Day 19 and 20 - San Diego, CA

Sometimes you wonder what you did right to be in the place you are in. Well, now is one of those moments. As I write this blog, I am sitting about 30 feet from the Pacific Ocean in San Clemente, California, listening to the waves and looking at the moon. Combine that with a Sierra Nevada and some music from Daniel and in this moment, life is truly good. Having moments like this just makes me remember how lucky I am to be here and to have the opportunity to put these experiences into prose. So here we go . . . .

Day 19 and 20 – San Diego, California

Ahh, California. You always see the movies and hear the songs that talk about the “California Soul” but to be here and experience it (especially during the summer) is a completely different thing. That feeling that all those singers and actors try to get across is here and I’m in the thick of it. It’s hard to describe. From an East Coast perspective it’s a “let-your-hair-down” and grab a beer attitude all day everyday. Everyone loves to have a good time, all the women are beautiful, the Mexican food is authentic and delicious, pot is pretty much legal, and the beach is always close by. What’s not to love?? This mindset slapped us in the face the minute we got into San Diego.

From the first looks of things, I did not see a difference between San Diego and say, Myrtle Beach. Both are beach based economies, a little dirty and all the shops sell oversized beach towels. Boy, was I wrong. After getting some tasty Mexican food at a local taco shop, Daniel and I met up with Scott Woodruff (aka Stick Figure), who I used to live with in Argentina. Scott and I recorded some music while we were living in Mendoza, and it had been 2 years since I’d seen him! Since he has become a pretty famous Reggae artist and is now working on his third album. He moved to San Diego just a few months ago and Daniel and I met up with him and his friends while they were hanging on the beach. We caught up about all the people we hung out with in Mendoza and played with his dog Ollie (who he brought back with him from Mendoza, no less). It was wonderful to catch up and to think back to all the good times had in that town. Sign number one I need to get back there.

After meeting Scott, Daniel and I hung out on Garnet St. in Mission Beach. It was a cool area with lots cool shops and bookstores. We then went to meet with Brandon, the guy we were couch surfing with for the evening. As soon as we walked into the apartment, Brandon hit us with his in-your-face personality. Within 5 minutes of being there, he was telling us about his lost love in Philadelphia and about how he would be moving to Buenos Aires in September to teach English. Sign number two I need to get back down there. We talked for a long time about the basics of traveling to Argentina, my experiences there, and things to look out for while there.

We hung out for a while at Brandon’s, talked with his roommates, and even listened to some live Kenny Garrett (did not see that one coming from these California surfers!!). Not too shabby.

After that, we headed down to Henry’s food market on Garnet to get some dinner, of a muffin, some granola and a half-pound of vinegary veggie salad. Sounds scrumptious hun? The California attitude was everywhere in this place. From the copius local vegetables to the laid back cashiers, Henry’s had the vibe.

Daniel and I found Scott’s apartment and kicked it with him and his friends for a while before heading back to sleep for the next day.

After a nice sleep at Brandon’s (who we never saw after our first meeting . . .), we started to plan our day. It happened around Mexican food.

Being from the South you always hear about “real” Mexican food. I always felt a little cheated inside knowing that everything I ate on the East Coast not authentic Mexican, but nonetheless I always enjoyed it. On talking to folks about the trip before-hand, everyone said, “Be sure to have the Mexican food in California.” So, having this larger-than-life idea of what “true” Mexican food is, and being 15 minutes from the Mexican border in San Diego, I thought we should venture out to find the real stuff. So I Googled (creatively) “best Mexican+San Diego” and after reading some reviews, I found the spot. Las Cuatro Milapas was going to be the holy grail of Mexican food. The restaurant was located in a part of San Diego called Barrio Logan, so we showered and headed that way.

One of my loves is Latino culture. The music, the language, the importance of family, and the light approach to life all ring within me and upon arriving in Barrio Logan, we found that the neighborhood was important in the local Latino culture. It is the home of Chicano Park, a piece of land under the freeways taken over by Mexican students and protestors from the city of San Diego in 1970, and a cultural center for those still wanting to connect with their mostly Aztlan roots. We met some Aztlan ladies there who showed us traditional dances and rhythms that they congregate to practice together. The dances were beautiful and there were 3 generations of Aztlans doing this was inspiring to see. Witnessing the practices after lunch made the Ethnomusicologist within me elated and I could have watched them dance and drum all day.

After the lesson and talk with the women, it was off to Las Cuatro Milpas. Oh my god. Eating their beans, rice, and tortillas was unbelievable. It was once of those meals where there is just nothing to say afterwards and you sit in awe of what you just consumed. With a smile on my face, I knew how real Mexican is supposed to taste.

We then headed down to Ocean Beach to see Scott and his band play at a street Festival, which was nice. They had just started playing together and sounded tight. Good to see Scott was now playing his music with a group.

After the Festival, it was off to LA. . . .