Travel Guide | San Diego, California

Earlier this summer, my best friends and I took a short road trip to the beautiful San Diego. It's about a two to three hour drive from Los Angeles and it's a great coastal destination for a road trip. I remember coming here quite often as a child, so it was wonderful to visit with my best friends.

FOOD 

After hearing countless friends talk about the famous Phil's Barbecue, we knew this was a place we had to try. Let's just say the long line at 2 p.m. was a testament to its popularity. We waited for about 50 minutes before we could order and sit down, but my oh my were the ribs filling and delicious! The barbecue sauce was a bit on the tangier, spicier side, but the overwhelming amount of meat on each rib sure made up for it.

Tips: They serve huge portions (even from an American's standpoint,) so I would definitely recommend splitting a dish with another person. Also, the line seemed to die down a bit at 4 p.m., so if you want to dine in, I would recommend going there at that time. You can also order on the phone and pick it up (thereby skipping the long line) which can be a great timesaver.

Now on to the part everyone wants to hear about, dessert. We didn't go to Extraordinary Desserts on the road trip, but I was able to go a week later when I went to my church's retreat held in San Diego. They certainly earn their name as they are one extraordinary place. These top tier desserts are both beautiful in appearance and exquisite in taste. They have a large seated area where you can order drinks and desserts, but since my dad and I were on our way home, we opted to grab a mini clipboard and pick out our desserts. Every dessert is decorated with some type of beautiful flower, gold leaf, or fresh fruit. I promise you that there will be something to your liking. We chose the apple strudel and strawberry scone this time around, but I hope to try many more desserts next time!

this is a little over half of the dish

the beautiful interior inside Extraordinary Desserts

the apple strudel and the strawberry scone with glaze

THINGS TO DO

The San Diego Zoo is a great place for both young kids and giddy adults. We had such a great time looking at all of the animals, and it was even one of the panda's birthday that day! The San Diego Zoo Safari Park is also a great place to visit if you are interested in taking some safari tours or going zip-lining.

Tip: AAA members get a discount, so make sure to bring your card if you have one.

A gorgeous location to end your day is Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. Everything is so nice and serene by the water and watching the sun set over the ocean is beyond gorgeous.

Tip: Make sure you arrive there a couple hours before sunset or else you will have trouble finding parking. Be warned, there are no bathrooms anywhere within walking distance, so empty your bladder before parking! (We learned this the hard way and walked in circles looking for a bathroom.)

It's so much fun to go down the cliffs (the safe parts of course), so be a bit adventurous! (I bravely joined my friends down there a little after I took this picture.)

We wanted to take a picture with our college sweatshirts!

Have you ever been to San Diego?

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-Emily

COLLECTIVE HAUL: H&M, TARGET, ORIGINS, AND LUSH

I have recently picked up a few new purchases, some I bought during my spring break trip in a gorgeous mall in San Diego called Fashion Valley and some I got last week. Now on to the haul.

While I was at Fashion Valley, I stopped by the good ol' H&M. This store has been an extremely dependable and affordable store for me over the past few years. I needed a dress for my journalism banquet last month, and I knew I wanted a black A-line dress, so I was thrilled when I found this piece that was form fitting yet also flared out at the waist. While looking through the store, my eyes also stopped on a simple heather grey t-shirt with a small pocket and slightly cuffed sleeves. The top was extremely soft, and I knew it would match with plenty of items in my wardrobe. I chose to buy my next piece, a light pinkish tan sweater, because I realized I don't own many pastel items. Since it's now spring, why not. I am more attracted to darker colors, thus grey, black, and navy blue appear most in my closet. This sweater is great for offering minimal heat on those breezy spring days . 

Next, I made my way to another versatile and standard store, Target. I went in with the intentions of picking up a few eye makeup items; however, I walked out with this vintage/slightly acid-washed maroon Mickey Mouse tank top. I have always wanted Disney apparel, but I never wanted to pay the ridiculous prices at Disneyland. I haven't picked up makeup for a while; however, I wanted to get black eye shadow for a look that I wanted to do for the banquet. After spending over five minutes deciding with my mom which palette best suited my needs, we decided on the NYX Smokey Fume palette, a gorgeous palette consisting of a set of darker shades perfect for a smokey eye. I have wanted to try out gel liner for a while now, and I decided on the Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Blackest Black, a highly affordable and praised drugstore eyeliner.

