When we were little, my grandfather used to sing a song to me and my sisters: "Getting to know you, Getting to know all about you, Getting to like you, Getting to hope you like me..."
The song, from THE KING AND I, always comes to mind when I am in a new situation. And so it was today, as we drove around San Diego.
We got a very late start today. When Eric and I go back to work, we are in for a RUDE awakening. An EARLY awakening, that is! I have always loved to sleep late, but I was so stressed the last few months in New York that I rarely slept past 6:00am. The day we started sleeping in the RV, I was so comfy and cozy and started sleeping really well.
Eric, who was always an early riser, rarely slept until 9:00am. That all changed once we started sleeping in the RV. We would usually sleep until 9:00am, which was the latest we could stay in bed without really rushing to check out at 11:00am. Most campgrounds have an 11:00am checkout, but if it’s noon, we’ll usually sleep in until 10:00am.
This morning we both slept until 10:00am. It’s really not the norm, unless we’re up really late (which we weren’t). We said that as soon as we get an apartment we’re going to start setting the alarm earlier and earlier, so that we get used to getting up earlier. I’m sure when I go back to work I’ll have to be up by 6:30am or 7:00am, so I better get used to it!
We called ENTERPRISE this morning (they’ll pick you up!) and they picked us up at 1:00pm. We got a small silver KIA, which has windows you have to roll down manually and locks you have to open manually. NOT a luxury automobile, but it’s great on gas and fits into small spots -- perfect for zipping around San Diego.
Amy, the girl who picked us up and handled our paperwork, was adorable and told us about the neighborhoods she liked and where she had lived since she moved here from Colorado six years ago. She also told us about the cars that ENTERPRISE sells, which are called “BEST BUYS.” We might check out these cars, because I told Eric that I don’t really care what I use to commute or drive around town. I just want a reliable set of wheels! He will probably buy a brand new 2008 Mini Cooper, which is the car he’s wanted for a while.
We got in the car and went to find someplace to have brunch. We had seen BRUEGGER’S BAGELS a few times and decided to stop in. It’s kind of like fast food bagels. You tell them what you want, they make it and you pick out your drink, etc., and put it all on a tray. I know some delis are like that, too, but this is a chain.
I got a Smoked Salmon bagel, which comes with cream cheese, onion, red pepper and capers. It was yummy! Eric got a sesame seed bagel with cream cheese (so very, very plain – even though they had all sorts of fun cream cheeses!). We also each had a bag of chips – Eric had Jalapeno and I had Lime and Pepper.
Bonnie, our realtor, had sent us an email, before she went on vacation, listing different apartments she thought we would be interested in. We decided to go visit the buildings (even though we wouldn’t be able to see the exact apartment), so we could check out the neighborhoods. I had forgotten my notebook with all the addresses and Betty (our GPS system), so we had to go back to the RV.
We headed out and visited La Jolla (REALLY nice), University City (very nice), and two other neighborhoods (we didn’t know their names), which were just “nice.” We walked around the buildings where the apartments were and talked to people in the neighborhood, asking them about living in the area.
Eric and I feel that the apartment is more important than the neighborhood, since we’ll only be staying there for about a year. So, even if the commute isn’t the greatest, or our neighbors aren’t the most considerate, it won’t be forever. It’s much more important to be fussy about where we buy.
We drove for hours, until it got dark. Tomorrow, we will be visiting Hillcrest and Mission Beach North, to see what’s available in those neighborhoods. Eric and I would rather stay closer to “town,” rather than being up in the hills, where it’s definitely more sub-urban.
We worked up an appetite, so we decided to go back to CHIPOTLE MEXICAN GRILL, where I had my delicious Veggie Bowl and Eric had his Chicken Burrito. Their food is SO good – so fresh! While we were eating, I saw someone I knew (which blew my mind). It was Amy – from ENTERPRISE! We called to her and she was surprised to see us, too! I told her it was such a thrill to see a familiar face, since we really don’t know anybody in town! She asked us how our day had gone and how we were enjoying the car. We told her we did a LOT of driving and that everything was going well.
After dinner, we drove around looking for a gelato place (our new favorite dessert), but couldn’t find one, so we ended up at COLD STONE CREAMERY (not a bad alternative). I got my favorite combination – chocolate and peanut butter. Eric got cheesecake ice cream with blueberries, strawberries and graham crackers mixed in. We waited until we got back to the campground to eat our ice cream, but – unfortunately – there was no one at the security gate to let us in and we had left the card key that opens the gate in the RV! Fortunately, there was a small gate to walk through, and Eric was able to go to the RV and retrieve the card key, so we could get back in!
We settled in for the night, ate our ice cream (yum!) and watched TV. It’s nice having the rental car, because it just makes getting around town so much easier. The RV is great, because you always have everything with you, but it’s hard to find big spaces to park, hard to get in and out of parking lots without scraping the bottom of the bike rack on inclines (don’t ask – it drives Eric CRAZY), and it’s a gas guzzler. Eric said we’ll probably save over $50 a week by driving the KIA around, instead of the RV.
Starting today, we’re renting the RV site and the car week by week. We’re hoping to rent an apartment and buy a car within the next couple of weeks. We’re looking forward to going back to Hillcrest tomorrow. We’ll visit some of our favorite stores, and see what apartments and houses have rentals. It’s really very exciting!