Submitted by morourke@cloud9... on Fri, 03/04/2011 - 14:22
It’s easy to take our cities for granted. Maybe we’ve lived there a few years, maybe our whole lives. Maybe we love the city, maybe we’re thinking about leaving. Chances are, the things that once captivated us about our home no longer catch our eye, except in a rare moment. For San Diegans, it’s easy to say you love living by the ocean, but when was the last time you looked out at it and really saw it?
When was the last time you sat down to a meal and contemplated just how awesome it is to have a twelve-month growing season? Or, other than comparing scenes of winter blizzards on the news with the abundant sunshine outside your window, when was the last time you got out and relished all you’ve got? These are the moments that increase the richness of our lives. And yet it’s so easy to lose sight of. It’s like a relationship, really—we love the person, but after a while we tend to lose that spark. So, in honor of rich, experiential living, here are five tips to rekindle a relationship with San Diego.
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Get Cookin’: Belly up to the kitchen counter with your three foodiest friends and a professional chef. Mincing, chopping, sautéing the night away, you’ll learn the difference between mirepoix and mis-en-place, gremolade and chiffonade. Kick it up a notch and use only local ingredients to better savor the unique flavor of your city, sitting down to a gourmet meal without leaving the house. |
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Take the Plunge: After an introduction to kayaking from instructors, paddle out through the La Jolla Ecological Reserve to glimpse sea lions, sea birds, and dolphins. From there, dip in for a snorkeling lesson and admire the curvature of coral and other unique creatures on the sea floor. |
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Channel Your Inner Maverick: Beside active-duty Marine and Navy pilots, learn how to fly a Varga VG-21 fighter plane, zipping and dipping in an aerial dogfight—for real. You’ll get an aerial tour of the city and the ride of your life. |
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Breech the City: Take advantage of the waters off San Diego’s coast, where every year thousands of migrating whales cruise past on their way to the southern Gulf of California. You’ll learn the basics of kayaking while La Jolla’s cityscape scrolls past, with seals, sea lions and dolphins dotting the water. |
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Snap a Portrait: What better way to remember a city than to take its portrait? Capture your favorite of its idiosyncracies, hidden vistas, local characters, the coffee shop that served you your first San Diego cup--all under the expert eye of a professional. With lessons to augment your skill level, you’ll come away with a series of photographs commemorating the city and a bag of tricks, besides. |
We like to refer to our gifts as experience gifts or gift experiences, but they could just as easily be called how-to-fall-back-in-love-with-your-city/partner/life/dreams gift. If you're wondering what to get that finicky, no-fuss person in your life who has everything but still (much to your chagrin) celebrates a birthday every year, do yourself a favor and start perusing our San Diego Experience Gifts. Gift-giving is about to get a whole lot easier, and a whole lot more interesting, to boot.