A Day in La Jolla

La Jolla ranks among the San Diego area’s loveliest spots. The downtown occupies a privileged position on a bluff over the Pacific, and it makes for a pleasant day of shopping and seaside walks.

I recommend starting with a visit of the Museum of Contemporary Art, which has a small but well-curated permanent collection with pieces ranging from 19th-century romanticist landscapes to interactive Vito Acconci installations, along with a sculpture garden overlooking the ocean.

From there, walk along Prospect Street, which has fine shopping between Fay Avenue and Roslyn Lane (Girard Avenue also has an appealing array of upscale stores). We stopped for lunch at George’s at the Cove, which boasts panoramas of the ocean, a commendable list of local microbrews and addictively fresh fish tacos.

Continue along Prospect to Cave Street (also called Coast Boulevard) and make a left. Follow the road down to the ocean, which crashes against rocky outcrops topped with colonies of lounging harbor seals. At low tide, the tidal pools can also be great fun to explore.

A stroll along Coast Boulevard will take you to picturesque Scripps Park and the protected “Children’s Pool” just beyond, which is another beach favored by seals lolling in the sun. One more block or so along Coast Boulevard, and you’re back at the museum.

Read more about Andrew Harper's travels in southern California in the June 2013 Hideaway Report.