Sun, Seals, and Tacos in La Jolla Cove | The Sapphire Six San Diego Instameet
This post is sponsored by Chase Sapphire. All opinions are my own.
San Diego is easily my favorite city in California!
It’s got everything I look for in a destination — excellent weather, delicious food, stunning scenery, vibrant nightlife, a truly fantastic atmosphere, and so much more…
When Chase Sapphire reached out to me and asked if I’d be interested in hosting their first ever “Sapphire Six Instameet” in San Diego, I immediately jumped on the opportunity!
The objective was simple — to invite some photographer/ blogger friends and enjoy an afternoon soaking up some of the best things San Diego has to offer while sharing photography techniques, meeting some new people, and of course take some stunning pictures to share across social-media.
When we were discussing possible locations/venues for the afternoon, there were tons of incredible options to choose from, but I don’t think any of them were as idyllic for photography than the beautiful beaches and coastlines found in La Jolla. It’s home to some of the clearest and blue water in California, is well known for its entertaining sea lions that hang out along the coast and is the location of one of San Diego’s finest taco restaurants, Puesto, which is on the Chase Sapphire Six Travel Guide to San Diego. It’s also one of my favorite stops along my LA to San Diego Drive Itinerary!
We set the date for September 29th, sent out the invite to some of my favorite photographers, bloggers, and Instagrammers in San Diego/ Southern California. As the RSVP’s slowly started coming in, my anticipation began growing, and I couldn’t wait to lead my first Instameet!
#ChaseSapphire #SapphireInsider #HostedByChase
When the day finally arrived, I drove to La Jolla a couple hours early to map out the route for the day, and to search for the most “Instagrammable” locations in the area (as well as take my drone for a couple flights).
I was pleased to see that it was an absolutely perfect sunny day in San Diego, and La Jolla was filled with locals and tourists swimming in the ocean, taking leisurely strolls along the coast, and hosting all types of different events in the popular Ellen Scripps Park, which happened to be our meeting point for the afternoon.
Once everyone gathered, I welcomed everyone and thanked them all for coming. It was fun to share my background of working with Chase Sapphire. I’ve been able to attend Outside Lands Music Festival in San Francisco (where they have an amazing cardmember exclusive lounge) as well as their exclusive private dinner series (which are always amazing)! I’ve been partnering with Chase Sapphire for two years now, and I’m so happy because all of their events are incredible, and I honestly use my Chase Sapphire Preferred card (practically) every day while traveling.
We then began our two-hour stroll around the La Jolla area, and hit up the best viewpoints and beaches. A few of my favorites were above the La Jolla Cave (which I actually had never even noticed in the past). There’s this gorgeous cave that you can actually kayak through, which I’ve now added to my San Diego bucket list! There was also this amazing path where you can walk on top of the cave and take amazing photos of the coastline. I instructed the group where to go, but then I stayed back to get some photos of them from afar (which is one of my favorite things to do in photography).
After spending 10-15 minutes admiring the view and taking some photos, we journeyed back down the hill towards the La Jolla cove beach — which is probably the most iconic view in the area. It’s this insanely beautiful cozy stretch of sand between the cliffs, and the color of the water always just amazes me. It’s also one of the few places in California I’ve seen people just snorkel/scuba dive right off the beach. I took up a conversation with a local about it and they said there’s actually some great marine life out there, which has sparked my interest for when I return to San Diego!
We continued on around the La Jolla Point, and were pleasantly surprised to see dozens of sea lions swimming, relaxing, and playing together just off the coast. It was incredible to watch them surf the waves before they crashed on the shores, and also tons of fun to take photos of! Our group then spent the next hour or so just cruising along Cruise Blvd., exploring the tide pools, and taking photos of the scenic beaches. There’s so many fun viewpoints along the coastline, and several of them are definitely “Instagrammable”. ;-)
Finally, to conclude the Instameet – we walked back to the La Jolla city area and found our table reservation at Puesto waiting for us. This place is extremely popular for Chase Sapphire cardmembers, and after trying some of their appetizers and mix & match taco combo — I completely understand! Being from California, I’m pretty much always in the mood for Mexican food, and these were some of the most delicious tacos I’ve had in a long time!
We finished up our bites, said our goodbyes, and the first ever Sapphire Six Instameet in San Diego had come to it’s an end. It was an absolute success, and tons of fun! I want to give a massive thanks to everyone who made it out to La Jolla and can’t wait to see you again down in San Diego or anywhere around the world.
Are you heading to San Diego soon?
Make sure to put the La Jolla area on your itinerary of places to visit and check out the Sapphire Six Guide to San Diego for all the must-visit spots to eat and drink.
