Jennifer Van Burkleo - UNREGISTERED VERSION

I am fortunate enough in my career to have the opportunity to travel. Recently I was able to visit sunny San Diego for a week.
First I checked into my hotel, which was located in the Gaslamp district. You have heard of the Hard Rock Hotel? Besides being the coolest hotel I have ever stepped foot in, my king suite was quite impressive. All the hotel greeters looked like rock stars; when you check in they offer you a free drink and ask what kind of music you want playing in your room; not to mention they will bring you a Fender guitar to play during your stay. My room was equipped with a sectional, two flat screens, three bottles of Belvedere, a bottle of Patron and two bottles of wine. You name it; it was probably in my room. I especially appreciated my balcony and my shower that included two shower heads. For a 5’11” tall girl, those details are important. The other women on the editorial staff were not impressed with the rooms, saying it was too masculine and it did not include a bathtub. I wanted to note that, since we all have our personal tastes.

I arrived on a Sunday, our conference was being held at the San Diego Convention Center, which is right across the street from the Gaslamp district. That convention center is the size of about 45 football fields. Yes, I did the math. Actually Ashleigh did. She is the engineer, I am just a journalist.
If you are holding an event in San Diego, I strongly suggest the SDCC and staying in the Gaslamp area.  
The weather in January and February was in the high 60s, low 70s, which only encouraged me to go outside and shop. The district is full of local boutiques. The boutique across the street from my hotel, on 5th St., had the most amazing shoes. If you know me, you know I have a serious shoe problem. Of course I had to buy a pair; but I am a bargain shopper, which means my shoes that started out $90 were bought for $25.
Dinner that night was held at the San Diego Wine and Culinary Event Center. It was also within walking distance from the Gaslamp district. The food was delicious and the staff was very attentive. We handed out awards that night. I wore my new shoes.
After dinner Sunday my coworkers and I headed to the Marriott, also in the Gaslamp district, for some drinks. They have a fantastic rooftop bar, with great views!  When that bar closed, some of us were just getting warmed up, so we headed to 207, a club inside Hard Rock. My piece of advice, go with an attractive girl. My group went and some of didn’t get charged a cover, others $10. The group that arrived later than us were charged $20! I guess it pays to be pretty. The club was everything I thought the San Diego nightlife would be like; equipped with half-dressed go-go dancers, glow sticks, bubbles falling from the ceiling. I would definitely go there again.

Monday came; I attended conferences, handed out business cards, attended meetings. Then at night the conference staff, there were about 70 of us, went to dinner at a restaurant on 5th St. called Asti. This place is the real deal, authentic Italian cuisine. They specialized in pasta and seafood. Even the waiters looked like they came from Italy. A few of them had heavy Italian accents, wore pinky rings and tried the wine, to make sure it was good, before they served it to us. The only downfall is that the restaurant was rather small, so seating was tight. The staff was great though and I didn’t hear anyone complain about the food.
After dinner we went to a bar called Whiskey Girl, also on 5th St., in the Gaslamp district, two buildings down from our restaurant. I usually don’t like bars but they had a great atmosphere. They promoted our conference all over social media. They also had the Wii dance game on the dance floor. Every song looked like it had a dance to go with it. It was a packed house and I made that my go to place, at least my backup in any case.

Tuesday’s festivities mirrored Monday’s as far as what was happening during the day. At night, most of the editorial staff went on a dinner cruise. I was excited when I was invited, but the night lasted longer than expected. It was nice to see areas of San Diego, only accessible by boat. However, we were on the ship for about five hours, so I started to feel trapped. The company had Guitar Hero and Dance Dance Revolution. They also had an amazing band called The Heroes, who I would suggest to anyone. Every member could dance, sing, and play an instrument. Plus they worked the crowd to get people dancing. After arriving back on land, I had time to have a couple glasses of wine.
The day activities for Wednesday were similar to Monday and Tuesday. My company, who was putting on the conference, held a networking reception in the evening, at the San Diego Convention Center. It was a beach theme. We flew in a band, one of the members is a coworker. One piece of advice, if there are beach balls, don’t kick them around, people don’t want to hit them with drinks in their hands. You can guess what that lead to…broken glasses and spilled drinks.
After the reception, I was wiped so I skipped dinner for a nap. After I woke up I met my coworkers and newly acquired friends at Whiskey Girl. You already know I had a great time. Our intern went with me; we are the same age, so she can hang. After leaving Whiskey Girl, I needed food. I am not a big pizza fan, but after skipping dinner, thankfully there was a pizza place open on my walk back to the hotel.

Thursday was an easy day; it was the last day of our conference. It was over around 2 so I had a few hours to burn. I went to Coronado Island, which you either have to take a cab over the bridge, or a ferry to get there. I wish I would have known about the ferry prior to my visit. It was beautiful, truly breathtaking. I love the ocean and being in the water. Besides the military helicopters going by, it was rather peaceful. It should be noted that there is a military base on the island. Be prepared to drop some cash if you go the famous hotel and bar for a drink. Four drinks cost almost $70; and it was happy hour. I wish I could have stayed there longer, but I actually had plans to meet some family members of mine for the first time.
No need to get sappy. Here is a brief overview: I never met my biological father until I was about 15. His family and I were not close, we never talked; until about a year ago when some of them reached out to me. I had dinner with my aunt and uncle at the Old Spaghetti Factory. If you don’t have one of those near you, it is like the Spaghetti Warehouse. It was on the corner by my hotel. I was so nervous, but it turned out great and I couldn’t be happier. This is about San Diego though, not my life story.
Thursday after dinner I met some friends and coworkers at the rooftop bar at the Marriott again, to network; and again, when that closed, we went to Hard Rock.
Of course I wish there was more I could have experienced, but time only allows so much. I wanted to visit the Midway, a ship museum; and Lips a drag show dinner. Your wait staff is all dressed in drag. How fun!
There were more homeless people in the area than I had anticipated. That being said, I gave all my leftovers to homeless people. I never planned on taking it back to my room because I didn’t have a microwave. Plus, who doesn’t like to give back?

Until next time San Diego, keep it classy! ♥♥♥ - J