San Diego
 

I'm planning a trip to San Diego, where I have never been. Heck, I've never even been to California. I have two young boys (10 and 7) and of course my wife and I.

I know about Legoland and the Zoo, of course, which are two big attractions for us.

Things to do I can likely figure out, though if anyone has thoughts I'll gladly listen. Mostly I was wondering if anyone had any insight on good places to stay. Our vast preference is for two bedrooms, which could be either a condo or a small suite wherever.

Thoughts, opinions? Thanks in advance.

If only there was someone from San Diego on the board....

I really liked La Jolla cove, but that was in mid-Sept. it may be too cold this time of year.

We'd be going in April.

Three words:
Tijuana
Donkey
Show

Buck could help. But he wants man juice in return.

Doubt the wife, 10 year old or 7 year old would see the appeal of any of the above. :(

Heck, not sure I would...

I went there 2 years ago for the Jets game. stayed at the Hard rock in the gas lamp district. one of the greatest road trip/vacations I ever had. lots of fun and perfect weather.

will you go to a wal mart while you are there and pick me up a cheap ass phillip rivers jersey?
I need if for Halloween next year plz

April can be hit and miss. It could be very nice that time of year. La Jolla cove is always kinda nice. Hit low tide and walk the tide pools.

As far as where to stay, I would have to give that some thought. Not sure of your budget but there are some pretty nice places on the beach but they will be pricey.

http://www.sandiegobeachrentals.com/

Also check out www.vrbo.com

I don't know where to stay, but when I was there a few years back there were some nice ship tours at the harbor. They had a WWII Liberty Ship and an old-timey sailing ship that was used in some Mel Gibson movie and I think a couple of other ships, along with a maritime museum.

2bike knows his stuff. Take them in July and REALLY enjoy the beach. God I LOVE that city.
Bahia resort hotel on Mission Bay is a nice place to stay. But in April I'll bet you could get a nice deal on a beach rental.

Some things to do:

Sea World
Walk around Seaport Village Downtown
Visit Balboa Park and maybe check out a museum
Walk around La Jolla Cove - might get to see seals in the children's pool
San Diego is rated as the TOP Beer city in the nation, so check out one of the micro breweries
Speaking of Breweries, take a tour at the Stone Brewery in Escondido
Get Dessert at "Extraordinairy Desserts"
Ride the artificial wave at the "Wave House" in Mission Beach

Hope this helps!

Hey Amnorix, PM me and I'll give you the contact info of my friend who works at a nice hotel in Mission Valley (Hotel Circle) and I'll tell him to give you a hook up on the price and all that.

Obviously if its not what you are looking for you are not obligated, but if you want he can give you a discount off the normal rate.

HEY!

Hook me up too.

Marriott Residence Inn's have been the best for us when we travel as a family. They have kitchens and multiple bedrooms (2 is the most I've seen with an additional sleeper sofa), 3 TV's, one in each bedroom and one in the living area. They serve breakfast every day, most days they have dinner as well. The cost is far less than 2 or more rooms at a Holiday Inn or Hampton Inn.

For the best steak you will find you might try Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse.

Night time is somewhat risky in the wrong sections of town. In 2000 and again in 2004 I was in SD and the gang presence was pretty bad.

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Just PM me if you are for real.

How long are you staying for? It's strange how many board member have been taking trips to SD lately.

Isn't there some national park located on the ocean by a lighthouse? I was there in the 80's for a week and drove somewhere where there were high cliffs overlooking the ocean. I can remember seeing the navy base from it.

Sorry, can't remember the name. I watched the America's Cup way off in the distance from there.

Cabrillo National Park at Point Loma

As others have posted...Gas Lamp District. You won't be disapointed.

I know there's an ocean there. It's to the left.

Yep, just like everything else in California!

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William, I want to go to the Field with you and watch some Irish football! we will bond man!

so no on the jersey?

Fyp
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That's in Point Loma. Just west of the airport. Supposedly it's haunted. Wooooo!

GD IT! I'll fix that.

again - Cabrillo National Park at Point Loma

What field? I'm a tremendous bonder, btw.

