Last weekend I was in the Little Italy district of San Diego for my Stepsister Janelle’s wedding!
Anyway, we arrived Friday night, and stayed at a little hotel that was a block away from the main street. What an experience!
Breakfast Saturday morning was at Influx Café with my Mom and Stepdad, Gary. I had an open-faced Lox bagel with a Mexican mocha. I was impressed by this little open-air café, that felt very green with it’s recycled wood benches, cement floor and succulent plants on the tables. They catered a lot to the foot-traffic crowd, and nonetheless, a LOT of dogs passed through. Normally, dogs mixed with restaurants would bother me, but I was impressed with how they catered to the companion animals and still managed to have a full-service café. Needless to say, I came back a second time that day for a Lavender Italian soda (to DIE for!) and another Lox bagel for Kurt.
After breakfast, we were pleasantly surprised to find there was a Farmer’s Market going on the next street over.
Here’s the thing about me and Farmer’s Markets, I can NOT resist. There is something about open-air markets, cooking food and community that just makes me melt. I work within walking distance of the Covina Farmer’s market and I visit almost every week. I LOVE farmer’s markets!
Sunflowers and the back of my mom’s head.
Vegetables!
One of the coolest booths was definitely the live Sea Urchins. ^Chile peppers.
Apples and…
My first experience with Prickly Pears! Kurt joked that my curiosity comes from the Jungle Book.
And that was just my morning!
After retreating to our hotel room for some relaxation, I chose to venture back out for an authentic Italian lunch!
How bad did I want Gelato, but ended up with a PRETTY delicious cannoli instead!
(Not pictured was the awesome Caprese sandwich with mozzarella and basil, but I ate it too quickly, and I refuse to post pictures of half-eaten food!)
AND…COFFEE! 
Don’t even get me STARTED on the beauty of true Italian espresso! HOLY COW!
I was in HEAVEN! I usually put a whole bunch of stuff in my mistos at Starbucks, but this was some drink I could not pronounce (Caffè Shakerato), it was basically espresso, sugar and ice. I sipped it slowly as I made my second round through the Farmer’s Market on the way back to the hotel. Definitely something I will be ordering again if I get the chance!
Anyway, here’s a small collage of the rest of my journey to Little Italy (I took a LOT of pictures!)
Little shops and cafés. 
Some cool architecture
This picture was on the side of the Art Store (that I could have LIVED in!)
”Mom, I’m going to quit my job at the hospital, move to San Diego and become an artist!”
”Okay, Holly, whatever.” LOL!
Rooftop couple-y pictures! (Eeek to my hair!)
And at the wedding!
Anyway, it was a beautiful weekend full of culture and surprises, and I feel very fortunate to have such an awesome family (and now extended family!). I had a BLAST!
I love San Diego!
<3 Holly Jo
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