I really love this area. The shops are a upscale, lovely,…read moreunique and friendly. Perfect to find a souvenir that isn't tacky. Local artisans are featured in most of the places. You can ride a bike or stroll down the street, grab a bite or a coffee and enjoy the ocean breeze. Plenty of places to stop and linger. Paradise!

A nice change of pace from La Jolla Cove and Shores is a visit to the Cedros Business Districe…read morewhich is a long block of business in Cedros Avenue. It has a lot of charm with various stores including furniture, pet, clothes, stationery and other functional items for in and out of the house. You ask why review a whole block and not individual stores. There are individual reviews already in this site for the businesses, what I wanted to review was the atmosphere and how this block welcomes its customers. First and foremost, parking is worse in the Summer because more people are out but on a January Sunday afternoon, I found it easy to find a spot in front of one of the stores. However, since there is a Farmer's market from 2-4 pm, parking is available in most store lots that are not open on Sundays. If you are really looking for a different shopping district to visit on a lazy Sunday afternoon, go to this area. The beach access is within walking distance across Highway 101. There is a bridge over the train tracks that allows you access towards the beach. Important touches for this area is the benches that are spread around the block. It gives you an opportunity to rest if you are tired from walking. The most important part of this block is the availability of various options. Farmer's market on Sunday, pet boutique with its small yard with dog houses, stationery and furniture store with unique gifts, wrapping and household items and outside furniture for your patio and garden. There is also the Cedros garden which is a smaller version of those big box stores that sell plants. They are very knowledgeable about the plants they sell. So if you and the dog want to get away from the regular area downtown, Coronado or La Jolla, take a drive towards Solana Beach. Very dog friendly including some of the restaurants in the area, Wild Note Cafe (part of the Belly Up Tavern venue (musical acts etc.). The Pacific Coast Grill just over the bridge also have an outdoor venue that allows dogs. The beach does not allow dogs so if you have poochie, you can view the surfers and the beach and the sunset but not take him down.

Love me some Hillcrest!…read more This very incredible mix of brunch, lunch, causal strolls, walkable streets, metro busses, perfect bike paths, cafes, shops, stores, bars, nightclubs, activities and essentials is a super hub in San Diego. From their weekly Farmers Market of the same name, to cool cafe meets coffee places like Divo Diva. Great hangs at Urban MO's (lived here for years when I'd visit more frequently), brunch at Great Maple (try everything that speaks to you, but especially that vegan hash). Grab at hat at Village Hat Shop. The Hub is a must especially for the Trader Joe's of it all. Love the Whole Foods on University Avenue and 7th. Buffalo Exchange on 5th is a gift, definitely discovered some fun finds here and even ugly Christmas Sweaters with the SD crew #ChosenFamily From Mexican to Himalayan American to Thai, Fusion to Cocktails, Cigar Wine Whiskey bars (Cigar Cave I'm talking about you) and more. Hillcrest is full of local flavor, culture, cuisine and extremely queer friendly. LGBTQ+ which included are allies too. Love a place that's welcoming of all, it's the way the entire world should be. As RuPaul would say, "If you can't love yourself, how in the hell are you gonna love somebody else? Can I get an amen up in here?". And as I would say, "If you can't treat others the way you want to be treated or the people in your life... You know you ain't right!" Let Hillcrest be your light.

Oh the Encinitas sign…read more... The sight be pure beauty down the 101 and just blocks away from the most fun bars, shops and boutiques, nice dining restaurants and most importantly, Moonlight Beach. The Encinitas sign is a staple to the beautiful costal town and when you are there in the right moment and right time, you can capture all the beauty of people walking their dogs, surfers with their boards, beach cruisers and even the late night Rocky Horror show at the La Paloma theater! This sign is also the staple for many different costal community events like the Encinitas Holiday Parade and the Encinitas Turkey Trot. Such pure beauty. Many thanks City of Encinitas.

Encinitas is one of the oldest settlements in San Diego County (the original adobe hacienda is in…read moreStage Coach Park), yet one of the newest towns. It was settled in the 1870s, but wasn't incorporated until the 1980s. Downtown Encinitas has old Hollywood flair. Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford&other luminaries once came to the nearby La Paloma Theater, with its beautiful dove mural. Above all (figuratively and literally), is the old Encinitas sign. It's got the Art Deco style, simply ornate. It hearkens back to Encinitas days as a surf city in the early 20th century. For all its changes over the decades, it's still a sleepy surf town. This welcoming sign soars, dove-like, over 101.

