San Diego, California: Day 2 - A night out in La Jolla

Travel Date: Friday, Oct 10 2014

I got up in the morning and noticed this waiting for me. Kristen had left me tips of things to do in San Diego. Fantastic!!

So I ventured out to the local coffee shop: Bird Rock Coffee Roasters

Took out my laptop and starting chatting with my neighbor Alexa and we had a great conversation about San Diego and the atmosphere of this area. She is also a blogger: Check out her blog at
www.theshortandthesweetofit.com.

Watched the owner give a lesson about coffee to possibly new employees.

After my coffee fix, I headed out to meet an old friend from DC who has relocated to San Diego: Ruggero. We decided to meet up at a popular Fish Taco place.

I met Ruggero in DC. Over the years we became closer friends especially through his roommate Will whom I would stay with often when I visited DC. Ruggero has helped me countlessly over the years with great timely advice in many situations. It was great seeing him. The last time I saw him was at Will's wedding.

Now time for some tacos.

After a nice snack, we headed out for a walk.

Got to the beach and watched the Pelicans dive down and catch fish.

We then decided to go for a walk along the coastlines by the cliffs - but not too close to it.

Interesting rock separated from the cliffs.

At the other end of this short beach we see a few surfers.

We walk back to the Taco shop. I say goodbye to Ruggero. So good to see him and chat with him.

I head back to the house for a break and Lennie gives me the death stare as I walk out again.

Kristen recommended that hike the Torrey Pines State Reserve for great views of the ocean.

After I get back, Ralph and Kristen get back from work. We head on out to watch the sunset.

Looks like there is a lot of cloud cover. Bummer!

Few group pictures.

But at least we get to see some beautiful scenes.

We then head to a restaurant for dinner: World Famous in Pacific Beach

We meet up with one of Kristen's friends who is in the area. And enjoy a few drinks

And I order this amazing soup for appetizers: Lobster Bisque

And for dinner I order the San Francisco Style Cioppino: more soup again.

After a fattening and delicious dinner we head out to a local bar: Tavern at The Beach

Enjoy a few beverages and conversation.

And then it is off to Yogurtland.

For some delicious yogurt.

What an amazing evening.

Time to play with Lennie (their dog) and teach him to roll over. Sorry about the bad lighting.

Reflections:
Meeting new people at coffee shops that are friendly and receptive is always a great start to the day. Thank you Alexa for being welcoming to San Diego. Seeing and hanging out Ruggero was just like old times. We caught up on each others lives and talked about what we wanted to do in the future. Watching the sunset in San Diego is amazing. It wasn't the best sunset I've seen but the relative early timing of the sunsets around 6 PM ish makes it perfect to appreciate mother nature and its beauty. The sunsets, dinner, drinks and yogurt with Ralph and Kristen was delightful. I got a feel for San Diego and the possibilities of me living there. Thank you for both for the great company and the delicious yogurt. Playing with their dog Lennie was fun. He is soo cute and cuddly. I am ready to get one when I settle down.

Expenses: $79.62
Coffee: $2.15 (Bird Rock Coffee)
Lunch: $6.48 (Oscar's Mexican Seafood)
Dinner: $33.89 (World Famous - Pacific Beach)
Beverages: $37.10 (Tavern)