Day 1 - La Jolla and The Birch Aquarium
On our first full day in San Diego, we wanted to do something relaxed because we had a busy travel day the day before. It was also Joe's and my anniversary. So, as much as this trip was for the kids, we wanted this day to be about us a little, too. So, we decided on checking out La Jolla. This town intrigued both me and my husband and we wanted to check it out. Luckily, Birch Aquarium is located in La Jolla and a place we knew the kids would love.
We started our morning by grabbing coffee and breakfast at Better Buzz Coffee. I chose this place because it was located right by our hotel, it had a drive through, and great reviews on Yelp. They have multiple locations, but we went to the Point Loma location. I ended up ordering the Acai bowl and Joe got the ham and cheese breakfast sandwich. Both were delicious! We also ordered coffee and I ordered the iced "Best Drink Ever." It is an Americano with vanilla and I became obsessed with this drink after trying it. I think we ended up going to Better Buzz about three or four more times on our trip. After getting our much needed coffee and food, we jumped on the highway and headed north to La Jolla. La Jolla was about a twenty minute drive from our hotel, and it went by quick. As soon as we pulled into La Jolla, we knew we loved the vibe. Super cute homes, clean, tropical landscaping, and the views. Joe and I instantly said we needed to come back for our own stay without the kids because the town was such a fun and romantic vibe all at the same time. We drove up a hill to the Birch Aquarium. This is run by UC San Diego and is a great stop for kids. My kids loved all the hands-on experiences. They were able to touch sea life and view all sorts of cool creatures. |
One of the coolest things about this aquarium was its view. It's located up at the top of a hill and once you get outside, there are these stunning viewpoints looking down at the coast line. Joe and I couldn't get over how beautiful it was. I think it was at that moment that we fell in love with California even more. The more we see, the more we love it here!
You can check out the view we saw in the picture at the top of this page. It really was amazing! |
After spending a few hours at the aquarium, we decided to check out the town of La Jolla. La Jolla is known for its sea lions and seals and The La Jolla Cove. The sea lions and seals are a bit controversial. Some people enjoy them, others, not so much. It's because they stink! I will say, I'm not sure I have ever smelled something so bad. It was so cool to see them all up close, but the smell did detract from the experience.
La Jolla Cove was packed with people enjoying the beach and water. We didn't take the time to do this, because we didn't come prepared for the beach. It is a popular place, but not one I would necessarily recommend. It was busy, you could still smell the seals and sea lions, and there are better beaches to explore in San Diego. Parking is also a challenge, but worth the challenge to explore the town. Once you get up higher away from the sea life, you don't get the smell as bad and you can really take in all La Jolla has to offer.
La Jolla Cove was packed with people enjoying the beach and water. We didn't take the time to do this, because we didn't come prepared for the beach. It is a popular place, but not one I would necessarily recommend. It was busy, you could still smell the seals and sea lions, and there are better beaches to explore in San Diego. Parking is also a challenge, but worth the challenge to explore the town. Once you get up higher away from the sea life, you don't get the smell as bad and you can really take in all La Jolla has to offer.
After walking along the coastline path for a while and checking out the seals and sea lions, it was time to grab lunch. We knew exactly where we were going, as it's one of our favorite places when we visit Hawaii...Duke's! This Duke's location is like none other. It sits high up on the cliff side looking out over the coastline. It's really hard to beat the view and ambiance of this location.
We got extremely lucky and were seated at a table right at the edge of the balcony. We got there shortly after it opened, which I recommend if you want a table with a view like we got. It got very busy, very quick after we were seated.
There was this seagull that hung out right by us the whole time. The waitress said the seagull was named Gavin and we needed to watch him because he would swoop in and grab our meal. And, she wasn't kidding. Gavin became our fifth dining companion. He also became our meal time entertainment. The kids LOVED Gavin and still talk about him to this day. If you have ever eaten at a Duke's you know they have the BEST mai tai's. When we dined at one of their sister locations in Kauai, the waiter told us that the key to the perfect mai tai was to squeeze the lime into it. He was right! So, we got our mai tais, squeezed our lime into them, and sat back and enjoyed the view and our anniversary as a family. |
Duke's will definitely be on our list as a place to return to when we go back to San Diego. The food isn't spectacular, but it's good. What makes this restaurant so special is the view. You know you are on vacation when you are here.
After lunch, we headed back to our hotel. Our morning was packed full of fun and it was time to go relax. Once we got back to our hotel, we spent the rest of the day swimming. The kids could not get enough of our pool. I spent the time reading and enjoying the sunshine. Later that evening, we grabbed dinner at our hotel at their restaurant called Blue Wave Bar and Grill. The prices were reasonable and they had a great kid's menu. Both of my kids thought their chicken strips were some of the best they have ever had. The drinks there were also quite tasty and the bar tender did not skimp on the alcohol in them. This restaurant also allows you to get drinks and enjoy at the pool! |
After dinner, we headed back to our hotel room. We were still recovering from getting up super early the day before for our flight and we also had a very busy day ahead of us the next day because we were headed to Legoland! Check out my Day 2 page for all we did!
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