Tag Archives: 4th of July

Summer Daze

I always dreamed of having a perfect summer in New York. What I forgot to factor in, was the fact that I work 40+ hours a week and didn’t make enough money to do the things I truly want: travel and eat lots of food. Fortunately for me, I’m surrounded by some pretty amazing people who helped make my first summer in New York pretty great.

After looking through most of my photos, I can tell you I spent a significant amount of time at sporting events, running around Manhattan, apartment searching, and trying new restaurants.

Here’s some photos that perfectly capture my first summer in the Big Apple.

Phebe Comes to Visit

The saddest thing about graduating, perhaps, is the loss of all the holidays and breaks. I really enjoy planning trips and traveling, so this “lost” time really hit hard. Everything really came “crashing down” (excuse my melodramatic candor) when my Instagram and Facebook feeds quickly transformed into a mecca for bikini-clad girlfriends and #nofilter beach sunsets the first week of March. Luckily for me, I have one of the best friends in the entire world who decided to spend part of her Spring Break in beautiful Southern California for a week of shenanigans. It had a been a little less than a month since I had seen Phebe, but it felt like eternity.

Sushi Paradise

Sushi Paradise

Phebe arrived last Tuesday night after a whole day of traveling (4 airports, 3 flights, 2 layovers, in 1 Day)  and in typical Meg and Phebe fashion, we headed straight to a sushi bar in North Park, but not after wandering around for a bit to stretch out the legs and get some fresh air. After chowing down on some delicious California, Tempura, and Spicy Tuna Rolls at North Park Sushi and Grill, we headed back to Scripps Ranch to say hit to my parents and get ready for bed.

Pheb in La Jolla

Pheb in La Jolla

 

 

 

 

The next day was a pretty lazy day after November Project in the morning, but we headed down to La Jolla to get some shoes for Phebe’s meeting  and went to La Jolla to see the seals at the Children’s Pool and explore the area. We stumbled upon this amazing bakery/café and definitely  recommend it for lunch if you’re in the area – Girard Gourmet. Phebe got the Chicken Curry Sandwich on Eight Grain Bread and I got the Pear Cambozola w/ Glazed Pecans & Strawberries and substituted the dressing  for Balsamic Vinaigrette. That night, my Mom made a delicious Salmon dinner for us and we got to ride in our friend’s Tesla which was pretty cool!

On Thursday, we ventured up to the city of Angels for Pheb’s business meeting. Afterwards, we walked around the shops in Beverly Hills and ate lunch at my favorite restaurant, Urth Caffe. Phebe had this beautiful fruit plate (judge for yourself) and I indulged myself in their Caesar Salad (typical!). We wanted to beat the bad traffic so we headed south to the beaches in Manhattan and decided to get an easy 4 miles in before laying on the beach for a few hours. Heading home, we eventually got stuck in traffic, but it was well worth our boondoggle up to LA. I also decided that if I were to ever move to Los Angeles, I would love to live near the beaches. Meg in Manhattan Beach, anybody?

After a long and exhausting day in LA, we decided to stay in San Diego for the next few days. On Friday we headed to my favorite part of SD, Coronado (also known as Crown Town). We drove down and parked North West of the Del and spent the day on the beach. After braving the elements (we kept getting whipped in the face with sand by the wind), we got hungry and decided to head to my FAVORITE place – Miguels Cocina. Lucky for us, Happy Hour started at 3 so we indulged on some chips, guac and white jalapeño sauce (my absolute favorite thing there) before ordering our margaritas and entrees. That night, we were invited to see an old friend that had recently returned from Memphis, TN for a quick trip. As we made our way up to Bay View Park, we realized that we didn’t have any costumes for St. Patrick’s Day, so we stopped at Buffalo’s Breath, the oldest and COOLEST costume warehouse, where we found tutus and matching gold sequin bras (yes, you read that correctly).

