Ventura Highway to California - Part 1

*This a two-part post. My weekend in San Diego was like no other. I seriously need to


let you guys know of all the memorable moments that went down! 





Just recently got back from a long weekend in San Diego, California, and I can say
without a doubt, it was one of the best vacations I have ever been on. I was
able to really see how some residents of California get to live, and no wonder
so many people love it there. Before I go into any detail about the trip, the
one thing that my friend I visited in SD mentioned that really changed my
perspective on how I could live was, "I'm on a permanent vacation out
here." Permanent vacation? At our age? That sounded insane to me, but if
that's how he's living, I might need to get my ass to California.




My trip started right after work Thursday night. I headed to the airport with a
packed school bag with clothes to sell to Round Two, and a weekender duffel
bag. I couldn't have been more relieved stepping into the airport to take some
time off from work to visit my best friend from elementary school, and to just
chill for the first time in a while. Making my way through security, quite
smoothly actually, and to my gate, I found that it was right outside a Four
Peaks brewery. My immediate thought was to really kick off this vacation right
and grab a seat by the bar; and I did so. This was the only bar around this
terminal, so the bar was packed with people grabbing some quick bar food, or a
drink before their flight. I sat between two individuals, set my bags in a nice
secure spot surrounding my chair, and ordered the most expensive Moscow Mule I
have ever purchased. I brought a new book along with me on this trip as well
and had been very excited to start it; Shoe Dog by Phil Knight -- a memoir by
the creator of Nike. I don't want to give anything away, but just the first 15
pages or so that I read at the bar were amazing. He talks about his "Crazy
Idea" (assuming it's Nike. I haven't finished the book yet), and how he
wants to travel the world seeking wisdom and guidance through it. Something
honestly quite inspiring and what I want to do personally. I had about 2.5
hours until my flight, so I had a lot of downtime to relax, and a lot of time
to drink a few beers. Throughout the whole trip, I got a chance to sit and
speak with a lot of strangers. At this point in my life, I'm not afraid of
speaking out in a situation with a stranger. I’m comfortable reading how a
person might act and how to approach them fluidly. I sat with a woman at the
bar and we had a chance to talk about our personal lives and where we were off
to on our trips. She told me she was an elementary teacher in Washington state,
I believe, and her past with skiing, having summers off, and what she was doing
when she was my age. She wasn't old. She seemed like a well-off maybe 30-year
old teacher. Very friendly all around. Another instance with a random
individual was when I finally boarded the plane. I sat next to a younger male
who told me that today had been his first time flying, but he had been flying
layover to layover all day. This was his third flight. He was in his mid-30’s
and said he had been to every state in the US with the work field he was in;
truck driving. The flight from Phoenix to San Diego wasn't long at all. The
flight attendant only came through once during the flight to see if we wanted
anything to drink. I was already feeling pretty good after the Moscow Mule and
the beers from the bar, so why not for a cocktail. Can you blame me? Vacation
mode was in full swing. In most cases, any cocktail on a flight isn't free, but
when I asked for a Jack and Coke, the flight attendant just handed one to me
without question. The truck driver had one as well. The interesting part to
this flight was not only did we get a free cocktail, but while the flight
attendant was helping the opposing side of the aisle, the truck driver asked me
if we could get an extra nip of Jack. I wasn't opposed to the idea at all. We
both casually asked the flight attendant for one more nip, and again, without
question, handed us another nip of Jack. A few minutes after we finished our
very strong cocktails, my flight landed in San Diego, and I made my way outside
to meet up with my friend. 


It was dark in San Diego by the time I landed. Around 9.30 pm. I met my friend at



the airport vehicle pickup, and his apartment building was about a 15-minute
drive from the airport; ideal. As we made our way to his apartment, we passed
by San Diego Bay, or Mission Bay. I forget now, but just the glance at all the
sail boats and yachts right off the Pacific Ocean was mind boggling. We haven't
even made it to his apartment yet, and I was baffled at the view. A calm ocean
with only a few boats out late at night was peaceful to me. I would find myself
lounging on a boat late at night with a loved, one drinking white wines and
reminiscing about the past and speaking on future endeavors with each other
until the sun began to rise……
So…


This friend that I had visited was my best friend since we started school. Started


as in preschool. We went to a small Christian elementary/middle school from
preschool to eighth grade and have always been super close. Staying over each
other’s houses, played with the same toys (Dragonball Z, stuffed animals,
Legos, Bionicle’s, Nerf guns, and countless others), little league basketball,
and just about everything in between from those time ranges. After 8th grade,
we obviously made our way to high school. My friend went to the private high
school in my hometown due to the fact he was very skilled in lacrosse and went
to play for the school. I also got accepted into the private high school but
received little to no scholarship for the tuition. I was devastated to be
honest. I had only known private school my whole life and knowing I couldn’t
afford to go to that high school paying out of pocket, I had to resort to the
public school. It was a big culture shock for sure. Getting to wear whatever
you wanted each day, different types of teenagers all over the spectrum: jocks,
hicks, nerds, greaseballs. Freshman year was tough to say the least, but after
the adjustment, I had an amazing four years of high school and am glad I got to
participate in the public-school system. But back to my friend, during high
school I’d say we were the most distant. Not in a bad way, but we just clearly
went to different schools, and made different friends. We still stay connected
randomly throughout those four years. Facebook here and there, Xbox 360 Live
occasionally, but as far as I can remember, we never hung out in person.





Four years of high school came and went, and our next moves were to university. He
went to school in Boston, and I went to UNH obviously. Again, small talk with
each other throughout that time. After both of our first years at school, we
did what most college students did during summer break: work a summer job. I
had been hired as a dish washer at a grille and cafe right in the middle of my
town. I worked with an awesome group of people that summer. Everyone was around
my age, and we got along great. Come to realize a week after I got hired, my
friend from elementary school showed up and he was also hired! That was an
awesome summer to say the least. We got to really reconnect for the first time
in four years and things hadn't changed a bit. 


After that summer, we both went back to school, and found new jobs the following



summer after that. Again, distant, but still in contact every now and then. The
reason I'm explaining all this history, is that it can be hard for two people
that became best friends in preschool and have stayed close through distance
and age for so long. It's mind blowing in my opinion that some friends can stay
connected for such a long time and we can still plan a trip to visit each
other. I know there are so many instances where a long-term friendship can
exist, but I'm happy that I'm a part of one.





Back to the trip though, we finally made it to my friend's apartment and the complex
was gorgeous. He had a nice, one bedroom/bathroom place with a connected
kitchen and living room. It’s just him, his girlfriend, and his newly adopted
French Bulldog puppy. He also had an awesome balcony from his floor with a
fantastic view of North Park, and his resort-type pool area for residents. I
had only been on the drive from the airport to his apartment, in the dark, and
was loving every second of it. 





I'm going to leave this post here and pick up on everything we did in California on
my next post. This will be a nice prologue to the real trip that I embarked on.


Been listening to a ton of 70s & 80s music recently. I just made a new playlist


on Spotify that I'll share here for you guys to listen to. More Doors (of
course), Fleetwood Mac, Billy Idol, Hall & Oates, and a bunch of classics
that you can't deny loving.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6rqhLSV8ZcQuexsnntMqMJ









Until
next time!


David