I know everybody’s favorite places or little slices of heaven are different, but for me, mine is San Diego. One of my best friends lives out there and I’ve had the opportunity to go visit twice now, and I fell in love as soon as I got off of the plane. I got really lucky and was only going to stay for 3 days last time, but my home had a polar vortex warning and my flight was at risk, so I ended up leaving 2 days early. Let me tell you, 5 days is simply not enough!

This trip was only 3 days and I could’ve stayed there forever. We kept it pretty easy breezy and didn’t plan too much. I was out there for some R&R and some content, which as it turns out, I’m not great at getting because I was so wrapped up in the beauty of it all (and I’m new at this and not yet in the swing of getting content, but I will be!) so just know it can only get better from this post 😉.

I live in Branson, Missouri and I typically fly out of Kansas City, Missouri at Kansas City International Airport (MCI), because they usually have direct flights for a little cheaper than what the Springfield-Branson National Airport offers (SGF), even considering gas and snack costs, but the last 2 times I’ve flown Springfield has won substantially. The first time I flew out of SGF I was so surprised by how small it was compared to the airports I’ve been to across the US, but I have grown to really love and appreciate our little airport. It’s easy to navigate, gates are easy to find, and they’ve got a restaurant, The Riverbend, and a coffee shop called The Travellers House Coffee in addition to the Route 66 News and Gift shop.

When I arrived at the airport, 2 hours early per the usual (we abide by the 2 hour rule regardless of what airport we’re at) I got to security. I ended up having to throw out some makeup setting spray that I had because I’m used to checking bags and forgot the liquid allowance for carry-ons, but I know better and I know the consequences, so into the trash it went (luckily, I had another bottle at home) and after a quick 3 minute bag inspection, I was out of security. All in all, it took less than 10 minutes (that did include a quick security pat down inspection due to some clothing confusion… I’m still not entirely sure what happened, but they were really respectful about it) and out into the terminal I was. I found my gate, and then went to the Riverbend and got myself some nachos with queso, guac, and salsa.

By the time my flight had arrived, I was itching to go. This was my first time flying United Airlines. I’m usually a Southwest girly, but they aren’t available at SGF, so United was the best option. I flew American Airlines last time, and I’ve flown Delta before as well. I think United Airlines is the best as far as efficiency goes. They sent me a text and a push notification from the app to remind me to check in the day before, and anytime there was a change with my flight, gate, or even the plane, I got the same notifications and texts. When my flight started boarding, same thing - I got push notifications and texts to let me know to get to my gate, but since my boarding group hadn’t been called yet, they told me to hang tight and then they let me know when my boarding group was up. The app itself is a little confusing to navigate at first, but I think I’ll chalk that up to operator error. It was easy as pie adding my boarding passes to my Apple Wallet, so I could just double tap my side button on my phone and pull up the pass instead of having to open the app, find the passes, click the button, etc. The ease of access for the whole process for United was pretty great.

The first flight I took was United Express, a smaller connection flight with less capacity. I’m on the taller side, 5’8”, and I had to sit sideways a bit to feel comfortable. I always love a good window seat and I got really lucky on all 4 flights to get the window seats, even after all this time I love looking at the clouds and Mother Earth from the sky. With the smaller connecting flights, all there was for in-flight entertainment was WiFi where you could stream movies on their website for free, or you could pay $8 for their rewards members or $10 for non-members (it’s free to sign up and you get points!) for the WiFi and browse your socials or watch TikTok or work, whatever you want do (except calls and video chats). I chose to forgo it for that flight because I was eager to listen to some music and check out a bit.

We landed in Houston at IAH, and the United Airlines app sent me a push notification for a map of IAH so that I could find my next gate easily. It ended up being a 21 minute walk plus a train ride to get to the gate. I am hopeless when it comes to directions so having the interactive map help me get there was fantastic, although IAH has plenty of signage to help you navigate.

My next flight from IAH to SAN was in a much larger plane, with a lot more leg room. Plus, the middle seat was empty so my aisle neighbor and I got to stretch our legs out a little bit. The plane had a screen on the back so I popped on the movie Wicked and connected my wireless headphones to it and enjoyed the sweet sweet sounds of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. They also have the option to watch your flight in real time and the locations it was going over, so I did the split screen and watched what cities we were flying over.