Amno, I really enjoyed the Midway Carrier exhibit in the harbor. It can be as long or short as you want, cost $25. With your background in history and WWII it might be money well spent.

I had to leave early and was on there for 3 hours. I didn't want to leave, but the beach was waiting.

That sounds great! I don't venture into Gaslamp much because I spend all my time at the beach, but that looks tremendous. Hey Buck are they bringing back StreetScene in '11?

I really missed that this year.

That's the one. I'd suggest it if you want to get out of the city and look at the ocean from a higher point than the beach. Was free when I was there. Plenty of hiking trails with an ocean view if I remember right.

I was just there! Not a bad place but kindof like Fado, more Disney-Ireland than an authentic pub feel...

Could you bust Philip Rivers kneecap while you are there? Maybe even take out a couple of their defenders too.

I was there at 6am on a sunday for the 2 finals of the Irish football championships..lol..$20 to get in. it was worth it. and they had an Irish band in there too.

If you really want the true Irish pub experience and your in NYC. you have to go to the legendary Mcsorleys. lol..n00bs that go there ask ''what kind of beer do you have'' and the guy says ''light and dark'' ROFL


http://www.mcsorleysnewyork.com/

The servers are soaked with beer. they carry like 50 mugs at a time. that place is fun if you can get a table.

Go to Coronado, and Old Town.

haha, it does have that disney feel to it. Supposedly that bar was imported from ireland, but probably just a drunken story. The bar is nothing special, beer wise. Toronados, Hamiltons, Obriens, there's your SD bars. Stone too I guess.


TS, Dont take your kids to gaslamp, that's more of a nightscene for 20 year olds.

go to the beaches. La Jolla, PB (younger, party crowd).

Balboa has museums. Theres sea world, the zoo, and wild animal park. Go to the mexican shops for food. JV's in Morena blvd makes the best surf and turf.

Went out there only once, in 2004 (during the Patriots Super Bowl, actually). Wife and I stayed at the Dana near Sea World; it was a long walk to the park but you could walk it if you wanted to (but they also had a hotel shuttle). Good food at the hotel restaurant too. We did the Zoo, of course, as well as the Wild Animal Park which is quite a ways out of town (we stopped there on our way up to Anaheim). Had breakfast at the Big Kitchen one morning on our way into the Zoo. Walked around downtown a bit, the historic area. Despite the shit team they root for, San Diego seems like a cool enough city.

After San Diego, we drove up to Anaheim and did Disneyland for a couple of days. Also worth a visit, as it's just different enough from Florida's park. (California has a better version of Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and It's A Small World, plus some California-specific rides.) And if you have more time in the L.A. area, there's also Universal as well as Six Flags.

Amnorix:

San Diego is a great city to visit. You absolutely must make an effort to watch the sunrises and sunsets. The colors in the sunlight are spectacular! Best of all, it costs nothing.

Calculations of Sunrise and Sunsets in the US

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldcloc...&afl=-11&day=1

hrmm...I was thinking of it as a "screw this cold weather, let's go somewhere warm" type of vacation, but if everyone is saying it's better in July (or perhaps August, at which point around here it's "screw this humidity, let's go ANYWHERE else") then a change in plans wouldn't be too bad.

Is it consensus opinion around here that it's better to go in July/August than April?

Thanks everyone for all of your comments, btw!

ROFL

Don't go to Buck's house

http://internetscelebrities.com/wp-c...ce_willis1.jpg

I went there last year, but without kids, and went to a bar near the ocean and drank, and then to the Gaslight District and drank and slept in the airport. I think the baseball stadium is basically in the Gaslight District. I think that would be a cool family thing- go to a Padres game if you can schedule it, and walk around the Gaslight and get some food.
I took the bus and train system around town without too much trouble.
When we travel we normally stay at Homewood Suites by Hilton when we can. They serve good breakfast for a hotel and dinner M-Thursday. The dinner is nothing gourmet, but some locations have decent food and usually free beer and wine. That way if you happen to be at the hotel and want a quick bite you can eat there.

