Well the time as come to say goodbye to the city I have grown to love over the past 14 months.

As I’ve done all the things I love one last time, I keep thinking to myself:

But what’s done is done. So to commemorate my time in San Diego here is a list of what I’ll miss (and what I won’t) about this wonderful place.

1. Sunsets/Sunrises. No one does sunsets or sunrises like San Diego. Maybe I’ll change my tune once I’m on the road in new exotic places but for right now it takes the cake.

2. Mexican food. I’d never been a real fan of Mexican food before moving out here but that’s because I had clearly never experienced the good stuff. Mexican food out here isn’t just a meal, it’s a way of life. Rock on Taco Tuesday.

3. Expats. Seriously if you ask someone in San Diego where they’re originally from, it’s far less likely that someone replies with ‘San Diego’ then anywhere else in the country. Pretty much everyone here is an import from somewhere else in the US (or abroad) and that’s a lot of fun.

4. The outdoor mentality. Because the weather is always nice, people are outside constantly. Hiking, surfing, doing yoga, running, rollerblading, skateboarding, paddle boarding, you name it and people are doing it. Now I had a job that kept me outside all day every day, but even on my days off when all I wanted was to stay inside on my couch, the weather called to me and would always say ‘Get your lazy butt off the couch and outside and do something with your day - do you see this glorious sunny day and moderate temperatures I’m giving you??’

5. 365 days of flip flops. Enough said really. And I never thought I’d say this but since living here I find myself with ‘good flip flops’ and ‘bad flip flops’ and ‘work flip flops’. Never thought I’d see the day.

6. Free beaches. I didn’t really think about this until my family came out and they were amazed that all the beaches around here are free. Unlike back home where you have to pay to go to most beaches in the summer, it’s all free all the time in San Diego. Maybe because it is a year round thing or maybe because there are just so darn many of them. Who knows.

7. Gorgeous scenery. Doesn’t matter where you want to go in San Diego, there is always a beautiful view greeting you. Whether it’s downtown, Balboa Park, Sunset Cliffs, La Jolla, Torrey Pines National Park, Point Loma, Cabrillo, and so on and so forth. There’s pretty much never a bad view.

8. All things military. To me being able to watch aircraft carriers and destroyers come into the harbor, watch and listen to fighter jets take off, and drive a boat with blackhawk helicopters flying overhead was amazing. Made me feel like I was in a James Bond movie.

9. Comic Con. It only happens once a year but it’s insane…and amazing. I got to experience it a little last year and while I’m unfortunately leaving only a few days before it gets started, it is such a fun and crazy atmosphere. Everyone should experience it at least once.

10. The perfect weather. I kid you not the last time it really rained here was in February. FEBRUARY. It’s now the middle of July. My parents have pretty much stopped asking what the weather is like when they call because they already know the answer. 75 and sunny.

1. The perfect weather. The weather and I have a love/hate relationship. While it’s nice to pretty much have one wardrobe and know that there’s probably a 98% chance that your day is going to be beautiful, I do miss weather. I miss the clouds, the rain, the thunderstorms. I don’t need excessive amounts of them but a little rain once in a while would be nice.

2. Rain. But when it does rain everyone loses their collective shit. Seriously no one knows how to drive or act or function when it rains (ok more like sprinkle - again it rarely actually rains here). I will say that the roads to get a bit slick when it ‘rains’ because the lack of weather makes the oil on the roads build up. But good luck getting anywhere quickly if there’s the slightest bit of precipitation.

3. Like. I found myself saying this way too much after living here. Like though I, like, know my, like, future, like, endeavors will be, like, totally amazing, like, this place has, like, become, like, home and I’ll, like, seriously, like, miss it. But I will NOT miss the word ‘like’. I’ve vowed to swear off the word as much as possible for a while.

4. Tourists. I’ve never really lived in a place that has a tourist season, but since I live about 5 minutes from Sea World and drive home on Sea World Drive every day, it pretty much puts me in a constant state of road rage.

5. Driving. There’s something about California drivers that drives me up a wall. Maybe it’s the laid back attitude but when the speed limit is 55 and you are going 40, I’m going to go all Masshole on you and ride your butt until you put a little more pressure on the gas pedal. And what’s with the whole waiting until the last minute to merge? And don’t get me started on traffic on the highways. Talk about stop and go traffic. You will be at a stand still - then all of a sudden you’ve accelerated to 70 - then 30 seconds later you have to slam on your brakes because you’re at a stand still again. Over. And over. And over.

But obviously overall I love San Diego. It’s a place I could definitely see myself moving back to in the future (if I ever find myself back in the US that is). It’s a beautiful city with so much to offer and it will always be special to me.

So until we meet again: