More of San Diego

I should back track, a little, regarding Shari's visit.  She flew into Phoenix and we spent the first night checking out one of my local favorite eateries.  Her flight was delayed.  Darn weather/mechanical difficulties.  I picked her up and drove her to Phoenix.  I dine at this eatery, often, with Jan and Tom.  They are sort of set in what they prefer ordering here--spinach salad and pepperoni pizza.  Both of these items are great, but, I wanted to try something outside of their box.  Shari and I tried the octopus, brussel sprouts and salsiccia pizza.  Awesome.  I loved every item and the pizza was outstanding. 
Sunday morning, I drove us San Diego.  Not too bad of a drive and we stopped in Alpine to check out a beer and nachos.  Cute, inviting spot, filled with locals and a great vibe.  We sampled bbq nachos before concluding the drive. 
We stayed at a hotel in Mission Beach.  I did enjoy the location as we were close to Pacific Beach an area that I was semi-familiar with.  Plus, there were several restaurants that I wanted to check out in Pacific Beach.  First night we ate Italian. Delicious.  Monday morning, we tackled the mandatory walking section of our tour.  Each year, we always find ourselves in a walkabout tour of whatever city we are celebrating Brian's anniversary in.  I think the longest walkabout was probably in Seattle or the most challenging in Costa Rica.  Lots of hills, humidity and it was freaking hot while visiting Manual Antonio.
Anyways, we started the walking venture with a coffee in hand.  Overcast morning and the ocean was lovely.  My plan was to walk around Ocean Beach before heading into the Hillcrest Area to dine at Hash House a Go Go.  Well, that plan was sort of kiboshed when we reached the point where we would be crossing a freeway.  Cabbed it to the restaurant and considered the rest of our day.  Breakfast was delicious.  We shared a scramble with salmon and cream cheese. 
From here, we walked to the Gaslamp District, checked out Balboa Park and stopped to enjoy a glass of wine in a cigar shop.  Not the ideal place, in all honesty, but I liked the bar area and it seemed somewhat fittting for the day.  Overcast, bluesy and dark.  I wanted to dine in Little Italy and chose a place that was highly recommended.  As noted, food was delightful, but the music sucked.  I would return to the restaurant to sample more fare.  Maybe next trip to San Diego.
That night, we ate at the hotel.  Lame, I know, but the weather had not improved.  Rain, wind, felt monsoon like and I was unmotivated to walk outside.  We shared chips and salsa and a quesadilla at the hotel.  It was fine and ensured that we both woke up early to walk the Ocean Beach Peir.  It was 2/28, after all, and we had a lot planned for the day.