Looking for some places to eat in San Diego? As a recent transplant to SoCal, I’ve been on the hunt for the best places to eat in San Diego. Nothing here disappoints. There’s so much culture, so much life, and so much food here that I hardly even know where to start. I thought Monterey had some good choices, but out here, every turn is a surprise.

As of now, here's a small list of places I've had the fortune of taste testing so far.

The Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, California, is an awesome deep dive into California's history. As a native Californian, I never thought too much about our history until recently. In fact, as a kid, history was my least favorite subject. We visited a few missions in elementary school, but I never cared too much about them as I moved into my adult life.

Things changed as I got older.

The Element Bend was among the nicest hotels I’ve ever had the pleasure of staying. And for only being open five weeks at the time of my stay, I think it’s only a matter of time before they become one of the most sold-out hotels in Bend.

The moment the sliding doors opened into the expansive and welcoming lobby, a friendly receptionist gave me a genuinely warm welcome.

Most people immediately associate Oregon wines with the Willamette Valley. I know I did. That was all I was familiar with when it came to Oregon wines during my bartending days. This is why seeing the sheer amount of wineries while driving through the Rogue Valley intrigued me so much.

One stop landed me along the Upper Rogue Wine Trail at an incredible Southern Oregon wine tasting room called Kriselle Cellars.

Located about 45 minutes northeast of Medford equidistant southeast to Crater Lake, the Joseph H. Stewart Recreation area is ideal for anyone looking for a quiet place to picnic or ride their boats.

The lake spills into the Rogue River, which trails across the entire state of Oregon until it births into the ocean at Wedderburn.