Hola From La Jolla!
It is one month since our move from San Francisco to San Diego. My husband and I decided to get a place for the year in La Jolla right on the ocean. We thought, we might as well do this right as we try to
get acclimated and get a better sense of where we ultimately want to buy a home and start a family, and dare I say it? Settle down. I must say, we picked the absolute perfect place to live. The Ocean House on Prospect is a new building that overlooks the ocean on the famous Prospect St. in the Village of La Jolla. We can walk to all the shops and cafes, meet people walking the dog, and most importantly, walk to the beach. I was told La Jolla is full of retirees, so I was a bit nervous to see what the demographic of our building was going to be like. Fortunately, many of the residents are just like us; young professionals, most with dogs, transitioning to a new place. After the first week of meeting everyone, it is clear; we are in our own little “Melrose Place”. Reality show anyone?
I can’t tell you that it is an easy, seamless change. Southern California really is dramatically different than Northern California. Sure the scenery is different, it’s warmer by about 20 degrees and the sun is always shinning. But the whole vibe and way of life is different too. It is more laid back than I could have ever imagined. Even in fancy La Jolla. People walk around with no shoes on for starters. OK, fine, I get it; we have some of the best surf breaks in all of the US and people are crossing the street with board under arm, ready to literally just jump in the water. But to get out of your car with no shoes on, to then walk down Girard Ave. to get to your yoga class? Really? Not even flip flops? OK, that little bit of the Northern Cali / New Englander in me may stay forever. I’m OK with that. It’s just another nuance that makes this place unique.
Now, in terms of my world of fitness and Pilates. Just as you would imagine, people here are very much into fitness and health and most importantly, looking good. With that said, there are small boutique studios and gyms on every block, sometimes multiple on a block. I can’t keep up with them all. I’ve tried several, not just to potentially teach at, but to work out at myself, and to be 100% honest, none have blown me away. It is the weirdest phenomenon. More on that to come in a future post.
With hundreds of fitness studios around, naturally there also has to be juice bars and cafes. And that there are. Juice, acai bowls, smoothies, super foods and boosters oh my! I love it. I can go to a different juice bar every day. So far, and I do have a lot of testing to do, but the best acai bowl comes from Nekter Juice Bar. The best smoothie comes from Juice Crafters. Again, another blog post with my absolute winners to come soon when I get through them all.
Most people come to La Jolla to visit the famous La Jolla Cove and see the sea lions. It is a daily walk for
us now, which is awesome. Minus the horrific smell. However, one afternoon we decide to go snorkeling in the Cove. We joined all the tourists and jumped in. I was surprisingly shocked at what we were seeing. Bright colored fish and coral. Luckily, no hammerheads. Pretty damn cool. Just steer clear of the sea lions. They really are everywhere, and although they are used to humans, please, do not try to pet them. They will bite you.
Beaches. Oh, the beaches. So many beaches. My happy place. I have realized that I can never live some place landlocked. It has a calming power, like nothing else. After contemplating getting the ocean view or street view apartment, we decided to splurge the extra money every month to see the ocean 24/7. Best decision ever. Especially because when we do buy a house, the chances of us having an ocean view are slim. My favorite part is that when I am in the kitchen preparing dinner or washing dishes, I look up and see the ocean. I also strategically put our big mirror on a wall in our bedroom so that when I am getting ready, I look in it and see the ocean behind me. So, back to the beaches. My favorite beach so far, is the Del Mar Dog Beach. Yes, of course it is because Paya can come with us. It doesn’t feel right going to the beach without her. Not only is the Del Mar Beach my favorite because of the abundance of dogs, but because the ocean is calm enough on this beach to swim and not get plummeted by crashing waves. They also host the annual Dog Surf Competition. Paya is in full training mode.
I have to pinch myself when I remember that I live here and am starting a life here. Next year, Equinox will be opening their first club in San Diego where I have accepted my position again as Pilates Coordinator. Nothing like Equinox exists down here, and we are going to blow San Diego away. I cannot wait to get back into the swing of teaching and build up my business, creating a name for myself in the Southern California community.
