San Diego ???? (1 Viewer)

[Dragon]

I know there is a lot of people on this board from southern California so I thought I would give this a try

We will be going to Hawaii for our 20th anniversary this May. We have already made most of our reservations but our travel agent just called and informed us that she could lower the price of our plane tickets by almost $800 for the two of us if we would just take a flight a few days later from San Diego, where the original plans only called for a single night stay.

Since we have plenty of vacation time left, we decided to take her up on the offer and now have a total of 7 days in San Diego - after all I'd rather spend the money having fun, than paying extra for the plane tickets and the weather will probably be a lot nicer than at home.

While we have been in San Diego before - we were there in early September, we have never stayed there, usually staying in Anaheim. This time we have decided to stay in San Diego but are confused by the amount of conflicting information we have received about which areas of the city is good, and which areas should be avoided ?????

If anyone know of not-to-miss things to do in San Diego, suggestions would be very welcome too.

 

[antipop]

go tell my friend dave hello for me

 

[Redlands Saints]

I know there is a lot of people on this board from southern California so I thought I would give this a try

We will be going to Hawaii for our 20th anniversary this May. We have already made most of our reservations but our travel agent just called and informed us that she could lower the price of our plane tickets by almost $800 for the two of us if we would just take a flight a few days later from San Diego, where the original plans only called for a single night stay.

Since we have plenty of vacation time left, we decided to take her up on the offer and now have a total of 7 days in San Diego - after all I'd rather spend the money having fun, than paying extra for the plane tickets and the weather will probably be a lot nicer than at home.

While we have been in San Diego before - we were there in early September, we have never stayed there, usually staying in Anaheim. This time we have decided to stay in San Diego but are confused by the amount of conflicting information we have received about which areas of the city is good, and which areas should be avoided ?????

If anyone know of not-to-miss things to do in San Diego, suggestions would be very welcome too.

Dragon, when will you be there. a few can't miss things I would say are Balboa park. there are several museums there along with the zoo, and two nice theaters. should do a night in the gas lamp district, bars and restaurants. also the mission bay area. pm me if you want more info.

 

[Dragon]

Dragon, when will you be there. a few can't miss things I would say are Balboa park. there are several museums there along with the zoo, and two nice theaters. should do a night in the gas lamp district, bars and restaurants. also the mission bay area. pm me if you want more info.

Thanks for the suggestions.

The way it looks right now we will be in San Diego from May 13th to May 20th.

Heard a lot about the gas lamp district, and are planning to go there. Is that area a good place to stay ?? We do plan to rent a car so we can go out and about

 

[Devildog]

Second the Balboa Park recommendation. That is a beatiful place. The San Diego Zoo is right next door and is a great zoo. Take a tour of Coronado as well. Lots of nice restaurants and the scenery on the Pacific side is great. You could go see the Hotel Del Coronado. Also, go see the Mt. Soledad monument. You can see the entire city and surrounding area from there. Great photo opportunities. Ocean Beach has a long pier and you'll probably spot the surfers doing their thing.

 

[java]

Thanks for the suggestions.

The way it looks right now we will be in San Diego from May 13th to May 20th.

Heard a lot about the gas lamp district, and are planning to go there. Is that area a good place to stay ?? We do plan to rent a car so we can go out and about

Gas lamp is a good place, in my opinion, close to Balboa Park(zoo), waterfront(Seaport Village, harbor, USS Midway...) and airport. tons of restaurants. Taking bus to go to Old Town is pretty easy too.

Little Italy could be another option, just next to gas lamp.

Mission beach/bay area, if you like water and sand. But not many good restaurants and shops,

surburb, La Jolla's cliff is always the first choice, but not convenient.

Sunset cruise is worth considering if it's a clear day and if you get the 2 for 1 promotion which is quite often. check the coupon web site.

