San Diego About This Page:

[chezp]

Have you ever been to San Diego? If so, is it worth a quick visit – perhaps a one or two night stay? I’ve heard the Zoo is one of the best in the world – is that true? What else is worth seeing there?

[AngelOn9]

I use to live in San Diego! Yes, its totally true...the zoo there is the BEST! My mom took me so often as a little girl that I have some great memories.



I haven't been in awhile, but from my understanding its only gotten better. The zoo website gives you a great idea of what they have to offer.



www.sandiegozoo.com

[Bert & Sully]

I certainly hope so. Another PP member has it on our list for next year's trip to DL's 50th birfday.

[Flower and Baloo]

<font color="green">Well, being a native San Diegan who can't seem to bear the thought of leaving I'd have to say YES!
It's definitely worth it.

I spent a few hours over at the Embaracadero and checked out the HMS Surprise from 'Master and Commander'. Walked down to Seaport Village and did a bit of shopping and had a great day hanging around watching the tourists coming off the Monarch of the Sea cruise ship, which was in port at that time.

As for the Zoo, yes, it's worth it. There's also another sister Zoo called the Wild Animal Park. When you check out the website that Angel left you look around a bit. They have programs where you can actually spend the night inside either facility.

And, of course, there's the adorable Mei Sheng. The newest Panda cub is moving with his mother, Bai Yun, are settling in another environment next to his father, Gao Gao.

The first panda born at SD Zoo was Hui Mei and there are reports that the 4 yr old is pregnant, which is great!


If you have any questions, I'd be happy to help you out. </font>

Panda Cam link

Link to previous post regarding Tijuana, Mexico

General San Diego Visitor Information

Quail Botanical Gardens

Free Tuesdays @ Balboa Park Museums lineup

[GoofyMom]

I wish we'd had longer to spend in San Diego. We only got to spend one day there and we chose to go to SeaWorld with the kids. I'd love to see "Old Town" just to poke around -- my parents went there and said they really enjoyed it.

[AmndaSarek]

Definitely GO to San Diego! There is LOTS to see and do there. The Zoo is fantastic. I like the San Diego Wild Animal Park even more ... it's like the Animal Kingdom Safari only many many times better. There is also a Sea World in San Diego.

Other attractions in San Diego, The Hotel Del Coronado (where they filmed "Some Like It Hot")(the "model" for the Grand Floridian); Old Town (a historic section of town showcasing some of San Diego's "old west" and mission heritage; the fantastic beaches and beautiful Mission Bay; Balboa Park (a fabulous public park that will remind you of Hawaii with it's lush vegetation) ... they have a museum and a lasarium in Balboa Park that usually have shows running; and the Old Globe Theatre, a theatre built specifically to house/show Shakespeare's plays--it is a reproduction of The Rose Theatre (if memory serves me right, it's been a while) where most of Shakespeare's plays were originally performed when he was living!
Also, there are some wineries in North San Diego County (one specifically I remember out in Rancho Bernardo) if you are interested in wine and wine tastings.
A couple of up-scale restaurant recommendations:
Anthony's (seafood)
Mr. A's (steak)
There are also lots of wonderful Chinese and Mexican restaurants all over the city.
I lived in SD for years, my folks are still there, I definitely recommend it! If you are driving down, definitely take the ocean route ... the views are incredible. If you have time, stop in San Juan Capistrano and see the mission ... it's really neat!

Hope this helps!

[Flower and Baloo]

[ QUOTE ]
A couple of up-scale restaurant recommendations:
Anthony's (seafood)
Mr. A's (steak)
There are also lots of wonderful Chinese and Mexican restaurants all over the city.

Hope this helps!

[/ QUOTE ] <font color="green">Unfortunately Mr. A's changed hands and isn't the same any longer. Anthony's is nice. For a view either go to the one on San Diego Harbor/Embarcadero or La Mesa. There's a cute little duck pond in the back that's the view for the restaurant. If you'd like to experience Anthony's without the higher cost, try one of the Anthony's Express outlets. Same food, lower price. Or if you really love fish, head to Shelter Island and go to Point Loma Seafood, pick up a platter to go and take it up to the Cabrillo National Monument. It's a park overlooking the hook of San Diego Bay. Very beautiful, peaceful and the view can't be beat.

You'll be happy to learn that we have Vegetarian and Vegan restaurants too. But for your husband, take him out to Santee and go to Pinacle Peak. It's the original steakhouse of this chain. If you walk in with a tie on they will literally cut it off you! Casual attire only! lol

But there are loads of restaurants all over the area.
In the gaslamp area of downtown, it's almost like walking around Downtown Disney it's so packed with people on the weekend. There's even a few british styled and irish styled pubs in the area, in case you get home sick.

