My DH will be in SD on business next month, so I'm flying out to spend Fri-Sat-Sun with him. We are not foodies, nor do we need fancy hotels (but no budget/economy hotels, please). We are very fit 50-somethings, will definitely have a car. We'll pass on the Zoo, have enjoyed the STL zoo many times. Love animal-watching if there are other opportunities. So, got any unique food/accommodation/activities to suggest? Thanks.

You might want to try kayaking in the LaJolla Caves - you can look up on internet - but includes lesson and tour-and usually lots of seals around- and there is a beach in LaJolla where the seals come and sleep - very fun to watch.

My favorite area to stay in is Carlsbad-a little north of the city ( but only takes 30 min to get to airport) Tamarack Beach has a boardwalk if you like to walk- and then walk into town for breakfast - its a great place for bike riding too .
Hiking at Torrey Pines is also a fun activity -
I also like staying in the Pacific Beach area - boardwalk that goes for miles - so you can walk/ bike/ roller blade/ etc.
I highly recommend getting out of the downtown SD area and check out all the beach towns north - LaJolla, Del Mar, Carlsbad-
I just got back from 5 days there - loved it

I would suggest that you enjoy one of our great Sunday champagne brunches...over 35 to chose from!

Jim

http://www.sandiegosundaybrunchmaster.com/

If you love animal watching, but don't want to go to the zoo (a must-see, though, if you've never been there, better than any other zoo), I can suggest the Wild Animal Park. All the animals of a zoo, but in a completely open environment, all mixed together (well, the carnivores are of course separate). There are even trails running through it where you can do a "walking safari." Go to sandiegozoo.org and click on Wild Animal Park. For marine animal-watching, try Sea World or the Birch Aquarium.

If you've got a rental car, another fun thing to do is drive all the way up the freeway to Oceanside, then take the coast highway all the way down to the Cabrillo Lighthouse: through the North County beach cities of Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach and Del Mar, then through Torrey Pines and La Jolla, on through Pacific Beach and Mission Beach, then cross over into Point Loma and along the peninsula to the old historical lighthouse at the very end. Of course, stop anywhere along the way that strikes your fancy (such as hiking in Torrey Pines as someone mentioned), seeing the Birch Aquarium or hang glider port in La Jolla, the seals at Children's Pool in La Jolla, riding the Giant Dipper roller coaster in Mission Beach, and so on.

I'm a San Diego native, so feel free to contact me off-list if you have any questions (I don't visit this board very often).

Mike
[email protected]

Food: Here are a few "local" secrets....

Very authentic sushi, Sushi Ota in Pacific Beach (reservations recommended).

Awesome Mexican food, Jimmy Carter's in Hillcrest or Ponce's in Normal Heights.

Most romantic, George's or Trattoria Acqua on Prospect in La Jolla.

(You can Google all of these to find them, or go to entertainment.signonsandiego.com.)

We had an awesome afternoon snack and a few glasses of wine at Bacchus Italian Wine Market on G street in the Gaslamp. This brought us right back to Italy, and the best part is you can choose any wine in the store and have a glass of it for 1/3 the price of the full bottle - To us it was an amazing stop and one will go back to whenever we visit! On a hot afternoon the cool basement cellar would be a nice break...

Don't miss Balboa Park - wonderful grounds, architecture and museums.

Eat at Point Loma Seafoods.

http://www.pointlomaseafoods.com/