Carlsbad/San Diego Ideas

Old Jul 27th, 2014, 06:32 AM
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Carlsbad/San Diego Ideas

Hi - My husband and I have a timeshare exchange to Carlsbad in Sept. I have been to San Diego and La Jolla a couple of times but he has never been. We arrive on a Sunday from the East Coast and leave the following Sunday morning so only have 6 days. This is the rough itinerary.
Monday - go to the resort's orientation (but NOT the timeshare presentation!) Been there - done that! Then look around Carlsbad, go to beach

Tuesday and Weds - take Coaster train or drive to San Diego. Do trolley tour and USS Midway one day and Balboa Park / zoo the other day.

Thursday - Husband may have golf lesson and get custom clubs. I could shop

Friday - Go to Long Beach and meet up with his cousin, maybe sightsee around LA with her, depending on her schedule.

Saturday - wine tasting in Temecula. Any recommendations on wineries?

Is that too much? Not enough? Have I left out any "musts"?

Can you recommend any restaurants in Carlsbad, Old Town San Diego,Balboa Park, and Temecula?

Thanks!
Sara
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Old Jul 27th, 2014, 09:42 AM
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Sorry can't help with your restaurants but the itinerary sounds okay since you have been before. I have been more or less underwhelmed with restaurants in San Diego.

The Midway is great.
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Old Jul 27th, 2014, 12:27 PM
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Having only visited this area for the first time last March, but planning a repeat in March 2015, I can only give my opinion of two places we liked in Temecula.

South Coast Winery was very comfortable and hospitable for tasting as well as having lovely grounds and what I thought was good wine.

Had dinner at a rather new place in town, Parea, which featured small plate combinations that were very good.

Enjoy your 6 days there
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Old Jul 30th, 2014, 04:13 AM
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you are doing a lot and going to spend a lot of time in your car... I would not drive to Temecula to go wine tasting but that is just me -

I assume your husband is going to Callaway? Perhaps you could go to the outlets in Carlsbad... honestly, I would spend the day in La Jolla on Sat not going to Temecula or enjoy the beach in Carlsbad area.

I would not go all the way up to LA from Long Beach - traffic is a bear - I would head south from Long Beach going back towards Carlsbad and go to Laguna Beach area... or go to San Juan Capistrano if beaches are not really your thing - go to the Mission and have lunch at Ramos House cafe (they are only open for breakfast/lunch) http://www.ramoshouse.com/

or if you are having dinner in San Juan we enjoy Cedar Creek Inn http://www.cedarcreekinn.com/

If you are in Laguna - cannot beat the views from Las Brisas - I would sit on the patio - http://www.lasbrisaslagunabeach.com/

Of course there is always the Montage for an afternoon cocktail/glass of wine..those views are over the top! http://www.montagehotels.com/lagunab...02waApkC8P8HAQ

enjoy!
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Old Jul 30th, 2014, 04:14 AM
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Oh if you go to La Jolla - my old favorite - is George's roof top terrace...http://www.georgesatthecove.com/
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Old Jul 30th, 2014, 05:51 AM
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Re traffic around LA If you drive up to Long Beach Friday morning you should be good traffic wise (Friday morning light). If you are going to sight see with your friend I would head up to LA no later than 11 am. You are going to want to stay parked until after 7pm at night tho!!

Or you could just sight see around Long Beach. We have a few things to see here.
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Old Jul 31st, 2014, 06:46 PM
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Thx for all the comments and suggestions.

mlgb - can you recommend any restaurants in Long Beach? Stuff to do? I see there is an aquarium there that looks pretty good.

momddtravel2 - yes I think husband would be going to Callaway. He has to look into that and he also has to contact his cousin about where to meet. I am doing everything else- LOL!!
Las Brisas looks great and seems to be maybe halfway between Carlsbad and LA - I put the bug in his ear about that.

Really looking forward to the trip!!
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Old Jul 31st, 2014, 10:55 PM
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Well I love Carlsbad and it seems like you are not actually spending any time there- there is a nice little downtown area with shops and restaurants and several nice beaches. There used to be a wine tasting place across the street from Tamarack beach- don't know if it is still there.

I would just relax and spend a little more time there.

If you are looking for high end dining you could check out the Four Seasons- if not, there are many more casual dining places.

I don't think Temecula is worth the drive since you have just a few days.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 04:44 AM
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Sunbum - I love it there too!

Sara - I don't know where the cousin lives (is it in Long Beach?) If so her driving to Laguna would be about 1/2 way as you said. It is a lovely town, if you go there, spend time walking around, lots of galleries, cute shops etc. Very popular area.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 04:51 AM
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Actually the cousin lives somewhere in LA - don't know her address. They email and do Facebook but he needs to talk to her.

Carlsbad does look like a really cute town.

You guys have talked me out of Temecula! I have been there and hubby not really into wine - I am sure there will be plenty of opportunities to taste wine in a restaurant or wine bar!
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 07:38 AM
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Here is some Carlsbad wine tasting for you

http://www.witchcreekwinery.com

If you get bored (which I can't imagine doing in Carlsbad) , drive down to coast to some of the other beach towns- in Delmar you will find the Delmar Plaza. It has some nice restaurants too and agree with Momdd that George's is a nice treat.

My daughter used to live in Carlsbad and I do miss visits to see her there.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 07:41 AM
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I like Carlsbad quite a bit. You should be able to get in some relaxing time. One thing that might interest you is a short drive away in Escondido: The Stone Brewing Co. Bistro and Gardens (http://www.stonebrewing.com/visit/). Stone makes excellent, assertive beers (their Arrogant Bastard Ale is initially a shock to the palate, then it's sublime), and the Escondido site is actually very nice. The brewery tour is cool, the tasting room is a riot, and you can get a nice lunch there.

