I’ll be there with Ms. Plan B from January 23 to 27. Other than the zoo are ther any recommendations?
We like restaurants of any kind and unusual stuff.
You can go to Sea World, or grey whale watching on Harbour drive.
You could go to the San Diego Zoo, it’s one of the best in the world. Balboa Park, where the Zoo is at is also very nice with alot of great museums and a restaurant or two.
As for dining and that sort of thing you could go downtown to the Gaslamp Quarter, it has all kinds of fancy restaurants and bars. There’s also Old Town, north of downtown, it has a few restaurants that serve mexican cuisine.
If your’e the adventurous type you could go down to Tijuana, Mexico. There’s all kinds of shops and tourist traps near the border. Don’t drink the water though.
And of course the beaches. Great beahes in San Diego, especially up near La Jolla. Don’t drink the water there either.
In Balboa Park, Tuesdays are “Free Museum” days. On the 24th, the Aerospace, Automotive, and Hall of Champions Sports Museums are free. On a nautical note, there are various ships to visit down on the Embarcadero, including the USS Midway.
Some of the best views of the city can be had at Cabrillo National Monument, Kate Sessions Park, and Mt. Soledad. Your beach choices run from the funky–Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach, to the upscale–La Jolla and Del Mar, to the relatively unspoiled Torrey Pines. There’s Coronado and the fabulous Hotel Del. If you want to go tidepooling, there’s an extra low tide on the 26th.
You don’t have too many days here, but further afield are places like Julian and Anza Borrego Desert State Park.
Check out the San Diego Reader for restaurant reviews and event listings.
If you’re in the downtown area, I can recommend Pokez Mexican restaurant. It’s on 10th and E. Eclectic Mexican place - very casual, rudimentary service. But if you want something unique, it’s a neat place. Lots of vegetarian/vegan options which may or may not matter to you.
If you’re outdoorsy inclined, try to spend some time at Mission Bay Park - bike paths, walking paths, beach/bay. Or also Torrey Pines State Beach which has some good hiking trails and a beautiful view of the ocean.
Hey, maybe we’ll see each other (not that we’ll know what one another looks like)! My family and I are going to Southern California that week as well, and we were planning to be in SD on the 25th and 26th. (However, now that I know the Balboa Park Museums are free on the 24th, we might switch around a bit).
We’re planning on spending a day at Legoland, which is in Carlsbad, just outside San Diego. The other San Diego day, we plan to see the Museum of Making Music (also in Carlsbad), the Auto Museum in Escondido, the Model Railroad Museum and Aerospace Museum in Balboa Park, possbly the Maritime Museum if we can squeeze it in.
Note: just the ones I mentioned are free on that particular Tuesday. The rest will still be charging admission–'cept the Timken Museum of Art, which is always free. The Balboa Park site is here. The “Free Tuesday” schedule is on the Visitor Center page.
Understood, thanks.
If you’re up for plays and musicals, there is usually one running in Old Town and several Downtown.
Restaurants…I really liked The Fish Market—it’s next to the USS Midway, out on the Embarcadero. And if you like tall ships and just nautical things in general, I’d recommend the Midway (you’ll need at least 2.5 hours to see it all) and also the Maritime Museum.
Take the “Ghosts and Spirits” tour that runs out of Old Town. You get to tour famous haunted houses and places (including Whaley House) at night.
Eat at “Kemo Sabe” or “Parallel 33” in Hillcrest. Delicious!
The Wild Animal Park is pretty cool, but about 40 miles north of San Diego proper.
As previous poster wrote, make sure you get over to Cabrillo National Park and stand out on the isthmus. On the west side of the isthmus are the Tide Pools, where you can go wading and get friendly with little aquatic critters.
Oh, how I miss home!!!
Jennshark, I’ve heard good things about both those restaurants, but never been. I definitely want to.
Thanks for all the ideas.