If you are looking for the perfect blend of ocean views, vibrant nightlife, exceptional food, and relaxed beachside energy, Del Mar Plaza needs to be at the top of your list. Perched right in the heart of Del Mar, and just a few minutes’ walk from Sea Grove Park, Powerhouse Park, and the beach, this open-air shopping and dining center captures the best of coastal San Diego living.
Here is everything you need to know to make the most of your visit, whether you are stopping by for a quiet morning coffee or hitting the rooftop for an evening out.
1. Rooftop Live Music & Ocean Views
The top-deck ocean views at Del Mar Plaza are unmatched, making it one of the premier spots in North County for sunset drinks and live entertainment.
Rooftop Deck Music: Catch live music performances directly on the main ocean-view deck every Thursday and Saturday.
Monarch Ocean Pub: For mid-week and weekend music, Monarch hosts live performances on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. It boasts sweeping Pacific views, great cocktails, and a lively crowd. If you ask locals where to go for a vibrant 40+ or 50+ social scene, Monarch is always at the top of the list. While you will occasionally see a younger crowd, the demographic leans age-appropriate for those of us in this middle stage of life. I was also pleasantly surprised to see several very attractive men – take note, ladies. 😉
2. World-Class Treats & Purpose-Driven Coffee
Del Mar Plaza hosts a mix of upscale restaurants, casual bites, and local markets, but two spots deserve special mention:
Coming Soon: The insanely popular cafe brand La La Land Cafe (famous in LA and beyond for its signature yellow cups and “drive-by kindness” campaign) is opening at Del Mar Plaza. Beyond great coffee, La La Land’s core mission is providing job training, mentorship, and paid internships for youth aging out of the foster care system—a phenomenal initiative to support.
3. The Ultimate Saturday Morning Routine: Kini Coffee
While waiting for La La Land to open its doors, your morning stop should be Kini Coffee, a charming coffee cart parked right in the plaza.
The Pick: Grab an iced vanilla latte—it is easily one of the best around.
Pro Tip on Hours: Check Google Maps for their opening hours rather than their website, as local cart hours can vary (they typically open at 9:00 AM).
The Vibe: Grab your brew right at 9:00 AM on a Saturday, head up to the rooftop deck, snag a cozy couch under an umbrella, and enjoy a quiet chapter of your book. During the summer, the quiet peacefulness lasts until about 10:00 AM before the weekend energy picks up.
4. More to Explore in the Plaza
Beyond music and coffee, Del Mar Plaza is home to a balanced ecosystem of wellness and local shopping:
Fitness & Wellness: Drop in for a class at the local yoga or pilates studio, or get a mani and pedi.
Boutiques: Check out the new bookstore, or market, or find your next statement piece at the jewelry store.
Food: From artisanal bakeries to Mexican or Italian food, Japanese or breakfast, you can find something for just about any craving.
Event Calendar: Always check the official Del Mar Plaza website before visiting—they maintain an updated schedule of weekly happy hours, live music lineups, and seasonal community events.
5. Logistics: Parking & Beach Access
Parking Warning: There is an underground parking garage on-site, that is free for the first hour, but the spots are notoriously tight. If you drive a large SUV or truck, you may want to save yourself the stress, and opt for street parking nearby or use a rideshare.
Beach Proximity: Planning a full day out? The plaza is just a quick 2-to-3-minute walk down to Sea Grove Park and Del Mar City Beach, making it easy to pair a morning beach walk with an afternoon gelato or evening cocktails.
Have you visited Del Mar Plaza recently, or do you have a favorite business to visit there?
If you visit San Diego, someone is bound to tell you to hike Torrey Pines. And they are absolutely right—you should. The sweeping ocean views, the rugged cliffs, and the iconic coastal chaparral make it an amazing, quintessential Southern California experience.
But there is a catch: everyone else knows it’s amazing, too.
Very few people will ever tell you to hike the Torrey Pines Extension. In fact, most tourists – and even many locals – don’t even know it exists. Located just inland from North Torrey Pines Beach, separated from the main reserve by the Los Peñasquitos Lagoon, this smaller, quieter pocket of wilderness is an absolute hidden gem.
Before we dive into my favorite route through the Extension, it helps to understand why this land is so incredibly special.
The Rarest Pine in North America
To appreciate the Extension, you have to know a little bit about the tree that gives the area its name. The Torrey Pine (Pinus torreyana) is the rarest pine tree in North America. Today, it grows naturally in only two places on Earth: right here on the San Diego coast, and on Santa Rosa Island off the coast of Santa Barbara.
