San Diego, CA 11/9/2012

First stop...San Diego!! November 9-12, 2012

" Mmm. San Diego. Drink it in, it always goes down smooth. Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diago, which of course in German means "a whale's vagina"

- Ron Burgundy, Anchorman

     San Diego is known for it's beautiful beaches, stunning topography, perfect weather, and an impressive variety of things to do and see. However, San Diego has yet to put herself on the map as a culinary destination, but judging by the deliciously scrumptious and oh-so gluttonous meals we devoured whilst here, she may be well on her way. It all began one very early Friday morning...
     After a seemingly endless morning of travel and a supremely aggravating experience with a rental car company that obviously had no clue what was going on with reality, Ken and I were finally on the road. We were "hangry" (hungry meets angry...a deadly combination) and ready for some good eats and crispy cool suds to wet our palate.What better a place to satiate our needs than Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens located in Escondido, CA. We both heard excellent things about Stone, but nothing prepared us for the sheer extravagance of this place.  
  It. Was. Awesome. 

      We were given the royal treatment and even got a private tour of the facility. The open air patio fully equipped with fire pits and a one acre meticulously landscaped organic beer garden was impressive, but the eclectic menu and outstanding beer sealed the deal. I'm going to let the picture speak for itself.  My mouth is salivating at the memory of this sandwich. Aged beer cheddar BLT with arugula and bruschetta, paired with Stone's 14th Anniversary Imperial Double IPA. One word...Heaven.
    I absolutely love San Diego and when Ken and I decided to take a romantic weekend trip here I was overjoyed. I lived in San Diego for many years and it was my pleasure to show him some of my favorite spots. It truly is a magical city and it doesn't matter which way you turn your head...you will be aesthetically pleased.

 From the scenic drive down the coast from Del Mar to Pacific Beach, to the exploring of tidal pools on Sunset Cliffs in Ocean beach, walking hand in hand at La Jolla Cove, to the grubbing of the best fish tacos in the world (in my opinion) at South Beach Tacos, we simply had a blast.
It was a perfect way to kick off a 4 month trek around the globe. As I now get ready for the next leg of the journey, I can close my eyes and smell the sweet saltiness of the Pacific and remember how truly amazing San Diego is.

Signing off- The Savvy Nomad.

 Oh, one more thing...One of the only downfalls to this trip was watching the Chicago Bears lose to Houston...it was pitiful, but enough about that...