Trip Report- A Sunny La Jolla Weekend!

This was the first time boarded an airplane since everything shut down in March. It was also the last time I would fly out of the old Salt Lake airport. The airport was built nearly 50 years ago and handles three times more people and planes than it was designed for. The new airport, opening mid-September, was built directly next to the old airport. Once open, the old airport will be torn down and another terminal built. This is the first major hub airport to be built in the 21st century! I am looking forward to expanded international service. Typically, Delta offers flights to London, Paris, and Amsterdam, along with various destinations in Mexico and seasonal Asian destinations. Rumor has it they are planning on expanding their direct flights to various parts of Asia.

I wasn’t nervous to fly at all. Delta has their mask policy on lock and they are not screwing around. When you check in, you have to agree you will wear a mask at all times. They’ve banned several hundred people for not complying with the policy. Seriously, people. Thems the rules whether you agree with them or not. You aren’t proving a point, they are not taking away your “rights,” and you are not going to win. You just look like an asshole. Delta is one of the few airlines still keeping middle seats open, though there is no science that says this is safer than a full plane- it’s more optics than anything- but it’s nice to not be so packed in in these crazy times.

I got upgraded to first class (hooray Platinum Medallion!), so had no one next to me. Normally I travel 3 weeks out of the month for work; I really missed the airport and flying! It made me so happy to buy a cup of coffee after security and actually board the plane. Upon boarding, they handed everyone a Purell wipe, though the plane was thoroughly cleaned and sanitized prior to boarding. I settled in, put on my noise-cancelling headphones, and enjoyed my flight.

I stayed at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine, which is about 20 minutes north of the airport and about 15 minutes from the La Jolla beaches. The hotel had a temperature check station when you first walk in (mostly optics to make you feel like they are taking things seriously), plexiglass separating you from the front desk staff, and signage on the elevator requesting you limit to 2 people or one group. There was also a sign on the front door stating only registered guests were allowed inside. My room was clean and bright; pretty standard for a Hyatt.

After checking in, I headed toward the beach to walk around and have some lunch. Being late August, it was warm and humid and tons of flowers were in bloom.

This was the end of my Whole30, so I was really really REALLY excited to have a beer. After some wandering, I got a table at Karl Strauss Brewing an had a bunless chesseburger, salad, and a Follow the Sun pilsner. Beer has never tasted so good!

Later in the afternoon, I went to the Torrey Pines Glider Port kind of on accident. I wanted to take some pictures at Scripps, but it was cloudy, so ended up stumbling upon the glider port. Turns out it’s been there for nearly 100 years and a lot of history has been made there. In February 1930, Charles Lindbergh made his maiden flight along the cliffs of Torrey Pines, going from Mt. Soledad to Del Mar and even set a world record for longest gliding distance! You can take a tandem flight if you are not an experienced glider. It’s definitely on my to-do list now! The area has beautiful views of the coast. You can see the Scripps pier, which is only used by research students at the university. If you want to be a marine biologist, Scripps is your place.

I started the next day off with a trip to Philz Coffee, a California chain that makes each cup of coffee to order. It was a bit of a shit-show, because as an out-of-towner, I didn’t realize I needed to order from the app. It took a minute to get that squared away and soon delicious black coffee was passing my lips.

I had a sea kayaking excursion booked for after lunch, so I made my way to La Jolla Shores for some chilling on the beach.

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I ate lunch at one of my favorite La Jolla spots- The Shorerider Bar. It’s a few minutes walk from the beach and they have good tacos. They are doing a nice job of keeping people separated with plexiglass partitions on tables and at the bar.

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I booked the sea kayaking tour at Hike Bike Kayak. There are several outfitters in town, all of which have good reviews on TripAdvisor. This one had an opening at a time convenient for me.

We paddled for about a mile while the guide talked about the local ecosystem- the second most diverse in California, beat only by Monterey. There were tons of people on the water, so getting through the cave was a bit of a fustercluck, but it was really neat!

I was pretty lame for dinner- I just went to Seasons52. It’s a chain, but I’ve got to say, I appreciate that their menu is filled with really good food and almost everything is less than 600 calories. While sitting at the firewall bar, a woman was seated several feet away from me. We struck up conversation and funnily enough, we work in similar industries. I am pretty sure the company she works for is a customer of mine. She had a remarkable story- she moved here from Saudi Arabia to learn English, has lived in a few states for education and work, and ended up completing degrees in chemistry and engineering. I say it all the time- solo travel opens you up to talking to people you probably wouldn’t otherwise.

Rather than suffer through another terrible hotel breakfast (c’mon, Hyatt, I know you can do better), I went to Snooze- An AM Eatery. No regrets. I had a huge omelette and they even had gluten free toast! My flight home wasn’t until 5pm, which left me plenty of time to check out Pacific Beach. I walked up and down the main drag, bought a really cute leather cuff from a street vendor, and soaked up the last of the San Diego sun on the beach.

It’s no secret that San Diego is one of the best places on the west coast. The weather is nice nearly all the time and there are tons of things to do year round, which is why I think I’ll be moving there after the new year. I have never lived anywhere but the Salt Lake area as an adult. I need a change and I’m not getting any younger. I do not enjoy the snow or the politics in Utah; I just feel an overwhelming urge to leave, I have for a while, but especially now that the cold weather is setting in during this Covid nightmare (this trip was at the end of August, but I am a slacker and am writing this up at the end of October). The thought of being trapped inside for the next several months is, frankly, depressing and unbearable. So who knows? Maybe I’ll be a San Diego local rather than a Salt Lake local before too long.