My three favorite holidays (in order) are: The Fourth of July (I LOVE AMERICA), St. Paddy’s Day, and Cinco de Mayo. That being said, I love to celebrate all three holidays to the fullest, which made Saturday a day to remember. After a few miles in the morning by the house, Pheb and I got decked out in all green and gold for a day of partying with our friends from TN. We started at our friend’s house in Pt. Loma for some early morning shenanigans before heading to Balboa Park for the St. Patrick’s Day Festival. We danced, got on stage (fine, that was just me) and made my Irish ancestors proud before heading back to Pt. Loma for some food, then back to the house for some pizza and a movie (Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion).

Sunday was a recovery day for the both of us and we headed back to the beach in Coronado, this time at the Amphibious Base for some more R&R after we bike and lifted for a quick workout. We were planning on going on the boat, but unfortunately, our hot water heater broke so we opted to get out of my parent’s way and head to Nado. Following our beach adventures, we stopped at our favorite coffee spot and grabbed some cool drinks at Coffee Cart (aka Madrid Cafe) before heading up to Del Mar for the sunset. I love watching the sunset at the cliffs in Del Mar and walking the railroad tracks afterwards and knew that Phebe would love it as well!

Phebe’s flight to San Francisco was on Monday afternoon out of Long Beach, so we quickly headed out of the house on Monday morning to Pacific Beach to walk around and catch some more rays!  After a few hours walking the beach, we got in the car and headed up to Long Beach before we said our goodbyes. Thankfully I’ll be seeing Phebe in a month back in New York.

Watching the Sunset in Del Mar

Thank you Phebe for sharing your Spring Break with me down in San Diego, I hope you had as great of a time as I did! Love you.

Meg’s Favorite Things About Summer: San Diego

Summer is my absolute favorite season. I mean, who doesn’t love summer? It’s perfect in almost every way possible, but maybe that’s because I live in one of the best places to enjoy it. No School, Soccer everyday, great weather, waves crashing on the beach, cruising down the 101, enjoying a breakfast burrito, tan lines, hanging with friends, going on the boat, and simply living life up. It’s the perfect mix of ingredients for the best time. Here’s my list of top five things to do with friends during a summer in San Diego.

  1. Coronado – Also known as Crown Town, this place is the crown jewel in my heart and I spend a ton of my free time here. In between riding bikes around the island, 4th of July, and the #1 beach in the country, Coronado is the place to be. IMG_3317IMG_3205
    Cruisin Around
  2. Indulge yourself in some Mexican food – Aside from being my all-time favorite, Mexican food is bomb here in San Diego. My top picks include: MiguelsChili PeppersTio LeosDon Panchos and Rubios (Hello Fish Taco’s). If you ever plan on visiting me, plan on going to these places as well.
    California Burrito
    Famous Fish Tacos
    Miguels and Their White Sauce - Nuff Said
    IMG_1359
  3. Go to the beach – Whether it’s Coronado or La Jolla or even Del Mar, San Diego has some of the best beaches in the country. I have so many fond memories at each of them and look forward to making more in the future. The beach is the perfect place for playing soccer, laying out, or catching a few waves. If the Sun and Surf isn’t for you, come after dark and enjoy bonfires – nothing smells like Summer like the Ocean and S’Mores.
    La Jolla Cove
    The Beach

    SoCal Beach Champs

  4. Take a Road Trip – L.A. and Santa Barbara are only a few hours away via Car and are such fun places to visit for the day. Along the way be sure to stop at the Rainbow Factory to pick up a pair of sandals – it’ll be worth the visit! IMG_1004Rainbow Factory in SC
  5. Go to a Padres Game – Yes, they may be last in their conference and the league, but hey, a fan is a fan through thick and through thin. Petco Park is a fun stadium, there are no bad seats in the house and it’s downtown! After the game, hit up the Gaslamp district which is home to some pretty famous bars and restaurants.

    Circa 2008

If you’re ever in the SoCal ever be sure to stop by and say Hey! Hope you enjoy 🙂

Jam of the day: “Summer Girl” by Jessica Andrews