These gnarly, wind-sculpted trees are a living relic of the Ice Age. Thousands of years ago, the climate here was cooler and wetter, and Torrey Pines thrived. As the region transformed into a dry desert ecosystem, the pines died off, surviving only in this specific microclimate where the coastal fog provides just enough moisture to keep them alive.
In the early 1900s, philanthropists like Ellen Browning Scripps and visionary locals like Guy Fleming realized this rare forest was at risk of being completely wiped out by development. Thanks to their massive conservation efforts, the main Torrey Pines City Park was protected (eventually becoming a State Natural Reserve in 1959).
But what about the Extension? In the late 1960s, a pristine grove of Torrey Pines across the lagoon was slated to be bulldozed for residential housing. A grassroots group of passionate locals banded together, raised millions of dollars, and partnered with the state to purchase the land, permanently saving what we now know as the Torrey Pines Extension.
Hiking the Extension: A 3-Mile Hidden Loop
Because it’s tucked away behind a residential area, the Extension sees a fraction of the foot traffic of the main reserve. You get the same dramatic sandstone landscapes, the same rare trees, and the same stunning ocean vistas, but with an immense sense of peace and quiet.
I had hiked the Torrey Pines Extension once about two years ago and absolutely loved it. However, because dogs aren’t allowed on the trail, it fell off my regular rotation. Now, with Pisco gone, returning here finally found its way back onto my to-do list—and it was every bit as special as I remembered.
I’m especially a fan of going in the spring when the trails burst with colorful native wildflowers, but I just hiked it recently and can confirm: it is beautiful year-round.
There are basically 2 main trails in the Extension, and each one is an out-and-back, but I found a way to connect them so I didn’t have to go out-and-back on one and then out-and-back on the other.
Here is a breakdown of the 3-mile loop I took (see the route map at the bottom of this post!):
The Ascent: The hike starts with a good, heart-pumping uphill climb. You’re immediately surrounded by beautifully rugged landscape, winding through the unique sandstone formations and chaparral.
The Neighborhood Views: As you crest the hill, you’ll come out into a beautiful, quiet Del Mar neighborhood. I’m always a fan of walking through neighborhoods like this because the houses are fun to look at. And this route did not disappoint.
The Best Elementary School in the World? One of the most interesting parts of this specific route is that it takes you right past Del Mar Heights Elementary School. Their baseball field and grassy recess space look directly out over the Pacific Ocean. Can you imagine going to a school like that? It has to be the most scenic playground in the state.
Hidden Parking and View: The best part of this hike, in my opinion, was actually a surprise to me. At the top of the other trail, the one we were heading back down on, there is a parking area with killer views. This is a great secret spot for watching sunsets! (Shhh….don’t tell anyone.)
The Overlook: After heading back down into the canyon, we took a final detour back up to an overlook on the left-hand side of the trail. There is a strategically placed bench waiting for you at the top. It is the perfect spot to sit, catch your breath, and enjoy a few minutes of well-deserved rest while staring out at the water.
Know Before You Go
Location: The main trailheads for the Extension are located off Del Mar Scenic Parkway and Mira Montana Drive.
Leave No Trace: Just like the main reserve, this is a protected habitat. Stay on the marked trails to protect the shallow roots of the Torrey Pines, and remember that no dogs or food are allowed on the trails.
Be Snake Aware: Like everywhere in San Diego, you might encounter a rattlesnake. On a previous visit, a hiker heading down warned us they had just passed one on the trail. We didn’t end up seeing it, but it was a good reminder that they’re definitely around! Many of the trails are fairly narrow, so wear long pants or tall socks to protect against brush (and snakes!), and keep a lookout while you hike.
The Route: Check out my map below for the exact 3-mile loop we took!
Have you ever explored the Torrey Pines Extension, or do you usually stick to the main reserve? Let me know your favorite local trails in the comments!
If you are thinking about moving to an area, driving through it can tell you if a place feels like you, but walking through it is how you truly get to know it. After stumbling across a Google Map detailing Oceanside’s many murals, I decided to create an Oceanside Mural Walk for my Facebook group. It turned out to be a great way to spend a morning, combining vibrant street art, ocean views, unique architecture, and charming neighborhood vibes.
I purposely had us start away from downtown so we could find parking more easily – it is summer after all. Here is the exact route we took, and the highlights you shouldn’t miss!
1. Fuel Up at Plantology Cafe
We started our journey at Plantology Cafe (913 S Coast Hwy), which shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows me. I mean, plants and coffee? The building itself sets the tone for the entire walk: a stunning terracotta façade painted with delicate hummingbirds, climbing monstera leaves, and lush botanical artwork. After grabbing drinks, we hit the sidewalk ready to hunt for murals.
