San Diego'''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. ==Districts== *San Diego/Balboa Park|Balboa Park *San Diego/Banker's Hill|Banker's Hill *San Diego/Bay Park|Bay Park *San Diego/City Heights|City Heights *San Diego/Del Cerro|Del Cerro *San Diego/Fairbanks Ranch|Fairbanks Ranch *San Diego/Gaslamp|Gaslamp *San Diego/Golden Hill|Golden Hill *San Diego/Hillcrest|Hillcrest *San Diego/Mission Valley|Mission Valley *San Diego/Kensington|Kensington *San Diego/Kerney Mesa|Kearney Mesa *San Diego/La Jolla|La Jolla *San Diego/Barrio Logan|Logan Heights/Barrio Logan *San Diego/Little Italy|Little Italy *San Diego/Mira Mesa|Mira Mesa *San Diego/Mission Bay|Mission Bay *San Diego/Mission Beach|Mission Beach *San Diego/Mission Hills|Mission Hills *San Diego/Normal Heights|Normal Heights *San Diego/North Park|North Park *San Diego/Ocean Beach|Ocean Beach *San Diego/Old Town|Old Town *San Diego/Pacific Beach|Pacific Beach *San Diego/Point Loma|Point Loma *San Diego/Sorrento Valley|Sorrento Valley *San Diego/Talmadge|Talmadge *San Diego/Tierrasanta|Tierrasanta *San Diego/University Heights|University Heights ==Understand== San Diego was established in 1775 as the first '''Spanish mission''' in California. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [http://www.san.org/ San Diego International Airport] (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 [http://www.iflyswa.com/ Southwest Airlines] 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 '''Amtrak''' [http://www.amtrak.com] 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=== The major freeways that run into '''San Diego''' are I-5, I-15, and I-8. ===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. http://www.sdcommute.com ===By trolley (tram)=== 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''' *'''[http://www.seaworld.com SeaWorld]'''. Meet Shamu and almost get drowned in the ''Soak Zone''. Around $45 for one entry. *'''[http://www.balboapark.org Balboa Park]'''. *'''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, ([http://sio.ucsd.edu Scripps Institution of Oceanography])'''. http://aquarium.ucsd.edu *'''[http://www.belmontpark.com Belmont Park]'''. ===Sports=== San Diego might not have a basketball team but it definitely has all the other major sports covered. ====Football==== *[http://www.chargers.com/ '''San Diego Chargers'''], San Diego's Professional football team who can Wow the fans by being bad one year and then great the next. *[http://www.sandiegoriptide.com/ '''San Diego Riptide'''], San Diego's arena football team. ====Baseball==== *[http://www.padres.com/ '''San Diego Padres'''], see the Padres play at their brand new stadium, '''Petco Park''', in Downtown San Diego. ====Soccer==== *[http://www.sockers.com/ '''San Diego Sockers'''], sadly as of right now the Sockers are on hiatus due to lack of funding and fan support. *[http://wusa.com/team/?id=36 '''San Diego Spirit'''], this is a team for the ladies. This all girl soccer team rocks every year and are worth seeing. ====Hockey==== *[http://www.sandiegogulls.com/ '''San Diego Gulls'''], for the hockey fan in all of us, watch one of the best triple-A hockey teams. ==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), http://www.sdsu.edu *'''University of San Diego''' (private, Catholic school), http://www.sandiego.edu *'''Point Loma Nazarene''' (private, Protestant Christian school), http://www.ptloma.edu ==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, San Diego/Old Town|Old Town San Diego is a good place to look for these. ===Budget=== * Ranchos Cocina, Mexican and Vegetarian Fare. Big selection, cheap eats, great for vegans. Located at 1830 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. in Ocean Beach Neighborhood, and on 30th Street near University in North Park Neighborhood. * Pokez, punk rock Mexican food Downtown, 10th and E? ===Mid-range=== *'''Baja Lobster''', 730 H St. in San Diego/Chula Vista|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. *'''[http://www.philsbbq.com/ Phil's BBQ]''', 4030 Goldfinch in San Diego/Mission Hills|Mission Hills, near San Diego/Old Town|Old Town San Diego. Phil's BBQ offers some of the best Barbeque you can find in San Diego County. Make sure you have plenty of time because the average wait is around 30 to 45 minutes. Call for pick up at (619) 688-0559. *'''Ponces Mexican Restaurant''', 4050 Adams Avenue, near the I-15 in the quaint neighborhood San Diego/Kensington|Kensington. Ponces has been recently renovated offering a new bar and better seating but it still offers some of the best Mexican food in San Diego. If you don't want to sit and eat call for take out at (619) 282-4413. **RED SAILS on Shelter Island --seafood salads, sandwiches,crab is great--- eat inside or outside--lunch on a sunny day is the perfect combo-- metered parking lot across the street. ===Splurge=== ==Drink==  *'''Pac Shores Cafe''', 4927 Newport Ave (''Ocean Beach''), (619) 223-7549. Open seven days a week. This fun [http://www.livejournal.com/community/san_diego/1017824.html dive bar] 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''), (619) 298-0511. 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 *'''Holiday Inn San Diego Hotel On The Bay, near San Diego Airport SAN''', 1355 N Harbor, (619) 232-3861. Between the bustling downtown Gaslamp District and Lindberg Field, San Diego's SAN airport. 600 newly renovated guestrooms and 17 suites, all with furnished balconies. http://hisandiego-onthebay.felcor.com *'''Wyndham Downtown San Diego Hotel at Emerald Plaza''', 400 West Broadway, (619) 239-4500. http://san-diego.wyndham-hotels.com/ ===Splurge=== ==Contact== ==Stay safe== In an emergency, call 911. Be aware that if you call from a cell phone, 911 calls are currently directed to the California Highway Patrol, which can result in delays in contacting city police. (911 calls made from land-line telephones are directed to the appropriate local agency.) In many cases when within the city limits it may be more appropriate to directly dial the San Diego non-emergency number, (619) 531-2000. For example, to report a crime in progress when you are not in direct danger, it is probably best to call the San Diego Police (or other local municipality) directly. Of course, you should always try to use this number for non-emergencies. ==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. Avoid driving hassles and long waits when returning by parking in pay lots near the border and walking across. Or, for a delightful, low-key alternative, drive 30 minutes on the American side to the small border crossing of Tecate (home of the Tecate brewery). It's a short walk to the town square, and nobody tries to sell you chiclets here. Coming back, there are typically only a couple of people in line at the pedestrian crossing. You can easily combine a trip to the train museum in nearby Campo with a quick trip across the border for lunch! 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 (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 (California)|Central Coast, Monterey Bay, and the Bay Area (California)|San Francisco Bay Area, makes for more of a pleasant and fruitful trip. ==External links== *[http://www.sandiego.org/ San Diego Convention and Visitors Bureau] *[http://www.sannet.gov/ City of San Diego Official Website] *[http://www.signonsandiego.com/ San Diego Union-Tribune] {{stub}} ro:San Diego WikiPedia:San Diego, California Dmoz:North_America/United_States/California/Localities/S/San_Diego First page | Prev | Next | Last page |

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