San Diego Vacation Ideas

Parent Cafe
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<p>We will be in San Diego for a week soon. H has already booked the hotel (in old town??) and we have a rental car. I am looking for fun things to do, places to eat, etc with our 11yo D and 17yo S. S will turn 18 while we are out there and I would also love some suggestions on a fun place to celebrate. </p>

<p>thanks</p>

2

<p>Point Loma State Park, with tidepools to visit and great hiking above the ocean.</p>

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<p>Pm ucla ucsd dad he is the expert</p>

4

<p>Our daughter goes to San Diego State. We live about 80 miles away and often go down for lunch to visit. To eat we love Hodads (burgers) in Ocean Beach. We heard about it on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Actually there are a lot of places in San Diego that have been featured on that show.</p>

5

<p>

Haha - yes, I’d be happy to help.</p>

<p>What kinds of things do you like to do? Water things, hiking/biking/nature, …??</p>

<p>If you’re staying in Old Town, and if you like Mexican food, as you should, then you’ll be able to walk to a number of good Mexican restaurants.</p>

6

<p>I’m no expert but these are some of the things our college age son enjoyed when we went a couple of years ago:</p>

<p>Tour of the USS Midway
Miniature Railway Museum in Balboa Park
National Comedy Theater - improv
Torrey Pines (Yucca Point Trail)
GliderPort (just to watch)
Cabrillo Point
Segway of Coronado</p>

<p>We had been to the zoo and SeaWorld several years back so skipped them this time.</p>

<p>We ate all sorts of places (discovered Little Italy, which we didn’t know about on other trips). Our most impressive meal was at Island Prime, which was near our hotel.</p>

<p>I posted a lengthy trip report on TripAdvisor after we went if you’re interested in all the details.</p>

<p>We’re going to be back in May since I’m trying to convince my husband we should move there, but will be checking it out in terms of relocation instead of being tourists. :(</p>

7

<p>Legoland and flower field in Carlsbad. Carlsbad village.</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.theflowerfields.com/calendar.html[/url]”>http://www.theflowerfields.com/calendar.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>The obvious places -

  • Sea World
  • Zoo
  • Safari Park (formerly known as the Wild Animal Park)</p>

<p>Always good -

  • Beach - frisbee, walking, playing in the waves (warning - the water’s still cold right now and probably won’t be warm until July so for some of this a wet suit would be needed)
    – Boogie boarding, body surfing, surfing
    – Seeing if the leopard sharks are at La Jolla Shores beach (they’re there frequently and are cool looking - and harmless)
    – Kayaking at La Jolla Shores beach
    – Rent a small sailboat in Mission Bay - you don’t need experience
    – Rent a bigger sailboat in San Diego Bay - you probably need some experience
    – See the sea lions at La Jolla Childrens’ Pool (cove next to La Jolla Cove)
    – If it’s calm and you’re here when the water’s warmer, snorkel in La Jolla Cove</p>

<p>Also -

  • Harbor cruise
  • USS Midway visit
  • Rent bikes and bike around Coronado or along a beach somewhere like Mission Beach or Pacific Beach. There are also lot’s of mt bike trails all around SD county.
  • Roller Coaster at Belmont Park in Mission Beach
  • Balboa Park (where the zoo is) has a decent air and space museum. It also has other nuseums including the miniature railway museum mentioned by Marilyn</p>

<p>Eating -

  • Mexican places around Old Town (like Cafe Coyote) and everywhere else in the San Diego area.
  • Restaurants in the Gaslamp district
  • Little Italy
  • Some restaurants on Harbor island or Seaport Village (some nice views)
  • In Del Mar - the Poseidon - eat outside on the deck right on the beach. This is casual not super expensive but tourist prices
  • In La Jolla - the Marine Room restaurant - great views of the ocean - upscale place - pricey
  • Coronado - Miguel’s Cocina Mexican, a few Italian restaurants, Hotel Del Coronado (5 star historic hotel)</p>