2. Cruising along Coast Highway & The Strand
As we headed toward the coast, we passed retro roadside gems like the iconic 101 Cafe, adorned with a massive “Cruisin’” mural featuring classic hot rods, woodie wagons, and a roller-skating carhop, a perfect throwback to Southern California’s classic beach culture.
From there, we cut down to The Strand to walk right along the ocean. The sound of crashing waves and the crisp Pacific breeze accompanied us as we strolled north. Along the beach road, we spotted this cool modern home that reminds me of a surfboard!
3. Oceanside Pier & The Top Gun House
Continuing along The Strand brings you right to the base of the iconic Oceanside Pier, so of course we had to walk on it. We didn’t go all the way to the end, but it’s a great way to take in sweeping panoramas of the surfers catching waves, palm-lined shores, and the wide sandy beaches that stretch out in either direction.
As we left the pier, I was reminded that the famous Top Gun House (the historic 1887 Graves House featured in the 1986 film) is right there. It’s a gorgeous piece of preserved Victorian architecture sitting right against the modern backdrop of coastal hotels. Today, the house has been turned into an An’s gelato shop with an airport boarding area theme called An’s Gate D5. We didn’t get any gelato, but if you’re in the area, you should, since it’s been voted the best ice cream in the country.
This was taken when Pisco and I went to explore Oceanside to get content for my YouTube video about the neighborhood.
4. Downtown & Artist Alley
After taking in the ocean views, we looped back inland into the heart of downtown Oceanside to see the civic center fountains which I always enjoy. A highlight of downtown for art lovers is Artist Alley, which is a pedestrian lane tucked behind some shops on North Coast Highway that functions as an open-air gallery. Every surface here tells a story. They also have events there, such as makers markets and First Friday Art Walk here May through September which you can learn more about on their IG.
This is made of glass. It was my favorite art of the day.
5. Charming Residential Bungalows & Victorians
To complete our loop back to Plantology, we took a quiet route through the surrounding residential streets. Honestly, since I’ve explored Oceanside’s downtown before, this was the part I was most excited about. While the homes in the area may be clocking in at $1-2 million, it feels like the neighborhood I grew up in, a basic, older Southern California neighborhood. The homes here are mostly small coastal bungalows – some painted in pastel hues, some Spanish style, some quintessential beach bungalow – and every so often, a grand, beautifully restored Victorian house standing tall above the palm trees, one of which has been turned into a restaurant called The Victorian at Hill Street.
6. Snack Break at Tremont Collective
On our way back, we stopped at an open-air food court area featuring a lineup of local spots, including Tacos 1975, Thai Style Kitchen, and a burger joint called Crackheads. The space surrounds a central bar with outdoor seating and yard games, making it feel like it’d be a lively, fun hangout spot in the evening.
We ordered tacos and churros from Tacos 1975. While the tacos were just okay (nothing to write home about), the churros were absolutely fantastic and well worth the stop. Next time I’ll be getting a burger since I’m still on the hunt for the best burger in San Diego. I just wasn’t in the mood for a burger that day.
If you’re looking for a fun way to do some exploring, see some art, and get some exercise in the sea air, this is a great way to spend a day.
Tips for Your Own Walking Tour:
Map it out: Use the Visit Oceanside interactive mural map or save key stops on Google Maps before you start.
Wear comfortable shoes: The entire loop covers about 2.5 to 3 miles depending on how far out on the pier and around downtown you venture.
Wear sunscreen: Even if it’s overcast, especially if it’s overcast.
Take your time: Between the giant murals, the ocean scenery, and the architectural details, you’ll want to take pictures constantly. But you also may stumble on a restaurant or shop you’d like to check out! This is an easy route to do around lunch or dinner.
Want to learn more about Oceanside? Check out my website.
Have you explored the street art in Oceanside yet? What’s your favorite mural in North County?
One of the things I wasn’t able to do with Pisco the way that I wanted to, was to explore La Mesa on foot. I mean, we did walk down the main downtown street – La Mesa Blvd – which is lined with restaurants and old historic buildings. And we went down to the historic La Mesa Train Depot to see the original depot building and the old train cars, but the neighborhoods were not something that Pisco was interested in doing. Partly because of his age, La Mesa is after all known as “The Jewel in the Hills,” and hills and age don’t mix well; but also because there are fewer people walking in the neighborhoods who might pet him, and there are absolutely no restaurants that might give him food. He was a very strategic dog.
