We checked into our fabulous Airbnb our second night in San Diego. It was in a quiet neighborhood at the end of a bridge that spans a deep valley. The entire home felt like an IKEA showroom, which I adore! Everything was designed for efficiency. I especially loved the clear garage door and the amazing view!
SAN DIEGO ZOO
Hubby went to his conference the next morning while the kids and I made use of the combo pass I’d purchased on TripAdvisor for the Zoo and Safari Park.
We took our time at the Zoo, hoping that Hubby would have a chance to join us. We headed directly to the left as we entered the park and scoped out some exhibits near the Skyfari Aerial Tram station. I knew that the lines would grow longer through the day, so I wanted to get that “Must Do” experience out of the way.
The Skyfari sent us to the far side of the zoo, from which we could slowly meander back to the front. Hubby met us a few hours later on the Hippo Trail at a monkey exhibit. We stayed at the zoo until 5 p.m., seeing everything but the otters!
Needless to say, we were exhausted from our day in the sun! We headed back to homebase and ordered Greek food from Uber Eats.
SCRIPPS AQUARIUM
The next morning, we got going early to make it to Birch Aquarium at Scripps. Their most notable prize is a Pacific Giant Octopus, which remained tucked into a corner asleep the entire time we were there. Only a few of its arms were visible against the glass wall.
We were glad we’d gotten to the aquarium early; loads of small children poured into the facility within an hour or so of its opening.
We headed to nearby La Jolla for more excitement.
LA JOLLA
We parked in an underground lot for an exorbitant fee, stepping into the sunshine to face our first adventure: Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave.
It was worth the $10/person (no exceptions unless you’re a San Diego student) fee to carefully traverse the 147 wet steps down to the cave.
Returning to the street level, we spied a lone seal sunbathing on the outside of the cave. We were so excited! Little did we realize that it was one of many, who were stationed just around the bend of the coast.
We headed up the street (literally) into downtown for some lunch. The middle child took over navigation to one of the best places to eat in Southern California—Puesto La Jolla! We order guacamole and lots of tacos. It was surprisingly memorable!
My daughter and I began to shop while the guys waited for the lunch bill. We found Warwick’s, “the country’s oldest family-owned and operated bookstore.” What a find! We spent at least an hour there, in awe of the books and gifts available for sale. It was almost too much for the senses!
We decided to take the coastal trek back to the car. We’d been excited to see the one seal; now we were seeing hundreds of seals! Some frolicked in the crashing waves, but most lay spread-eagle on the rocks, their dry bodies a light brown color, which helped them blend in with the massive rocks mounded along the coastline. They were fun to watch, so we spent some time appreciating their antics.
Now exhausted and in need of some rest, we aimed our rental car for home base, via Mission Beach. We’d almost chosen to stay there, so we decided to just drive through the area for future reference. I’m so glad we did not stay in Mission Beach! (There are too many reasons to list here.)
That evening, we met friends at a local Italian restaurant on the edge of Little Italy in San Diego. The food was good and the conversation lively as we got to know our friends a little better.
We slept well that night, with full tummies and happy memories, anticipating the next day’s planned adventure to the Safari Park.