 

[Devildog]

You could also see the sea lions at La Jolla shore. Old town is cool, too. There's a park near the airport Sheraton that goes along San Diego Bay's shoreline where you can see all of the aircraft carriers stationed at Coronado as well as a good view of the city.

 

[Dragon]

Gas lamp is a good place, in my opinion, close to Balboa Park(zoo), waterfront(Seaport Village, harbor, USS Midway...) and airport. tons of restaurants. Taking bus to go to Old Town is pretty easy too.

Is the bus service ok ? The only cities in the US where we have ever used public transport are NY,DC,NO and San Francisco

You could also see the sea lions at La Jolla shore. Old town is cool, too. There's a park near the airport Sheraton that goes along San Diego Bay's shoreline where you can see all of the aircraft carriers stationed at Coronado as well as a good view of the city.

That's going to be very popular. Husband (ex-military) loves everything with ships and planes. Dragged me around Aircraft Graveyard in Tucson for 2 full days a couple of years ago

I've already booked a full day tour of Pearl and the different ships museums in Honolulu. It's going to be a surprise since he said he wouldn't ask me to do this on our anniversary trip but I know how much he really wants to go, so we're going.

Is Ocean beach only for surfing or is it a good place to snorkle as well ?

 

[Colin311]

I'm going there March 7th. I have a friend out there and she knows all the hot spots so I'll keep you posted.

 

[Redlands Saints]

Dragon check out sandiego.org also you might want to look into renting a condo or house instead of staying in a hotel. we've done that a few times on trips to mexico. sometimes a little cheaper and makes you feel more like a local, less like a tourist. if I were you I would try and get as close to the beach as I could, it will be perfect beach weather in may. oh and welcome to socal dude.

 

[Redlands Saints]

I'm going there March 7th. I have a friend out there and she knows all the hot spots so I'll keep you posted.

how long yall gonna be here?

 

[java]

Is the bus service ok ? The only cities in the US where we have ever used public transport are NY,DC,NO and San Francisco

Yes, the bus service is good. It's pretty clean. Taking the red line Trolley from gas lamp can bring you to Old Town if I remember it correctly. There are a few Trolley stops in gas lamp. If you like Pizza, you really should try Filippi's Pizza Grotto in little Italy.

I am not sure if Carlsbad Flower Field is right for you or not. some people like it, some not. My wife likes it, I am not very much impressed. It's 35 miles away from downtown San Diego. Usually the season ends around mid-May, I'm not sure if you can catch it or not.
http://www.aroundandaboutsandiego.com/carlsbadflowerfields.html

 

[Dragon]

Is the bus service ok ? The only cities in the US where we have ever used public transport are NY,DC,NO and San Francisco

Yes, the bus service is good. It's pretty clean. Taking the red line Trolley from gas lamp can bring you to Old Town if I remember it correctly. There are a few Trolley stops in gas lamp. If you like Pizza, you really should try Filippi's Pizza Grotto in little Italy.

I am not sure if Carlsbad Flower Field is right for you or not. some people like it, some not. My wife likes it, I am not very much impressed. It's 35 miles away from downtown San Diego. Usually the season ends around mid-May, I'm not sure if you can catch it or not.
http://www.aroundandaboutsandiego.com/carlsbadflowerfields.html

Thank you for the info on the bus service - I'm sure we're going to use them and we will be looking into that italian restaurant. I'm not too much into flowers, gardening has never really been my thing.

RS- I will look into renting a house/condo. After 2 weeks of living in a hotel in Hawaii it would be nice to be able to just cook your own meals and wind down a little bit.Thanks for the link

 

[covingtondog]

I married a girl from San Diego once. I remember her saying that you shouldn't date Navy guys. I hope that helps.

 

[ra]

Del Mar race track.... where the surf meets the turf.
Tijuana... where my liver meets the hospital.
And be sure to eat an a -erto's. (eg.. Alberto's, Alerto's, Rigoberto's, Roberto's... they're all the same).