Weekend Blitz

Sunny southern California was just what my pale skin needed in dreary February and to get to spend the time with my mom made the trip extra-special! The area around Santa Barbara was just beautiful– no wonder the celebrities flock here! Perfect weather, gorgeous beaches and delicious restaurants… what’s not to love? Plus, there’s such a variety of things to see and do — from old Spanish missions to presidential libraries to restaurants on the pier — there’s plenty to keep you busy for days.

After leaving San Diego behind us, we headed up the coast on Highway 101 and drove about two hours to the San Juan Capistrano Mission. [...]

Our first two nights were scheduled in San Diego, but we landed at 8:45pm (11:45pm Eastern Time), and had to rent a car and get to our hotel. We crashed into bed and tried to rest up for our packed day ahead.

One of my best friends had plenty of wonderful things to say about her time at Coronado Island, just a quick 10 minute drive from downtown San Diego, so we chose to stay on the island rather than in the downtown area. Once we’d decided to stay on Coronado, I had to choose from the handful of hotels there. The famous Hotel del Coronado was a bit out of our price range at $400+/night, so we settled on the El Cordova Hotel just across the street. It is an old mansion [...]

On the eve of Jeffrey’s & my big Asian Adventure, I wanted to spend some quality time with my mom before Jeffrey and I packed up and headed out for months.

Disclaimer: I’m an idiot and haven’t signed up for the referral to make any money off any of the below credit card offers. This is this genuine advice as I see things. I have both of the cards listed below, however, take my advice with caution: I’m far from an expert on financial/credit matters, but happy to help where I can!

My mom had just applied for the US Airways Premier World MasterCard over Thanksgiving, so she received the Companion Certificate in the mail in late December. A little more on the [...]

Booking

I had a conference here and booked a 3 night stay about 4.5 months in advance. I was able to get a corporate rate of $125 per night.

Check-in

I booked a 2 Queen room and, despite there being a large conference for the next few nights and the Coachella music festival starting on the weekend, rooms were still available for for the length of my stay. The agent said that they were able to give me an “upgrade” to a Deluxe golf course view room (Deluxe golf, non-smoking:  2 Queen Beds, 525 sq ft / 49 m²) but, after I asked, said that a suite upgrade wouldn’t be possible due to the high occupancy. I confirmed this on the Starwood app:  a [...]

1023 4th Ave, San Diego, CA American, Bar Food $$ – Entrees from $15 to $25

The Yard House is a very typical-seeming sports bar …typical as in the kind that are very “upscale” feeling, meaning that they still serve a sports bar menu just at much higher prices to cover their extraordinarily priced real estate.

This one is nice, no doubt:  a sensible amount of TVs, loud background music, a huge space with large, substantial-feeling tables that are well spread out and able to accommodate large parties.

On my visit, I tried the STREET TACOS PLATE ($13.55). The ASADA was pretty damn good with grilled New York streak, toasted [...]

750 North Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA Seafood $$ to $$$

The Fish Market, situated in an amazing spot on San Diego’s Bay, has all the markings of a tourist trap. It is in an iconic location, right next to the USS Midway, and benefits from plenty of foot traffic.

That’s on the surface; deep down, they seem to take their food seriously. The prices aren’t horrific and, unlike most touristy seafood places, they don’t just dump it all in a fryer. They’re actually using fresh seafood and taste-forward preparations.

They’ve got a huge menu with selections from their sushi bar (and how could a fresh fish place not have sushi), oyster bar, and main [...]

JetBlue is at it again with their “NYC Flight Week” Deal of the Day.

At 80% off these are phenomenal deals as long as you can travel on short notice. The good news is that there are finally some good “long-weekend” choices out there.

Best WEEKEND BLITZ choices:

Looking for  weekend get-away in February? Jump on this great deal:

American Airlines from New York (EWR/LGA) to San Jose (SJC) for $242. Available departing this dates for a 3 day weekend:

Not looking to go for the weekend? Here’s a calendar of all dates available:

Hit us up with questions below, and hurry up and book this one! San Jose is waiting:

Image source: http://www.frontdoor.com/city-guide/san-jose-ca-usa/slideshow-get-to-know-san-jose-california