HELLENBACH

It’s not so often that I get to see my friends from home, so I was thrilled to hear that my friend Kevin and his girlfriend Sprinna were coming down for the weekend to visit. At first, I had trouble thinking of what type of activities to do and which sights to see. Kevin’s only request was to make the trip a memorable experience, so we went about our day without any expectations. We went wherever the road took us.

We started our adventure by grabbing brunch at Cafe on Park in Hillcrest. Iris and I are always craving this place for their hash dishes and gigantic custom pancakes.

Here is there sundried tomato scramble with chicken and mozzarella, accompanied with a giant buttermilk blueberry pancake.

After the meal, we tried to plan the rest of the day over some cocktails at Urban Cafe. Unfortunately, this restaurant will be closed until they reopen again in October.

The interior decor is very open and simple, and all the furniture had pillows which made for a very comfortable experience.

I’m not sure what the girls were talking about, but it looks like something caught Iris’ attention.

Kevin, who is very handy with any camera, taught me most of what I know about photography. In this digital age, it’s great to know someone who is well versed with film and quality glass.

As we walked outside, I spotted this fixed gear on the way to the car. The bicycle community in North Park and Hillcrest is so large, that restaurants often offer discounts for people commute with their bikes.

Off to the beach.

Even with comfortable walking shoes, our stroll up the boardwalk grew tiring very fast. There was only one thing that could replenish our energy at this point.

I took Kevin and Sprinna to a local parlor to experience new ice cream flavors. This place offers flavors such as Thai tea and Vanilla Porter Ale to name a few.

I thought this shot was funny. Here is Kevin documenting the creamy goodness, while Sprinna is trying to enjoy it at the same time.

Iris and I opted for a double scoop of red mint chip.

Ice cream makes every person a happy person.

After our mid-day snack, we headed towards downtown to check out the 5andaDime shop.

Jay from 5andaDime was working hard installing new hat displays, while we browsed their new summer collection.

San Diego in general is known for it’s vibrant and diverse culture. You never know what you’ll run into, and everyday offers a new surprise.

In today’s case, we ran right into a batch of Blood Hound puppies which were hanging out on the sidewalk.

Iris couldn’t get enough of their floppy ears and chunky paws.

The epitome of the sad puppy face.

Downtown shenanigans.

As the sun went down, we began our journey to what would be the highlight of our adventure.

Before we knew it, we found ourselves in a dim-lit room with a wall lined with human skulls, no windows, and black and white marble flooring. Picture frames displayed upside-down photographs which were also mounted to the ceiling. The overall ambiance of the venue was dark and slightly demented. In my opinion, it was as if I had caught a glimpse of Hell.

The devils juice.

We ended the night with dinner at J.Wok restaurant, a Thai restaurant which specializes in Asian fusion cuisine. I come here often for lunch when school is in session, and order their Satay Chicken Sandwich. Tonight was no exception, and recommended Kevin to order the same.

All in all, the day went smoothly and was memorable experience for everyone.