Maybe we should go to "Other Topics" and discuss the "Hotel/Motel room theory"??? :-?
If I can invent a "Carpet Fresh" after shave/cologne I may make my :)>- million.


Speaking of Ms Scarlett, I bet the Yank is driving realllllllll slow to work in an extra night or two on the road! ;)

Barbara-

Thanks for the tips. Perhaps I'll try one of these also. I think 25 years is worth some celebrating (actually, our anniversary is in September, but what the heck).

My husband loves a good meal and a great bottle of wine. A great view is always a plus but not as important to him. I really want him to know how much he means to me and when I pamper his tummy he will be in heaven. I would like this trip to be terrific for him. Not only has he been a wonderful husband to me but a great Dad to our five children. I can't even begin to tell you what he means to me. So a little TLC in the food department is one way he'll feel loved.

jerzzzz,
Where you staying?

We stayed at Loews Coronado last year after the Rock n Roll Marathon and to celebrate Mrs Kal's surviving, we ate at their Azzura Point restaurant.

Great meal, wine list and a nice view looking back up SanDee's Harbor at the Coronado Bridge.

For desert we asked the waiter if the chef could put together some sort of wine and fruit plate since there was zippo on the menu and a few mins later VOILA! =P~

Very accomodating with excellent food.
Only down side is unless you stay there it's a bit of a trip to get to.

Posted my pics somehwere....

I stayed at the Prava Hotel in the G'lamp Distr. late last year and ate in their restaurant, Nectar.

One of the best pork loins I ever had and washed it down with few a nice bottles of New Zee pinots. Not a view restaurant but good food/wine and you're right there.

Barb,
Is "Star" Anthony's fancy dining area?????

If you are there on a Sunday, make reservations for the brunch at the Hotel del Coronado.

We have had many celebration dinners at the Star of the Sea, but it has been about 3 years since our last visit. Glad to see that it is still around!

If, by chance, an aircraft carrier is in port, or whatever they call it, take advantage of a tour, if available. Truly amazing.

Kal,

Yes, "Star" is Anthony's fancy place!

The aircraft carrier Midway is now permanently docked in downtown San Diego at Navy Pier and is a museum. The tour is very interesting. I know your husband will like it but when I went with my Dad, I think I enjoyed the tour as much as he did.

Kal-

Our real reason we are visiting is for a wedding of our dear friends. We just thought we'd also stay and celebrate for ourselves. They are being married in the Hyatt Islandia penthouse. For convience and the discount we are staying there. We thought about other locales but decided to stay there for the above mentioned reasons. I have been looking through the older posts and have a pretty good idea about some of the places we wish to visit. I am now focusing on our stomaches and finding some fine restaurants to eat at. We are pretty laid back when we travel and hate to be on a tight schedule so I'll most likely only make reservations for two dinners ahead of time. I've had some good suggestions so I'll just research a bit and make ressies.

Again, thanks for all the suggestions!

I live in San diego. Do you like Dim Sum in a Chinese restaurant? Jasmine in Kearny Mesa neighborhood of San Diego, off Convoy St. (you can see the sign on Convoy st.) is an enormous chinese restaurant where the Chinese families actually come and eat. Between 10:00 and 3:00 they wheel around all these carts full of delicious dim sum. You just point to what you want as the dim sum ladies have heavy Chinese accents and you may not understand some of what they are saying. Great food. You can have all the dim sum you want and your total bill will still be reasonable.

You can also order off the menu if you want, but try the dim sum!

memejw and jersey

A new restaurant is opening in San Diego very soon, like this weekend or next week, on Harbor Island where Reuben's used to be. The new place is called "Island Prime" and there will be a casual outdoor bar/restaurant called...?? Island Prime is a steakhouse. It should be a really good place as it's the newest of the Cohn restaurant group's restaurants and all their others are very good. The setting here is fabulous, one of the best in San Diego, right the Bay with huge windows so wherever you sit you can see the view.

Also, Emerald Chinese re-opens today.

Thanks Barbara.
I picked up a copy of Fodor's California 2005 from the library yesterday. I'll post with more questions soon.

Ooops...forgot to thank Melissa too.
We love Dim Sum and will certainly keep your suggestion in mind.

I'm looking for a recommendation for a golf course. I'd like it to be a surprise so I can't ask for his input. He's a fair to average golfer. I think he's lowest ever score was an 83, he plays constantly and loves scenic courses.
Does anyone have a specific course recommendation? What about any of these?

