When on a Mileage Run, one must partake of as much culture as time allows and eat as the natives eat. In San Diego (and anywhere along the West Coast, for that matter) that might mean indulging in that Japanese delicacy: sushi. Armed and dangerous from the February issue of Hemispheres magazine, which included an article about proper sushi etiquette, and fresh off the plane into San Diego, John and I arrived at a Mom-and-Pop joint in San Diego called Sushiya. Plopping down at the marble sushi bar, I was mesmerized as our sushi master deftly cut raw fish and converted the shreds into minature works of art. I settled with the "sushi sampler" -- six pieces of unidentifable sea-fare that went down like honey with help from the wasabi-soy sauce mixture I concocted next to my plate. We congratulated our artisan on his scrumptuous creation and told him that we had traveled from the other side of the country for fresh sushi in San Diego. He didn't believe us. 12995 El Camino Real near Del Mar. Phone: 858.792.7799.