I’m in San Diego for the evening and I spot this really cool concept while walking around Pacific Beach – The Baked Bear. This place was birth in San Diego by a couple of childhood friends who left their careers to start this amazing place. Basically they make ice cream sandwiches using original-made ice cream that is held together by two fresh-baked cookies. The cool thing is that you can pick any flavor ice cream and any combination of cookies that you want. I got the macadamia nut and pumpkin spice cookies with praline ice cream. It was the perfect treat for me to devour as I strolled the boardwalk along the beach.
We started the last day of 2013 just right. I have been exploring new places to eat in San Diego and decided to check out the Trails Neighborhood Eatery in the San Carlos area (a beautiful San Diego neighborhood). I saw an episode dedicated to this restaurant on the show Restaurant: Impossible on Food Network. Owned by Food Network Star Stacey Poon-Kinney, Robert Irvine helped give the place a facelift and it has taken off ever since. My son and I came in for breakfast and had a wonderful time. The restaurant itself really has a neighborhood feel to it and features a variety of breakfast and lunch items. You can tell a lot of locals frequent here often. I went for the signature Sin-a-mon Roll Pancakes (a.k.a. heaven on a plate) and my kid got the french toast. Let me tell you about those pancakes – amazing! This will for sure be a regular stop for me on my future trips to San Diego. Happy New Year!
You can tell it’s the holidays in downtown Phoenix by all the decorations that are going up. I grabbed some coffee at 8th Day and then headed down to the art walk for First Friday. I really enjoyed seeing all the Christmas lights and the people all dressed up warm for the cold weather. One of my favorite things to watch this time of year is the ice skating rink at Cityscape. Situated next to their large Christmas tree, the ice skating rink offers some fun people watching moments. I had a blast strapping on the skates and hitting the ice.
Ice skating at Cityscape in Downtown Phoenix
Already a huge hockey fan, my fascination with outdoor ice skating started in Atlanta in 2007. I was at an event with my friend Shauna and we made a promise to each other to ice skate at the outdoor rink in Centennial Park before we left. But because of our tight schedule, it never happened. Then I had another chance to do it there with my girlfriend Ashleigh and once again it never happened. I was determined to skate on an outdoor ice skating rink in a cold weather city. I took my kids once at the Del in San Diego, but ice skating on the beach in San Diego just wasn’t the same. So Ashleigh finally took me skating at the Rockefeller center in New York. It was kind of a childhood dream come true after years of watching scenes of people skating there on TV. It was short-lived because I had a foot injury, but worth it. I’m looking forward to finally skating in Centennial Park next month when I visit Atlanta.
Ice Skating at the Del in San Diego with my kids in ’07
Ice Skating at the Rockefeller Center in New York in ’09
Best breakfast restaurant in San Diego in my opinion is Perry’s Cafe. It’s a tradition of mine to eat here every time I visit. This old school cafe serves big portions with some Mexican specialty dishes and piping hot coffee. I got the huevos rancheros plate with coffee – great way to start off the day!
I love walking down the San Diego harbor and enjoying the breeze while looking at all the ships. I got up early to do this and then strolled over to a Starbucks in Little Italy that I have hung out at many times in the past. I got some good deep thinking and prayer time in as well as some homework completed.
Casa de Reyes is one of my favorite stops in San Diego. It is part of Fiesta de Reyes, a dining and shopping experience located in the heart of Old Town (the birthplace of San Diego). The original Mexican pueblo was established in 1821. There is live music and beautiful art in the plaza. Casa de Reyes is an outdoor restaurant that serves up traditional Mexican fare with flare. I ordered the Dos Beef Tacos platter and a Reyna’s sangria. It was delicious and filled me up for the evening.
So I woke up in the middle of the night and was feeling adventurous, so I packed up and drove to Pacific Beach. I was dreading the AZ heat and was desiring the cool breeze of the beach. I stopped in for breakfast at a long time favorite of mine – Kono’s Surf Club. They serve very large portions of breakfast and lunch, and have the daily specials written out front on a chalkboard close to the boardwalk. There is also a great coffee cart that is just past Kono’s to the north. They only take cash and there is always a bit of a line to wait in as it is a local favorite. I relaxed on the beach and rollerbladed some and then grabbed some shrimp tacos and a Red Trolley Ale for happy hour lunch at the Green Flash.
Food, Art & Culture 