San Diego--ever been?

[Brewtacular]

We are heading San Diego for a few days later this month and I was curious if anyone had some ideas. Looks like a pretty manageable city. We are probably going to stay at a hotel around Mission Valley. Perhaps spend some time around Balboa park and generally check out the town. I would like to maybe drive up the coast one day to a small town/beach for breakfast/lunch.

 

If anyone knows the area and has some advice it would definitely be well received.

[jimmyjeromehardy7]

The zoo is good but the Animal Kingdom (owned by the SD Zoo) is a must see. It's out from town and very spacious so the animals have plenty of room to roam. And skip the Old Towne it wasn't that good unless you like alot of the same shops selling overpriced touristy things.

[homer]

There's an aircraft carrier dry docked downtown that you can tour. I believe it was commissioned in the 50's and last served during the first Gulf War. It's a pretty neat tour.

[MillerParkSouth]

I've done the aircraft carrier tour and the zoo and would recommend both. my girlfriend's mom lives out there so we're conveniently scheduling a trip out there this summer when the Crew is in town which i'm pretty stoked about. it's a cool city.

[LouisEly]

Not sure if "we" means a couple or a family. If "we" means a couple, then I would recommend one night in the Gaslamp district. There is a lounge at the top of the Marriott Gaslamp that has a panoramic view of the city; great place to catch a drink before or after dinner while the sun sets, can be a nice romantic spot (if you're not next to someone who is smoking). It looks right over Petco so it gets busy on gameday. (Best value for parking is the ramp that is right across the street from that Marriott). For dinner I would recommend the Gaslamp Strip Club - it is a "grill-your-own" steakhouse but with a burlesque theme to it. No one under 21 allowed (nothing too racy - some artistic nude paintings high up on the wall but not obscene), so you don't have to put up with any families with kids. If "we" means family with kids, then forget what I just said.

 

As for going up the coast, Pacific Beach is a smaller town along the coast with lots of shops/restaurants/beach to walk on.

[dikapalooza]

I went there two years ago. We stayed in Solana Beach a little up the coast. It was a nice area with shopping, dining options if that's what you're looking for. As for the beach, it was a good mix of areas with a lot of activity and some more secluded spots. The beach a little further south in Del Mar was the busiest area.

 

For the city itself, we did go to the zoo and Sea World. Didn't see the animal kingdom. I wouldn't go to Sea World unless you're really interested in that, it was way too expensive. I will second the recommendation for the Gaslamp Strip Club and the district in general. If you want to sample some different beers, check out the Yardhouse. It's a small chain of bar/grills in the southwest with I believe over 100 beers on tap. There are, of course, the standard macros, micros and imports, but also some that you wouldn't be able to easily find around here.

 

If you're interesting in wine, there are many wineries around the area. We went to one near Escondido that also had some offbeat shops and a small restaurant serving lunch, which was dynamite. Bernardo Winery.

 

And yes, we did see two Brewers games while we were there. The stadium is great.

[bbrauch2000]

I was out there for Braun's debut two years back and it was awesome. We did the tour through the Animal Park where we got to feed rhinos and giraffes and it was unforgettable. This was really expensive to do however. The aircraft carrier was awesome. They had a bunch of the retired jets and helicopters from the past 50 years that were on the deck which was really cool

[SeriesFinale]

And yes, we did see two Brewers games while we were there. The stadium is great.

That was a rough series, wasn't it? At least we saw Braun's first MLB home run.

 

My wife and I took it pretty easy and just hung around the Gaslamp District and Balboa Park, killin' a couple bottles of wine out by the Globe. Very relaxing.

[mothershipconnection]

I too was there for Braun's first homer, which was awesome. I just happened to be in town for a conference and we were actually at the same hotel as the team. That stadium is really great and surrounded by a pretty nice area. Of all the conferences I've been to, that was easily the nicest location (we're often in so-so Chicago and have been in dumpy places like downtown Atlanta and this year will be in the reported nasty part of Phoenix - yay). I think they usually try to put us in a dump so we won't take off and skip the conference.

[DHonks]

I was there last weekend with a field trip of 130 7th graders and had a fun time. It's a science field trip, so we hit up Scripps Aquarium and SeaWorld. Beware that it is chilly in the mornings due to the marine layer. Once it burns off, it can be nice and warm. Also, last year I got sunburnt on the field trip on a 55-degree, overcast day. So the sun can be intense there.

[Brewtacular]

Thanks for all the ideas.

By "we" I meant me and my wife. Sadly, or happily, my wife cant imbibe alcohol at this time so we will have to cut those from the plan. Although, the wineries and general, drinkin about town, sound desperately awesome. I think we are gonna keep it rather low key. We have some stuff we want to see and then head up along the beach. Maybe see some museums. Generally, enjoy nice weather.

 

How about traffic/driving? Any pointers on that? Is SD easily navigable? Any areas we should avoid?

[homer]

Downtown is very walkable. If you're headed there from Mission Valley, take the trolley (light rail). If you want to bounce up the coast, there's a commuter rail called The Coaster that stops in Carlsbad and Oceanside and Solana Beach (not sure where else). Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach have parking on the streets and I'm sure there's public parking. Once you park you can walk all over the place.

 

I highly recommend getting fish tacos. There's a place called The Brigantine in Del Mar I believe (pretty close to the racetrack) that has some really good ones.