San Diego
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Background
San Diego is a beautiful city in San Diego County in Southern California. The San Diego area is an incredible place to visit almost any time of the year. With temperatures near the ocean of around 75 degrees most of the time, the climate is ideal. There are innumerable restaurants to choose from and, of course, seafood is a specialty.
San Diego was established in 1775 as the first Spanish mission in California.
Get in
By plane
San Diego International Airport (http://www.san.org/) (airport code: SAN) is about 10 minutes out of downtown San Diego. The descent into the airport, passing hair-raisingly close to downtown buildings, can be a bit alarming for first-time visitors. It's served by Southwest Airlines (http://www.iflyswa.com/) and most other major West Coast carriers.
There are a number of airport shuttle companies that handle transportation to and from the airport. They run about $15 per person. Metro bus #992 ("the Flyer", $2.25) travels the 10 minutes to downtown San Diego, and connects to the Coaster train, the Trolley, and the Amtrak station.
By train
San Diego's Amtrack station is at 1050 Kettner Blvd. It is close to downtown, the harbour, cruise ships and both the trolley and the 'coaster' service the station. Amtrak runs a number of trains daily to San Diego.
By car
By bus
Greyhound has a station in downtown San Diego, on Broadway St. There are other charter buses, mainly operating Between Los Angeles and Mexico.
By boat
Get around
By bus
San Diego does offer bus service to almost all parts of the county. If you will be mainly in the areas around downtown, the bus will will be quite suitable. Average cost is $2.00. Slightly less for shorter trips, and a bit more for express buses. All downtown buses intersect with Broadway St. at some point. During the day all kinds of people will be taking the bus. At nights some people might feel a little less comfortable, but generally not unsafe on the main parts of downtown. The MTA (metropolitan transit authority) has offices in downtown, on Broadway St.
By trolley
San Diego offers a trolley service, mainly for tourists and people living in the southern and eastern parts of the city that need to get to downtown areas. There are two trolley lines: blue and orange. Blue operates from The US-Mexico border to Qualcomm Stadium, where the San Diego Chargers play, with expansions to SDSU currently underway. The blue line will also take you to popular shopping destinations in the Mission Valley area. The Orange line connects the eastern cities of Santee and La Mesa with Downtown. Generally not as usual for tourists except for getting around parts of downtown. Bus and trolley transfers are interchangeable. There's no formal system to check if you've purchased a ticket, but there are trolley guards that may come around and ask to see your ticket. The fine is normally around $150 for not having a ticket, although sometimes (not recommended) you can talk them into simply letting you get off at the next stop and purchase a ticket.
See
- San Diego Zoo, 2920 Zoo Drive (Park Blvd. exit from interstate highway 5), 619-234-3153. 9AM-4PM every day. Possibly the premier zoo in North America, the San Diego Zoo encompasses over 100 acres of displays and habitats. Animal shows run constantly, and there's creatures here that aren't visible in any other zoo on the planet. Definitely worth a visit, but you need a full day to really do it justice. $19.50 (general admission; some shows and attractions extra). http://www.sandiegozoo.org/
- Wild Animal Park
- SeaWorld (http://www.seaworld.com). Meet Shamu and almost get drowned in the Soak Zone. Around $30.
- Balboa Park (http://www.balboapark.org).
- Harbor seals, Children's Cove, La Jolla. A small beach built for children, now filled each day with furry lumps of blubber.
- Birch Aquarium, La Jolla, (Scripps Institution of Oceanography (http://sio.ucsd.edu)). http://aquarium.ucsd.edu
- Belmot Park.
Sports
San Diego sports (get it?) an MLB team in the Padres (http://www.padres.com/), and an NFL side - the Chargers (http://www.chargers.com/).
Do
- Whale-watching - California gray whales migrate south along the coast each February.
- Scuba Diving - San Diego has some great dives including the Yukon, Ruby E and others in Wreck Alley, kelp beds and much more. In addition several dive boat operators have regular runs to the Coronados Islands off the Mexican coast where you can dive with sea lions. Please be aware that diving here is usually considered cold water diving and the visibility is not always the greatest.
Learn
Universities in the area:
- University of California, San Diego (UCSD) includes the San Diego Supercomputer Center and Scripps Institute of Oceanography http://www.ucsd.edu
- San Diego State University (SDSU)
- University of San Diego (private, Catholic school)
- Point Loma Nazarine (private, Catholic school)
Work
Buy
Eat
Local cuisine includes the fish taco. Trying the Mexican food is a must. Usually referred to as Taco Shops, they offer a tasty and inexpensive meal, that is unlike food found anywhere else. Traveling south to Mexico will offer you a different variation of Mexican food. There are also plenty of nicer Mexican restaurants, Old Town is a good place to look for these.
Budget
Mid-range
- Baja Lobster, 730 H St. in Chula Vista, near I-5 but away from the usual San Diego tourist haunts. Turns into a night club, catering primarily to the local Mexican-American crowd.
Splurge
Drink
- Pac Shores Cafe, 4927 Newport Ave (Ocean Beach), (619) 223-7549. Open seven days a week. This fun dive bar (http://www.livejournal.com/community/san_diego/1017824.html) is often called Packed Shores by locals. Despite the name, it is not a cafe, only a bar. This is a good dark place to meet people and have a cheap drink. $2-$5 drinks.
Sleep
Budget
- Ocean Beach International Hostel, 4961 Newport Ave San Diego, CA (In Ocean Beach), (619) 223-7873. A popular hostel with backpackers and budget travelers. There is a bus line on Cable St. that makes it possible to reach the San Diego airport.
- Downtown has at least two hostels. One on 5th Ave, the other on Market St.
Mid-range
- Handlery Hotel, 950 Hotel Circle North (Mission Valley). A warm, friendly welcome and some big, lush rooms. Also has a hotel mini-bus to take you to SeaWorld. Around $100/room/night. http://www.handlery.com/sd/home.html
Splurge
Contact
Stay safe
In an emergency, call 911.
Cope
Get out
San Diego is probably the best city in America for making a quick trip to Mexico. Tijuana, San Diego's twin city across the border, is only a few minutes away by car. There is also a trolley from downtown San Diego into Tijuana.
The greater San Diego County has a lot of smaller, more private beaches, and some great small towns to stay in and explore. Further east, the Inland Empire and California Desert give a change of scenery.
It's also relatively easy to get up to Los Angeles and other points in Southern California. Highway 5 stretches up to the Oregon border. Although slower, Highways 1 and 101, through the Central Coast, Monterey Bay, and the San Francisco Bay Area, makes for more of a pleasant and fruitful trip.
External links
- San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau (http://www.sandiego.org/)
- City of San Diego Official Website (http://www.sannet.gov/)
- San Diego Union-Tribune (http://www.signonsandiego.com/)
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