I went to San Diego for a music festival so I didn’t have a lot of spare time to explore the whole city. I would have loved to check out the zoo and other attractions, but that will have to wait until I make it back.
From checking in to the hotel to checking in for the flight home, this stay was phenomenally fun! Chanston and I had good food and a great time. I don’t have an extensive list of places to check out since we spent most of the time at the festival, but there are a few worth mentioning.
Where To Stay
Hilton Gaslamp Quarter
At first, we were going to try to make this a day trip where we flew in and flew out on the same day, but when we saw how late the last performance we wanted to see was going on we decided to stay for two nights to experience a full day at the festival. We wanted to stay close to the venue so we could walk to and from it without having to fuss with getting an Uber with surge pricing.
I checked to see what hotels fit that criteria and that I could book with points and the Hilton Gaslamp Quarter was the best option. The lobby is cute and has that signature Hilton scent that smells like white tea and good customer service. The elevators are fast and require your room key to move so randos can’t walk off the street and get to the guest rooms. The staff was helpful and went above and beyond to check in on how our stay was going. I haven’t stayed at a Hilton property in a while so it’s possible that the text messages from the concierge have been a thing, but it was a nice touch.
We got a King room with a view of the San Diego Convention Center which was nice to look at. I only have two complaints which aren’t really complaints. I wish the mattress was softer, but I’m spoiled by my Casper. I don’t expect the best mattress ever from a 4-star hotel, but I’ve had nicer. I also wish the lighting was better by the full-length mirror so the outfit selfies would be better lit. Overall, it was a great stay. The level of customer service more than made up for the dim outfit selfies.
Where To Eat & Drink
La Puerta
We were pretty hungry when we arrived at our hotel. It was an hour past dinner time at home so we were beyond ready to eat. The concierge suggested this spot since it was a two-block walk away so we changed clothes and went. We had a short wait for a table but it was 100% worth it.
I could smell the delicious food as we were walking up and knew we were in for a treat. The queso fundido was deliciously salty, the street tacos were scrumptious and the Low Rider Margarita was perfect!
The Cookie Plug
Never one to pass on dessert, Chanston asked about a good place to get cookies and this place came up. It was also super close to the hotel so we stopped by before heading back.
Get a dozen of the smaller ones to split. Every single one of them was good. We were too full to eat them on Friday night, but we ate 4 on Saturday night after we had dinner at the hotel restaurant, 4 on the plane the next day, and the last 4 while we watched The Last of Us on Sunday after we finished unpacking. I think the sugar cookie was my favorite. It’s covered in sprinkles so it’s a nice difference in texture.
This place is a franchise similar to Insomnia Cookies so there might be one in your city.
Golchild Coffee
When we woke up on Saturday we wanted to get some good coffee. This place had a 5-star rating and more than 200 reviews so we knew it had to be good. It’s on the Westgate Hotel property which is more than 10 blocks away from the Hilton. We said that’s too far to walk first thing in the morning with no coffee so we called an Uber.
This coffee was so good we went twice! Their take on a cinnamon bun was a perfect balance of sweetness with the spiciness of cinnamon. Great music, a great vibe, and the nicest staff. 10/10 recommend stopping by.
What I Did
Wonderfront Music Festival
This music festival will always be smaller than the more popular ones simply because of its location. It’s on a man-made peninsula in the bay so there are only so many people that will fit. You won’t see huge acts here because that would either be dangerous or the tickets would be prohibitively high-priced, but you have an up-and-comer you’d like to see or hear some good music from acts you haven’t heard of it a great festival.
The VIP tickets are worth it. You get the best view of the performances and don’t have to jockey to hold down a good spot for hours. You can easily come and go from the festival as you please knowing that you’ll always have a good view of the performances.
Finally, there is no camping required to attend. Like, it’s not even an option. You stay at nearby hotels or in a short-term rental. As much as I’d like to go to other festivals, camping isn’t something I’m willing to do. I enjoy climate control and private bathrooms a little too much for that.
Chase Sapphire Lounge
If you’ll be flying out of San Diego I can’t recommend the Chase Sapphire Lounge enough! I’m not sure of all of the entry requirements, but the ones I know of are having the Chase Sapphire Reserve Card or Priority Pass.
Once you’re in everything is included. Grab some coffee, juice, or a cocktail while you watch planes taxi to and from the gates. Order a made-to-order meal. The interior is divine. The vibe they curated is perfect for a calm start to your flight.
Though we were in the city for a very short amount of time, stayed in a small radius, and were there for a very specific reason, San Diego is a city worth checking out. The food and hospitality were great.
If we make our way back for Wonderfront Music Festival I’d stay at the Marriott Marquis since it’s closer to the venue. The Hilton is a great walkable distance but after hours of standing and dancing a shorter walk to take a shower would be perfect. If you’ve wanted to attend a music festival but aren’t a fan of camping overnight, arriving extremely early to secure a good view of the performances, and paying over $1000 for two VIP tickets, Wonderfront Festival is a great choice. I had a blast and look forward to seeing who is playing next year.
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