Just a cheery flower on a neighborhood sidwalk.

My favorite coffeeshop in San Diego is undoubtedly Cafe 976. It's set in one of the original houses of San Diego on a corner near downtown, filled with paintings and photographs by local artists, and surrounded by a luxurious garden. They have a great selection of tea, lots of pretty college girls to watch, and the faint sent of jasmine in the air.

Sitting at the table just to the left of the picture were two guys discussing surfing around the world. When one of the guys mentioned how he had recently been robbed in Peru, I had to join the conversation. I asked what exactly happend, with the goal of learning how to avoid a similar fate. He then recounted, in a surprisingly even tone, how he was on a four-hour bus-ride through the countryside at night (the absolute most dangerous thing to do, my guidebooks assure me). Suddenly, five guys stood up with pistols, hijacked the bus, and proceeded to rob everyone on the bus one at a time. He decided that it was pointless to resist, and freely ... [more]

Though a bit chilly for my tastes, a good number of people donned wetsuits, swimsuits, and bikinis to brave the wind and waves. In particular, the surfers were undaunted by the crisp breeze in seeking out the best waves for surfing.

Overlooking the beach just south of the Pier is another comfortable place to sit and watch the world go by. I didn't catch the name of this place, but I remembered it from my last trip to San Diego many moons prior. The Australian proprietor had some trancy-techno music lulling the crowd as joggers, rollerbladers, and skateboarders zipped by underneath.