My team had a race this past Sunday in San Diego and a few of us decided to go down on Saturday, with a leisurely drive down the coast…and the promise of a few extra hours of sleep Sunday morning (otherwise it was a 3am wake up call to get down in time for the races…ugh!) My friend, Renee, has a serious love of seals and, thanks to our teammate Amy, knew of the perfect spot called La Jolla Cove to view these adorable sea creatures. I’ve been to the really large elephant seal preserve, Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, up near Hearst Castle, so I knew they’d be cute and worth the stop…but, been there, done that..or so I thought!
We exited the 5 Freeway at La Jolla Village Drive and wound our way down to a little street along the water and it was like entering a Mediterranean seaside town. The cliffs were teeming with people…and from the sound of the accents, from all over the world. The seals were, as promised, adorable, but the beauty of the cove and cliffs were breathtaking. There were numerous swimmers and people snorkeling, as well as tons of kayakers just North towards La Jolla Shores beach. An enchanting water playground!
The scenery was gorgeous and I took a bunch of pics, but it was time to get going to our next stop, Crown Point Park on Mission Bay, to rig our boats in preparation for the races. As we pulled away from the cliffs Renee asked if we wanted to see the little village on our way. Sure, why not! OMG…I have to go back! There are a MILLION restaurants and little shops
and I don’t even know what else because I was getting whiplash trying to look left and right as we drove through town. Thankfully, Patricia needed some coffee, so we made a quick pit stop at an adorable little place called Brick and Bell (you can tell it’s adorable by the name!) As I said, I have to go back! I know there’s so much more to see and do in this little hamlet by the sea.
We finished off our day with the team, rigging boats and enjoying another great meal at Tru Food Kitchen. Sunday was all about another beautiful sunrise over Mission Bay, a day of racing and finally de-rigging the boats for their drive back up to Newport.
Can’t wait to go back and really explore La Jolla Cove!
You cannot direct the wind, but you can adjust the sails!
Wow, thanks for sharing this! I can’t believe I’ve never been there, and my sister used to live in La Jolla. It’s on my list now!
Looks like a wonderful overnight trip. Where did you stay?
We actually stayed at a Hilton in SD near the race course, but there are some adorable looking places in La Jolla Cove.