20220620_091622Hotel del Coronado (June 2022)

After a delicious gelato treat, my family and I spent the afternoon at San Diego Old Town, a neighborhood where it was the site of the founding of California in 1850. It’s fascinating to envision that this was the start of my home state, and fast-forward over 170 years later, it’s become one of the largest and most-influential states in the United States.

Today, however, San Diego Old Town was nothing but a wide, outdoor space with dozens of souvenir shops, in a combination of Wild West and Dia de los Muertos themes. It’s become nothing but a gimmicky, kitsch place for shopping for knick-knacks, but I admit, I bought a few trinkets as gifts for friends back home. Guess I’m part of the *capitalist* system, too…

20220619_152813San Diego Old Town

20220619_151337Lots of souvenirs…

We didn’t stay too long in San Diego Old Town, and we headed on our way back to the hotel, stopping by a seafood taco truck that we heard is reputed to be one of the best. It’s especially known for its beer-battered fish tacos, so we ordered a few of those and then some.

However, it took almost an hour to get our order, and along with a few other frustrated customers in line, we eventually found out that the fryers were broken and that there would be no beer-battered fish tacos that day. Instead, we got grilled fish tacos, and we took them to-go to eat back at our hotel. The fish tacos were nice and tender, and the shrimp and seafood medley tacos were decent, but unfortunately, it wasn’t worth the hour-long wait.

20220619_170226Seafood tacos

On our final day in San Diego, we drove over to Coronado, an island off of San Diego (but still considered part of the city) to check out the Hotel del Coronado, a historic hotel from 1888 made almost entirely out of wood. It’s Victorian-style, and besides it being a unique site to visit, you can also pay an upwards of $375 USD/night to stay in it (if you want)!

20220620_091901Inside the hotel

20220620_091850Hotel lobby

We drove back to the mainland to check out Sunset Cliffs. Mind you, we went at midday (and not at sunset), but the cliffs and views of the deep-blue Pacific Ocean were dramatic and stunning– I can imagine that it must be absolutely sublime at sunset, though!

20220620_103502Sunset Cliffs

Next, we made our way to Point Loma, a peninsula with the Cabrillo National Monument (dedicated to the 16th century Iberian explorer, who discovered California) and the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. You can also get expansive views of the Pacific Ocean and Coronado Island. Granted, there was a bit of a queue to get into Point Loma, as it’s only one-way in and out; it also cost $20 USD to enter and, unless you’re staying there the whole day (which is unnecessary), it’s not worth the drive out.

20220620_110249Cabrillo National Monument

Our last and final stop in San Diego was at Liberty Public Market, an indoor food court situated right next to the San Diego Airport. Besides seeing flights going in and out every 10 minutes, you can also enjoy a massive array of international cuisines from the food stalls, from Thai to Peruvian to even southern Cajun! We opted for some Argentinian empanadas (sweet and savory) and Belgian waffles. We also grabbed some coffee there to-go before leaving San Diego and heading home. I enjoyed the wide selection of food options at Liberty Public Market, and I can see myself returning to check out more.

20220620_115531Argentinian empanadas

20220620_121814Belgian waffles– sweet and savory

20220620_124511Latte to-go

That concluded our visit in San Diego proper, but we also took a few short trips to its surroundings, which I’ll recap later. Until then!

— Rebecca

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Published by Rebecca

Blogger, world traveler, poet, foodie, part-time penguin. Welcome!

35 thoughts on “Destination: San Diego, California (2022 Edition, Part 2)”

  5. I imagine one day visiting San Diego, where I’ve never been. A former colleague of mine travelled all the way from Dublin to San Diego to get married and has lived there happily for 15 years. I reckon it’s a great city. Thanks for the suggestions for places of interest.

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    1. San Diego is a gorgeous part of southern California; it has a more laid-back vibe than LA, but with just as many things to see, do, and eat. I hope you can head over some day to enjoy the beauty of it all!

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  6. Hotel del Coronado looks like a giant cruise ship! I liked the food pics, especially the empanadas! It’s been a while since I’ve been to San Diego and your post has sparked my interest in visiting Old Town!

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    1. The hotel kind of does look like a cruise ship! I think its wooden architecture gives off a nautical feel to it…Old Town was fun, even though it was a bit gimmicky; I hope you return to San Diego soon to see more!

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  8. Delicious food at the market, but it’s too bad the food truck didn’t live up to the hype. I made it out to Coronado Island for dinner when I visited SD, but didn’t go to the hotel. Looks like I missed out, it’s lovely inside!

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    1. I think I just went on a bad day with the taco food truck (although I did redeem myself with delicious tacos in nearby La Jolla)! The Hotel del Coronado is a historic landmark, and it’d be a privilege to stay in it, even if for one night!

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  11. I have happy memories of San Diego from when my family visited when I was 11. We bought a kite and flew it on the beach. My dad’s friend drove us around in his convertible with the top down. A couple of quibbles – California wasn’t founded in 1850, because Spanish California was settled in the 1700s and named even earlier (Cabrillo). The US settlers took it over (stole it) in the mid 1800s. Also, Cabrillo saw the land and claimed it, but didn’t really discover it because people already lived there. 😉 Tu amiga tocaya, Rebecca

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    1. Thanks for the correction, Rebecca! History can be convoluted, so it helps to differentiate when each empire (Spanish, the US) took over the native land. Sounds like you had fond memories of SD when you were a kid!

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  16. I’ve been to SD a billion times but didn’t know about the public market!! Thx for the share!

    I usually end up around Balboa Park.

    I HIGHLY recommend renting bikes and cycling around Coronado.

    The hotel is featured in the movie Some Like It Hot.

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