As writer, I spend a lot of time indoors looking a homely hot mess – a status that has only been exasperated by this pandemic. But ya girl can only take so much of that before the inertia becomes suffocating. That’s when I know it’s time to get out the house… or in my case apartment.
This time I opted to head down to San Diego for a day trip. And, since I’m adhering to a serious budget, I decided to up the ante and see if I can spend no more than $20 for food, activities and souvenirs. This $20, of course, did not include the gas it costed to get down there, because c’mon, that would be really pushing it. Then again I guess you could do it if you brought drinks and snacks from home. Gas, by the way, was around $20 roundtrip.
Now that I think about it, I didn’t spend more than $20 for either of my previous day trips, so I’d say my chances of pulling it off are pretty good. Do you think I can do it? Keep reading to find out for sure.
I Drove All Night…Okay, Not Quite
With no traffic, I made it to my first destination in less than two hours – that’s including this stop at View Point.
Somewhere around Carlsbad or Oceanside, this spot is right off the 5 where you can park and look out on the ocean. People were outnumbered by birds here, while military aircraft could be seen doing their thing off in the near distance. After that, it was back on the freeway to make my way into San Diego proper.
Mural, Mural on the Wall
When I saw this mural (above) online I just knew I had to pay it a visit. It just seemed so big, so colorful, like such a prominent and significant part of the city, only to get there and discover it’s chilling in the cut in an alley on the side of a brewery (below).
Hey, whatever works.
Cost: Free
Balance: $20
Fully Booked
You might be thinking since I’m a writer I read a lot of books. That I buy a lot of books. That I have a to-be-read pile on my nightstand almost as tall as me. Well, you’re wrong. I don’t have a nightstand. And I also don’t read or buy lots of books. As a matter of fact, I don’t really buy books at all. I get the majority of my books from the library, and manage not to finish most of them even after maxing out my renewals and racking up late fees. I only read 1 book in its entirety in 2020, with a second that I started in 2020 due back at the library tomorrow. Still I love going into bookstores.
My first choice for this trip was Verbatim (a cool-looking independent bookstore that carries new and used books which would have probably been great for my $20 budget. But alas, it was closed, so I ended up going to The Book Catapult instead. It was a nice little store, tucked in a cute little neighborhood. The lady who worked there was really nice, and didn’t correct me when I mispronounced Madeline Miller’s New York Times bestselling book Circe. Apparently it’s pronounced sir-cee or sir-kee, but I pronounced it circ, like in circuit or circus. I only know this because she hesitated a bit to respond when I mentioned it, so I googled it later when I got home and found out.
I didn’t have time to think about it too much in the moment, because I had bigger problems on my hands – nothing was on sale. I was going to have to get creative if I wanted to stay within my $20 budget. So I looked around some, and then I bought this…
That’s right, it’s chapstick (I realize chapstick is a name brand and technically it’s called lip balm, but I’ve always called the substance that comes in a small tube and you spread on your lips chapstick — so there). But not just any ordinary chapstick, it’s a Call of the Wildberry chapstick which plays off the name of Jack London’s classic The Call of the Wild. And at $4.26 that price was wild, but hey.
Cost: $4.26
Balance: $15.74
Me So Hungry
This was my first day off the Daniel Fast that I’d been doing for the past 21 days (okay, I actually quit about a half hour before the end of my 21st day to indulge in a half of a pecan pie – guilty as charged), so I was really looking forward to something good to eat.
Normally, I first research the hell out of a location on Yelp, checking for good photos and even better reviews, before I drop in. You see, food, for me, is not simply to nourish my body or satisfy hunger. Oh, no. It’s for my enjoyment, my entertainment – it’s an experience.
This time, however, I decided to go the old school route and ask a local . Now before you try this on your next mini-vacay, let me first warn you, if you’re a foodie like me, this is a dangerous game to play, rife with equal opportunity for a scrumptious reward or gagging regrets.
For some reason I wanted Mexican food as if I don’t also live in Southern California and Mexican food isn’t on damn near every corner two hours back up the freeway. But it was what I craved so, I asked a local. I told her what I was doing budget-wise and she suggested this place called Sombrero.
I got there and ordered a two taco combo plate – one chicken, one carne asada. Right off the bat, the customer service was excellent. I can’t remember the last time I heard a worker say thank you so many times. I gave him the money, he said thank you. He gave me my change, another thank you. He thanked me when he handed me my food. It was just thank-yous all over the place. Nice guy.
Then I sat outside on a random bench nearby to try the food. Here’s my plate.
Can you guess how it tasted – reward or regret?
Now I see why he was thanking me so much, because eating this food was like charity work. The taste-quotient wasn’t an even exchange for the money I paid. This was a definite regret. I don’t know about you, but as soon as I laid eyes on it I knew before the first bite. I mean can somebody please gift this establishment with a spice rack, ‘cause when I say this food had no flavor. Well, at least it was edible. The rice and beans were okay I guess – definitely on the bland side but I like rice and beans. The asada taco was better than the chicken which was crunchy and I didn’t finish it. It also came with an horchata, which was tasty. My biggest regret? It was pretty expensive given my budget and I still had one more purchase to make.
Cost: $11.80
Balance: $3.94
Let’s Take a Long Walk, Around the Park, Before Dark…or Nah
Ah, Balboa Park. I’d been trying to get here for a minute, but the drive boss, the drive. And the walk. Just to give you an idea of how big it is, it holds several museums and a zoo.
With so much to offer, Balboa Park may sound pricey. But what’s nice about it is if you just want to walk around the grounds, view the architecture, see the gardens — all that’s free. They even have free parking and a free tram ride that takes you to the heart of the park, fitting into my budget perfectly.
I like tram rides so I elected to take the tram. When I arrived, there was a sign that said trams come approximately every 15 minutes. Not bad, so I waited. It was a beautiful crisp, sunny day, with a chilly breeze.
Twenty-some minutes or so later, and not only had that tram not shown up, but no one else had either.
Now I’m checking to see if it’s in operation as if this deserted tram stop wasn’t clue enough. I ended up driving over to another lot, walking to the park, got a few pics in, and then it was off to the beach.
Cost: $0
Balance: $3.94
But First Coffee
I’m not the type of person that needs coffee in the morning. As a matter of fact, I’m more of a tea drinker. But there’s something about a coffee shop that I adore, especially when I travel – the look of it, the smell of it – just ummm. I found out about this local place called Better Buzz Coffee Roaster. There are several throughout San Diego County. I dropped by the one in La Jolla on the way to the beach, but with less than $4 to spare in my $20 challenge, would I stay within budget?
I knew I wanted the rose water latte, which I saw online before I came, though I didn’t check the price. Once I got there, the smallest one they had was $5.45, a whole $1.51 overbudget. Just as I was thinking damn, Damn, DAMN that taco plate at Sombrero, a miracle happened. Their credit card machine malfunctioned (they’re a cash-less establishment, ‘cause you know, The Rona)and I got my drink for free.
Cost: $5.45 $0
Balance: $3.94
Beachy Keen
And then there was the ocean. I’m tellin’ you, California is the greatest state in the union. No disrespect to the other 49, but would you look at this. It’s La Jolla Cove by the way.
This is right in the backyard of a booming city. Ah, the serenity.
Look at God. The perfect ending.
Until next time San Diego. Until next time.
Cost: $0
Balance: $3.94
Getting Out of the House: Priceless
So I did it! I stayed within my $20 budget! I think I’m on to something here. Perhaps I’ll institute the snowball effect and rollover that $3.94 to my next trip.
Where will I be off to next?
Leave a Reply