Weekend Getaway in San Diego
Maybe I’m biased right now because we’re in the middle of a deep freeze here in the Midwest, but San Diego is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever visited. I’m pretty much convinced it’s warm and sunny every day!
A friend of mine went on a business trip in San Diego and wanted to extend her stay to explore. I was fortunate enough to find an inexpensive flight on Sun Country so I could join her. We met up Thursday afternoon after her business brunch and spent the next few days eating our way through Little Italy.
Thursday
After escaping the Minnesota cold, I was beyond ecstatic when our first stop (after checking into our hotel, of course) was lunch on an outdoor patio. All Crack Shack locations feature a menu of egg dishes and chicken that has been locally raised. I’m hungry for the schmaltz fries just writing about them and the open-air dining was the perfect welcome to sunny so-Cal. Add in the bocce ball and blonde ale and I was in heaven. Welcome to Cali!
After our snack, we had plenty of time before meeting up with a friend for dinner. We decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather (seriously, I could so get used to it!) and explore the Little Italy neighborhood on foot. It didn’t long for me to find a brewery I had to check out!
I’m more of a craft beer drinker than my friend so we were happy to find an extensive tap list. The Grapefruit Sculpin, a citrusy IPA, was a favorite for both of us! I was so bummed that there weren’t any sporting events in town that weekend. Luckily, this brewery attracts many a sports fan so plenty of TVs were tuned into a game of some sort.
I ate more than my fair share of Italian food over the weekend, starting with this family-owned eatery. The restaurant looked exactly like I would expect an authentic Italian restaurant to look: white stucco exterior, awnings reminiscent of the Italian flag, dark wood interiors and candles burning in red glass holders.
We shared a caprese salad to start and I’m fairly certain I could’ve eaten a loaf of their garlic bread on my own (it was so good)! If you know me, you know I LOVE pizza so of course I had to try a true Italian pie. It was everything I hoped for and more while both friends raved about their pasta dishes. With the cozy, intimate feel of the antique lighting and burgandy leather booths, this would be a perfect place for date night.
Since my friend had stayed downtown San Diego for the week, we decided to relocate to the Little Italy neighborhood for the weekend. The hotel, located right on the corner of Columbia and Fir, had these gorgeous Jacaranda trees blooming along the streets. There was also an accessible rooftop that had the most incredible view of India Street and the rest of the Little Italy neighborhood.
The exterior of the hotel was ultra-modern with a glass front and vibrant lobby. My favorite part of the decor though was the large murals on many of the doors and walls. Most of them featured young women with a so-Cal 70’s vibe that I was in love with.
After exploring the neighborhood, the Glass Door Bar was the perfect place to end the night. We snagged a table with beautiful views of both the city and coast at night. The bar featured a dark, rich decor and stained glass light fixtures dangled from my ceiling. If you’ve seen my Facebook album from our trip, you know how obsessed with these I was!
Friday
After sleeping in, we decided to spend the afternoon at one of the most famous zoos in the US. But first, pizza! Seriously, I ate a lot of pizza and pasta this weekend. #noshame
We were looking for something casual and quick before heading to the zoo. Landini’s was the perfect fit! Although they’re situated in the heart of Little Italy, their specialty is New York-style pizza. I’ve yet to make it to New York so I can’t vouch for their authenticity but their quality was top notch. Not only do they have a vegan and vegetarian section on their menu, their 2 slices and a soda lunch special can’t be beat. The large pet-friendly outdoor patio in the back was icing on the cake.
Arriving just after lunch was not planned but couldn’t have turned out better. Just as our Lyft was pulling up, bus loads of kids who had spent the morning at the zoo were leaving after their picnic lunch. The zoo was busy but not overly crowded and again, perfect weather.
There was a zoo tour bus just about to leave when we arrived so we decided to hop on. We figured it would a great way to see more of the exhibits while also getting a lay off the land. Turns out our tour guide had grown up with his parents working at the same zoo and he had also worked with animal actors in the entertainment business. He had so many hilarious stories and knew sooooooo much about the animals. This zoo completely lived up to the hype and of course, I had to stop and see my favorite, the penguins.
