came by

[Topstudent]

Phone conversation:

A: I've been trying to reach you. Where are you?

B: Right now I'm parked outside a supermarket in Dallas.

A: What? What are you doing in Dallas?

B: Oh, I just came by. Me and my girlfriend are on a road trip to LA.

Would 'came by' be natural to use in this particular situation?

 

[5jj]

Not to this speaker of BrE.

 

[probus]

Nor to this speaker of AmE. We use "come by" only when we visit people. We might say "Do come by if you're in town."

 

[Topstudent]

Is there something I could use instead?

 

[5jj]

I'm just passing through.

 

[teechar]

Me and my girlfriend are on a road trip to LA.

Two comments:
1- Strictly speaking, that should be "My girlfriend and I", although even some native speakers might say something like the above.
2- LA is very far from Dallas, just to let you know!

 

[probus]

LA is very far from Dallas, just to let you know!

It's about 2300 kilometers. Thanks to America's wonderful interstate freeway system you could drive it in about 24 hours non-stop.