulled into San Diego half-past 12h00; mind you, we arrived on a Saturday, and the city was already packed with people– locals and visitors– who were out enjoying the warm, summer sunshine.

We took a while to find parking before heading over to Balboa Park, a massive urban park that not only has some beautiful gardens, but also plenty of cultural museums and the zoo to check out. You could easily spend the whole day, if not several days, exploring Balboa Park alone. We only spent a couple of hours here, visiting the highlights like the colorful Spanish Cultural Arts center, the lush Botanical Building, and the Seville-inspired Alcazar Garden.

20220618_131328Botanical Building

20220618_132007Spanish Cultural Arts Center

As mentioned, it was really crowded that afternoon, so we decided to leave Balboa and head to the Spruce Street Suspension Bridge for some respite. The bridge is in a quiet, residential neighborhood not too far from the park, and it’s quite hidden, so we spent a bit of time searching for it on the streets. We eventually found it and walked across it, feeling the thrill of it bouncing and swaying with every step we took.

20220618_143101Spruce Street Suspension Bridge

It was nearing the end of the afternoon. Hot, tired, and famished, we opted to head over for an early dinner at a Georgian restaurant I’d discovered online. Having been to the country of Georgia few years back, I missed Georgian cuisine dearly (as it’s actually quite hard to find it in Los Angeles) and I was craving it badly. We showed up early and ordered a spread of traditional plates, including Adjarian khachapuri (cheese bread boat), khinkali (soup dumplings), and chakapuli (lamb-tarragon stew). We also split a bottle of Georgian red wine and medovik (honey cake) for dessert. All was incredibly rich and delicious, and it was a solid end to our first day in town.

20220618_162618Khachapuri

20220618_162940Khinkali

20220618_162351Chakapuli

20220618_165404Medovik

Following a morning in La Jolla the day after, we returned to San Diego for some more dessert, this time at a recommended gelato shop that’s situated inside a former dry cleaners. Not only that, but it had some of most-interesting flavors, including olive oil-rosemary and chocolate-cinnamon-pepper– both of which I got. And holy moly, were they INCREDIBLE! I especially loved the fragrant, herbal olive oil-rosemary, but what really stood out was the waffle cone: it was the warmest, freshest, and crispiest cone I’ve ever had– I’d go back to that gelato shop in a heartbeat!

20220619_141114Chocolate-cinnamon-pepper and olive oil-rosemary gelati

I’ll save the rest of my San Diego trip in the next post, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading. 🙂

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

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39 thoughts on “Destination: San Diego, California (2022 Edition, Part 1)”

    1. Georgian food is so good! I love the diversity of it all, from the fresh vegetables and herbs to the hearty cheeses and carbs (bread, dumplings, etc). There’s a bit of everything for everyone!

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  7. Lovely post, Rebecca! Balboa Park is like the crown jewel of San Diego, with so much to offer. We’ll be spending a few days there in December to see family; I can’t wait. We may try the Georgian restaurant while we’re there; the food looks scrumptious!

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  9. What a wonderful city, Rebecca 🙂 I can easily see why San Diego, with its sunny weather, beaches, and vibrant city scene, is a popular destination for travellers looking to explore the west coast of the United States. As a nature lover, I would be instantly drawn to the city’s many parks and gardens. I had no idea that you can even get a Honey Cake in San Diego. It’s a very popular dessert in Latvia and pretty much everyone knows how to make it, it’s so delicious! Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

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    1. I LOVE honey cake! I’ve also had it in Latvia, as well as in Turkey and Georgia. I’ve also tried making it myself, but it was difficult, haha. San Diego is a beautiful part of southern California, and I plan to make return trips in the near future! Thanks for reading, Aiva. 😊

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    1. San Diego isn’t LA, but it offers just as much to do, see, and eat. That gelati was one of the best I’ve ever had, and I’d go back to SD just for them! 🍦

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  11. I spent a few days in San Diego a few years back but saw only small parts of it (I was there for a conference). This was fun to reminisce about my time in Balboa Park as well as see the sections of the park I missed.

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  15. One of these days when I have the chance to go back to California I’ll bring D to San Diego. I would love to explore Balboa Park. More importantly I’d like to check out the food you tried – they look yummy!

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  16. Pingback: Destination: San Diego, California (2022 Edition, Part 2) – Rebecca Goes Rendezvous
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