eating in LaJolla and San Diego

I didn’t get a chance to venture out too much on the dining front on this trip. After my mini vacation, I was pretty much limited to conference food for the remainder of the trip. But here’s a snapshot of some of the meals I did happen to scarf down:-). And, next time I’m in the area I plan to visit Cody’s LaJolla – this was a cute restaurant right off the main strip. I tried to go one day, but I got there too late. They close pretty early (around 2 or 3pm) and will even close earlier if the weather is bad! And for a swanky meal, George’s At the Cove. It looked incredibly chic and modern from the outside and has stellar reviews on Yelp.

Residence Inn 

Another perk of staying at the Residence Inn – free breakfast! It’s no Cracker Barrel (reference for those on the East Coast) or even IHop, but hey it’s free and it’s more than a basket of stale muffins and bagels. The menu changes slightly every day, but each day there was some variety of  eggs, potatoes, and bacon or sausage. One morning they even had breakfast burritos. And of course the usual suspects – oatmeal, bagels, toast and even a waffle station so you can make your own chocolate chip waffles – that’s enough for me! And, the coffee wasn’t half bad.

DIY – chocolate chip waffles & coffee

Cusp Dining & Drinks

What can I say about this place – beautiful views – great service – and waiters that looked like sophisticated surfers! It had that California cool vibe. I went during Happy Hour and the place was not crowded at all. I sat in the bar area so I could take advantage of the great view of La Jolla Shores. Going in I didn’t plan on having a 3-course meal, but by the time I left that’s exactly what I had.

For appetizers/Happy Hour – I had Sangria and their pita with dipping sauces

pita trio

For the main course – I switched to a nice Pinot Grigio and ordered the Chef’s “whatever” pasta of the day – this title scared me a bit, but it turned out to be absolutely delicious. Just the right amount of spice in the sauce and seafood with pasta.

chef’s “whatever” pasta

And to top of the meal – Apple crisps. They looked liked mini donuts and tasted like heaven. Totally worth the full belly:-)!

apple crisps – yum!

Leucadia Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant 

When traveling you don’t really think about delivery as much of an option (unless you consider room service) but I found this to be an acceptable option while staying at the Residence Inn. There’s no room service or on site restaurants (the mini convenience definitely doesn’t count) so you’re at the mercy of a car to go somewhere or to order from the one of the local restaurants that actually deliver. This day I had planned to take a walk and grab something to eat, but rain came pouring down so I decided to stay in and order lunch. I probably would have been better off stomping in the rain – apparently when it rains in California everybody orders in! My estimated wait time  during lunch was an hour and 45 minutes on a Monday!!! Luckily it came before then. The calzone I ordered was okay, the dough or sauce was a little too sweet for my taste, but hey it did the trick.

leucadia pizzeria

Searsucker

I’ve been to Searsucker twice now, once for lunch and now for dinner. I have to say this place has been 2 for 2. Outside of my love of the decor – a wonderful mix of industrial chic and country farmhouse, the food and service is exceptional! Our waitress was quick, friendly and described the menu in a way that made you want to order everything! And, she was also knowledgeable about the wine and provided an excellent recommendation for our meal.

Dinner: Monkfish, butter potatoes, fried brussel sprouts + walnuts, and Sauvignon Blanc

monkfish

Dessert: Next to brownies and apple pie, donuts are the next best thing for dessert! And, these were amazing.

mini donuts with dark chocolate sauce

La Jolla in May: don’t do it!

La Jolla Cove

So let me preface by saying – I don’t mean don’t visit La Jolla, just don’t do it in May or June if you’re looking for sun and relaxation. Keep reading why….

I recently took a trip to San Diego for work and decided to tack on a few days at the beginning of the trip for fun and stay in the La Jolla area. Much to my chagrin, May in San Diego is much like  springtime (especially this year) in New York – UNPREDICTABLE. Whoever started the rumor it never rains in Southern California (Tony! Toni! Tone!) – you lied! It definitely rains and I’m not talking Florida rain (15 minutes and then the sun comes out hotter than ever). I’m talking all day rain with cloudy, gray skies. So, a little tip from me to you – if you’re planning a trip to the San Diego area I would avoid May or June. As I learned from my Super Shuttle driver, May and June have very grimacing nicknames – “May Gray” and “June Gloom”.

However, this is probably the time you’ll find some great hotel and flight deals because people are not flocking to the coast. I didn’t complain much because I stayed for “free”, meaning I had Marriott certificates to use before they expired! Thank you to the lovely receptionist at the Residence Inn La Jolla for pointing that out and allowing me to save my points for a rainy day (pun intended!).

TRAVEL TIP: If you’re a Marriott loyalist like me and sign up for whatever deals they email you and then forget about it, be sure to ask if you have any CERTIFICATES that you can use for an upcoming trip. Certificates expire, you’re points don’t! You’re able to use them on any hotel in Categories 1-4

If you do find yourself in that area in May or June, just be prepared and be sure to rent a car. Cali is spread out and public transportation is NOT always easily accessible. At least if you have a car (I didn’t for this trip), you can venture to some other local attractions like:

• Balboa Park to check out the San Diego Museum of Art
• Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
• Sea World San Diego
• Birch Aquarium at Scripps

Stay tuned for other highlights from my trip – where/what I ate, where I shopped (just a little) and where I stayed (a more detailed post with pics).

Even with the gloomy skies, La Jolla was beautiful and it only makes me want to go back when it’s full of sunny skies….

 

 

Day 1: Pretty and Polished

Reblogged from StyleCaster:

• 

Feminine florals and sexy, lizard-print heels give a classic trench coat a more romantic spin.

Shop the Look! Trench coat, $298 at J.Crew; Safari shirt, $76 at Topshop; Floral pleat-front skirt, $76 at Topshop; Ankle-wrap pumps, Jean-Michel Cazabat, $345 at Shopbop.com

Styled by Kelly Framel
Photography by Angela Hau
Makeup & Hair by Alice An

- DAY 2: NONCHALANT COOL

As I was catching up on my blog reading, I've been a bit behind this week, I came across this 30 Days of Style post and thought I would share one of the looks I particularly liked. I wouldn't typically consider my style "pretty and polished" but the styling of these pieces make it less classic and stuffy. This is something I would totally pack for one of my "work/play" type of trips. For work, I would tuck in the blouse, remove the scarf and add on a pile of pearls or a turquoise/blue colored statement necklace to give it a little oomph. For "play", I'd keep the scarf, let my hair down, remove the trench and pile on some bracelets. Side note - I'm all about the head scarf once spring/summer roles around. Once the humidity starts to seep in the air, my hair starts to frizz out! And sometimes a scarf is the only thing that can help it :)

Travel Theme: Beaches

So, I thought I would try something new this week and participate in the travel theme of the week from the site “Where’s my backpack?”. It’s actually perfect timing as I just came back from my “Cali to VA” trip, mentioned here and here, and got to visit one of the most stunning beaches and views I’ve ever seen. There’s something about the beach that can just completely calm your nerves and make you feel like the most carefree person in the world. I’m bummed that I’ve lost some photos from some of my previous beach travels (Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Jamaica, and Mexico) due to computer crashes, moving and who knows what else, but I’m happy to share some from two of my more recent trips – LaJolla, CA and Honolulu, Hawaii. From my travels, the Cayman Islands has the most beautiful blue and the clearest water I’ve ever seen, but when it comes to the views Hawaii and LaJolla win hands down in my book…Writing this post makes me want to start planning my next vacation! I look forward to seeing the other entries, it just might lead to me cashing in some United and Marriott points .

….amazing views at LaJolla Cove and LaJolla Shores 

…Hawaii is simply beautiful even in touristy Waikiki

spring recovery, renewal, revival

There are moments when life just HITS you – unexpectedly. You feel blindsided, lost and not sure where to turn.You’re not even sure how you got to this point. This happened to me recently and it made me begin to question a lot of things and made me feel very uncertain about my present and my future. Without going into too much detail, I can tell you it was a ROUGH few weeks. It was hard for me to really focus on anything – work, blogging, working out – ANYTHING. As I’m writing this post, I can honestly say I feel like I’m in a much better place. I’m not completely back to my “old self” but I’m on the road the “recovery”, “renewal” and “revival”.

Call it what you want, but I’m on the road to it in an effort to achieve my happiness. I have a quote posted on my pinterest page – “Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response.” because I believe it’s true. You have to make a conscious effort to be happy, especially in those times when you feel down. It’s during these times that it’s really important to have real people and relationships in your life. The older I get the more I realize I have a special knack for building genuine relationships – they’re not all created equal, but they all serve an equal purpose in my life.Without going into a long diatribe, the point is you need to talk to people. You can’t keep all of your thoughts and emotions bottled up because they will explode when you least expect it, and often at the most inopportune times. Don’t feel like you’re weak for needing to talk it out. In my opinion, that makes you a stronger person because you realize something’s not right and you want to figure out how to fix it.

