The American Pye Coast to Coast Adventure – Aug 2015 - Day 9 - Day 9 – La Jolla(and a mini rest day)

[SarahJayne]

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Day 9 – La Jolla (and a mini rest day!)

So after a crazy week in New York and Disneyland we were all pretty shattered and I was hoping that we’d all get a good sleep and a lie-in (or a lie-in by the Pye standards anyway!) but no such luck as Jack was just as excited to be in San Diego and woke up at 7:30am! At home he’d get up and go downstairs to watch tv while we went back to sleep but once I was awake I wanted to get up too so he and I pottered about downstairs while Adam and Anna slept till 9am.

I’d had a restless night sleep too and wasn’t feeling brilliant. Luckily plan was to have a bit of a lazy day today. We were heading out for brunch and then going to Vons supermarket two blocks away to stock up on food for the rest of the week.

By the time Adam and Anna were up and about and everyone was dressed it was about 10:30am.

The Cottage is a gorgeous little café/restaurant a 5 mins walk away from our townhouse that we’d researched and checked out the menu months before when we had decided where we were staying. The Cottage is very well known in La Jolla and really popular so we wandered over expecting to wait for a table. And wait we did!

Walking up the street we could see a bit of a queue on the street outside and when we gave our name they said it was about a 20min wait. Which was fine as it was a nice day and they are clearly set up for people waiting outside as there was umbrellas to stand under with water, coffee and gorgeous pieces of corn bread for you to munch on. The kids were quite happy with this but when 20mins came and went we were all getting a bit fed up. After 30mins I asked the waiter how much longer it would be and when he checked the list they didn’t have our names on there!

Turns out the guy who owns the place had fallen out with another man who was waiting because he was smoking next to the people sitting outside (they had a gorgeous outside seating area) and refused to put his cigarette out so he told him that he was no longer welcome but when he’s crossed the name off the register, he’s crossed mine off by mistake! Bit of a nightmare but they couldn’t have been sorrier and seated us next.

Anyway, we eventually sat down and were ravenous by this point! Adam and the kids all ordered pancakes and I ordered my favourite – French Toast and man was it the best French Toast I’ve ever had!



It was delicious, huge and very filling!
Very full, we wandered back to the house and were planning on going to Vons straight away but I was feeling really rough at that point and needed to lie down. I think it was just everything catching up on me really. You all know what it takes to get ready for a holiday like this so even before we left I was shattered and then having 4 days in NYC and then the 3 in Disneyland had just done me in completely. I slept for about 1.5hr while Adam and the kids slobbed about downstairs watching tv and playing card games. We all needed it I think. Once I was up again, I felt loads better so we Skyped my Mum and Dad for a catch up and then headed out again to Vons.

Now I know I’m not the only one that treats American supermarkets as museums! And Vons was no exception apart from the fact that it was wayyyyy more expensive than any American supermarket I’d been in before (probably on a par with Waitrose here) mainly because of the area we were staying in as La Jolla is very swish and upmarket and California in general seemed more expensive than Florida. We still had a great time stocking up on all of our favourite American snacks and got a ready roasted chicken, lots of salad, pasta and gorgeous fresh bread all for tea that night.
I also stocked up on plenty of Oreos – all my favourites!



Before making tea we decided to go for a wander through La Jolla to check out our new home for the week. We’d promised the kids that we would go to the beach too so took their swim stuff in preparation as I knew there was no way they’d be able to resist paddling in the sea!

La Jolla is an absolutely gorgeous little town. We couldn’t believe how beautiful it was, just how I imagine California towns to be. So clean and sunny and warm!









We wandered down the main street and checked out the lovely little boutique shops there (Kim Kardashians grandmother owns a baby/children’s store there!) and sneaked a peek at some of the house prices.





If I won the lottery this would absolutely be the place that I’d buy a house. Out of all the states we’ve visited in the US, California remains my absolute favourite (Hawaii is a close second!) and I could seriously see myself living there. We’ve toyed with the idea many times but would find it really hard to leave family and friends in the UK but it doesn’t stop us day dreaming about it!

We walked around to La Jolla cove and the kids were desperate to get on the beach and in the sea.











We let them splash about for an hour. It was the perfect time of day for it as it was still really warm but not scorching. The waves were enormous though and there are lots of warnings around about the current and rip tide so we made sure that the kids stayed in the very shallows.









They had a lovely time and we had a great time sitting on the beach watching them.



They reluctantly got out after an hour with the promise that we’d be visiting the beach again in a couple of days (they’d already spotted the surf boards and bucket and spades in the shed at the house!)
Once we got back we pulled together our tea purchased at Vons earlier and sat around the table together for a semi home cooked meal! It was actually nice to have a break from eating out and enjoyed salad and vegetables.

We had a really relaxing evening together watching tv and making good use of the UNO card game that I’d bought from Tesco before we left (we ended up playing this loads during our travels!)

The kids we’re in bed for 8:30 and we weren’t too far behind. It had been a lovely relaxing day and just what we needed. But we were ready for more exploring tomorrow!

NEXT: Day 10 - San Diego trolley tour/ Old Town

[sandshal]

Another great day ... Buy the beach pad, we'll come over and visit you

[EJSakaAnna]

Brilliant day, La Jolla looks lovely. That french toast looks fab!

[Erial]

Aw, lovely day. I'm yearning for blue skies like that!

I'd miss you loads if you moved to California but I'd definitely come and visit!

We play Uno on holiday loads too. Doesn't see the light of day the rest of the year though!

Claire
x

[Aims]

Lots of beautiful photos of La Jolla, what a lovely first day there for you! I'm glad you tried the Cottage (in spite of the rocky start with your wait mix-up!)...the french toast there is one of my fav breakfasts out in San Diego. I've heard the food in California is a bit more expensive overall...I guess living here all my life, I'm used to it and didn't realize there could be a big difference. Being in La Jolla will definitely raise the prices over areas of San Diego though, and Vons in general is always one of the more expensive grocery stores. Albertsons is usually a bit cheaper, if you come back out again.

Anyway, lovely pics of a gorgeous day- and your kids are so cute!

[Siddex]

Great day, thanks for sharing.

I have been looking for somewhere to stay around San Diego on our upcoming holiday - think you have sold La Jolla to me! Looks amazing.