California Road Trip (Vol. II): San Diego

Continuing where we left off. Zoertney and I were on an Amtrak headed to beautiful San Diego.

As the train pulled into Santa Fe Depot, I couldn’t help but find myself amazed by the beauty of the building. Colourful colonial style, tiled, and surrounded by fountains and so many windows. Santa Fe train station in contrast with the sky scrapers, looks beautiful and timeless!

A few blocks away from the marina, location for many films. The promenade where new and old ships stand tall and proud. From the promenade one could also see the planes taking off and landing, the airport is right there. I see the planes take off and land among the skyscreepers, just like mine did.

Anyhow, as soon as I arrived, dropped my bags and set out to explore the city that would be my home for the next couple of days. I won’t bore you with all the details, better see for yourself.

I’m a big sports fan. So it probably comes as no surprise that the first thing i did was, to head down the street to the home of the mighty San Diego Padres, San Diego’s Baseball team.

The sun shone the whole time I stayed in San Diego. Agreeing with Albert Hammond’s lyrics: “It seems it never rains in Southern California”

With such weather, I couldn’t help but head to the beach. Walking through the city center I made my way to the bus station among palm trees, fancy cars, and clear water fountains. I hopped on the bus to Ocean Beach, also known as O.B. to the locals, and drove into the coast.

Don’t you just feel like jumping right in? I sure did!

About 20 minutes later I was in stunning Ocean Beach. The sun shinning, kids and adults alike enjoy the surf and the weather, and the longest concrete pier in the West Coast (601 meters).

Also, while in Ocean Beach, take the time to walk south to Sunset Cliffs. There you can spot some of the most beautiful sunsets in the area, but beware as it can be a bit tricky to get to.

Another great beach, specially for a younger crowd, is Pacific Beach. Preferred location for amazing nightlife, as well as an amusement park and a beach market along the promenade.

Unfortunately, I was having so much fun that I forgot to take pictures, so I’ll just leave you here the link to the San Diego tourism website so you can take a look.

If you don’t feel like going to the beach while in San Diego, then you should visit Balboa Park and the San Diego Old town. Beautiful historic places that will bring you back hundreds of year back to the time the Spanish were in the area. Amazing…!Oh and in Balboa Park is also located the San Diego Zoo.

Hostels of choice in San Diego:

Lucky D’s Hostel (615 8th Ave, San Diego, CA 92101) & HI San Diego Downtown (521 Market Street, San Diego, CA 92101). Impossible to miss. These two are around the corner from each other. And almost across the street from the Padres’ baseball Stadium, right downtown San Diego.