The So-What of So-Cal: Food, Fun, and Sun on the Left Coast

In San Diego, surfboard toting beach dwellers aren’t uncommon and bleach-blond girls in bikinis tend to roam the sand covered streets down at Mission Beach, but there’s more to So-Cal than the stereotypes suggest.

Eleven hours west on I-10 landed my family and I in La Jolla for reasons we never anticipated. Instead of escaping for a sun-bathed summer adventure, we headed to Cali for a second opinion. In June, my mom was diagnosed with stage four cancer, and so we got an appointment at Scripps, a cutting-edge facility for cancer care and research.

I’d say this wouldn’t be your typical travel blog dotted with tasty restaurant ideas and hotel tips, but it is. Despite the reasons behind the trip, we still managed to see the sites and get in touch with this tourist-haven. It seems life handed us lemons and we just made lemonade…and what better place to sip a pint of refreshing lemonade than the So-Cal coast in the summertime?

Arriving at our hotel couldn’t be easier with the help of a GPS navigator we purchased before the trip. The nuvi system from Garmin took us from point A to point B without zigzagging through points C to Z. You can choose from a sexy computerized British voice to whatever the Romanian accent happens to sound like. With the mysterious twists and turns found on the California highway system, the GPS was a lifesaver. Plus, it let us skip the agonizing folding process of the antiquated maps found in the glove compartment.

The Residence Inn La Jolla is a trendy destination for families and it’s easy to see why; free breakfasts, happy hour on the weekdays, volleyball and basketball courts, pool and picnic areas, and the ever-so-spacious suites make this hotel the place to stay.

You can’t expect to be low-rolling when you’re in the So-Cal area; hotels don’t come cheap and nice restaurants will have you ordering based on the right-side of the menu. But if you’re willing to spend some extra coinage (or if you’re traveling with the rents), the La Jolla area knows how to mix fun with sophistication.

One of the best meals out of my life came in the form of a German restaurant. Before entering the Kaiserhof Restaurant and Biergarten (2253 Sunset Cliffs Blvd), I could only assume we’d be inundated with sausages and sauerkraut, but being German, I should have known better. Instead, there was an extensive menu with homegrown delights that would tempt even the most unadventurous of eaters. About $15 will get you the Kasehahnchen (chicken coated in grated cheese and paprika sauce), which comes with potato leek soup, and a choice of two sides, my selection being the bread dumpling and a potato pancake. Delicious.

If you’re feeling less foreign and more like fermentation, there are several breweries to choose from in the La Jolla area. The Rock Bottom Brewery is mere steps away from The Residence Inn and offers a great beer and dinner selection. If you check out Karl Strauss, a local brewery, stick with the beer and skip the mediocre food. Same goes for The Spot (1005 Prospect St), which gave my brother a bout of food poisoning, but offers good drinks and a lively, young atmosphere.

San Diego’s nightlife knows how to entertain. The world famous Comedy Store in La Jolla often has recognizable acts on the weekend. Same goes for The House of Blues in downtown San Diego where a variety of bands rock the premises nightly. Check out this site for some tips on where to go or the one for even more must-see clubs.

As great as the nightlife proves to be, the daylife is just as exciting in San Diego, but with better views. Stop by SeaWorld and say hi to Shamu, or Free Willy, or whatever famous whale happens to be on display. Or you can scale it down and explore the Birch Aquarium at Scripps, which is full of fascinating aquatic creatures. $11 for adults and $8 for students, the Birch Aquarium is interactive and fun for about an hour. I met up there with my Cruces friend Weslie who was also on vaca and we saw everything we needed to see in about 45 minutes. If you’re looking for a day-long underwater adventure, stick to Sea World.

If golf is your game, you’re in luck. Torrey Pines Golf Course (11480 North Torrey Pines Road), the site of the 2008 US Open, is right by Scripps in La Jolla. Certainly not cheap, Torrey Pines offers amazing views and two courses. If you’re looking for a better deal, check out the Carmel Mountain Ranch Country Club (14050 Carmel Ridge Rd) and their Web site for specials on green fees. In the words of my brother Mark, the course is embedded in a residential community with views of the surrounding mountainscapes and it provided tight fairways and difficult greens that would challenge even the best golfers.

If swinging clubs at an overpriced golf club or watching dolphins perform in a tank aren’t your thing, the simple pleasure of roaming the beach is always an option (and free). Get mesmerized by the Pacific waves or throw a frisbee along the sandy shores. Mission Beach is packed with the young and the restless, so I’d suggest the beach located off Prospect Drive in La Jolla. After a jaunt on the shores, have lunch somewhere along Prospect, there are dozens of choices, but godspeed trying to find a parking spot.

So while I don't fit into the typical So-Cal persona (being a blond just isn’t for me), I found La Jolla to be an entertaining piece of America that’s a must-see for travelers. The beauty in the landscape and the variety of activities available will make it an enjoyable vacation—but I’d cut it short there. After five days in So-Cal, I was craving to be back in a land of normalcy…

Where parking spots are wide enough for any vehicle bigger than a golf cart, where prices for a latte wouldn’t break your wallet or your spirit, and where people don’t throw elbows when in line at Trader Joe’s. It was a great place to visit, but I’d never want to live there. I like living in a world where the only bikini-clad beach bums you’ll see are on MTV’s Spring Break and where surfboards on roof-racks just look silly.