They've also built a new baseball park in downtown and the convention center has expanded all the way to 8th street. It's HUGE!

You can easily spend 2 weeks in San Diego and not see everything. If you're only coming for a day or so, figure out what you want to see/do and make plans for it in advance.

Cheryl said she loves swimming.
Try La Jolla Shores Beach. It's also known as Kellogg Park. It's near downtown La Jolla (the ritzy area of town where houses start at 1 million and go up from there!). La Jolla Shores has a wonderful sandy beach with a nice shady grass park right next to it. If you're coming in summer, at Mission Beach there's a pool called the Plunge. They show movies while you laze/drift in the pool. Kinda cool.

Old Town is nice, but I've been here too long to be excited about it. There are many nice restaurants in the area and the Mission is at the top of the hill.

You will need a car!
Our transit system leaves a bit to be desired.
There is a trolley that can take you from the Mexican border to downtown San Diego to Old Town, out to El Cajon, a suburb, or out to the SD stadium.

Gasoline isn't cheap in southern california and it's more expensive in San Diego since we're at the end of the supply line, so to speak. Don't let that deter you from visiting. Only go to Mexico with a tour group, get the insurance just in case or check with your agent to see if you're covered in Mexico. It's safer. Stay off the highways during rush hour. (7 to 8:30am and 4-6pm) We're not the most courteous at that time.

If you come during the summer, take advantage of The Zoo's Night Zoo. It's cooler out and the animals all move around more.

I've blithered on enough.
</font>

[chezp]

Wow - thank you so much for all your input! I must admit when we first came up with this idea, I knew nothing at all about San Diego, apart from it had the zoo and I really didn't know if it was a good idea to go there or not. Now I'm sold!

I think we'll either be going there for one or two nights, probably in November 2005. It looks like this will replace our trip up to San Francisco for the same length of time, as plans for that just weren't working out. We realised we could probably use a car in Los Angeles to get around and if we had one, we could visit San Diego and then drive to Vegas, instead of flying over there.

I love the sound of the zoo (obviously), the Old Town and Balboa Park, as well as HMS Surprise - I think DH would love that.

[ QUOTE ]
Gasoline isn't cheap in southern california and it's more expensive in San Diego since we're at the end of the supply line, so to speak. Don't let that deter you from visiting.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey - it won't! Don't forget we come from the land of the highest gasoline prices on the planet, so any price in the States is cheap to us!

[Straitlover]

I drove to Vegas from SD one year when visiting my best friedn there. Boy, that's a long drive!! It's like 8 hrs one way and not much in between (be sure to plan potty breaks as you may go a couple of hours with nowhere to stop and "go"). Southwest runs so many cheap deals that I would still check into flying. Right now, it's $34 each way. If you still decide to drive, be sure to stop and see the world's largest thermometer!

Definitely see the zoo; it's great! The area at the Cabrillio (sp?) Monument and the lighthouse is beautiful and worth the couple of bucks it costs to go there. The whole harbor/Embarcadero area is neat, too. Last time I was there (July 2002), we took the Harbour Cruise and rode in the rickshaw-like things (can't remember the correct name for them ). It's someone on a bicycle w/ a bench seat on the back you cna ride in. He sure flew! it was fun, though and got us to the boat in time. There was this photographer selling his pictures, and I picked up a matted set of pictures he took in Tuscany, Italy. He had lots of good stuff. There's also painters, jewelry makers, etc, set up selling their wares, too.

Balboa Park's nice; I would stay out of the bathrooms, though. My friend told me all sorts of stories about "not so nice" activities taking place there . There are several museums there.

Have a great time!!!

[Flower and Baloo]

<font color="green">Straitlover is right! Stay out of the park bathrooms. Only use the ones that are inside or next to a museum. On the sixth street side of the park there's an area that some call 'Queen's Circle'. Stay out of the south side of that area of the park. The north side is no problem. Be careful in the bathrooms anywhere. You never know who's been watching you or will walk in after you. You wouldn't want a 'George Michael Moment' happening to ya.



The pedicabs are fun. So are the electric cabs that run all over the Gaslamp/Convention Center/Petco Park baseball park area.



The fastest we drove from SD to Vegas was 4 hrs, after 8pm on Thanksgiving night. If you chose to drive to Vegas, go at night and scout out gas stations before you go, using Microsoft Streets and Trips or any other software that will show you what's in the area. You can stop in Barstow to gas up.



