La Jolla Inspiration

“Comfort is the only thing our civilization can give us.” - Oscar Wilde

I am a constant inspiration seeker, as I have a big thirst for spice in my life. When traveling, I try to select exotic and unexpected subject matters to share with my readers, all in the hope of blogging better. I cherish subtle and ordinary surroundings as much as I celebrate journeys to dramatic and climactic places. Indeed, inspiration is found everywhere. During a Sunday between business meetings, with no plans typed into my iPhone calendar, I found unexpected inspiration from a seemingly ordinary place: La Jolla, California.

The wealthy seaside resort community of La Jolla, however, is hardly ordinary. I misconceived its image as being subtle and ordinary prior to that Sunday. With a client’s kind hospitality and recommendation, I decided to go with the flow, so to speak. Without many expectations, I started with a delightful cup of green tea from a local coffee shop—not a Starbucks. La Jolla’s winter temperature was mildly breezy. It felt as if waking up from a quiet night rain, as the air was slightly moist.

Coming from the grey hues dominating the New York City winter, I perched to observe and enjoy the clarities of the surrounding colors and enticing surrounding nature sounds, all hardly ordinary, and quite inspiring. Almost immediately, I found La Jolla to be a comfortable and organically approachable seaside town.

The short stretch of their main street and connecting side streets filled with quaint shops and accented with tall palm trees and perfumed eucalyptuses was simple, cheerful, pleasurable inspiration. I felt as if I found a restful place where no glossy, famed architects’ and designers’ monuments were bombarding my senses. My Sunday stroll greeted me with simple pleasures, as I forgot trends and up keeps of in-the-know. Please don’t interpret La Jolla as being filled with mundane surroundings, as it is full of subtly composed historic architectures along with some of the finest modern classics. Located just north of San Diego, La Jolla offers a convenient and accessible location, where one can walk in for last minute activities.

The community provides places to shop and dine, like any other U.S. resort town, along with new and old places to stay, like the Parigi and La Valencia hotels. Moreover, La Jolla has its own nature wonders on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. The scenic stroll is not only romantic but also informative of our fragile wilderness. I hope that you’ll stop in La Jolla when you’re in Southern California and missing a bit of beautiful and comfortable inspiration.

Photos by D.B. Kim.