Landing at SAN was easy and navigating towards the pickup line was no problem since I didn’t have any checked luggage, but the baggage claim and pickup area are around the same place.

Surprisingly, the weather in San Diego was a little chillier than it was back home in Branson. It’s California, isn’t it supposed to be hot and sunny all the time?? 😉 However, that didn’t deter me from a good time and I did bring my light coat with me. Always check the weather to your destination before you leave, and pack accordingly!

I stayed with a friend, so no hotels to report, and the first night I was there my flight landed at almost 10PM so I didn’t do anything except ride from the airport to my friends’ place and then sleep.

The next day, Friday, we started our day at In-N-Out, a California must-do, and I got a burger and some fries, which were delicious and set the tone for the day.

After In-N-Out, we spent the day at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. It was a little overcast and chilly, so I wore jeans and a cardigan over my t-shirt with my light coat on, which kept me warm along with all the walking. The last time I visited, we went to the San Diego Zoo proper, but missed out on the Safari Park. I am not sure which one I love more, but neither one should be skipped if you visit. You’re not making a wrong choice over one or the other. The San Diego mountains and topography are as vast as they are beautiful, and it seems the animals all agree.

*I wore a heavy cardigan underneath this coat as well, and it was perfect for the overcast and chilly day spent at the Safari Park.*

While we were at the Safari Park, we went on a Safari on the Africa Tram, where we loaded up on a tram and got to see all sorts of animals doing their thing. We got to see giraffes, rhinos, antelope, and so much more, mostly undisturbed by the onlookers on the trams. The valley that they are located in has expansive savanna habitats and enough space that all of the animals have more than enough space to frolic, coexist, or keep to themselves if they wish.

My absolute favorite part of the Safari Park was the Kangaroo enclosure. The kangaroos get to roam with people in the enclosure, but they have rangers keeping a protective eye out ensuring that the kangaroos are not bothered and the guests are being respectful. It was so cool to get to see them hopping around, and at one point while I was taking pictures of one of them, another came in and gave him the good-old one-two, which is typical kangaroo behavior apparently. I thought a fight would for sure break out, but as soon as it started, it was over, and they both decided they had other things to do that didn’t involve a smackdown.

The Safari Park is an all-day experience. Expect to walk a ton, expect to be exhausted (in the best way!), and expect stairs. They do have accommodations available for those that aren’t able to take the stairs, with elevators thoughtfully placed in easy to access locations.

As far as the Safari Park goes, there was a TON more that I haven’t mentioned, but I already feel like I’ve written a book and still need to talk about some other stuff, but I’ll include photos of the other places visited in the Safari Park below.

After the Safari Park, we went and found a delicious sushi restaurant called Sai Japanese Bistro (9978 Scripps Ranch Blvd, San Diego, CA 92131) and ate way too much food at a surprisingly affordable price, especially considering the location of the sushi restaurant and comparing it to the prices back home in Missouri, where the cost of everything is generally much lower than what’s in California. No pictures here because I forgot to take some, but I added a hyperlink so you can see the restaurants website.

The next day on Saturday I slept in. Hard. My legs hurt from the Safari Park and all the walking and stair climbing I had done, and I wanted a little rest and relaxation day without compromising my trip and getting to explore. My friend took me to a little beach in Del Mar, where the access to the beach was a slightly scary hike down a cliff (bluff? ravine?) that was well-worn with footprints, making the path easy to find and clearly a local favorite, but still a little scary. Sandals of any kind are not recommended, and I’m glad I wore my tennis shoes to the beach because of it, haha! Unfortunately I did not get any photos of this but just imagine in the Pocahontas movie where she crouches down and extends her legs out to get everywhere, that was me getting up and down to the beach.

The beach was beautiful and busy, but not too busy. We put our beach blanket down and I had my swimsuit on, so I laid on the blanket and got some sun while my friend braved the ocean temps. The weather outside was about 72, while the ocean water was probably in the low 60s. I tried getting in the water and then chickened out after .02 seconds of my feet being in the water because it was so cold, but the waves and weather were perfect. I got to do some people-watching, and the amount of dogs on the beach was enough to keep me entertained. San Diego is a very dog-friendly place to be, and as an avid dog lover, a gasp and then the words “A dog!” kept coming out of my mouth, to my friends annoyance 😉. I had also never seen surfers until my trips to San Diego, and I was just as entertained this time as I was my first time. It’s incredible to watch, and something I will probably never have the athleticism to do.

