First thing on my todo list for today is to book an apartment. I’ve been looking at Airbnb and Booking the past few days, but still find it a bit challenging to make a final choice. San Diego is not super cheap, so it’s a matter of finding a right balance between comfort and affordability. I find an apartment in a bit quieter neighborhood called Hillcrest, about half an hour from where I’m now staying. I think I’ll like it and when I see that it’s just around the corner of a nice coffee place where I went the last time I was in San Diego, I take that as a sign to go for it. I book it for a week since I don’t want to plan too far ahead and want to keep my options open. Also I think it would be interesting to live in different neighborhoods of San Diego while I’m here.
I can check into the apartment from 3pm, so I have plenty of time before that. I go to the breakfast restaurant of yesterday and then pack my bags. When everything is packed, I check out of the hotel and go with Brittany to a nice coffee place in La Jolla, that’s one of the prettiest neighborhoods of San Diego. It has a lot of beautiful houses and is right by the ocean. If money wasn’t an issue, this would probably be the area where I’d stay the whole time. The coffee place where we go this morning is very nice, it’s from the same chain as the one we found yesterday, Pannikin. It’s basically a large front-yard filled with little tables and chairs. It’s nice to sit outside, because the weather is great again. It doesn’t feel like winter at all these days. I got a text from my mom this morning telling me that the Netherlands is going in full lockdown again and it makes me thankful that I left just in time and am here now. I don’t miss the gray and rainy weather and all the restrictions back there. I’m happy to be in Sunny California.
When we drive to the apartment in the afternoon a Russian guy opens the door and shows me around the house. He’s wearing a hoodie and sunglasses, quite an odd type, but he’s friendly so it’s fine. It’s an old home and smells funny, but there is a kitchen and I have my own room which I can lock up, so the essentials are there. I say goodbye to Brittany and get settled in my room. I talk for a while with the host of the house and do a bit of work. It takes a while to get adjusted to the switch from the luxury hotel to this house. In the hotel I felt more like being on vacation and in this house I feel more like a local living here. Since living like a local was part of my goal of being here, I suppose that’s a good thing even though it’s a bit less comfortable. I’m happy that I booked the place only for a week though, I think next week I’ll look for a bit more luxury house.
I do groceries for breakfast for the coming days, It’ll be nice to be able to have breakfast at home again. I also get a scented candle to make my room smell better. Even though I have a kitchen to my disposal now, I decide to go for some comfort food tonight and get a pizza at a local pizza place a few blocks away from the house. Combined with a local IPA beer I got at the grocery store and watching Netflix, I make sure the first evening in this house is quite relaxed. When you’re going through changes, like when you’re traveling, it’s great to have things like comfort food and tv-shows to make yourself comfortable wherever you are.
