Eight Friends & One Beach House

Every summer since high school, a group of us takes a trip together, and this year all eight of us made it work. We left our houses at 6 a.m. and got to Carlsbad Beach by noon, ready for five days split between the ocean and doing absolutely nothing.

We rented an Airbnb with a pool and hot tub, which ended up being where most nights actually happened sitting around talking, half-watching whoever was losing at Clue. We went to the beach every day, since it was a short drive and there wasn't really a reason not to.

One night we drove to Coronado Island for pizza on the beach at sunset, then ice cream at the Hotel del Coronado. A few days later, we celebrated a friend's birthday at an Italian restaurant on the water, also on Coronado. On slower afternoons back at the house, we worked through a puzzle and played more rounds of Clue than I'd like to admit.

Nothing about the trip was elaborate no big itinerary, no must-see list. Just eight people, one house, and five days that went by faster than expected. Next up, I'll be writing about an upcoming trip to upstate New York, where I'll be visiting family instead of hitting the road with this crew.