After the beach we went to the Monarch Ocean Pub inside the Del Mar Plaza, which was a fun shopping center with luxury stores and plentiful restaurants. We chose the Monarch based on a recommendation from another beach-goer, and while I only got myself a Sprite to drink because I wasn’t quite hungry yet or in the mood for an alcoholic beverage, we did sit and people-watch again where I once again annoyed my friend with my constant gasps followed with “A dog!”, because once again I was graced with so many different breeds of dogs being good boys and good girls. One dog, a beautiful golden retriever named Goose, came up and gave me so many gentle kisses and I decided that I was able to die happy because Goose chose me out of everyone in the crowd. Coincidentally, I have an orange cat named Goose, and so I decided the universe chose Goose (the dog) and I to connect based off of that.

There was a birthday party happening on the rooftop, a beautifully decorated rooftop party with sounds of celebration and joy despite it being a little windy. The people in Del Mar are impeccably dressed, and carry an air of luxury even though I have no idea about any of the backgrounds of these people. It’s an aura, a vibe. I felt very underdressed in my leggings that smelled vaguely of the ocean and had sand on the ankles, and my Las Vegas zip-up jacket that hid a crop top and my swimsuit. For dinner, we went to an Italian restaurant called Alfredo’s Pizzeria in the Hillcrest neighborhood, and I got some chicken piccata to eat. It was delicious, filling, and the atmosphere was so fun and the service was great.

Sunday was the day I was leaving. We didn’t do much that morning except rest and pack, but the drive to the airport was beautiful and exciting. My flight left at 12:55, so by 11:00 I was hugging my friend goodbye and sobbing (I’m a crier - if I’m sad, crying. If I’m angry, crying. If I’m happy, you’ll never believe this, also crying) and then before I knew it I was at security.

TSA at SAN is hit or miss, apparently. The last time I visited, it took me over an hour to get through which gave me so much anxiety, because I need to lay eyes on my gate ASAP. I need to know it exists. But this time was super quick and the TSA agents were joking and jovial.

I found my gate pretty quickly and settled in with my headphones and a bottle of water purchased at one of the convenient shops by my gate. I did end up having to gate check my roller bag this time. They gave me a ticket with my bag number and then put the sticker one on my bag and had me leave it in the jetbridge. I got a text with tracking information on it so I could see where my bag was being scanned in and out, which I really like as someone with anxiety and no clothes in my backpack.

Before I knew it, I was boarding one of the bigger United Airlines planes and headed to Denver. This plane was the same as the one from IAH to SAN, with the screen in front. I settled in with my music and my Kindle instead of watching a movie this time, and put my screen on the flight map so I could keep track of where I was.

We landed in Denver, Colorado, and I had heard tales of this airport but never had the opportunity to visit. I had a 2 ½ hour layover, so I found my gate decently quick and then decided to explore my terminal and see where I could get some food and drink. I know Denver is the biggest airport in the US, but I had no idea how truly vast this airport was. My terminal alone was huge, and trying to find a restaurant that sounded good was at least 45 minutes of walking back and forth with the map open trying to find my destination. I decided on a Mexican restaurant where I got some tamales to go and a Tequila Sunrise alcoholic bevvy as a little treat. I sat at my gate and ate my surprisingly delicious airport tamales and my drink, and then when I was done decided I hadn’t walked enough and explored some more.

Finally, I got the notification that my flight was boarding and my boarding group would be called soon. I got on the plane and found my seat, another window seat, and settled in. This airplane was much smaller, with no screen and no WiFi, but I was able to keep myself entertained with my music and my book.

Overall, this trip was well-needed and appreciated. Besides getting to see my friend, going to San Diego has become a haven for me to leave the real world and immerse myself in an environment that is so completely different from what I see back home in Missouri. I love the palm trees, I love the energy, I love how much you can tell that it’s a city that loves its residents. I even heard some wild parrots in the morning, which, if you know me, are equal parts terrifying (I’m scared of birds) but also magical. We definitely don’t have wild parrots back at home.

San Diego, I love you, never change.

San Diego, I love you.

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