Most will find this quite surprising, but these are my first items from Origins. I had never heard too much about Origins until I joined the blogging world. When I went into the store, the people working there were extremely helpful and suggested the Make A Difference Plus + Rejuvenating treatment (gel moisturizer) and the Spot Remover acne treatment pads for my combination skin. I spent a good 20 minutes in the store as the lady showed me many of their products as it was my first time. The two purchases added up to over a certain amount, so my mom and I received some free samples. I chose a product I have seen countless raves about, the Checks and Balances frothy face wash.

Lastly, I went to Lush in Fashion Valley because I don't have one near me. I can confidently say that I Love Juicy is my favorite clarifying shampoo of all time, and I might add that I have tried quite a few. This shampoo proves to be extremely effective for removing buildup; however, I wouldn't use it more than once a week as some people feel like it strips too much of the natural oils from their hair. I also requested a sample of Ro's Argan Body Conditioner, but I must say I am guilty because I have tried it before. However, I wanted to try it again to see if I really wanted to purchase this expensive product.

What have been your favorite purchases recently? Would you like a review on any of these products?

-Emily

SAN DIEGO SPRING BREAK TRIP PART TWO

If you are reading this, you have most likely survived part one of my spring break trip in San Diego. Congratulations, and I hope you'll enjoy part two, the safari park!

The next day, we drove about half an hour to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, ironically not located in San Diego. I saw various animals from gorillas to cheetahs, and I certainly felt like a young kid again fascinated by all the animals at the zoo. This safari park was more than just a zoo, as there was a wonderful safari tram that you could take for free to get an up close and personal view of some rarely seen animals. All of these pictures, with the exception of the gorilla one, was taken on the tram, so I would highly recommend you take a ride or two if you visit this safari park. The giraffes were my favorite; however, seeing a lion three feet away from me was also quite a site. Our journey ended at the zoo, as we headed back home, so I could finish my mountains of homework. Quite an eventful mini trip if you ask me.

Here's the beautiful view from the tram; it really looks like Africa!

What is your favorite animal to see when you visit the zoo?

-Emily

SAN DIEGO SPRING BREAK TRIP PART ONE

A few weeks ago, I was off on spring break, a much needed break if I do say so myself. It was a pleasure to have the opportunity to spend time to "relax" and to not go to school. I spent most of my break at doctor appointments or doing homework; however, the two days that I did take off, I was in San Diego, California (I usually wouldn't put the state, but just in case you're not from the US, you might not be familiar with cities in the US) with my family.

We arrived in San Diego midday, and the first place I requested to go to was the mall. The malls where I live frankly are not so great, so I took advantage of the beautiful Fashion Valley Mall, a high-end outdoor shopping mall. I was happy shopping there the last time I visited San Diego, so I knew I wanted to visit there again. I picked a few things at H&M and Lush, and my mom purchased a couple items from Origins for me for the first time. I will be posting a haul in the near future, so look out for that.

After the mall, we headed to dinner by the sea at Seaport Village. We ate at the San Diego Pier Cafe, a breath-taking restaurant right on the water. Eating next to the ocean was by far my favorite part of this entire mini trip. I ordered their fish tacos served with salsa, shredded cabbage, and topped with a dollop of fresh guacamole. The fish was extremely fresh; however, the tacos were a bit bland for my taste. My mom's order came with clam chowder, and I have to say that was one of the best I have ever tasted! I even had the opportunity to see Navy Seals zoom by as we waited for dinner to be served. The ocean and fit men, quite a fine view if you ask me. After dinner, we walked around Seaport Village a bit, and I saw that they had a Ben and Jerry's. Though I was completely full from dinner, I always make room for dessert, this time a yummy strawberry cheesecake ice cream cone; sadly, it was overpriced. 

Look at that intensity in those Navy Seals' faces. If that's not determination, I don't know what is. Quite the dreamboat if you catch my drift.

Excuse the horrible picture quality, but I had to include a shot of my windy photo shoot by the water. 

a great candid shot of me eating ice cream and holding enough napkins to kill off all the trees in Yosemite 

Have you ever been to San Diego? What has been your favorite trip recently? Look forward to seeing part two of my spring break trip in San Diego, the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, soon.

-Emily