Tag Archives: Coronado

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.

What’s good San Diego?

A lot of people have been asking me about what I’ve been up to since returning to California in December.  Instead of boring you with a wordy recap of the past three months, here’s a quick gallery with some highlights including new favorite restaurants, bars, workout partners, and fun memories.

Summer Wrap Up

As I sit here typing my summer recap, I can’t help but think these past few months were my “last summer”. I don’t mean to say that I won’t have  days at the beach, or weekend getaways, but going into my last semester of school, the only things I imagine in my near future are long hours, office cubicles, and an entry-level income. That being said, this past summer was one for the books and here are my top 10 favorite things about Summer 2014:

1. FOX Sports San Diego – Is it ironic that I start my list with an internship? Over the summer I worked in the marketing department doing everything from learning about OAP’s (On-Air-Promotions) to helping manage our two brand representatives ( the FOX Sports SD Girls) to writing press releases and drafting tweets. The stuff I learned was only half the fun though; the people I worked with (shout out to Megan, Gema, Jacquelyn, Katie, and Brie… the list goes on) were absolutely incredible. I can only hope that my first job will have coworkers that are half as amazing as these ladies. Did I mention that I also got to cool events and spend my summer at the ballpark? Talk about one killer internship!

2. World Cup – Do sports montages make you as emotional as they make me? When the US qualified for the World Cup and the #IBelieve commercial came out, I was ECSTATIC to say the least. The best part of the WC, besides the US making it out of the Group of Death, was Tim Howard‘s stellar performance (16 SAVES!), putting a GK in the spotlight (He was even named Secretary of Defense on Wikipedia!).

3. Fourth of July – The fourth is my favorite holiday by and far. But, what’s not to like? Hot dogs, fireworks, slip n’ slides and hanging with friends. This year I spent my 4th on Coronado, which is arguably the best place to spend a fourth. There is a sense of camaraderie because it’s such big Navy town and there’s nothing better than watching fireworks on the beach, right?

4. The Beach – What sort of San Diegan would I be if I left the beach off my top 10 things about this summer? There’s no greater feeling than the saltiness of the air, wind blowing through your hair and the sun beating down on your face. The beach and ocean are my place of solace – where I go when I want to escape and I am so blessed to have so many beaches at my fingertips.

5. San Francisco – One of my best friends and teammates, Phebe, lives in San Francisco and I had the opportunity to spend a weekend with her in Marin. It was an adventure (Megventure) filled weekend and you can see all the highlights in my blog here!

6. Boston – This past Spring, I was elected as Vice President of NYU SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee). This position led to an opportunity to represent NYU at the UAA SAAC (University Athletic Association) in Boston the first week of August. I, along with the rest of our exec board and Denise, our advisor spent 48 hours in Boston reviewing legislature, meeting our conference rivals, and conquering a ropes course. I walked away with 30 new friends, a sense of community within our conference, and a black eye (Let me tell you, tag is dangerous!).

7. FOX Sports (LA) – On my last day in San Diego, I drove up to Los Angeles to get a tour of FOX Sports 1’s studios and meet with some people in the communications department. My visit to LA reaffirmed my passion for working in sports broadcasting and desire to continue my career with FOX Sports.

8. Learning to drive stick – I’ve wanted a shiny, fire engine red, Jeep Wrangler for as long as I can remember; the only thing standing in my way (besides the cost) is the fact that I have no idea how to drive manually. One of our closest family friends, Yo and Trena, however, own a 1985 Jeep Laredo and on one of their last days in San Diego they let me “learn” to drive stick. After stalling out what seemed like 100 times and giving whiplash to my passengers, I finally was able to shift up and down through the gears while riding around the block.

9. Catching up with old friends – I was a little weary of returning to San Diego this summer because many of my high school friends were either back at their respective colleges, interning in LA/NY, or traveling the world. Luckily for me, two of my oldest friends, Lauren and Kayla were around this summer and we spent HOURS together giggling, reminiscing and just being girls. It’s sort of strange to think that I’ve known them since I was less than a year old and 21 years later we’re still friends despite all the places I’ve moved and events that have transpired.

10. Spending time with family – Family is not an important thing to me. It’s EVERYTHING. This summer I was blessed to spend so much time with my mom, dad and sister, along with my adopted family (the Staab’s). I know I can always count on them to have my back and support me in all my endeavors. As I end my last summer, I realized how much they’ve sacrificed for me to get where I’m at and I’m eternally thankful for everything they’ve done.

As the leaves turn to orange, the weather gets colder and football season hits full force, I bid adieu to my last summer. I will cherish it closely in my heart forever.

 

I’ve Got 99 Problems, And They All Beaches

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This past week has been great. Besides the gorgeous weather and the fact that it finally feels like summer, my twinny/teammate/best friend, Phebe, came down for a few days to visit. It seemed like an eternity since I had last seen her, but in reality it had been less than 30 days. What is it with time seeming to go by really fast?

Matching Twins

Matching Twins

Anyways, we spent four lovely days together exploring San Diego, getting tan, and just having a big adventure. Seeing as Phebe is from NorCal and doesn’t have beautiful beaches to sprawl out on, we made the most of her trip and spent numerous hours laying out (and burning just a little bit). Aside from taking her to the #1 beach in the United States, Coronado’s Central Beach, we ventured to La Jolla (hello tourists) and to Del Mar (hello parking nightmare) to give her the complete SD experience. Her trip was not complete without a little joyride around the military base where we found jets and helicopters out of their hangars and some good ole Mexican food from my Mamcita and Miguel’s (of course!).  Having Pheebz around made everything seem normal again – we jammed out every morning to “Good Day” by Nappy Roots, ate, worked out, and did everything together. We are partners in crime to say the least.

Enjoying the Surf, Sun and Sand

Enjoying the Surf, Sun and Sand

While Phebe was in town I realized how lucky and thankful I am to be living in San Diego and in such close proximity to so many awesome natural wonders. Where else in the world can I spend my mornings Surfing and then drive a couple hours be snowboarding (granted there is snow in Big Bear)? Central, 19th street, Shores, and Blacks are just some of San Diego’s greatest wonders where the white sand meets the green foam of the sea. It truly is a gorgeous sight and recommend anybody coming to California to sneak a peek.

Loving La Jolla

Loving La Jolla

After four short days it was sad to see my beach buddy head back home, but in less than 6 weeks we shall be reunited again, except under less fortunate-fitness-related circumstances, but reunited nonetheless.  Until then, stay sunny San Diego.IMG_3832

Jam of the Day: “Soundtrack 2 My Life” by Kid Cudi

Meg’s Favorite Things About Summer: San Diego

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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: Miguels, Chili Peppers, Tio Leos, Don 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