California Day 4

On Saturday we enjoyed taking the morning easy, before heading back out to San Diego. We stopped at Pannikin for coffee and tea. The place was so earthy, artsy and alive! They roast their own coffee, and carry an incredible selection of organic teas. The place was packed, although it didn’t feel like it because of the huge amount of outside seating. The entire building was filled with open windows and doors, so that you couldn’t tell if the outside was in or the inside was out. We sat on the upstairs patio, overlooking the yard below. Another day of perfect sun and perfect breeze.
We stopped by Torrey Pines again to see if we could get a few more pictures. Lunch was at Point Loma, in San Diego, another recommendation by Rachel Ray. We shared the seafood basket, and a cup of clam chowder. The restaurant is actually a seafood market, and is right on the marina. You can’t get fresher than that! The place was hopping, but we found a picnic table outside with relative ease, and the food was definitely worth the short wait. So good, and another great experience.




We have heard a lot about Coronado Island, so that was our next stop. We walked around the Hotel Coronado, and while it was beautiful and appeared filled with a lot of history, it was just way too crowded to enjoy. We went out to the beach, and sat on the rocks as the waves crashed towards us. So very relaxing. On the drive home, we found another Pannikin and stopped for an afternoon cup of coffee and shared a sweet treat.


Back in Oceanside, we did a little touristy shopping, then got take out from a local Japanese restaurant. We wanted to call it an early night so we could wash clothes and get packed up to leave first thing Sunday morning.
Sunday morning we began our trek back up to LA. Our tentative plans included doing a “drive by” of several tourist traps like Hollywood and Rodeo Dr. As traffic crept north, our plans were less and less realistic. We were meeting Jason’s friend Ryan, and his wife Elisa and son Asher for lunch at Mulberry’s pizza in LA. Deciding we’d rather be early than late, we abandoned our tourist plans and headed to the restaurant, estimating we’d be there 30 minutes early. Following the directions, we turned off on our exit. Shortly thereafter, we found out that road was closed due to the Los Angeles Iron Man Competition. We turned around, and found another way. Same thing: road closed. Turned around, and road closed. It was like the city purposely closed off the perimeter to the restaurant we were trying to get to. Instead of 30 minutes early, we were 15 minutes late. Luckily Ryan and Elisa were too!
Despite the trouble getting to lunch, we had a wonderful time visiting with the Jessups. They recently moved to LA from Ireland, and it was great getting to know them and their little family. All too soon it was time to head to the airport and our vacation came to an end.


So thankful for a wonderful, safe trip with my favorite person in the entire world. It was wonderful to explore the coast of California, and experience new things together. A great vacation, and a great first year of marriage!