Here are some personal interests and recommendations outside of my research life. More to come!
✈️ San Diego Travel List
My side quest as a San Diego tour guide: a curated list of my favorite spots in and around the city, originally built for visiting friends.
Within San Diego — <30 mins from La Jolla
🎢 Activities
San Diego Zoo
Safari Park
SeaWorld
Old Town
Museums (La Casa de Estudillo, Seeley Stable) · Fiesta de Reyes for live music · Cafe Coyote · Casa Guadalajara
Balboa Park
Japanese Friendship Garden · Spanish Village Art Center · Free organ concerts weekly · Free museums on Tuesdays
Belmont Park
Old wooden rollercoaster · Mini golfing
USS Midway
Dolphin/Whale watching tour
Arcade Monsters
Unlimited arcade games for ~$25, huge 2-storey collection
🌅 Sunset / Viewpoints
Torrey Pines Gliderport
Sunset Cliffs
La Jolla Cove
La Jolla Caves (kayaking) · The Cave Store · Duke's · Bobboi · Snorkeling
Mount Soledad
Point Loma
Cabrillo National Monument
🎶 Live Music
Shout! House
Dueling pianos
The Harp
Irish bar
Prohibition Lounge
Speakeasy
🥾 Hikes
Saigon / Ho Chi Minh Trail
Fun, short, somewhat challenging hike
Cowles Mountain
🏖️ Beach
La Jolla Shores
Great for amateur surfing
Pacific Beach Boardwalk
Windansea Beach
Vista Point for tide pooling
🍜 Favorite Food Spots
Soi 30th
Amazing Khao Soi
An's Dry Cleaning / Hatmakers / Electronics Repair
Best gelato
Monello
Truffle Pasta
✨ Neighborhoods & More
Coronado Island
Take the ferry · Buona Forchetta · Hotel del Coronado · Silver Strand Road · White sand beach
Little Italy
Piazza Della Famiglia
Gaslamp Quarter
Clubs & pubs
Barrio Logan
Ryan Bros Coffee (green coffee) · Pizza Kaiju (wonton don)
Seaport Village
Unconditional Surrender statue nearby
Kate Sessions Park
Great picnic spot
Crown Point Park
Beach bonfire spot
Spruce Street Suspension Bridge
Wineries
Orfila (wine + views, no food) · Cordiano (wine + food + views)
🎓 UCSD Campus
Geisel Library
Stuart Art Collection - Public Art
Fallen Star, Snake Path, Bear, Sun God, Stonehenge, Wind Garden, What God Hath Wrought
Challenge Course
Scripps Pier & Pedestrian Bridge
Around San Diego — day trips, <3 hrs away
🏜️ Desert & Mountains
Joshua Tree National Park
Anza Borrego Desert State Park
Metal sculptures
Culp valley - free campsite
Agua Caliente - fancy campsite, hot spring spa, amphitheater
Glamis Sand Dunes
Osborne Lookout Park
East Jesus
Habitable art installation · Salvation Mountain nearby
Mount Laguna
Lake Cuyamaca
🥧 Julian
Julian Pie Company
Famous apple pie
Julian Hard Cider
Julian Cafe
The Warm Hearth
Huge, quirky shop
Purple Owl Cafe
Great vegan cafe
🥾 Hikes & Nature
Potato Chip Rock
Annie's Canyon
Cedar Creek Falls
🌸 North County
Carlsbad Flower Fields
Strawberry fields nearby
Encinitas Meditation Gardens
Del Mar
Mini golfing
Oceanside Sunset Market
Thursdays 5-9pm
Queen Califia's Magical Circle
⚠️ Only open 2-3 mornings/month
🎡 Theme Parks
Legoland
Carlsbad
Disneyland
Anaheim, ~1.5 hrs
🎵 Music
Highlights from my music discovery sessions. A genre-fluid playlist for things that caught my ear and wouldn't let go.