So, this weekend I arranged to go walk around the neighborhoods in La Mesa. For those who don’t know already, I run a Facebook Group for women over 40 (yeah, I’m old, in fact I’m old enough I may have to start a group for the next age group up), and I’ve been arranging “neighborhood walks” for the women in my group. We’ve done Bird Rock, which was lovely, but landed on a rainy day so only one brave soul came out, and we did indeed get stuck in a downpour right at the end. Amazing neighborhood though, the homes there are so beautiful, and there are spots to get some stunning ocean views – definitely worth trying again.
Bird Rock view
We did Mission Hills which was one of the first neighborhoods that I fell in love with when I moved back to San Diego. The beautiful, stately Spanish and craftsman styles homes, the wide tree-lined streets, the cute little shopping district. It’s no wonder it demands a high price tag.
And we did Del Dios, which is out by Lake Hodges, and is known as a bit as a haven for artists. It has amazing views, with homes that have been personalized by the artists. You’ll find art installations hidden around every corner, interspersed with the horses and succulent gardens. I’ll do a post about this one in the future.
Del Dios spaceship house
And of course we did Kensington because it’s my absolute favorite, and we’ll probably do it again as well. The Spanish style homes can not be beat. We also found out that the people there are incredibly nice – one neighbor brought water out to us because she saw us walking in the heat (it turned out to be quite a hot day), and then she ended up inviting us (I think there were 8 of us??) into her home to show us around because it had a historic designation and I had been curious about it. The house was beautiful, the neighborhood makes my heart happy. I hope to live there one day.
But this weekend, I had arranged La Mesa. And sadly, I only had 1 person turn up. Now, part of me wasn’t that surprised, because, well…..La Mesa. If you’re not from here, let me tell you a little bit about La Mesa.
Kensington
La Mesa is an inland city within San Diego County of about 60,000 residents. It’s about a 20 minute drive from La Mesa to Ocean Beach, downtown or the airport without traffic. It has a trolley stop, so it’s actually a great place to live if you work downtown, or in Mission Valley. And to top it all off, the schools in the area are highly rated, there is good shopping available, and Sharp Grossmont Hospital is even located in La Mesa. But, La Mesa is inland. One thing that people in San Diego are prone to do is be a bit stuck up about living close to the coast. And since La Mesa is east of the 15, it’s honestly out where most people in San Diego never go.
But, here’s the thing people don’t get….. La Mesa is WONDERFUL. If La Mesa weren’t so far from my best friend, I would probably live there. The architecture in La Mesa is a mix of mid-century ranch homes, craftsman bungalows, Spanish revivals, moderns that have replaced tear-downs, and oddly, some homes that kind of look like they belong in the mountains. There is an adorable downtown area with antique shops, and boutiques, more coffee shops than you can count, and some really good restaurants (we went to Casa Gabriela afterwards for lunch and it was quite yummy). There is a farmer’s market every Friday afternoon that I have been dying to check out, and the city has multiple annual events including a Flag Day Parade, classic car show, Taste of La Mesa Village, and halloween and holiday events as well.
The surrounding neighborhoods are an eclectic mix – there are sections that just look like your basic southern California flat mid-century neighborhood full of ranch and bungalow houses, others that are more craftsman-y, and then there are the hills, which are my favorite. The hills have winding roads going up them that remind me of the Hollywood hills. They’re lined on both sides with cool houses and you can get amazing views from all sides.
When people move to San Diego, especially if they are younger, they’re told to look at North Park, Pacific Beach and Little Italy. If you have money, you’ll be told about La Jolla, Coronado and Del Mar. And if you have a family, you’ll be told Carlsbad, but if you have a family and money, then it’s Carmel Valley and Encinitas. All of these are more coastal. Pull up any list of “best places” to live in San Diego and the names on the lists are always coastal, and always the same. And I’m not going to argue with them, I think anyone who can afford to go coastal probably will.
But, what these “best places to live” lists do, is they make people overlook the fact that there are amazing places to live in San Diego county that are just a little bit inland and less well known. And guess what? You’re still in California, and you’re still living the San Diego lifestyle!
The other thing these lists do is make is so that if you can’t afford to live in one of “the best places to live in San Diego” that people think either they just shouldn’t move to San Diego, or they’re going to hate it, or they aren’t as excited about where they’re going to live. And that’s just a shame in my book, because there are so many hidden gem neighborhoods in San Diego that no one has ever heard about.
La Mesa is actually one of the places that I use as an example when I try to explain to people that when you move to San Diego, you don’t have to live at the coast to enjoy San Diego. You can be just 20-30 minutes from the beach and have amazing views in a place like La Mesa for a fraction of the cost of somewhere like La Jolla.
