Our Itinerary For San Diego

This trip has seemed so far away for so long, and now it's here. By the time this post is published, we'll be on a plane on our way to California. While it's hardly my or my husband's first time in California, it is the first trip for Emma and Harper. So, we've been focused on planning things that are quintessentially southern California. I tend to over-plan vacations...like down to the minute. And because this one is a short one (4 days), we are trying to pack a lot in. But I'm trying to be more laid back and flexible on this trip and plan out a few things to do without being too structured and detailed. I created a Pinterest board for San Diego, and it's been a fantastic source of ideas and places to visit.

When I worked as a software consultant, I was based in southern California. But I spent most of my time in the Irvine area as well as in Thousand Oaks (north of LA). So, San Diego is unchartered territory for me. Other than a trip there in 2002 to see the Jets play the Chargers, I haven't spent a whole lot of time in San Diego. I'm looking forward to exploring and full immersing myself in the city.

Be sure to follow along on Instagram stories to stay in the loop on where we are and what we are doing.

We land in San Diego at 3:15 pm local time. We will head to our hotel to check in. We are staying at The Westin in the Gaslamp Quarter and have adjoining rooms, so the girls will have their own room.

After we get settled, we are heading to Hotel del Coronado for dinner. There are several restaurants there, so it will really depend on how hungry we are and what we are in the mood for. I'm hoping to enjoy dinner at one of the waterfront restaurants.

We are heading to Communal Coffee in the morning to get our jolt of caffeine and to check out the place. It was recommended as one of the most Insta-worthy spots in SD. It looks amazing. Can't wait to snap some shots and grab an iced latte.

In the afternoon we are going to see the San Diego Padres play the Seattle Mariners at Petco Park. All of us (with the exception of Emma) are baseball fans, and it's always fun to go to an out-of-town stadium to see a game.

After the game, we plan to explore the marina district to check out Seaport Village (and hopefully catch sight of seals) and grab dinner.

When we made the decision to go to San Diego, we knew that the zoo was one of our top places to visit. We love zoos, and if there is one in any city we are visiting, we make a point to go. (We've been to Philadelphia Zoo, National Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Denver Zoo, Tampa Zoo, and Zoo America). The San Diego Zoo looks phenomenal, and I'm worried that just one day won't be enough time to see all the amazing animals and exhibits. We will definitely make a plan and agree on the animals that are non-negotiable and take it from there.

Either before we go to the zoo or after we leave, I absolutely must stop at Lemonade. I've been following Lemonade on Instagram for years, and it's been one of the places I can't wait to try.

We will most likely grab dinner somewhere near our hotel that evening.

We are heading to LA! Our plan is to drive up to Santa Monica and go the Pier and browse Third Street Promenade as well as Robertson Boulevard to do a little star gazing. This plan might change as we are tossing around a few ideas (Hollywood Sign and Griffith Park, Venice Beach, Malibu), but we are leaning heavily towards Santa Monica.

Boo! It's time to go home. 😭 We have an 11:30 am flight. We'll grab iced lattes and breakfast somewhere (location TBD). And then pack up and head to the airport.

If you have recs for where to eat, things to do, or places to see, please leave a comment or email me at info@piecesofamom.com. Thanks!