San Diego Sun

Dave is giving a talk and a poster at a large conference in San Diego this weekend, so I've tagged along for the ride. Sunny southern California! This place seems like a different planet from the Midwest, especially at this time of year. We came out a day early, rented a car for the day from the hotel, and set out for some relaxation.

First, we walked around La Jolla, gawking at the fancy shops and wildlife alike. The cold and wild Pacific Ocean! With its sea lions, brown pelicans, and cormorants...

Then we drove further up the coast and spent the afternoon hiking in Torrey Pines State Reserve. It was fun to see the different kinds of rock formations and scrubby plants that manage to flourish on the mesas:

We watched the sun set over the Pacific – so much better than watching the sun rise over the Atlantic, not least because I'm awake at sunset! West Coast 1 - East Coast 0.

We then set off in search of our favorite San Diego meal: fish tacos! Chowhound directed us to Oscar's Mexican Seafood in Pacific Beach, and we couldn't have been more pleased:

This whole trip I can't stop wondering, are people in southern California less depressed than people in the Midwest or on the East Coast? I couldn't help but notice how active people seem to be, at least in the area near our hotel/convention center. Even middle-aged ladies who at first glance don't seem to be fitness fanatics are going for a walk along the bay in their loose-fitting khakis and sneakers during their lunch break. By contrast, in Michigan by this time of year, we are all already holing up for the winter, which will last another six months. Does living in a place of natural beauty, particularly of the sort that reminds you of how small you (and your problems) are relative to geologic time, help you keep things in perspective on a daily basis? Or do people here just learn to take the sunshine and warmth and vastness of the ocean for granted after a while? Clearly not everyone in Los Angeles is a happy camper...