That being said, you only have so much time when vacationing. Flying over would save you a lot of time and get you into the action without that long drive. Rent a car at the airport. If you don't care if you stay on the strip or not, check out The Orleans Hotel/Casino. It's clean and thrifty. Has a number of restaurants, a theatre, a spa and all sorts of other amenities.



Cheapo Vegas Information Guide This is a comprehensive guide to the area's amenities.



One tip your feet will thank you for.

Instead of self parking while in Vegas, use Valet Parking.

At your hotel, tip a bit more. Closer to $3-5 and you'll get your car quickly everytime you come out for a drive. When going to another casino tip $1-2 bucks and never worry about finding your way back to your car again.

When going to shows, tip the matre d' at the door for a better seat. Doesn't always work, but we've found a well placed $20-$50 bill will get you up front at packed, popular shows in no time.



Oh, check with the hotel before you set a reservation if you're coming in the winter months. Some hotels in both San Diego and Las Vegas close their pools during this time. </font>

[Flower and Baloo]

[ QUOTE ]



[ QUOTE ]
Gasoline isn't cheap in southern california and it's more expensive in San Diego since we're at the end of the supply line, so to speak. Don't let that deter you from visiting.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey - it won't! Don't forget we come from the land of the highest gasoline prices on the planet, so any price in the States is cheap to us!

[/ QUOTE ]
<font color="green">Well come on down. I just paid $2.40 a gallon for premium this morning. lol
Any questions, I'm sure we (everyone who's posted on this thread, of course) can help you.
</font>

[chezp]

[ QUOTE ]
<font color="green">Well come on down. I just paid $2.40 a gallon for premium this morning. lol </font>

[/ QUOTE ]

OK... I make that £1.37 on the current exchange rate for a GALLON! We are currently paying around 80p a litre and I think there's about four litres in a gallon, so we're paying around £2.40 or $5.60 a gallon!

[Straitlover]

I believe I heard that they just finished up the monorail in Vegas, too. I don't know if it goes over the whole Strip or not. However, if you're only going for a couple of days and don't plan on venturing away from the Strip, it might be an option to a rental car. Either way, still be sure to check it out!

[JenS]

Cheryl, I was fortunate enough to spend 4 days in San Diego this past January. It was wonderful! We stayed on Coronado, a short walk from the Hotel del Coronado. The hotel is beautiful - it is the one that the Grand Floridian was modeled after. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at the Hotel, on the deck, watching the sunset over the Pacific.



I would say a visit to La Jolla is a must - this was one of my favorites memories from the trip.



Another thing you could do while in the area is take a whale watching tour - I believe the Gray Whales will still be migrating in November. We had a whale watching sail scheduled but unfortunately is was cancelled due to a heavy fog that rolled in. The group that went out before us had a wonderful experience and sailed along side a whale for a long time.



San Diego boasts an average temp of 70º year round and very little rain. I am sure you would love a visit here!



I have more photos from my trip and I would be happy to email you a link if you PM me.





La Jolla Cove





The Coast





Hotel Del Coronado

[DopeyGirl]

Cheryl . . . I grew up in San Diego and if I were to go back now, it would take me longer than 2 days to see all I wanted to see. (I haven't been to San Diego in 6 years, and even then I didn't get to revisit everything I wanted to see!!!) Since you have time to study on everything, you can pick and choose a couple of things, but don't get out of town without seeing the zoo . . . I love it!!!

Visit San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau and order a vacation packet . . . they'll send you a pretty good sized booklet and a flyer with coupons and things. Plus, when you order the kit, you can order an area golf guide and a casino guide as well. (The golf guide is what is starting to sway DH, who has never been there!)

Sometimes it takes a while for the packets to arrive. I ordered mine and it took about 3-4 weeks to arrive.

Do heed Flower and Baloo's advice . . .

As for Anthony's Seafood, which was mentioned earlier on . . . I prefer the Anthony's on the Bay (on Harbor Blvd.) I also like the Harbor House at Seaport Village . . . and speaking of Seaport Village, whenever I'm there, I can not leave without taking a ride on the carousel and buying some tasty homemade fudge from Seaport Coffee and Fudge Factory!!!

If you think you can handle an hour or two on the water, try to take a Hornblower Harbor Cruise as well . . . they tell you about the skyline (it's said it resembles items in a tool box) and a little history of the city. You also go under the Coronado Bay Bridge and past all of the Navy ships and the shipbuilding yards . . . but that isn't always for everyone.

I love Old Town . . . if you like mexican food, Casa de Bandini is a MUST, IMO!!!

The best thing about short trips though, is it wets your whistle just enough that you start thinking about a longer trip back!!!