All posts tagged: san diego

legoland.

Published by

On my San Diego vacation with the fam, we went to Comic Con, tasted all the chocolate at Chuao, and ventured to Legoland, where everything is awesome. My niece and nephews are still big Lego fans. It was my first time to visit Legoland, but they have been to Legoland many times before so they each got to show me their favorite parts. We spent the entire day there. OMG, I was ded, but it was fun! We rode as many rides as we could. My brother-in-law got the Reserve n Ride pass so we could cut lines! They have all kinds of carnival games (I played a few!) and some of the rides were more like interactive activities. Of course, there were lots of structures made of Lego bricks. There is a mini land which features major U.S. cities, all the rides had some kind of Lego feature, and there was a Star Wars section with Lego scenes and characters. You can tour a small scale Lego factory, see Master Builders in action, meet …

chuao.

Published by

I went a on a Chuao factory tour! Chuao is a disc to bar chocolate company; they use Guittard chocolates for all their chocolate bars. I’ll admit I wasn’t as impressed because I’m a fan of bean to bar companies where they actually process the cacao, but, I was told the owner believes “white chocolate isn’t real chocolate” so I’m a fan! Also their churro chocolate bar is amazing. To start the tour, our tour guide provided us with a Chuao history lesson and we tasted a bunch of samples. Then, a walk through of the factory (no phones/photos allowed). It’s an active factory so we got to see product being made and packaged. We even got some sneak peeks of seasonal chocolates, but I can’t tell you about them because it’s a secret. What I can tell you is that on our visit they were making Lego-shaped chocolates for Legoland and we got to taste them. How fun! Fun fact: All the samples they pass out during tours are rejects (with slight imperfections that …

comic con!

Published by

I went to Comic Con with my nephew! Does this get me extra cool aunt bonus points? 🙂 We got tickets for two days and spent our time between the expo, panels, and waiting in line. My sister dropped us off near the San Diego Convention Center to avoid traffic. While walking to the convention there were bursts of Comic Con all around, including a Bob’s Burgers carnival and robots! The convention takes over the whole convention center plus parts of the Gaslamp Quarter with extra activities in nearby hotels and businesses. Each day we sat in two panels. On our first day we went to a film school panel on preproduction (screenwriting, scheduling, location scouting, growing your crew, and accessing equipment). We also went to a panel about Filipino comic book artists. On our second day we went to the Riverdale cast Q&A session and a panel with comic book illustrators – they talked about their comic illustration process. If I ever go again, I’d like to attend more panels and learn all the …

coffee and toast.

Published by

Featuring San Diego trip inspo seems appropriate this week because my nephew and I scored Comic Con SD 2019 tickets this weekend! We’ve got to get some touristing in there, too, so we’ll be planning some stops. In the meantime, here’s a coffee shop and avocado toast round up from my last visit. How many avocado toasts can I eat in one weekend? The answer is “at least three”! Our first stop after landing in San Diego was Achilles Coffee Roasters. Though I wasn’t crazy for their avocado toast, Achilles has one of the best chai lattes I’ve ever had. They make their own masala chai blend and top it with cinnamon. Also, they serve oat milk! This is definite ‘must come back again’ spot. Later that day whilst Hubby was reporting for groomsman duties, I headed to Better Buzz Coffee for a snack and some caffeine. I tried the 3 Seed Avocado toast which was packed with flavor, and tons of chia seeds. It was super filling; I saved half for a midnight snack. …

pigment.

Published by

Next up in my San Diego tour guide is Pigment, a shop located in North Park – really close to Artelxia (OMG, go to both!). Everything at Pigment is beautifully made and merchandised; you could say there was too much too look at, but the tones were inviting and organized by color palette (You know how much I love when things are organized by color!) so it was easy on the eyes. Look around and spot housewares, accessories, shoes… …candles, so many plants and pots, … …cards, pillows, clothes and toys for baby and kid, and party goods. They have a succulent wall where you can build your own terrarium. Genius. And a living wall backdrop / in-house photo booth. Hi! I love, love, love the modern boho vibes with quirky colorful feels. I’m pretty sure I didn’t see everything because there was so much in the shop. It really felt more like an experience than a store; I could hang out in this corner and people watch on their cool chairs all day (until I …

liberty station.

Published by

I’m sharing some San Diego trip inspo this week. First up, Liberty Station in the Point Loma neighborhood. I had been here once before (remember my yarn store stumble?), and I wanted to come back and visit the Public Market. The Public Market is mostly food, and all fun! There are specialty food shops and handmade vendor stalls. Plus, it was October when we visited so it was decked out in pumpkins! Since we arrived closer to closing all the handmade vendors were already gone for the evening (womp womp), but the food choices abound. We tried chowder fries, and picked up empanadas and baked goods for late night snackage and breakfast the next day. So good. Liberty Station is quiet large, and to a newbie like me, a little hard to navigate, especially at night. But that just led us to stumble upon more fun places, like Moniker General! OMG, I want to live here. Moniker General is a coffee shop, a bar, and a retail store all in one space. On a Monday night the …

¡hola!

Published by

¡Hola! I visited Artelexia and it was amazing! You are welcomed in by this gorgeous mural! Elexia of Artelexia curates the most colorful items from Mexico. It’s like Coco come to life! 😍 Hats, pom pom garlands, cards, pillows, stickers, books… …chocolate, gift wrap, bags, embroidered clothing, piñatas, … …papel picado, jewelry, art, candles…in all the bright colors! And all the Fridas! This may be overboard eye exhausting for some, but I loved it!! My fave items: everything with conchas! Artelexia also sells popsicles, has a fun paper flower backdrop, and hosts crafty workshops and Mexico tours! Oowee, this place is magic. This is a must-visit the next time you’re in the North Park area of San Diego! So jealous I’m missing out on all their fun Dia de los Muertos events!

shop feature: apricot.

Published by

On my last work trip we stopped at a cafe en route to the airport and I stumbled upon a yarn store across the way. 🙌🏼 What a fun stumble! Apricot Yarn & Supply is tucked away in Loma Portal at Liberty Station. They carry lots of colorful yarns in different weights and textures, a handful of reference books, and knitting and crochet accessories. Look, so pretty! I found some Loome goodies, too! I chose three hanks of yarn to take home – I loved the textures and colors. The multicolored one is a locally hand-dyed yarn. Yay! These are going to be so perfect for some weavings I have planned. We didn’t get to see other parts of Liberty Station since we had to head to the airport, but I did get to snack on a cinnamon bun from Con Pane Rustic Breads & Cafe before heading out. Mmm. Looking forward to coming back to the area some time to explore more! Yarn update: I totes tangled two of the three hanks while trying …

harney street.

Published by

On a recent trip to San Diego we stopped at the Harney Street Market. I wasn’t planning on doing any crafty things whilst in town since we were primarily going for a wedding, but the night before we left the Hubs asked “Did you find a craft show to check out?” My eyes lit up as I responded “No, but I will find one.” 😜  Lo and behold, Old Town hosts a weekly local artisan market on Harney Street. Done! Dubbed the “Saturday Market,” they’ve since expanded to Sunday for double the fun. It’s a small market with maybe a dozen makers. There were bath products, jewelry, art and home goods. I met local artist Jamie Hayley who can creates jewelry and home decor. You can also order a custom hand stamped piece to be made on the spot. Her designs are simple and fresh. It really excites me that handmade artists are being featured in a predominantly touristy area. Yay for small batch artisans!