<p>Go to -

  • La Jolla - around La Jolla Cove - it’s just nice. You could stop at a Rubios, pick up some fish tacos, and have a picnic on the grass there.
  • La Jolla - next to UCSD is the Glider Port where you can watch the hang gliders above Black’s beach
  • Del Mar Torrey Pines state beach. You can also visit the state park here and hike around. There are some great views of the ocean.
  • Carlsbad - you can visit the flower fields which are in bloom now and apparent;y for another few weeks. I’ve driven by it a thousand times but never actually stopped there. Legoland is also here but your oldes kid is too old for it and maybe your youngest as well but I’m not sure on that point.
  • If you get as far as Oceanside eat at Harbor Fish and Chips - very informal (go in, get it, eat outside at the tables against the harbor)</p>

<p>Further afield -

  • Julian - to see some different terrain - it’s in the mountains (it even snows there). It’s an old gold mining town and stage stop. You can eat apple pie here.
  • Borrego Springs Desert state park - It’s good right now but will be very hot in another month or so. Lots of hiking trails in the desert here. You might see some Big Horn Sheep if you’re lucky. Stop at the visitor center. A nice easy trail is the Palm Canyon trail where there’s an oasis at the end of it.
  • Palomar Mountain Hale observatory - home of the 200" Hale telescope. You can walk into the building and see the telescope.</p>

<p>I’m sure I’ve missed a lot.</p>

9

<p>I’ll second Jullian. It’s a great little town and a nice drive from San Diego. BEST apple pie our family has ever had.</p>

<p>Borrega Springs is also nice. The drive to and from are quite scenic.</p>

<p>Does Balboa Park still offer a “passport”? This was one fee that gave you admittance to all the Balboa Park museums. The passport doesn’t include the zoo.</p>

<p>We took the trolley to wherever you go to get to Tijuana. We enjoyed that day but some folks don’t really like Tijuana.</p>

<p>Go to the Coronado and see the Hotel Del. You can also get a light lunch or lemonade there and walk the beach.</p>

10

<p>If you like to ride bikes, we often enjoy riding on along the coast. Good starting points are in Northern SD County (Solana Beach or Del Mar) or on Coronado Island (flatter terrain). B& L Bikes rents nice bikes and may help you with an itinerary. We also enjoy walking from Torrey Pines to La Jolla Cove on the beach at low tide. We often park the car at Torrey Pines parking lot, do our beach walk, and catch a cab back to the car. One way is about a 5 mile walk and it’s beautiful this time of year.</p>

11

<p>Repeating my earlier post about my recommendations for San Diego:</p>

<p>San Diego is Calfornia’s second-largest city. Many people assume San Francisco is second since it is so famous. But San Franciso is actually only 4th-largest. San Diego is also California’s oldest city. Juan Cabrillo was the first European here. He sailed into San Diego bay in 1542, only 50 years after the first voyage of Columbus.</p>

<p>Places to Stay</p>

<ol>
<li>The Hotel Del Coronado (called “The Hotel Del” by the locals) which is on Coronado Island (actually a peninsula). It’s a fabulous old hotel and supposedly the largest wooden structure in the US. Several movies have been filmed there.</li>
<li>The Grand Colonial Hotel. 910 Prospect Street in La Jolla. An old hotel in downtown La Jolla that has been completely refurbished up to modern standards. Great location next to the beach and great ocean views. Terrific gourmet restaurant on the premises. Good location for touring and shopping in trendy downtown La Jolla.</li>
<li>Beyond that there is the usual selection of Hyatts, Marriotts, etc and of course the vacation motels too.</li>
</ol>

<p>Places to Eat</p>

<p>Italian
Lorna’s – My favorite place. 3945 Governor. Moderately priced. It’s a caf</p>

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<p>Ah of course, forgot coureur is also our resident SD expert and I mixed up the order of the ucla ucsd screen name. Apologies and drinks on me in SA all around!</p>

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<p>wow- thanks so much! We are leaving in a week, but have been very busy with no time to plan. Lots of great ideas, H loves apple pie so I guess we have to make that trip to Julian! I see a lot of stuff here I will have to look into. Thanks!!</p>

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<p>We went to San Diego many years ago when the older ones were still in middle school. The internet wasn’t as developed as it today, and one of DS’s favorite sites was aops - the “art of problem solving” which was a math site run by a young princeton alum who lived near San Diego and held some virtual classes in the evenings. We emailed him about our trip, and he and his wife were nice enough to meet us near the zoo. He autographed a couple of his books that DS and DD had bought (tagging on a hand-written problem), and discussed math competitions over a pizza. I think DS remembers that aspect of San Diego, LA, and Palm Springs vacation more than anything else.</p>

