Hi, friends!

Welcome back to another blog post with your host— me! I know, I know, I’ve been MIA for a bit. Life gets kind of overwhelming and busy every once in awhile. It’s an endless cycle of having nothing to do and everything to do. As of right now, I don’t have a set schedule of when I am able to sit down and write down blog posts and entries, but I will just keep writing as I find time. Thanks for sticking around and supporting me!

Drivin’ Down the 5

If you follow me on social media (links on the bottom of every page!), then you know I recently visited San Diego— specifically Old Town San Diego. This was my first time visiting there! I drove down (yes, all by myself!) on Wednesday to meet up with my mom since she was traveling there on a business trip. The drive was not bad at all! I’ve become a pro at driving on the freeway.

Due to traffic, I made it in two hours, and right after the sun set. The light would have been so helpful because Old Town has some weird streets and turns. Right as I got off the freeway, I was at a four-way intersection, but with no traffic lights. I had to yield to turn left, making sure I didn’t hit any other cars during the sharp left turn. Then, after yielding on green to turn left again, I had to make a super very really sharp right turn, but I was thrown off because of how sharp it was, and accidentally continued straight, merging back into the freeway I had just exited from. I remember panicking in that moment, but luckily my GPS was still on and redirected me back to my destination.

The streets of Old Town are so weird; you can tell it’s an old town. Machines of industrialism and capitalism decided to leave the roads and sidewalks alone. So many twisted streets, sharp turns, hills that you can’t look over, narrow walkways and alleyways, and old buildings with ample space around them.

After greeting my mom and parking my car in the hotel parking structure, we settled in and decided to walk around Old Town. She has been there before and knew the ropes, so I followed her lead. We decided to eat dinner at a nearby restaurant. Because I was still a little sick— I had a fever the day before but felt a million times better that day, and was able to drive down with no problems— I decided to get albondigas soup. It’s basically just a Mexican meatball soup. We got fresh, house-made tortillas, which were delicious and definitely the star of the entire dish. I only wish I had enough room in my stomach to devour all of the tortillas…

I wanted to get a buñuelo, a flat, fried dessert that’s covered in cinnamon and sugar, because I don’t eat them too often. Also, they are delicious. Since I was too full, I decided against it.

After eating, we walked around Old Town, exploring the little shops and scenery. It was so amazing seeing Mexican culture represented in this small part of San Diego. From the different colors and textures of clothing, to the artwork and fashion, the woven baskets, spicy candies, patterned blankets, and more.

One Buñuelo, One Dream

The next day, my mom attended to her business meeting and I decided to walk around Old Town by myself. I had a small to-do list: acquire a buñuelo and eat some ice cream.

I had a map of the town and decided to walk to the State Historic Park, which was a few blocks down and a 5 minute walk away. The park consisted of a wide dusty, but paved pathway. On either side of the walkway were historical buildings that were either turned into stores or free admission museums. I tried to take in everything I could, walking around at my own pace.

Here are some pictures of the kinds of stuff they sold at the gift shops and stores. Besides outdoor pots, plants, and decoration, there were trinkets, ceramic pieces, religious iconography, paintings, toys, and more. There were also jewelry shops, soap stores, and candy stores.

There was a museum of one of the first few Wells Fargo banks (I think, people were standing in front of the signs), and it had the coolest artifacts and archaeological finds. My favorite was the giant stuffed horse. The carriage was pretty cool, too.

As you walk down the path, the second “half” of the rectangular park began, which was marked by a giant grassy green lawn in the middle. There were lots of school children there with their teachers, presumably on field trips. Surrounding the perimeter of the lawn and cement walkway were small shops full of souvenirs, paintings, silver jewelry, coffee beans, hot sauces, and tourist information.

In the corner of the park was the Fiesta de Reyes, which translates to Kings’ Party. It is essentially a nook full of different restaurants, merchandise, live entertainment, and more. Many of the shops had cool and unique merchandise: customizable tiles, linen and clothing directly from Mexico, colorful trinkets and toys, to name a few.

I’m so glad the products were brought directly from Mexico, and being sold by Mexican folks. On this blog, we love and support small businesses. I’ll admit, I didn’t buy much during this trip, but that is mostly because I’m spending my money wisely since hours are hard to come by at my job at the moment.

After window shopping and walking around, I decided it was time to eat, and time to get my hands on a buñuelo. I went to the same restaurant my mom and I went to the night before. It felt a little weird sitting by myself in the corner (why did they place me there?), but I quickly got over that once the food arrived. I ate a torta, which I expected to be a small portion but was actually huge.

I waited a good 15-20 minutes for my waiter to come by so I could order my dessert. Maybe he was too busy, or maybe he forgot about me (again, I was sitting in the corner), but he finally came around and brought my check without asking if I needed anything else. I quickly asked him as he was walking away if I could order dessert. He said it was fine and reached to grab my check, but retracted and decided against it. He said, “nah, it’s okay. I’ll just give it to you.” Yes, you read that correctly. I got a free dessert in San Diego!

And the best part: IT CAME WITH ICE CREAM! Two items off my check list were crossed off in minutes!

After lunch, I decided to walk back to the hotel room and rest for a bit. I watched the 40-Year-Old Virgin for the first time. It’s a cute movie. My mom then finished her meeting and after dropping off her supplies in the room, we got ready to explore Old Town again. This time, my objective was to get one nice picture for Instagram.

I showed her around the State Historic Park, and the staircase where I wanted my picture taken. Here is the outcome:

Basically, we just walked around and I saw everything a second time. This was perfectly fine; I love spending time with my mom. Also, if I hadn’t had walked in a second time, I would have missed this cool concha keychain! It’s so cute and small! We also got the yummiest milk candy wafer dessert!

My mom was feeling hungry and although I had eaten a big lunch, I agreed to go eat somewhere.

We found a cool “hidden” Italian food place from the visitor guide. I ordered my usual, even in San Diego: pizza with mushrooms and Italian sausage. My mom ordered the lasagna. Both were delicious!

Casa de Estudillo Museum

The next day, my mom went to another meeting in the morning. We were set to depart ways later that afternoon, as her flight was in the evening, but I wanted to explore the town a bit more. I walked back to the State Historic Park and tried to see if I missed anything. All the shops and merchandise were the same. There were less schoolchildren and more tourists walking around. It was bright and sunny out, and a lot warmer than yesterday.

I wanted to spend more time in San Diego, but I wasn’t sure what to do. I saw a blank adobe wall that took up a large part of the park. In the corner was a sign that read: La Casa de Estudillo Museum. This museum was once a home to one of the wealthiest families in San Diego. I didn’t catch this building the day before, so now was a great chance to see it.

And now, for the anthropology portion of my blog: the archaeological excavation of this site revealed the role of religion, agriculture, and food in the lives of the wealthy in the 1800s. The Estudillos earned their fortune from agriculture, which enabled them to build their large house. Later on, because of their great wealth, they were able to expand their home to provide housing for extended family, agricultural workers, and even open a small pharmaceutical shop in one wing of the house. It’s amazing how much of the home and original artifacts have been preserved all these years. Here are some pictures of their home:

Pro tip: when taking pictures at a museum or exhibit, do not use your flash!  It will make the item deteriorate over time.

After exploring the last few areas of Old Town, it was time to return home.  Saying goodbye to my family is always the hardest part of each visit, but I know I will see my mom and the rest of my family soon.  It was nice just to get away from OC and Disney, and explore new places I’ve never been to before.

Where should I travel to next?