Thursday 2nd April

Another late-ish start to the day after the jollities of last night, when we were up we found a place to eat called Karl Strauss Brewing Company, also a brewpub. It was a little trendy but on just the right side of it. I had my first taste of Ahi steak, seared tuna which is basically raw, which I liked more than I thought I would. We drove out to have a look at the Hotel Del Coronado where Some Like It Hot was filmed, but with the expense of parking just as a visitor we decided we weren’t too fussed about going in. We then took a drive out to Ocean Beach, our final bit of time with the coastline. It is quite a strange place, the more bohemian of the beaches in San Diego with a mix of hippy and skater types. It should have been really cool but somehow felt quite insular, if not hostile. As Greg commented, it is probably to do with the fact that it is so close to a city, a city that already has an interesting mix of military retirees and young hipsters. It felt very different to Arcata, which seemed much friendlier and less showier. We walked out onto the pier, which I believe is the longest one on the West Coast, and saw plenty of surfers. We actually saw a pair of dolphins moving in towards the beach which was quite exciting, I don’t think I had ever seen dolphins in the wild before.
After getting back to the hotel and emptying out the car, we headed out for our final meal and few drinks in America. We went back to Karl Strauss and opted for their suggested combo of Double IPA (very strong!) and Shrimp and Andouille Lollipops, which was excellent. And being the creatures of habit that we are, we went back to Rock Bottom for some more of their great Sunset Stout and the final wedge of Triple Chocolate Stout Cheesecake. We got friendly with the barman and he gave us our beers on the house, and also a creation of his own involving Goldschlager, Jagermeister, Blue Curacao and Rockstar energy drink. He calls it the Time Traveller as apparently after a few of those, the name is realised. We piled on the pressure by asking him for the perfect place in San Diego to have our final drink of the trip, and he suggested a rooftop bar called Altitude. We took a bicycle taxi there, the guy transporting us played in a band that was planning on visiting the UK, and the journey ended up being on the house yet again. The bar was atop the Marriott on the 22nd floor, and the views were amazing, looking out over the city, the baseball stadium and the bay. It was indeed a great way to finish off our final night.