The end of summer is here, but I can’t stop reminiscing about summer in San Diego.

The cusp between July and August is when David and I like to get away to spend some quality time together. We celebrate our anniversary by indulging in our favorite couple things: long drives, food, and sightseeing, all of which San Diego has to offer.

While we’re both used to the drive from the Bay to LA and back, the extra two hours to get to SD called for a chill afternoon and evening in. Our hotel, The Monsaraz, put us in a prime location to stroll around Fisherman’s Landing, get takeout from Mitch’s Seafood, and eat dessert at Westerly Public House. We stopped by WPH for espresso in the morning, happy hour drinks and appetizers, and just to lounge outdoors under cool, blue Point Loma skies.

Two other places we visited multiple times during our stay were Liberty Station and Cañon Street. Both locations were filled with small businesses, many of which are women-owned and women-led.

Liberty Station

Liberty Station’s naval base charm provided everything we wanted and didn’t know we needed, from decadent mochas at Banyan Kitchen + Cafe to aquascaping wood at Hakkai. The park by the bay served us plane after plane which showed that David’s inner child is still fascinated with machines. For me, the art studios housed within the arches of the Spanish Colonial Revival buildings amused and inspired my inner artist. In fact, August’s Patreon postcard took inspiration from the birds of paradise and warm, pinkish hues of San Diego.

Cañon Street

On Cañon Street, just a drive down Rosecrans Street, we visited two small businesses, PARU Tea Bar and its neighbor, en concordia, twice during our stay in Point Loma. David’s one request for this trip was less pre-planning, so I luckily found PARU in a local tourist magazine on the nightstand of our hotel.

By now, if you’ve been reading the blog for a while, you may know that I love tea as much as I love writing. Tea and writing make the perfect pair, and I enjoy brewing a cup full of PARU’s teas while I write my next blog post, caption, or love letter for this community.

If you asked me to choose a favorite place in Point Loma, my answer would be PARU Tea Bar for three reasons. First, their tea is divine and they offer samples to sip and smell while you peruse their collection. Second, all the people I met at PARU, including founder Amy Truong, were knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful. Finally, their mission, story, and execution resonated.

When we went down to SoCal, I was in a rut, creatively and personally. I had the most clients I’ve ever had at one time, but I couldn’t get myself to write a single word for fun or with joy. I trapped myself in self-doubt spirals trying to build a business from scratch without a traditional business education or a network of business-minded people. As a brown-skinned Asian woman, the microaggressions and lack of representation over my lifetime pulled me into a place of paralysis. PARU, built by people who own their experiences of intersectionality, provided the peace and motivation I needed by role modeling how one can mold their story, skills, and passions into a business done delightfully and with integrity.

Amy never rushed us as I asked for recommendation after recommendation. Each tea blend’s description told a story that connected me as the customer to the community of tea experts and lovers behind each blend. When we finally decided on two bags of our favorite types of tea, black for me and oolong for David, we were left with the impression that we were always welcome to return.

So, we did return, and we left with another bag of our mutual favorite for the year: chrysanthemum.

However, I left PARU with more than tea.

I left with the confidence of knowing that a joyful and successful business can be created with some of the same values I hold by people who come from a family of Southeast Asian immigrants like me. I left with the confidence of seeing and believing that we can honor our heritage and culture, while also serving and raising up our communities in ways they feel heard, seen, and welcomed. Not to mention, I left with the hope that I can do the same for my communities on my own adventure of entrepreneurship.

Last, but certainly not least, en concordia, which I knew immediately was a plant store from its storefront’s similarity to Temescal’s Crimson, also role modeled delight and connection. The shopkeepers were down to earth, quick to offer up the small talk I was craving after months in quarantine, and generous. As a gift to go with the baby Tineke I’ve been hunting for, they gave David and me jade cuttings they were placing into the tiniest of pots. Those cuttings now live on my desk reminding me of the sunny places and people of San Diego.

If you ever have a chance to visit San Diego, Point Loma offers the grounding magic of slowing down, the beauty to fill you with awe, and a community of business owners that help you experience wonder. If you come feeling empty, you’ll leave feeling full.

Q: What are your favorite places in San Diego? Or, if you haven’t been, did I entice you to go? Let us know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading, friends.

This post goes well with:

Practicing Hope
Favorite Places in 2019: Oakland
Favorite Places in 2019: Los Angeles