So that you understand why I have the montage of photos above, the one piece of advice or question I received from every person was “are you exercising?: My answer, “yes” but I start thinking to myself I’m probably not working out as much as I could or as hard as I should be.

SO…

To get me through this time and on the road to recovery, renewal and revival, I had to do something different. I allowed myself to be convinced (leaning more towards coaxed) into renting bikes for the day and taking a ride – a 24 mile long ride! That was not the intent heading out; however, once starting down out on the trek and following the curves of the Hudson River and West Side Highway it was hard to stop. The wind is in your air, the city is buzzing, weather is beautiful and you just get this feeling that you can do anything. And I mean anything, like literally riding from the top of Manhattan to the bottom and going back up again.

IF you’re going through something right now I suggest reaching out to someone – it really does help to talk and if you own a bike, then take a ride; if you don’t own one, then rent one and then take a ride. It’s an amazing release, and not to mention a great form of exercise. I think the ride I did burned about 2,000 calories:-)!

When life has you down, what do you do to pick yourself up? Talk to someone? Take a trip? Write a poem? Read a book? I’d be interested to know and I’m sure others would be as well.

packed and ready to go! Cali to VA

everything i packed (work & play)

_{There were a lot of variables in play when it came time to pack for this upcoming trip – weather, vacation, work conference, travel attire and then “just in case” depending on how long I end up staying in VA after the Mother’s Day weekend. That’s no small feat especially when you ONLY carry on.}

_{The key is versatile pieces:}

• _{Cropped black dress pants that can go with 2-3 tops, can be dressed up with heels for work or down with a great pair of flats. I personally love J.Crew minnie pants. They have the perfect mix of cotton and spandex, essential for a girl with curves and they come in great colors. I’m currently eyeing the bright berry and byzantine blue ones!} 
• _{Comfy jeans that still look polished – I love Current/Elliott and Mother jeans for this. They give you that same comfort and cozy feeling that leggings or sweats give you, yet you look much more pulled together.}
• _{Shirts that are light, easy to layer and even easier to pack because they take up less space and leave more room for bulkier items like shoes and pants or any purchases you acquire during your trip. Silk blouses (love Parker and DVF, for a more affordable option check out Joe Fresh), cotton tees (love Mossimo brand from Target) and cashmere sweaters (again J. Crew or Uniqlo are great for these) will NEVER go out of style. If you don’t invest in anything else, I say double down on these basics and look for styles that have a nice print or a bit of an edge – like this sleeveless blouse, this cashmere sweater or this silk blouse.} 

_{For those that like to pack their ENTIRE closet, remember baggage fees are REAL and I’d be willing to bet that you won’t even wear half of what you pack. I know what you’re thinking I like to have options, what if we do this? or that? But ask yourself are those options worth the extra $50 – $100 in baggage fees that you could have spent on your actual experience?}

first step

second step

_{Even as I look at this list, I can’t help but to feel like I’ve still over packed. Oh, well it’s too late now but I at least know I won’t be stuck with unwanted baggage fees!}

_{As always comments and feedback are welcomed!} 

san diego – here i come, again

I’m not particularly looking forward to my early morning, cross-country flight to the west coast (not sure what I was thinking when I booked my travel); however, I do look forward to taking a break from the constant hustle of the city and welcome the beautiful views of the Pacific coast.

I was in San Diego earlier this year (as seen here), and will be heading back to attend a conference next week so I decided I would tack on a couple of days before the conference to head to the beautiful La Jolla area. Life has been a bit crazy lately so I’m going against my natural grain of being my typical planner-self and NOT scheduling every minute during my mini vacay. I look forward to waking up and seeing where the day leads me, and I hope Mother Nature is kind and won’t actually bring the RAIN as weather.com is forecasting.

I’ll be staying at the Residence Inn, I know it sounds like a random choice especially with all of the beautiful hotels and bed and breakfasts in the area. But, what can I say I’m a Marriott gal and when I went to make my reservation the lovely lady informed me I had two certificates I needed to use before they expired – SCORE for me! No hotel bill + No need to use my points = more shopping now and another trip later??

Plus I’ll be transitioning to the beautiful San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina for the remainder of the week.

Stay tuned for instagrams and tweets and subsequent posts on what I packed, ate, did or didn’t do and potentially bought.

If anyone has any suggestions on things I SHOULD check out drop a line in the comments section.