And honestly, I’d choose La Mesa over North Park. And let me tell you, saying that out loud may get me thrown out of San Diego. But La Mesa doesn’t have the homeless population that North Park has. La Mesa is easier to get around than North Park. La Mesa has parking. La Mesa has a trolley. La Mesa has a real Target (not that we’re shopping at Target anymore, but you get the point). La Mesa has Trader Joe’s. La Mesa has lower price per square foot, so you can get more space. La Mesa has a lot going for it.
Now, I mentioned how much I love the hills in La Mesa, but I will say, they can also be a drawback. They make walkability in some areas a bit more challenging. For example, if you’re really in the know, you can find the hidden La Mesa stairs. These stairs are in the Mt Nebo/Windsor Hills area and while the streets literally corkscrew up the hill, these stairs allow you to walk directly up or down the hill without having to walk all the way around and around on the street.
The original plan for the neighborhood walk this weekend was to tackle a few of the staircases, but in all honesty, it had taken everything in me just to show up (grief is real, it’s unpredictable, and you don’t get to decide when it ends), so climbing 245 stairs was not something I had in me that day. Luckily my friend, after already climbing a good bit of hill just to get to the start of the steps, was perfectly fine skipping them as well.
And then we saw another woman preparing to climb the stairs, and somehow we ended up talking to her, and she was recovering from surgery but was training because she was going on a cruise, and wanted to be able to climb this lighthouse that had 300-and-something stairs; and next thing I knew I was being peer pressured into climbing the stairs with her. We still only went up from one street to the next – there were 2 more streets to go – but I’m proud of me for doing something rather than nothing.
Above is the picture I took when we were just planning to take a picture and say we saw them….. and then a picture of me actually climbing them. I climbed them Kilimanjaro style….pole pole (pol-ay pol-ay)…. which means you go really slowly and the goal is to never get out of breath. The best part of the stairs is that if you turn around when you get to the top, there are great views (see above). It was overcast this particular day (thanks May Gray), but we could still see some hills in the distance.
My favorite thing about these neighborhood walks is that you see things you would never see if you are driving by. For example, we saw this one house that at first glance looked like it must be the haunted house on the street. As we looked closer, though, we realized it looked like a stately Craftsman, but it was under this huge old tree, and was behind a big hedge with stuff all over the place, so was hard to see. It had a massive wind chime hanging over the porch and an old (fake) well pump, and a bucket and pulley system to bring the water up (also fake/not usable). Once we spent some time looking at it we realized it wasn’t the home of the neighborhood witch, but rather the neighborhood artist.
Then there were these statues of lions wearing sunglasses. And of course the fuzzy and flowering cacti. This Victorian gingerbread home captured my attention as well. And this modern version of a Spanish style home had us mesmerized.
This is one of my favorite things about La Mesa – the diversity of architectural styles. I love that there is a historical element being retained which you can see in some of the old craftsman and Spanish revival styles homes that still hit the market from time to time, as well as in the amazing art deco buildings that line La Mesa Blvd downtown. But then you’ll see the modern element coming in as well as the aging and not well taken care of homes get torn down and replaced with newer options.
I still probably need to go back and explore some more of La Mesa on foot.
The nicest part of La Mesa is called Mt Helix and there are some incredible houses on it. It also has a park at the top with an amphitheater where they have concerts, and a food and wine festival, and other community events. I’d like to attend an event there at some point. The hill itself, while windy and narrow, has a pedestrian path that lines the road making it easy for folks from the surrounding neighborhood to walk up to the park.
There are parts of La Mesa that are great for first time home buyers (yes, at San Diego prices), and a whole area with condos that are quite nice, and are less expensive than their coastal counterparts. One of those areas is called Severin-Grossmont and it’s known for it’s mid-century contemporary ranch homes. This would be a fun neighborhood to walk around and see what people have done with their homes and their often fairly large lots.
Lake Murray is another great thing that is in La Mesa. It’s a lovely lake with a walking trail, and you can kayak and fish, and there are lots of places to have a picnic or watch the sunset. Pisco particularly enjoyed watching the ducks and geese. I have yet to walk all the way on the walking trail – it’s an out and back. We went once and didn’t make it very far. I didn’t go back because there were times I’d take him to a trail like that, and we’d make it about 10 feet before he’d say “no way, Jose”, so I wasn’t rushing to drive all that way for nothing. Which means, I need to plan to get back to Lake Murray again soon.
So what do you think? Does La Mesa sound like a neighborhood you’d enjoy?
If you’d like to see more about La Mesa, I did make a video about it which you can check out here. In the video, I actually drive around La Mesa, so you get a different perspective:
