Después: Stay Classy San Diego

After only ten days in the States apparently I got the travel bug once again. But this time I wasn't off to another European local, but rather boarding a plane with my mom headed to sunny...San Diego! The best part? We were staying with my older, goofy brother :)
Something I loved about the trip was that we shied away from super touristy things (I will get to LegoLand in a minute, hold your horses). The only dinner we had in downtown San Diego was at an Italian restaurant (that, although the food was good, was ridiculously overpriced, as I imagine many of the restaurants in that area are). In fact, we didn't go to SeaWorld, DisneyLand, or the Zoo (okay, to be fair, we'd all already been to the majority of those places, anyway). But that's what great about having the opportunity to visit a place more than once. The first time you can get all of the super touristy things out of the way and enjoy places that are a little less touristy (although, again, San Diego is obviously a big tourist location, so it's not like all of the places we went were teeming with locals.)

Pre-Biking in Oceanside

My mom is obsessed with pelicans

Staying with Andy meant we were already a bit removed from the better known San Diego downtown area. That's not to say it wasn't crowded, this still is California. And San Diego County, no less. Andy lives right on the beach, which meant amazing sunsets and awesome runs along the water. It was a really difficult week...

LEGOLAND (sidenote: Andy is 24 and I am 21...something wrong with us going to LegoLand)

Mini-NY

If you don't already know, my brother is an officer in the Marines, so he was able to show us around Camp Pendleton where he's stationed. I had no idea a base could be that huge and have that much open space. Now I know what Andy's talking about when he says he's going out "into the field." FYI you can actually run and bike on the base (I think they just ask for ID, but look into it...) and they also offer paint-balling, horseback-riding, and a shooting range. If you're interested in the horse back riding, be sure to call a few days in advance because they require this to make reservations. Unfortunately, they don't offer trail rides anymore, but they do still offer lessons.

Why is my brother weird

Something my mom really wanted to do was visit the Queen Mary in Longbeach, about an hour and a half north of where my brother lives, so a little over two hours north of downtown San Diego. The Queen Mary was commissioned in the 1930s, but is now permanently docked in CA. In fact, it has been converted to a hotel/tourist attraction and offers various tours. You might want to check out the "Ghost Tour." That's right, many claim the boat is haunted. The tour is pretty silly and obvious, but still worth it. At least in our case, the tour guide was super funny. On the ride back to Oceanside, we drove through Laguna Beach. I know it's cliche etc., but the beach really is amazing.

Mom and Meg on the Queen Mary in Longbeach, CA

Not enough deck chairs to go around

Okay, I suppose I must explain why we went to...LegoLand, of all places. Well, clearly we were unaware that this park is only fun for individuals under the age of, um, probably 12...So, there we were, Andy, Megan, and Mom, walking around among little kids and their parents, wondering a) why we were there and b) why we paid so much money to go to a land of legos...Thankfully the cities built of legos were cool and the ride was fun, so it wasn't a complete waist. But, word to the wise, sometimes age does matter...

But, my favorite part of the trip was definitely the day before we left. In the afternoon we went for a drive without real plans and ended up in Torrey Pines. Amazing!!!! You might know this location because it's famous for its golf course and because it often hosts big golf tournaments etc., but it also miles of walking/running trails that overlook the Pacific. Absolutely stunning. With dinner at a great, inexpensive Indian place afterwards, that was the perfect day.

Beautiful view from Torrey Pines

Walking trail at Torrey Pines

As always, though, it's the small things that make the trip. I.E. my brother explaining to my mom and me how he tried to cook a frozen pizza...first on a George Forman Grill, then...in the toaster. He's 24, I promise I was lying. Or, how when he was driving, he would periodically be shaving with an electric razor (side-note:his card is a stick-shift...) Notice how these small things include my brother doing ridiculous things. I'm sure my Spanish blog would have been much more interesting had he come along on some of my adventures. With his already goofy personality and then throw in the language barrier, that could have been for some great blogging. Oh well, there's plenty of time for more family travel...love you Andy miss you already :(