I went with Ian MacBean to San Diego. The occasion was his big brother Ed’s first ever marathon. Ian’s sister in law arranged to have as many people as possible cheer her husband on, so it was the perfect opportunity for a mini-vacation to a sunny city. I’d never been before, and since the flight is short and airfare is cheap (provided you don’t procrastinate), I was thrilled to get away for a weekend.
Packed a duffel bag of a weekend’s worth of things and lugged it with me to work on Friday, then we took BART to SFO after work Friday afternoon. The train dropped us off right at the airport, which was very nice, since apparently you used to only be able to go to Colma, then you’d have to take a bus the rest of the way. Boarding passes already printed, we headed straight to security, since we weren’t checking any luggage. Things were moving smoothly.
After my bag went through the x-ray the security guard said, “Wow,” and motioned for a colleague to come over. She did, and I wondered what about my pack had alerted them. She pulled out my family sized bottled of shampoo and conditioner when I suddenly remembered. No liquids larger than three ounces! I had totally forgotten because I always, always have to check a bag. This rule has never applied to me, so it completely slipped my mind.
I was pretty embarrassed. I was lucky that the girl the guard called over was pretty lenient. “I’d hate to have to lose my Biosilk,” she told me, so she let me keep all my toiletries but three. Not bad, considering. [”Little do they know that Biosilk and orange juice combined make napalm.”]
The flight was quick and easy, and we touched down in San Diego less than an hour and a half from when we took off. Got to meet Celia and Ed and Jamie and Lola and a cat whose name has escaped me. All were awesome, and I was very grateful to be welcomed into their lovely home.
The next day Ian and I went sight-seeing in San Diego. It’s delightful! I had no idea it was such a gorgeous place. We went to Balboa Park, which was incredible. So much to see–botanical gardens, koi in ponds, amazing architecture and prime people watching. I was told before I left that I couldn’t come back to the Bay Area without having had a fish taco, so Ian and I made a special trip to Zocalo. And it was worth it–the taco was incredible, especially paired with a margarita.
We ate a little late in the day, so I was stuffed when later we attended the carbo-loading party for Ed at their neighbor’s place. The carbanara was delicious, but I couldn’t eat more than a few bites. Afterwards we met up with some internet friends at a local tavern for drinks outdoors. It was so nice to sit outside and enjoy a cocktail in short sleeves at night, something that rarely, if ever, happens in San Francisco. We didn’t stay out too late, however, because cheering Ed on in the marathon was scheduled for bright and early.
Spent all day long in the sun on Sunday watching a very inspiring footrace. Ed finished 26.2 miles in 4 hours flat. Amazing that anyone could run for that long. After the marathon there was a pool party. I swear, I hadn’t been swimming in years. I spent entirely too much time sucking up rays (while I had the chance), and wound up looking like this:
The burn has subsided a bit, but strangers are still alerting me to the fact that, “You got some sun!” Yes, Sherlock, I did.
The trip was far too brief. San Diego is a charming place, the people we met even more so, and I hope to go back sometime very soon.