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<p>A couple more - </p>

<ul>
<li><p>Disneyland is only about 1.5 hours away so if that’s something your family might like you could do a day trip there.</p></li>
<li><p>My D likes a restaurant (downtown somewhere I think) called ‘Extraordinary Desserts’. If it fits, it might be a good stop around your S’s b-day.</p></li>
<li><p>If anyone’s a Dr. Seuss fan, the Geisel library at UCSD (named for him - a big donor) has a Dr. Seuss collection (or used to) and some sculptures outside. The library is the inverted pyramid featured in “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” and other shows.
<a href=“http://libraries.ucsd.edu/locations/mscl/collections/the-dr-seuss-collection.html[/url]”>http://libraries.ucsd.edu/locations/mscl/collections/the-dr-seuss-collection.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
<li><p>In a week the ocean temp will still be cold so keep that in mind for activities. It’d be too cold for boogie boarding, surfing, body surfing unless a wet suit was worn. Things like kayaking, sailing, and playing on the beach will be fine.</p></li>
</ul>

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<p>I am beginning to think we may have to schedule a revisit, one week will not be enough. </p>

<p>S is a big Seuss fan, actually got a “retake” on the “oh the places you’ll go” from one of his elementary teachers as an Eagle Scout Gift.<br>

definitely agree, unfotunately 11yo D won’t be satisfied til we hit the mall. </p>

<p>Tijuana - we won’t be going. I am the only one with a valid passport right now. </p>

<p>I have a feeling my S will wish he didn’t outright dismiss all the schools in CA when we were looking. My 6’3" S is afraid of earthquakes. I suppose his height gives him no advantage when it comes to earthquakes, but I was very surprised with his reason for not considering anything out that way. I mean, who wouldn’t want to go to college in CA?? He is graduating from a Jesuit HS so he had a slight advantage if he applied to the University of San Diego.</p>

<p>We have valid passes many years old, so I think DL will be one stop we will be making.</p>

<p>Extraordinary Desserts rec, we will check it out, if not for S’s bday, to satisfy D’s sweet tooth. And I am sure In-N-Out and HoDads will be other stops. (all the way to CA for desserts and burgers!). We are not the fancy restaurant family!</p>

<p>That is a cool story Dad of 3! </p>

<p>I think I will research some of the hiking and biking recs. Sounds like a great time of year to do that stuff.</p>

<p>We visited Legoland in England a few years ago, I think both kids would rather pass, but the Flower Fields sound wonderful. Trip doesn’t have to be all about the kids right?</p>

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<p>

In that case, San Diego does offer options beyond the “all malls are alike”. Fashion Valley is really pretty much among the best for a nice feel as well as top retailers. WARNING: I advise against going there on the weekend. Parking is awful many weekends even away from peak shopping season. Horton Plaza does not have all of the usual suspects among its tenants, but is notable for its architecture/colors, and is right by the GasLamp.</p>

18

<p>I second Lorna’s for Italian. Went there last year based on the CC recommendation.</p>

<p>The Carlsbad flowers don’t excite me, never been but driven by. Down the street is Tip Top Meats. Deli restaurant at back of the market. H & I love, Burger special about $5. Hugh dinners $8.99. - might want to google. Also NAMN museum not too far off.
If you go to Temecula, Santa Rosa Plauteau isn’t much farther away for hikes, short or longer. $2 donation. They close with too much rain, so call first. H & I wondered why it took us 20 yrs to discover it.</p>

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<p>One clarifying point - if you go to or talk about Palomar Mountain be sure to call it by its proper name of Palomar Mountain and not “Mount Palomar.” Saying “Mt. Palomar” will mark you as being a tourist from somewhere else.</p>

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<p>If you follow lamom’s idea then Pizza Port in Carlsbad is a fun place for birthday celebration. I like their chicken wings. Don’t drink an drive though. They have O’Douls non-alchoholic ($1.75). Don’t go to the one in Solana Beach (too small, no table to seat).</p>

<p>[Other</a> Drinks | Pizza Port - Tasty Grub and Grog](<a href=“404 | Pizza Port”>404 | Pizza Port)</p>