This post is sponsored by Toyota. All opinions are my own.

I’ve been to San Diego more times than I can count. I thought I’d seen everything, but then my friend told me about Chicano Park in San Diego. Seeing all the amazing murals, I couldn’t believe it was a place I’d never seen or heard of. I guess it’s not that surprising, since I’m not the target demographic. But, I’ve seriously been to San Diego at least 10 times, and I thought I’d done everything (like the 59 mile scenic drive). Given my serious love of street art, it was about time I made the trip.

If you’ve read my blog or followed me on social, you know I love public art. (Here’s a recent story I wrote about all the street art posts I’ve written and cities I’ve visited). I love public art for a lot of reasons. The biggest one is that I believe art should be free and accessible for anyone who wants to view it. I’m not saying artists shouldn’t be able to make a living, but there are so many people who can’t access museums due to financial or cultural barriers, that I think street art fills in that gap.

My trip to Chicano Park in San Diego did not disappoint. It is located near Downtown San Diego, easily accessible via their freeways. I found it really easily and there was ample free street parking and also a public parking lot that was also free. I spent about a half hour just walking around, enjoying all the murals, and I even created a video on my IGTV channel. The murals really were so powerful. There is a lot of political messages, some hidden and some more obvious. I found the entire space very empowering for the Chicano community.

Getting to see and experience new things is probably my favorite part of traveling. This trip was even better because I got to drive the all new Camry XSE all week. As a little back story, I own a 2008 Camry. We got it back then after our car was totaled in a car accident when we lived in Kansas (not our fault! someone ran a stop sign on a snowy day). We have absolutely loved our Camry, and have had literally no issues with it. We are currently at over 165K miles, and the only issues we’ve had are normal wear and tear, like tires, breaks, fluid lines, all very normal stuff.  We’ve been so happy with our Camry, that now that we’ve started thinking about a new car, the newest Camry is definitely on our short list.

I thoroughly enjoyed driving the Camry XSE all week. First of all, it is really beautiful. They gave me a ruby red one for the week, and it was so sleek and attractive to drive. The interior is really plush, with leather seats and a nice leather-wrapped wheel. I love that the car has a back-up camera. (It’s one of those things I didn’t even know I was missing). The stereo is also really great. They have USB plugs as well as blue tooth in the car, so I was able to listen to my I-Tunes while I drove. The trunk is really spacious, and the car just felt so smooth while I was driving it. It’s also quite fast and has really good pick-up.

The sport package is something I didn’t even know I was missing in my own Camry. I really loved the new XSE and I’d definitely consider getting one when we’re ready to buy a new car in the next year or so. I’ve been so happy with how well our Camry has treated us over the last decade, so there’s no question I’d get another one.

Overall, my time in San Diego was a lot of fun. My trip to Chicano Park in San Diego was definitely a major highlight. If you get a chance to visit the next time you’re in So Cal, I’d highly suggest it.