san diego travel help

Parent Cafe
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<p>I need help re the zoo at San Diego. I am going there next week on a business trip with my H. We have one day set aside to go to the zoo, which I have always wanted to see. But now I see that there is the San Diego Zoo proper and then there is the Wild Animal Park in Escondido to the north. I really want to see the giraffes and elephants in the free-range environment, so should we just go the the Wild Animal Park for the day? We wouldn’t have the energy to do both, so we will have to pick one. Could some S.D. residents or those who have been to the zoo comment?</p>

<p>We are staying in La Jolla, so restaurant recommendations or other travel advice would be welcome. Also, weather this time of year?</p>

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<p>went to sd/la jolla for orientation - excellent weather during the day, though a bit chilly [relative term] in the nighttime. probably in the mid 60s in the evening to mid 70’s during the day :).</p>

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<p>I live in San Diego and have been to the zoo and Wild Animal Park many times.</p>

<p>Overall, I prefer the zoo. It’s the best zoo in the world. But the Wild Animal Park is pretty good too. The you can see free range giraffes and rhinos (and one Sumatran tiger) at the wild animal park, but I don’t recall any elephants. There are elephants at the zoo, and about a thousand other animals too.</p>

<p>If you really want to get up close and personal with the animals at the Wild Animal Park, you can book in advance and pay extra to get a special ride where, instead of riding around on the public tram, you and a few others get to go off the beaten path in the back of a truck and get to hand feed carrots to giraffes, rhinos, and large gazelles.</p>

<p>The wild animal park doesn’t look quite like a naturally verdant “free range”. Due to the relatively large, but still limited, amount of space the animals have to roam in, most of the vegetation has been denuded away. So it looks rather dusty and bleak in many places.</p>

<p>Another disadvantge of the free range is that you might not see a given animal at all. If they are not in the mood you are not going to see them. I’ve seen the tiger in only maybe one out of five visits. It is, however, a little harder for the giraffes to hide.</p>

<p>Weather this time of the year is pleasant and warm. It’s often cloudy in the morning near the coast. The clouds burn off by mid morning, and it’s sunny and warm the rest of the day. There will be no rain. Bring and use lots of sunblock. Also bring long pants and a jacket to wear in the evenings, since it cools off at night. The farther inland you go the warmer it will be - by about a degree per mile. So the Wild Animal Park will be considerably warmer than the zoo.</p>

<p>bookiemom - I have written a 2-3 page guide to San Diego for out of town friends, with things to do, restaurant recommendations, etc. If you want this, PM me to give me an e-mail address, and will send it too you.</p>

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<p>Go to the zoo. Also, drive to the top of Point Loma - to the Cabrillo Monument. Great view - can see the whole city and the Navy base. Also, go to Pacific Beach - it’s a little honky tonk but that’s what I like about it. And go to La Jolla. All this can easily be done in one day.</p>

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<p>The zoo is fantastic, and if you really work at it you can see everything in one day. However, although you can see both giraffes and elephants, they don’t have all that much space to roam around in. If you’re at all interested in primates I’d definitely recommend it, there are some amazing primate exhibits.
There are loads of places to eat in La Jolla, especially close to the beach, but if you’re looking for nice Mexican food (without actually going to Mexico) then San Diego Old Town has some nice places.</p>

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<p>I agree with the other posters and second (or third) the zoo! Both are nice, but the zoo is beatuiful from a botanical standpoint. The vegetation is quite lush. In parts it feels like you are in a jungle. Take the “kangaroo” bus (hop on/off) so that you don’t have to climb the hills unless you want to. Or take the regular tour to get an overview of the park and go back to vist the places that interest you.</p>

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<p>Hippos are quite active about 3 pm in the afternoon. The Zoo has a viewing area so that you can see what goes on with a hippo underwater. It is a hoot! But if you come at a time when the hippos aren’t moving around, it is a major yawner.</p>

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<p>Just North (10 minutes drive) of where you will be staying in La Jolla is the glider park. If the weather is nice, you can sit and watch all the crazy fools jump off the cliff in their hanggliders and paragliders. It is beautiful. If you are adventurous, for around $150, they will hook you up and fly you around tandem with an instructor for 30 minutes or so. They have a snack bar too.</p>

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<p>I like both parks, we were members for about 15 years. The Wild Animal park really impressed me the first time-guess I am in the minority. ck the website. It might be a cheaper to become a member-get 2 free passes & the membership for 2 for about $60. You would have a loooooooong day doing both on one day but possible, my girlfriend and her kids used to do it.</p>

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<p>I went to the WAP last weekend. They have a new lion exhibit which was quite entertaining. It’s built along the display logic that ellemenope described for the hippos at the Zoo. Somehow they have convinced the alpha lion to spend most of his time reclining on fake rocks right next to the viewing window. (My theory is that there are refrigerant coils underneath the fake rocks.) Viewers had a ball putting their kids up agains the other side of the glass and taking pictures of the kids “in” the lion’s paws. </p>

<p>Like lamom, I’m partial to the WAP. But if I had just one day, I’d do the zoo, which is also marvelous. There’s a brand new entrance with completely renovated primate areas that are wowzers. But the main reason I’d do the Zoo is that it’s in Balboa Park so the food options are better. (!) You can exit the zoo into Balboa Park (where there are lots of museums and other things to do) and get a better lunch than the standard zoo fare. Then just go back to the zoo. </p>

<p>In Balboa Park, try The Prado Restaurant (you can even make a reservation), which has consistent, tho a bit pricy, west coasty food in a nice atmosphere. It won’t be five stars, but at least it won’t be zoo food. If you can’t bear (sorry) to leave the zoo, all is not lost. You can actually sit down to eat in a real air conditioned restaurant inside the zoo: Albert’s in the Treehouse. Uninspired food that is pricy, but life saving if you’re hot and tired. </p>

<p>If you have a car, try to visit Torrey Pines State reserve (just north of the Glider Port mentioned by another poster). It is spectacular. The Torrey Pines/Del Mar beaches are also quite nice and sometimes less crowded than the La Jolla beaches if you walk a ways south of the Torrey Pines beach entrances.</p>

<p>Don’t forget to eat fish tacos. Coureur and Ellemenope may have their favorites, but mine are at Los Cabos, which is in a Carmel Valley shopping center. You can PM me for details. Or google them. If you’re a theatre goer, PM me and I’ll make some suggestions. In La Jolla you might also be close to the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego if such appeals.</p>