I just got back from a trip to San Diego, where I went to see fun. at Open Air Theatre after I missed their sold-out show here in the Valley. I had a blast at the show, both because the outdoor venue didn’t have a bad seat in the house, and because the band put on a show that was both musically on point as well as visually.

If you’re ever in the San Diego area, try to check out a concert at this venue. It reminded me of a mix between Mesa Amphitheatre and Gammage, with assigned seating but all outdoors smack in the middle of the San Diego State University campus. The outdoor atmosphere sort of made me wish I had been a student at the school myself. Fun. lead singer Nate Ruess, whom I last interviewed last year here, told the crowd the audience was the largest the band had ever played for, which made the night that much cooler.

The group played songs off both their Aim and Ignite and Some Nights albums, with a cool stage show that included some neat lighting effects and lots of running around the stage by all the members. The energy was high the whole night, and I had a blast at the show. Find remaining tour dates here, and check out some videos from the show below.

Besides the concert, I loved hitting up San Diego beaches, checking out the San Diego Zoo and riding the rides at Mission Beach.

There were also lots of good restaurants to try, most notably Currant, at the cute boutique hotel I stayed at downtown in the Gaslamp district, The Sofia.

Currant is really pretty and makes me think of something I might find in France –  a black-and-white motif and an uber-cute patio overlooking downtown that’s lined with flowers and twinkly lights. The American menu has a ton of stand-out items, and you should try it if you head to S.D., especially for their bottomless mimosa brunch on weekends (only $8 for unlimited mimosas!) and for their stellar happy hour from 4-7 p.m. and after 9 p.m. nightly with so many drink and food specials, you’ll feel like you’re stealing from the restaurant.

Start with the cheese board ($14.95), which will come with lavender chevre, mozzarella and goat cheese along with vegetables and bread and olive oil. It’s a really filling appetizer, and all the cheeses are scrumptious.

For my meal, I had the tomato heirloom salad ($10.95), which was also really filling and is great if you love greens, since it’s packed with a hefty portion of arugula.

I paired it with a side of garlic and chive tots ($7.95 regularly, $4.75 during happy hour), which was another huge portion meant to be shared. The tots were thicker than any I’d ever had, and the spicy habanero ketchup is my new favorite dipping sauce.

Some other notable spots I’d recommend during my San Diego stay are Steakhouse at Azul (beautiful ocean views — get the French toast brunch), Firehouse Pacific Beach (start with the nachos), Snooze (grab a mimosa while you wait for breakfast), Hamilton’s Tavern (play shuffleboard), Station Tavern and Burgers (try the black bean burger), MooTime Creamery (all their sundaes are amazing), Influx Cafe (get a caramel latte), Monkey Paw Pub and Brewery (they serve local brews), and El Zarape Mexican Restaurant (the bean and cheese burritos are yummy!)