San Diego

There's this question you are supposed to answer to figure out what you should do with your life: What would you do if you had millions of dollars and didn't have to worry about money? Some people would feed the starving and build homes for the homeless. Or they'd save stray puppies. Or they'd save the rain forests. Well, let's just admit right now that those people are better than me. Before that money was cooling in my bank account I'd be on a plane. Doesn't even matter where it's going. Because I would spend the rest of my life exploring every nook and cranny on this planet. I'd immerse myself in every culture, gaze at every building, and experience every climate. I'd learn each city's history and hidden gems. I'd be an expert on nothing, but at the same time everything.

But I don't have a fortune at my disposal, not even a small one. So I found a day job that keeps me happy and as a bonus it pays for trips now and again to new places so I can get my traveling fix. But in the back of my mind there's still that stupid question, nagging at me like some unresolved issue. It's whispering to me that I am an explorer. Why am I not living like one?

So often we pine for what we want. Woe is me, I wish I could...and then we scarf down our breakfast on our way to the office. Well, I'm inclined to do something about it. How lucky am I to be able to live in one of the most exciting cities in the country, even the world. There is always something to see and experience. Some new dish to eat or some new festival to attend. There's a new brewery one week, and a new restaurant the next. There's secluded parks even locals don't know about, and hidden gems within the places us locals all know and love. And each one has a story that we don't even touch on as we rush in and out, performing the daily grind. We rush through our day-to-day lives oblivious to the fact we live in a place that others are itching to visit, if only for a few days.

So I've decided accept who I am. I am a traveler. I'm going to live my life here in San Diego as a tourist, digging deeper into the stories of the people and places that make this city what it is. It will be a never ending journey, as this city is constantly growing and evolving. I'll never wake up and feel I've seen and chronicled it all.

I am a Local Tourist.