If your going to Lego land, stay at the Sheraton in Carlsbad. It's close, clean and relatively new, it's min. 30 minutes from Carlsbad to the zoo. The zoo is must see deal.
La Jolla, get the kids some ice cream cones and walk around the cove, seals kelp bed etc... March (spring break) is our so-called rainy season. The weather has been so jacked up lately I'm not making any predictions.

Amno, I've been there at all times of the year and had a great experience. But for my money, July/August is where it's at. Mission Beach/Pacific Beach are just insane fun. The water's kinda chilly, but you get used to that.

My first trip there with kids, they were three years older than your kids 13-10, I couldn't drag them away from the beach. Also, history buff that you are you may be interested in Mt Soledad Memorial. It's a tribute to WWII, Korea and Nam veterans in the area. It's uncanny in it's stately beauty. I wanted to stay there all day.

On Mission Beach (756 Ventura Pl.) there is a little taco shop called Maria's. She makes the best breakfast burrito on the beach. For $5 it feeds two adults. She makes the best dinner burritos too. I always eat cheap out there cause I'd rather spend money on good accommodations.

Dude, it's all relative. I went in February and it was fricken' BEAUTIFUL compared to the crap back in New England. Personally I don't really like the heat--anything above 80 to me sucks--so I'd rather go to CA or FL in February, when it's 15 back at home and 60-70 there...

The wife and I go to southern California once a year, typically, and we tend to go in either February or October. The weather is always nice, though in February it's a little coolish to swim most times. We pick our dates because the timeshare we have is less busy and has fewer kids running around, and in February it's nice to have a little break from the cold weather. In your case, though, perhaps you want more kids running around, so it doesn't make a difference in that regard.

Bottom line: the weather is nice year round, though the swimming is probably better if you go from April or May through August.

The Weather here is always cloudy and cool from mid May thru mid June. They call it May Gray and June Gloom. The ocean is always cold year round. If you come in April and your kids want to swim in the ocean you may want to rent some wetsuits.

I will yield to the Senator from sd on this issue. My swimming is limited to the pool at the resort and consists mostly of splashing around.

The water is COLD in June. But since us outsiders are acclimated to a different climate I've never had much of an issue with the water temp. Although this year, the water was 8/12* colder in August than last year. It was noticeable.

I have a great view of the sunsetting behind the SD Skyline that I get to enjoy right from my deck. It's freakin' awesome.

It's cold right now. At least for our standards. Im my freezing my balls off as i type this. But then again, Im wearing shorts and a Tee.

Shaddup!

Don't know how much time you have but Catalina Island is a great place to be. Avalon is a great get away for the whole family. You can take the fast boat (Catalina Express) from Dana Point, have a nice ocean sail (about an hour and a half or so) and be away from it all. Killer golf course if you are into that sort of frustration.

Just shut the hell up. :sulk:

What is there to do on Catalina Island? I went with my wife to Catalina for a week-end get away once. If you like following your wife around while she shops then go for it.

We don't live by an ocean so for us it is enjoyable to spend a couple of days where there is beach and ocean and sun in a beautiful setting. The boat ride out there was fun.
Too, the wife and I enjoy hotel living when we are on vacation and there are some nice hotels there. We stayed at the Mt. Ada hotel or inn, can't exactly remember the name, but it was a very nice stay.

Sleeping in, room service, idle day at the beach, snuba diving, nap, dinner, drinks and some more drinks are enjoyable to us.

Sorry you didn't enjoy Catalina. Here's a tip for you that might help next time: you don't have to follow your wife around while she shops. Catalina has a real nice golf course you could have been on instead, or you could have waited patiently for her at a bar with several drinks in hand.

I lived out there for 4 years in the late 90's. I went to the weirdest strip club I've ever been too and even weirder than the strip clubs in Tiujuana. I don't know if it's still there,but there was this strip club called Les Girls right outside of the Marine Corps base. What made the place so strange was the arrangement. Instead of tables and chairs situated around the stage, they had church pews set up facing the stage and if you wanted to go up and tip the girl dancing you had to get up and walk either around or down the center aisle to the stage. So if you feel like going out after putting the kids to bed that might be an option.