After the zoo, we were both a bit tired so we decided to find someplace close to our hotel. We found this amazing Italian kitchen (when in Little Italy, am I right?) a few blocks away that hand makes all of their pasta. It was a busy evening so we were able to get in sooner by sitting on the patio. The restaurant has a chic, contemporary vibe: not quite fine-dining but not overly casual either. Since Bencotto is a bi-level eatery, our outdoor table was still above street-level. The tables were lined up in a single row, giving our dinner an almost private, exclusive feel to it.
Everything was amazing from start to finish, including our service. Artisan bread dipped in olive oil was the perfect precursor to our made-to-order pasta dishes. I’m not sure I’ve ever had such savory ravioli in my life. Fun fact: Bencotto means well done and they certainly did. Next time I go to San Diego, I am revisiting Bencotto.
Saturday
The Little Italy Mercato is located just steps from our hotel and is open Saturdays year round. Instead of going out for breakfast, we decided to grab freshly made green juices from one of the vendors. We just happened to be in town the same weekend as the Mission Federal Artwalk as well! It was hard to tell where one ended and the other began but both had so many amazing vendors.
The street performances and live art were probably my favorite attraction. That and the cute jewelry pieces I discovered walking around! If I hadn’t brought just a carryon, I probably would have ended up purchasing so much more. I love supporting local artists, especially when I’m traveling. Just before we left for Coronado, I couldn’t resist getting a bacon wrapped jalapeño dog for lunch (we went before I gave up eating meat).
By the time we left the ArtWalk and Mercato, we decided we might as well keep walking to the Coronado Ferry instead of getting another Lyft. The ferry landing is also close to the Unconditional Surrender Statue so I had to get a pic. I absolutely love the original photo so I wasn’t going to miss an opportunity to see a larger than life sculpture of it!
The ferry ride over to Coronado Island is a pretty quick one and the waterfront views are picturesque. Once we arrived on the island, we spent the afternoon perusing the local shops and enjoying the parks and beach. It must have been prom or winter carnival for Coronado because we saw so many couples taking fancy photos by the water! It was really fun to see all their dresses and watching them pose for the photographers.
We had done a lot of walking over the last few days so we decided to take a break when we stumbled on this place. Nicky Rottens is a family-owned, dog-friendly burger joint so you know I was a fan! We weren’t really hungry so I didn’t get to try one of their “famous” burgers.
As a huge sports fan, I appreciated the creative approach they took to naming their drinks. What fan doesn’t want “Front Row Seats” or a “Margin of Victory”? In the end though, I went with a Cavner Mule. Few drinks are more refreshing to me than a Moscow mule and this Jameson version is named after SOC Brad Cavner. For every Cavner Mule sold, $1 is donated to the NAVY SEAL Foundation in his honor.
We couldn’t not have Italian on our last night in Little Italy, right? RIGHT?!
That’s what we thought so we made a reservation at Nonna’s. Eating here is like eating your Italian grandmother’s comfort food in her own home. We sat out back on a cozy little patio that looked like it was right in Nonna’s backyard. I enjoyed our food everywhere we ate but Nonna’s might have been my top choice for ambience. From the wrought iron fences and lush greenery, it was my idea of a perfect patio.
I don’t know what your grandmother’s cooking is like but Nonna makes a mean Margherita pizza and some of the best bread I’ve ever tasted. For dessert? Oh yeah, Nonna also makes gelato and she sells it out of Zucchero, her attached gelateria. Bon appetito!
We had walked past Cloak and Petal a few times while exploring Little Italy and made it a point to stop here on our last night. With two live cherry blossom trees growing out of the bar, we were intrigued. The venue definitely had a more upscale contemporary vibe and the drinks were gorgeous.
In the name of full disclosure, we did not have a great experience here. We were only getting an after-dinner drink and it took a significant amount of time to be both seated, then served. It was an extremely busy evening so I would be willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and make a reservation for dinner the next time. For a drop-in drink, not so much.
Rooftop Reruns
Our hotel had a cozy rooftop patio area with lounge furniture so we decided to make our last night in San Diego a low key one. Our flight back to Minnesota was scheduled to depart early the next morning and we wanted to enjoy the city views one last time. We stopped and bought a bottle of wine on our way home from dinner and set up our own rooftop drinks. Cozying up in blankets we brought up from our room, we watched Grey’s Anatomy reruns on an iPad with the Pacific Ocean and glittering lights of downtown San Diego as our backdrop.
Have you been to San Diego? What is your favorite winter weather getaway?
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