It's been almost a year since I've been here to The Turkey Hat. There have been some amazing…read moreupgrades. Rosé is the topic of the evening. I'm truly impressed with the variety of Rosé. From France to Napa we've tasted some wonderful variations. I hope to make it back by mid September. The owners have mentioned that there might be a special Octoberfest special. I hope to be invited back.

Another visit to the Turkey Hat makes for a happy Andy. The turkey hat team had some issues this…read moreyear with making accommodations for a party so big, so they were able to be there for my friends and I in December. This year their staff consisted of Brad, Chad, Ryan, Jake, and more. Even the hunk hunk Wine Guard made an appearance and wow-ed the crowd with his wine saving skills.

Carlsbad is my hometown…read more So you can imagine I enjoy coming back to visit. Carlsbad is HEAVEN! I love the beautiful beaches, rock cliffs, and of course the Pacific ocean. Everything about this city is marvelous. Close to downtown San Diego, only 1 hour from Balboa Park & Laguna. The people here are exceptional, kind and caring. Neighbors are true friends and everyone says "Hello" when you pass them by. The weather is always perfect. Sunshine and blue skies are mostly always in season. It hardly ever rains, except sometimes during June Gloom or in December, before it gets a little cooler. A short drive south and you'll arrive at Torrey Pines state park. This park offers phenomenal, mostly paved, hiking trails and beautiful coastal views. I also loved visiting Carlsbad Village because it's full of artisan shops and restaurants like Richard Walkers Pancake House. The Daily News Cafe is good too but definitely only sit outside! There are many delicious seafood and Mexican restaurants, but my all time favorite is Handels Homemade Ice Cream - must go! Such luscious homemade ice cream with large fabulous portions and an immense amount of flavors. If you bring your pet you will definitely be in for a treat because Carlsbad is full of animal lovers. I try and visit yearly but wish I had more time to go. It's a must visit if you're in San Diego County. I can't wait to go back.

Super unethical gas prices and terrible Verizon Cellular LTE Service. One out of Four bars is the…read morenorm on an iPhone. Why do we as local residents put up with such citywide issues? The squeaky wheel gets the grease. I can't fight the good fight all alone. Contact Carlsbad and State politicians...unless of course you enjoy the low points I brought up.

You will find this huge sculpture in the Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade, along the rail tracks…read moreand across from the Convention Center. It was made in 1995 and is the work of Mel Edwards. It is made of polished stainless steel and definitely grabs your attention on a sunny day. It is in excellent condition and is 20 feet tall, 25 feet wide and 15 feet deep. It is a pretty simple design but has a much deeper meaning. It is basically a large circle with a large broken chain running down its left side. Behind those pieces is a stainless arch. The arch serves as a spot for homeless to hang out under, as it provides a bit of protection from the elements and some seclusion. The artist intended it to serve as a tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and symbolizes breaking the chains of discrimination. On the ground in front of the sculpture you will find a plaque that reads: "along the way of life, someone must have the sense enough, and morality enough to cut off the chain of hate. This can only be done by projecting the ethic of love to the center of our lives." The plaque is in nowhere a good of shape as the sculpture is. It is kind of hard to read. This is a nice attention getting piece that definitely hypnotizes you. I really liked it and it gets a bonus point for the message it is conveying. There is metered street parking within a reasonable walking distance and it is right off of one of the stops for the local tram. Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip.

It's the ocean, the beach, the sound of the lovely waves, what's to complain about?!? I like La…read moreCosta Beach because it's usually not too crowded. I park on the right side (looking out at the ocean, closer to Carlsbad side) and there's lots of open beach area. Bring a cooler, a blanket, sunscreen (don't want premature aging now, lovies) and chill out.

This place is a good time. But don't tell everyone about it though. You can park within 50 yards…read moreof your blanket spot, set up a volleyball court with the 3 courts, body board, surf, check out the ocean life from the rocks just a few hundred yards north, & then whatever else, without a thousand meatheads right next to you. The waves were over 7 ft so we had the crap kicked out of us by the water, but that is sure to help a guy get a great night's sleep! Yeah.

I came across this park and it had this mural. I thought it looked real cool, so I said we got to…read moretake some photos of this. We took a few shots and we added to yelp it's nice check it out