Second the reco for George's at the Cove. LOVE that place. Many, many years ago I enjoyed a very memorable Happy Hour there with a dear, departed colleague who had a local magician trying to pick her up (she kept flashing her wedding ring, but the guy was a real flirt!), then doing really accomplished close-up sleight-of-hand magic. Lots of fun.

I, like mlgb, am a Long Beach local. The usual sites for sight-seeing in Long Beach include the Aquarium of the Pacific (very concentrated focus on sea life of the Pacific Ocean, very well-curated), the dry-docked Queen Mary (haunted!), the Rancho Los Cerritos, the Museum of Latin American Art, the Long Beach Museum itself (small, charming, on a bluff with gorgeous harbor views), a stroll on Second Street in lovely Belmont Shore.... Not a huge list of things, but it's still a nice place to live.

Restaurants in Long Beach? At the high end we have Michael's on Naples as well as Chianina, an Italian specialist and a steakhouse run by the same owner; he also run's Michael's Pizzeria, a Neapolitan-style pizza joint. All are excellent. In downtown LB you'll find a tight collection of Chain Restaurant Hell in a knot in the Pike (a shopping-and-entertainment complex named after our late, lamented downtown amusement park); ignore those places and head up Pine Avenue to better places like Café Sevilla (we really enjoy this tapas place-- actually connected to a place in San Diego, last I heard) and King's Fish House (good seafood, although I can name one better place down in Los Alamitos, the Original Fish Company). Over in Belmont Heights, people are loving the Attic (Southern). Down Broadway, Sonny Bono's oldest child Christy (Cher's stepdaughter) runs her eponymous restaurant; I've heard VERY mixed things about it, as her old eatery was quite wonderful and she has none of those people in the kitchen right now.

Second Street in Belmont Shore has a lot of good places. I love George's Greek for the relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff and the tasty Cypriot-Greek food. Nick's on Second is very popular for a good reason: The food is pretty great. The restaurant itself is perfectly-located and quite nice (in fact, Christy Bono had run another restaurant in the same space and renovated it beautifully).

My personal faves in that immediate area are Enrique's (Guadalajara-style, meaning Mexican by a classically-trained chef) and White Wasabi (sushi and sashimi with improbable, but delicious, Italian flourishes).

The food scene in Long Beach is decidedly unpretentious and unfussy. We just like to eat tasty food.

If you feel like heading down to Seal Beach for dinner (just across the county line), I like Walt's Wharf on Main Street. Great food, lively bar; there's usually a wait.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 09:20 AM
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Good list from rjw of course. I would add if you are just meeting someone for a meal and not sightseeing, in Signal Hill off of Cherry (south) is Delius (Kobe Beef burger). Or Kinokawa (across from the Costco), excellent traditional sushi and strange hours, I think they are closed Su & Mo now, and from 2 to 5 pm).

I always forget about George's Greek. If you are downtown Long Beach on Pine there is also a branch there, near Kings. It is a good alternative to "Chain Restaurant Hell". Or you could eat on board the QM.

I wonder why rjw has not mentioned Benley or is he trying to cut down on the competition for seating?
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 11:18 AM
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mlgb: LOLZ! I reserved the reco for Benley simply because of its out-of-the-way location, way out in the Cypress-adjacent East LB hinterlands. But oh, their phở...! We're already planning to go there tomorrow night; since we're heading out east Sunday, we don't want to dirty dishes Saturday night!

Here's a blast-from-the-past question: Have you been to Papalucci's in Belmont Shore recently? The good red-sauce Italians in LB are getting thin on the ground these days, and I used to love going there for pasta and garlic fumes.

For inexpensive eats, an impressive beer list and killer harbor views, there's always the Yard House in Shoreline Village. Or Belmont Brewing Co. in Belmont Shore. The food is solid and the beers are quite nice. And there's that bonus of being able to order an actual yard of your favorite beer on draft at the Yard House...!
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 11:39 AM
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I am not big on the traditional Italian, rjw.

The one that we used to go to (like 30+ years ago) was Francelli's. I think they are still there.

Now that I am in NLB/Bixby/Cal Ht's the option is Nino's. Despite being "Gordon'd" I think they are pretty much back to their original menu. Decent enough antipasti plate and lasagna. I actually like the flavor of their sauce.

I also always forget about the YardHouse! Another one that is nice for tourists is Claire's at the museum. They do a good Bloody Mary/weekend brunch. Open Th-Sun only.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 12:25 PM
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Ahh, Francelli's! I used to live around the corner from that joint! Done takeout from there more often than I'd like to admit. And it's always fun to go there then get a cocktail over at the bar locals nicknamed the Grey Poodle (I'm sure you know which one I'm talking about )...!

My mother-in-law loves Claire's at the Museum. One of these days we'll get there. Again, more things to see than hours in the day any more...! Life's too damn short.
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 01:16 PM
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Wow - lots of great info here! I will research some of these!! Thanks!
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 03:07 PM
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Depending on which resort you are at, I would plan some time to enjoy the property. I just spent a wonderful day last week at the saltwater pool and had a spa treatment at La Costa... It was a wonderful use of time!
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Old Aug 1st, 2014, 03:12 PM
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lynni- I love La Costa! That IS a wonderful use to time!
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Old Aug 2nd, 2014, 07:47 PM
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Momddtravel2

I truly enjoyed myself! I loved the shop there that had all of the Lily Pulitzer clothing and the market that serves ice cream 24 hours a day!! I also had the best poolside food/bar service I've ever had and REALLY relaxed. I was so glad that I "stayed home" that day instead of heading off property!!
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