Pacific Ocean
Little House on the Ocean. February 2015. San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
I am back home in San Diego for the holidays and one stop I like to make is at the historic Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach. These Cape Cod style cottages sit on the pier for visitors to rent for a stay above the Pacific. Crystal Pier was built in the 1920s, followed by these cottages in the 1930s. They are particularly unique because these accomodations are the only one of its kind along the California coast line.
San Diego, Winter Wonderland. February 2015. San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
I never knew what a "real" winter felt like until I moved to the east coast. Growing up in San Diego was a dream. The days average about 70F/21C and, being a desert city, the evenings can dip pretty low, but never ever below 32F/0C. San Diego has an average of nearly 3000 hours of sunshine per year so even when it is cold and crisp, the sun is typically shining.
I took this photo during a visit in February. While the east coast is bracing for snow storms, this southwest corner oasis looks like this. In fact, the chilliest part of of San Diego may be the Pacific Ocean*.
Pictured here is a pier on Scripps Beach that is located next to the UCSD Scripps Institution of Oceanography campus in north La Jolla. The pier is closed to the public, but the beach is not. Scripps Beach is quieter than its southern sister La Jolla Shores so if you are looking for a beach that is more peaceful and one that locals retreat to, Scripps is a good place to go.
*In fact, let's hope it stays this way. Donald Trump, climate change is not a hoax.