Jonathan's Big Three Zero

30 is a big year, so I decided to do it up for Jonathan's birthday and planned a surprise trip to San Diego. Due to work schedule conflicts, our trip had to be scheduled for the weekend after his birthday, but somehow, after the hop of a flight to CA, we found away to make due.

Thankfully, the wild taxi ride was brief from the airport to our small boutique hotel in Little Italy, cleverly named, Urban Boutique. Realtor terms like quaint and cozy came to mind when checking in, but seeing that our plan was to be out and about for a majority of our visit, the room more than met our needs.  The one drawback, to our stay was the fact that they apparently ran out of conditioner, and never bothered to restock for the entire weekend.  My hair's saving graces included soft water, a seemingly perfect moisture level in the air and a healthy helping of anti-friz serum. 

Saturday morning we walked to the end of our street to check out one of the most fabulous farmer's markets I've ever experienced. The floral stands boasted exceptionally fragrant varieties of flowers, each displaying vibrant colors proving too seductive for merely a furtive glance. Right on par, the produce stands were bountiful in their offerings, exploding with indulgently ripe, varied produce.  The whole experience proved so alluring that we decided the next time we drove to San Diego, we would surely be packing a cooler. At one point during our drifting we witnessed someone spooning out the edible contents of a fresh Sea Urchin from one of the stands, a first for us for sure!

Near the end of the loop Jonathan picked up some exceptionally tasty french toast from one of the food trucks, and I purchased a cupcake made with a Stone ale, promised to taste like a Samoa cookie, for later.  P.S. They nailed this flavor profile. We tried a few more samples, purchased a surprising flavorful, and beyond hot ghost pepper hot sauce and corresponding salt, and eventually split a delicious fresh Samosa filled with lamb, potatoes and peas. We figured we would be walking all day, so why not indulge in the cornucopia surrounding us?


After the market we walked down the the gas lamp district and serpentined through the streets, stopping in random stores.  We finished our walk at the Levi store where we mentioned to the cashier that we were planning to check out some local breweries. Enter friendly micro beer stranger.  We left the store discussing our options when he approached and, back-ally style, mentioned he overheard our appreciation for craft brews. Check out Monkey Paw, he told us, it's not too far away. How awesome is that, even if he was a smidge off on the vicinity.  Bag in hand we walked just over 16 blocks, made longer by hunger, through a slightly rougher than ideal area, to arrive at a true gem of a brewery/bar.  The scene was perfectly San Diego, the beers and unique twist on a Moscow mule were beyond terrific and their pulled pork waffle fries were out of this world! We tell everyone we can about this place and know we will be back in the future.

                                                                                                                                                         




 From Monkey Paw we sauntered, with focus (still not in the greatest of areas) to Mission brewery just behind PetCo park stadium, where the Padres play.  Here we sat on tall stools surrounding a creatively crafted table made from a retired barrel, with perfect cut outs designed to accommodate dangling feet.  Jonathan enjoyed a few brews while I had a go at their malt beverage concoctions.  They didn't have wine, nor spirits but brewed a flavorless malt mixed with a few other ingredients that created tasty albeit pretty sweet beverages.  Deciding a nap was in order before our evening adventures we walked past the ever bustling  stadium (Padres game that afternoon) and tried our first go on the light rail system. Having walked most of the day, a ride on the light rail was much appreciated.

Saturday evening we light-railed, then cabbed our way to the Stone Brewing tasting room on the old Navy Base.  The food was ok, albeit a bit built up in reviews than deserved, but the beers we had there were beyond amazing.  Jonathan ordered a Mikhail's Odd, a 2013 Imperial Russian Stout aged in bourbon barrels, that exuded a flavor so complex and amazing words will not do it justice. If you ever come across this beer, steady yourself for the price, but give it a try because its beyond fabulous. Happy birthday indeed!

Sunday we dined on overpriced, yet delicious breakfast sandwiches on decadent croissants before light-railling, then walking a considerable uphill distance to reach Balboa Park.  We walked past the International Village, enjoyed the robust palm groves, then started our tour in the Japanese Friends Garden.  Jonathan wasn't too happy with the garden, that included a lovely koi pond, and requisite bonsai trees, but I was simply content to observe the well cared for, bountiful fauna. From the garden we walked towards the massive outside organ and gave pause to admire what we assumed was a warm up for the evening's performance. 

 Walking on, we found the arboretum.   Housed inside the sky bound greenhouse were a plethora of orchids, succulents and even these strangle plants that grow from a seemingly random point in the wall, perhaps 10 feet from the ground.  Not clear on exactly what they were, but they sure were fascinating.  Before exiting the park we passed a large fountain, where a handful of dogs were enjoying a quick cool down, and stopped to observed the massive, 100 year old Morten's Bay Fig tree.  For its own good the tree was fenced off, but we were still able to appreciate its majesty from afar.

                                                                         
                                
   

Legs weak from our travels we cabbed back to Little Italy where we ate lunch and re-hydrated with some unique brews at the Ballast Point tasting room.  I was bummed over the fact that, unlike their site had suggested, the tasting room did not carry their craft spirits, however, seeing that this was the only disappointment of the trip, I'd say we made out quite well.  Recharged and with a few more hours until our flight we walked down to the waterfront and meandered along the path, observing two submarines and an unbelievably massive aircraft carrier, the USS Midway.  Seeing that ticket prices to tour the ship were somewhere around $25 a pop, we opted to check it out from the port with the possibility of visiting during our next trip.

The historic Santa Fe train depot happened to be on our route back to the hotel, so we made a quick pass through before heading to the airport for a thankfully uneventful flight home.  We had a great time during our travels, and will certainly be back in the near future; but having nearly walked our legs off, we were equally delighted to be welcomed home by a very happy pack of animals.