golpher

Other than the zoo and aquarium, what are some must see's in San Diego?

frank_and_beans

- the beach
- torrey pines
- la jolla

******

I wouldn't put the aquarium (Scripps) as a must see for a two day trip.

If you mean Sea World then I still might disagee but can see the attraction.

tchoiniere

Would recommend Cabrillo's Monument on Point Loma and the Gaslamp District

TahitiTams

Balboa Park
SD Zoo
Cabrillo National Monument
La Jolla/Coronado/Del Mar/Gaslamp
Torrey Pines State Reserve
Anywhere along the coastline

musictub

We went to Old Town and really liked it. There's a great restaurant there called Casa De Bandini.....good food and good prices.

TahitiTams

Hey musictub..
Casa de Bandini has been closed for several years, sad to say..

J_Correa

If I had 2 days and had never been to SD, I would choose Coronado Island, Point Loma, Pacific Beach, and the zoo - Old Town if I could fit it in.

musictub

So sad, TahitiTams, that Casa De Bandini closed. I wonder why? I think they had been there for a long time.

nanabee

casa de bandini is now case de pico and is in grossmont center owned and operated by the same person. she lost her contract with the State of California.

Where the restaurant used to be was Bazaar del Mundo an it is now operated by another contractor from out of state.

nanabee

it is unpopular with the locals as it rather dull (but to give it credit - it is historic) and business has dropped by about 40%.

imawanderlust

I've been to SD 2-3 times a year for the last 8 years. If I were taking anyone to SD for the first time, I'd probably do the following:

Day 1:
I agree that Coronado is a great experience - you could see drive through the town, see the homes, walk up the beach and go see the Del, go to Ferry Landing and see the shops, and take a ferry across the bay to Seaport Village.

If you're up for a drive north, I suggest half a day at the Powerhouse Park in Del Mar for a good beach experience. Nice grassy areas, nearby restaurants and walking by shops, facilities. Either that or LaJolla Cove and beach park. (South of Del Mar, North of SD).

Day 2: The zoo in the morning and then a walk through the botanical garden at Balboa Park. Dinner in Old Town or Gaslamp Quarter at night.

golpher

Thanks for all the input as to what to see. We are staying at The Del as it's my wife's 50th (quite tramatic).

musictub

We didn't stay at the Del, but we did go to Thanksgiving dinner there and it was quite a feast!

J_Correa

Nice - I've always wanted to stay at the Del. I did have a massage there and hang out for awhile though. That was great.

selsel

Depends what interests you and the company you are with. The wife and I took our 2 kids (13 & 16) to Sea-World and had one of the best days we've ever had as a family. What helped a lot is we got off to a brilliant start by taking the BTS (Behind The Scenes) tour as soon as we got in. It was more than worth it. From there the day just got better.