After years of traveling and living in other places I’m here in San Diego on a bureaucratic mission to get a visa.    I arrived here in March after being in Barcelona for a couple of months and Ukraine prior to that.   I enjoyed myself in those cities just as I normally enjoy myself most of the time.

But,   well, I ask myself – is it just the weather that makes San Diego perhaps the World’s Finest City and I don’t think that the answer to that is definitely “Yes” (although without question it does have something to do with this idea).

Regardless of if the answer is yes or no, I now suggest this, if you have just one place to go ever on vacation and especially if you are in the United States, come to San Diego!  Critical tip – Just DON’T come in June!   Oddly, June is the very worst month to come to San Diego.   San Diego has a phenomenon called “June Gloom” and it’s real.   June Gloom is a weather condition that has something to do with the temperature of the water in the Pacific and the air coming off of the desert.   This is not important.  What is important is that – it’s gray all day and it’s gloomy.  Really gloomy.  And you shouldn’t come in June.

Aside from that, I now understand that the amount of easily accessible beauty, activities and easily accessible cultural activities and food scene make San Diego sort of the definition of “Lovely”.

San Diego is an easy place to visit because it’s broken up into accessible neighborhoods and beaches.  The layout wasn’t done “on purpose” but it seems like unless you are traveling it rush hour you are never more than 30 minutes from another one of these neighborhoods, each of which has it’s own character and each of which is worth visiting but each can be visited in a half day or a full day.

A trip to San Diego could include:

• A full day at Mission Beach/Pacific Beach/Mission bay biking and lounging on the sand and in maybe a surf lesson.  An important thing to know – the Pacific is COLD!!!! Don’t plan on swimming without a wetsuit for literally most of the year.  Remember, don’t come in June – so – the only months you can swim in shorts or a bikini in the ocean are Mid July through September – just a tip so as not to let you down.
• The San Diego Zoo is one of my favorite places in the world.  Of all of the Zoos I have visited I feel like they try the best to make the animals feel happy.  Yes, it’s captivity but it’s captivity so that we can learn and also help.   Maybe it’s a struggle for people just the idea of animals in captivity but truthfully it’s an amazing place. 
• Visit La Jolla for a day and check out the Sea Lions lying on the beaches and rocks.  The water is a different color blue and the rock formations are amazing.  The walk on the coast is gorgeous and you will always remember it.   I’m not sure what it is about the air which feels so fresh.  You can continue further up the coast to Torrey Pines Glider port across from UCSD where you can watch paragliders or walk down the steep cliffs to the beach

  

   

  

  But San Diego is also so much more than beaches and the Ocean.   Over the years the neighborhoods of San Diego both small and big have transformed into zones of cultural fun for both young and old.   Here is a brief list of places to check out.

  Little Italy is now THE place to go for a culinary stroll.  What once was a road with a few Italian restaurants has become the epicenter of cuisine in San Diego.  Whether you are looking for a Gastropub, a classic Italian Restaurant, a hipster foodie place, an upscale dining place, a cool ramen joint or a plethora of classic or futuristic desert choices, head to India Street and let your stomach lead the way.  Don’t stop into the first place with a great menu, take a walk and read a few before you choose!

  There is so much to talk about San Diego and I  have run out of time at the moment.  I hope to add more to this post in the near future because I have come to realize that the city I called home for twenty years has grown into a world class destination that may be my favorite place in the world – for sure it’s my favorite place in the USA.

   

  Plan a visit soon!