On Saturday I wake up around 4AM, nice effect of the jet lag. I had already planned to workout at a gym this morning since I’m still in the city. Just like I usually do at home I’m at the gym around 5AM to do strength training. Nice bonus is that there is a swimming pool here as well so I finish the morning workout with a few lapses in the pool. I love to start the day like this. I go back home to eat breakfast and since my friend is still sleeping I go to a local coffee place to catch up on work. There are only a few people out there so early in the morning, but there is a friendly guy called Nick sitting at the table next to me. He starts a conversation with me and asking me several great questions about my work and helps me realise again how blessed I am that I do work that I love and the freedom that it gives me. He’s a creative person as well and works in marketing, so we quite understand each others’ business. One of my favourite things about America is how easy it is to start a friendly conversation with a stranger. After a while he leaves again and I keep working for a few hours.
When I’m done with work I decide to explore the city a bit more. Last time I was visiting San Diego I was a big fan of the Bird scooters, but it seems that things have changed a bit since then. Several neighborhoods are now blocking the scooters and you have to always park them in specific areas. That makes it quite more challenging to ride one and what’s even more annoying is that they don’t have a way to contact them for support anymore. Eventually with some riding, walking with a non-functional scooter, dumping it on a parking place and walking the last part I arrive where I wanna go. Maple Canyon park next to Bankers Hill. It’s a nice valley to hike in the middle of the city. I’m glad that there is a bit of shade and a little breeze in the valley, because it’s a hot day again. I enjoy walking in this familiar area, reliving some memories of the last time. It’s quite easy to get my steps goal in at the vacation. I walk all the way up north to Hillcrest to a French bakery where they make great sandwiches. After lunch I walk around the block to Kona Coffee, a Hawaiian coffee place where I used to come regularly half a year ago. Despite that I look quite different now without a beard and with a short haircut, the owner recognizes me immediately when I’m at the counter and we have a fun time catching up a bit. I get an iced latte and walk a bit further through the neighborhood. When I’ve finished my coffee I take the bus back to my friend’s house. We do some shopping for school supplies for her daughter and on the way back she has a fun surprise. While in the car, Brittany asks me if I like cookies and when I respond with “Who doesn’t?” she places an order on her phone and then drives up to a cookie bakery place called Crumbl Cookies. It smells delicious there and our cookies are already waiting for us. I feel like this is such an American thing. Order cookies online and when you drive up there they’re baked and ready for you to take home. It’s super delicious, what a great treat.
In the evening we go out for dinner to a nice Mexican restaurant and an evening walk by the water. We finish the night by watching a baseball game from the balcony which is next to the stadium. Going to a baseball game is still on my bucket list, but this was also fun to see the game from up high. Tomorrow is already my last day here in San Diego for now. I feel like I could stay longer here, but on Monday the roadtrip starts and new adventures are awaiting me.
