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You can’t help but feel the French vibe pulsing from the boutiques, bistros, and galleries while strolling through this romantic, pedestrian-friendly village and after a few days, your cravings for Coq au Vin, chocolate croissants and cool, Mediterranean breezes will have been satisfied.
So, maybe it’s not France, but until the dollar rebounds, you can bask in all the culture your little, Francophile heart desires in La Jolla. Tres Bien!
Friday-Settling In and Taking in the View
Depending on your budget, there are good options for accommodations all within the village. For the ultimate splurge, stay at the La Valencia Hotel with its sweeping, ocean views and Mediterranean décor. It’s pricey, but think of the money you saved not flying to France. If you prefer a smaller, boutique hotel, then check into the sleek, Hotel Parisi. This twenty-suite hotel is located across from La Valencia, in the heart of the village. The Bed & Breakfast Inn at La Jolla has a European ambiance and was the family home of American composer and conductor, John Philip Sousa in the 1920s.
To begin your weekend, stop at the La Jolla Visitor Center (7966 Herschel Ave.) for a map and be sure to inquire about any discount coupons available. Then, take a walk down Girard Ave. until it turns into Coast Lane, to Ellen Scripps Browning Park and enjoy the view from the cliffs. It’s a popular stroll for tourists and locals and provides great views of scuba divers and hearty swimmers in the surf below. Continue north on Coast Blvd. until you come to the Cave Store, where you can explore the man-made, Sunny Jim Cave. To the left of the store is the Coast Walk Trail, an historical landmark in San Diego. This easy, dirt trail cuts a path beneath cliff-dwelling, multi-million-dollar homes and viewing platforms overlooking kayakers below.
This area is known as Goldfish Point and the Goldfish Point Café across the street from the Cave Store makes a good stop for a cappuccino or latte. Don’t be surprised to find a handful of orange goldfish crackers on your saucer.
For a casual French dinner, dine early (until 8 p.m.) and inexpensively at Girard Gourmet. This European bakery and deli serves up fresh-baked goods, plated entrees and specialty cheeses and meats and has been a favorite hangout in La Jolla for close to twenty years. Enjoy hot comfort food like Beef Burgundy, lamb stew, roast duck, or rosemary chicken for about eight dollars.
After dinner, walk along Prospect Avenue, Coast Boulevard or enjoy a nightcap at George’s Bar for a panoramic, ocean view at night.
Saturday-Paddle, Peddle, Picnic or Soar!
Start your day with breakfast (you’ll need it) and a breathtaking view at Blu Wave Mediterranean Kitchen on Girard Ave. The breakfast menu offers typical breakfast fare like omelets, pancakes, and French toast from eight dollars to fourteen dollars.
After fortifying yourself for a day of action, decide how adventurous you feel and head north for La Jolla Shores or the rugged cliffs of Torrey Pines. A rental car is the best way for getting around today.
For a sea-level look at La Jolla’s caves, rent a kayak and paddle through the sculpted, sandstone caverns and float through La Jolla’s Ecological Reserve. Hike Bike Kayak, San Diego located at La Jolla Shores, about a ten-minute drive from the village. There, you can rent kayaks, snorkeling gear and bikes. If peddling is more your speed, then hop on a bike (like the French so often do) and cruise La Jolla’s coastal bike paths and neighborhoods on the La Jolla Coastal Bike Tour.
La Jolla Shores offers a mile-long swath of sandy beach and a grassy area, perfect for picnicking. The Cheese Shop (2165 Avenida de la Playa), makes great to-go sandwiches for a lunch at the beach. Sunset is an ideal time to soar to new heights on an exhilarating, thirty-minute, tandem flight with a certified and highly-experienced hang gliding or paragliding instructor. Launch from scenic, sandstone cliffs towering above Torrey Pines State Beach and get a bird’s-eye view of the ocean and Torrey Pines Golf Course, site of the 2008 U.S. Open golf tournament.
The Torrey Pines Gliderport is about a fifteen-minute drive from the village of La Jolla. (No reservations required but call ahead to inquire about wind conditions, 858-452-9858.)
Back in the village, enjoy a romantic dinner at Tapenade Provençal Restaurant on Fay Avenue. Chef Jean-Michel Diot creates French culinary favorites like escargot, filet au poivre and raviolis aux champignons.
Sunday-A Passion for Fashion and Art
On your final morning, toast the weekend with champagne brunch at La Valencia’s Mediterranean Room and Tropical Patio. Brunch is served from 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the price for adults is $49, plus tax and gratuity. Reservations are recommended.
After brunch, walk south on Prospect Street to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, and stroll its outdoor garden for a view of French artist, Niki de Saint Phalles’ fanciful, Big Ganesh sculpture. This wildly-colorful, elephant-like sculpture is de Saint Phalle’s eleven-foot version of the Hindu god of good fortune and wisdom. De Saint Phalle was a resident of La Jolla until her death in 2002. Guided tours are offered Sundays at 2 p.m. Spend the rest of your day browsing the boutiques and galleries in the village.
A fashionable place to begin is at the corner of Silverado Street and Girard Avenue at la donna, (937 Silverado St.). This boutique specializes in discount, designer fashions from Vivienne, Armani and other Paris runway favorites. If you left the little ones at home, ease your guilt with a gift for them from Pout, with fashions for newborns to tweens. (935 Silverado St.) Here, you’ll find clothes, shoes and accessories from designers like Belle Aime, Deux Par Deux, Fleurville and Oi Oi.
The ultimate Parisian accessory is, of course, a dog and at Muttropolis, on Girard Avenue, you’ll be amazed at the haute couture for canines. One entire wall is dedicated to a display of pet carriers in hot pink nylon, chocolate-brown suede, creamy linen and soft leathers, all of which could rival any Hermes Birkin. Look for the Chewy Vuiton, Dog Perignon, and Chewnel Pawfume-Paris chew toys.
Just a couple doors down from Muttropolis is My Place-my recommendation for an afternoon beverage and snack, (7777 Girard Ave). Enjoy people watching along chic, Girard Avenue while dining at sidewalk bistro tables and share a plate of pommes frites.
Head west, back to Prospect Street and visit Francesca’s Collections, (1025 Prospect St.) and you’ll swear you’ve stumbled across a bohemian market in Paris’ Latin Quarter. Francesca’s displays hundreds of brightly colored, beaded bracelets, earrings, necklaces and faux stone rings, alongside scented lotions, sequined t-shirts, clutch purses, note cards, and other novelty gifts.
Before heading home, take one last stroll along the coastal walk or lounge on the grass in Scripps Park and savor the French impressions made on your weekend.
Try to hang on to that joie de vivre for as long as you can.
This article was originally featured on DivineCaroline.com in November 2008. Reproduced with permission.
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