A month in San Diego without a car
 

Hi, I'm looking to rent a place for a month in San Diego with easy walking distance to beach, grocery store, restaurants and maybe access to public transport to other areas. I'll be convalescing following an illness and cannot drive, but will have family come visit throughout the month. I'm looking for advice on which area I should concentrate on, I'm overwhelmed by the options and don't want to find myself stuck inside the condo. (Grocery store is key, as I have too many food allergies to eat out.) Thanksh

Good luck! I would assume, perhaps incorrectly, that the "easy walking distance to the beach" is definitely going to narrow neighborhoods down, and considerably. Is that an absolute MUST for you?

Wow, interesting question. I can't imagine living in southern California without a car. Hopefully others can help.

You can order groceries online and have them delivered you know.

My favorite area to stay in the SD area is Carlsbad which is north of the city and can easily be reached by train. There is a Ramada Suites there walking distance to Carlsbad State Park. It's a great beach. Also close by is a grocery store, drugstore etc and a few restaurants.
the train station is within walking distance and you can take the train into SD and many of the beach towns.

Carlsbad is a cute little town with many shops and restaurants. It also has a local bus service which I have used a bit to get around.

I think it would be a great place to recover from anything.

I am sure there are people who don't have cars despite that area being as car-centric as any (in my experience) but people do use taxis for shopping and for getting around. Considering the cost of automobile maintenance, registration and insurance perhaps not such a bad idea for some.

Thanks for the feedback. No, I hadn't thought of grocery delivery! That would help a lot. The beach isn't a must, would just like it accessible.

I'll check out Carlsbad, thanks!

Pacific Beach has a large grocery store,Ralph's, and a CVS.
Have you considered Coronado Island? It is very walkable and has a beautiful beach. You can take a ferry across to downtown San Diego and back. Walk a short distance from ferry slip to Little Italy for great restaurants.

What is your budget?
Coronado, Ocean Beach, Pacific Beach, Bird Rock (between Pacific Bch and La Jolla) all have the things you ask for, including decent bus systems in the area. North Park might also be a good place, but you would have to take a bus or taxi to the beach.
Carlsbad is pretty far from San Diego proper.

I was looking at Coronado Island as well, I like that it's close to downtown San Diego. I'm looking to spend up to $5,000 for the rental for the month. Thanks

Also, I'm planning on going over the winter, which I know is the low season.

I think Coronado would be a very good place for you.

Vons grocery stores deliver.

Try La Jolla: lots of restaurants, and a very compact community.

Indeed Von's does deliver (will be ordering some groceries online from them tomorrow) but has a $49 minimum and they charge $12.95 for delivery. You can knock $3 or $6 off the delivery fee by picking either a 2 hour or 4 hour window respectively. You can get discounts by joining Von's Club and/or Vons4U. Ralph's has a similar Club card but not sure if they deliver or not. Delivery is next day.

have you looked at vrbo.com. there are quite a few 2 bedroom condos/homes on coronado within your budget.

Yes, thanks all. I've seen the listings on VRBO. Coronado it is and thanks very much for the Von's delivery tip! Appreciate the help :)

I think Coronado is a perfect choice for a month stay. There's a Von's in the village. An Albertson's across the street from the Ferry Landing.

It's a very walkable town. I know people that live there and ride their bikes to the store for lite shopping.

Enough restaurants throughout. As said, you can take the Ferry to downtown SD. Or the 901 bus
http://www.sdmts.com/mtscr/BusRoutes.aspx

There is also the 904 shuttle that goes from one side of Coronado to the other.

http://coronadovisitorcenter.com/

Depending on when in the winter you come Hotel del Coronado has an ice skating rink on the beach and the Hotel is all lit up and beautiful
http://hoteldel.com/activities/coronado-events/page/2/

Perfect, thanks for the links and the tips. I'm all set and looking forward to the trip!

Please keep in touch and let us know where you stay and how you get on!

How convalescent will you be - do you have an idea of what your mobility will be on day 1 v. day 15 v. day 30? That could matter re: which community and where you want to be.

La Jolla is nice. So's Coronado.