Where We Stayed

Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego: We loved the location of this Hyatt property! It was within walking (or scootering) distance to a lot of restaurants and a short Uber ride to the Zoo and Mission Beach, which I recommend checking out!

What We Did

San Diego Zoo: yes, two adults went to the zoo without children. The San Diego Zoo is one of the more popular zoos in the US so we decided to go while we were there! They have all sorts of wildlife but I think one of my favorites this time was the hippos! I also recommend good walking shoes and water if you’re VERY pregnant like I was!

Mission Beach: We took an Uber to Mission Beach and then rented bikes to ride up and down the strand. The weather was perfect for it and of course we stopped to get a corndog that I had been craving before heading back to the hotel! They have games and rides for the kiddos and the beach and ocean are right there too!

Ferry to Coronado Island: The ferry ride over to Coronado was super short and we didn’t spend much time there because we were cutting it close to a dinner reservation so I’d like to go back and explore a little more! We did grab a slice of pizza at Village Pizzeria over there during happy hour so it was super cheap and then got right back on the ferry to San Diego.

Where We Ate

Hodad’s: My dad is a huge fan of Diner’s, Drive-in’s and Dives and this was a spot he recommended we try! The shakes are HUGE so I recommend sharing and the burgers were delicious! We went around 7pm on a Saturday night and waited outside to be seated for a little bit but they’re good about getting people in and out since the indoor seating space isn’t very big.

Chiefy Cafe: Am I the only one that craves an acai bowl when on vacation? I never eat them at home but if I’m on the coast or at a beach, you bet that’s what I want to eat! They had recently opened when we visited but their acai and smoothies were good! We sat outside and listened to a guitarist while we ate breakfast.

Nonna: If you’re venturing to Little Italy for dinner, I HIGHLY recommend making reservations! It was so crowded when we went, it seemed like all the restaurants had a wait! The food was worth it though and then we stopped at a gourmet popsicle shop across the street for dessert!

Richard Walker’s Pancake House – this was our last stop before heading to the airport. We got in line on a Monday (President’s Day) about 9am and were seated at a table and had ordered our food by 9:30 – not too terrible of a wait! They seemed to have a good system in place to get folks in and out in a timely manner! I ordered a strawberry waffle and my husband got a breakfast burrito – they were both very good and very filling! There are a few items on their menu that they’re known for but we didn’t try any of those this time.

Bub’s at the Beach: after exploring Mission and Pacific Beach and riding bikes up the strand we found Bub’s and stopped in for lunch and to catch an Arkansas Razorback basketball game! The food was so good – peep the HUGE soft pretzel that we got to share.

Fig Tree Cafe: With multiple locations in the city, this was definitely a breakfast highlight! We were seated quickly and the food was delicious! We had the Berry Sweet French Toast, the American and I got some sort of s’mores latte that was a seasonal special at the time.