Sandy ego, California

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They couldn’t have thought of a cuter nickname for this beautiful Southern California city. San Diego’s cool climate, sandy shores and friendly folks have definitely made their way to my “favorite cities” list.

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My first impression upon landing was that it looked like those miniature model cities I used to have as a kid. I couldn’t wait to see the rest of it!

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Uber-casual outfit for walking around downtown: hoodie from Paris, H&M leggings, Lacoste tote bag and sneakers. I wasn’t really feeling well the whole time I was there, hence the lazy mood. I put on a happy face and trudged on nevertheless—no colds and sore throat could’ve stopped this tourist!

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I was originally planning to wear something different, but when I saw how wonderful it would be to just roam the streets on foot, there was no point in getting all dressed up for the sake of photos and not being able to move about freely and enjoy every bit of the experience. Right? Hype this on Lookbook here.

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View from where I took the outfit photos. The City Hall, which looks more like an old-town museum. Most every corner in this place actually looks postcard-worthy to me.

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See what I mean? This ship is actually a maritime museum located behind the City Hall. 

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Ran into some locals waiting to cross the street to the museum. Kidding, obviously. But they really were right in front of the pedestrian lane, alongside people like they just didn’t care.

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The San Diego Convention Center is where the Comic Convention is held. This year’s won’t be until July, but I’m just glad my dad’s company had their own convention in this place.

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I sure had fun imagining Neil Gaiman and Frank Miller and Stan Lee and all the celebrities starring in different comic book-to-movie adaptations, giving talks and signing autographs amidst a sea of fanfolk.

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Sculpture a few meters away from the Convention Center. Behind it is the Petco Park, where major league baseball games are held.

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We heard mass at the Church of our Lady of the Rosary in Little Italy, an area in downtown full of—what else?—pizzerias, trattorias, espresso shops, delicatessens and Italian-style buildings. A few blocks later, I met lovely couple David and Ruth.

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Look how cute their Eeyore couple shirts are! I just had to approach them and ask to take their picture. David was the one who sewed these on, as well as a week’s worth of other DIY couple shirts. They’re actually newlyweds on their honeymoon! David was married for 54 years and his wife passed away five years ago. Soon after, he met Ruth and the two became friends. They realized they actually love each other, got engaged, and the rest is sweet history. They were in San Diego that day to take a cruise ship to Hawaii and other Pacific islands. Stories like this never fail to make my day.

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Speaking of couples, another thing that never fails to make my day is seeing Seph’s name. Hihi. How apt that this store sells menswear. Hello, lovey!

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Mama and Papa in matchy clothes as well. Love Chic senior? Haha.

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Most of our days in San Diego were spent with dad’s longtime friend, Tito Dante and his warm and lovely family. I wouldn’t want to inundate your news feed with more touristy photos, but let’s share just a few.

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American food plus Pinoy hospitality equals everybody’s happy tummies.

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The Mexican border. Those numbered fences with the floodlights are guarded by border patrol 24/7 to keep illegal immigrants from sneaking into US territory. It would’ve been fun to step one foot on US soil and the other on Mexican ground—being in two places at the same time like in “A Walk To Remember.” But it wasn’t worth getting deported. Heh.

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The 25-foot statue “Unconditional Surrender” by J. Seward Johnson at the San Diego Embarcadero, based on the iconic photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt.

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Mount Soledad memorial, with a magnificent view of the city below.

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La Jolla Cove, literally the jewel of San Diego. It’s a small beach with high-end hotels, resorts and villas, as well as cute critters like these ones.

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“Enjoying your trip, miss?”
“Why yes, I’m nuts about this town!" 

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Ba dum tss.

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A-corny jokes aside, I really did enjoy this part of our trip. It was exactly what I preferred—to see the city’s old-town charm instead of Sea World or Lego Land or other more popular tourist attractions. Random snapshots on my Instagram @shailagarde :) So long, San Diego! I shall return. 
   
Next: Long Beach