5 Steps to Being a San Diegan in NY

Whether you’ve never been to San Diego or you’re a San Diego native like I am, here’s the how-to on living like a Californian in NYC.

1. Get really excited any and every time you cross the Brooklyn Bridge. The Coronado Bridge in San Diego is a thing. Most people don’t get to cross it daily so when it happens, you’ll usually hear “Oh my gosh! We’re crossing the bridge!” followed by hopes that there’s no fog that day.

2. Eat acai bowls. Every day. Unfortunately those super-fruity bowl NYC prices won’t make you feel like you’re running carefree along the ocean but nonetheless, it’s a necessary step. Beware: anything straying from acai, fruit, granola and honey probably isn’t the good stuff. You can snag a bite at your local Juice Generation.

3. Eat burritos and then complain about them. True San Diegans will never admit to there being a better burrito than from a grungy Mexican place that ends in -erto’s. Estrellita Poblana III in the Bronx does a pretty bang-up job, though.  

4. Work out in Central Park. I know the glam of Equinox is pretty enticing but if you want to impress your (858)/(619) friends, you got to get outside. If you can’t find a San Diegan running outside, you can probably find them biking across the 56 or hiking Cowles Mountain. So if you can spot yoga in the Park, even better.

5. Shop at Trader Joe’s. Gristedes and Morton Who? Those places don’t exist in San Diego so bracing a 100-person Trader Joe’s check-out line is a necessary evil. Even the prices will make you feel like you’re cheating on the city so go ahead and grab that extra box of Gone Bananas!