Balboa Park Golf Course
Bonita Golf Club
Castle Creek Country Club
Cottonwood at Rancho San Diego
Eagle Crest Golf Club
Fallbrook Golf Club North County
Lawrence Welk Resort Golf Course
Meadow Lake Golf Course
Mission Trails
Oaks North Golf Course
Oceanside Golf Course
Singing Hills Resort
Temeku Hills Golf Course

Thanks a bunch! And of course, if anyone has recommendations about San Diego in general, please post them! :)

Just returned from a week in San Diego. My feet are still killing me. We must have put in 20 miles on the old dogs. LOL My DH and I are nature fans and couldn't wait to see the zoo and wild animal park. And I confess we loved them both. Sea World was so so. Many young families with strollers and not enough animals. Since my impression was that they did quite a bit of animal rescue and rehabilitation, we thought that would be reflected in the park. Not so. Now since I've been to Sea World in Ohio, you'd think I'd know better. I actually liked the Ohio Sea World better. It turns out we had to spend more time with friends then we anticipated and only had one memorable meal out in La Jolla, Georges. Not the best but a very enjoyable evening and the company was devine (love you my DH). While we were there, there was a tall ship event in the harbour. That was fun. Paying $12.00 allowed you to board numerous ships including the ship used in the movie, Master and Commander.

All in all, a delightful trip. The south California laid back attitude was just what this New Jersey woman needed. Now on to my Ireland trip in six weeks.

topping to see if anyone has comments on Fodor's suggested itinerary:
Best in 5 Days Itinerary

Day One. Start with the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park in the morning. It would be easy to spend your entire visit to the Balboa Park at the zoo -- and if you're traveling with kids, you may have little choice in the matter -- but at least walk down El Prado with its rows of architecturally interesting structures. El Prado is an easy walk from the zoo, or a five-minute drive south on Park Boulevard. If you have the time, visit one of the park's museums or other attractions -- the top choices include the Mingei International Museum, the Museum of Photographic Arts, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, and the San Diego Museum of Art.



Day Two. Start downtown at Seaport Village; after browsing the shops catch a ferry from the Broadway Pier to Coronado. From Coronado's Ferry Landing Marketplace board a bus going down Orange Avenue to see the town's Victorian extravaganza, the Hotel Del Coronado. Back in San Diego after lunch, stroll north on the Embarcadero to Ash Street; if you've returned from Coronado early enough, you can view the Maritime Museum or the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum, if it's open. If it's whale-watching season, skip the trip to Coronado, tour the Embarcadero in the late morning, have lunch, and book an afternoon excursion boat from the Broadway Pier. Another option is to spend the entire day with Shamu and the gang at SeaWorld of California.

Day Three. If you set out early enough, you might get a parking spot near La Jolla Cove. Watch the sea lions lounging on the beach at the Children's Pool and then head inland one block to Prospect Street, where you'll see the pink La Valencia hotel and a clutch of tony shops and galleries; this is also a good spot for an ocean-view lunch. Walk east on Prospect for a spin through the Museum of Contemporary Art, and then retrieve your car and head back into town on Interstate 5 to the Gaslamp Quarter, where you can explore the historic streets and perhaps stop by the adjacent Horton Plaza shopping mall. Dine at one of the many restaurants in the area, and drop into a coffeehouse or a nightclub for some music.

Day Four. Begin with a morning visit to Cabrillo National Monument. Have lunch at one of the seafood restaurants on Scott Street, and then head over to Old Town (take Rosecrans Street north to San Diego Avenue) to see portions of San Diego's earliest history brought to life. If the daily schedule lists low tide for the afternoon, reverse the order to catch the tide pools at Cabrillo.

Day Five. If you're traveling with young children, make Legoland California in Carlsbad your main destination for Day Five. En route to North County stop off at Torrey Pines State Park. If you're not going to Legoland, take Interstate 5 north to Del Mar for lunch, shopping, and sea views. A visit to Mission San Luis Rey, slightly inland from Oceanside on Highway 76, will infuse some history and culture into the tour.

Also topping to see if anyone can recommend a good golf course under $100.

Thanks!

Congrats on your anniversary!

I don't know about any golf courses but one thing that we did for our trip to San Diego was to purchase a membership to the San Diego Zoo. It worked out to be cheaper and you get the other membership perks.

http://sandiegozoo.org/membership/index.html is the link for zoo memberships.

We loved San Diego - it was one of our favorite trips!

I'm not a golfer but I believe there's a golf course in the beautiful Torrey Pines area on the cliffs above the ocean. Probably called Torrey Pines golf course. I could be wrong here as though I live in san diego I'm not a golfer but hubby and I go walking over at Torrey Pines somtimes and I could swear I saw a golf course near a nice hotel. This is near the La Jolla area.

Most suggestions I as a tourist would be able to contribute have already been made - but I would definitely second the advice for the Torrey Pines Golf Course (South Course is a bit more difficult and even more scenic). It isn't that easy to get on, so do try to make reservations ahead. Otherwise, arriving at the course at around 5 a.m. would increase your husband's chances to get on (although I guess it would be detrimental to other purposes of your annversary trip ;-) ).

While Torrey Pines is one recommendation, the Coronado Island Golf Course is a fairly nice muny. Its layout spreads along the Bay and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It gets more difficult if the wind hits it, but isn't a give-away in calm conditions, either. The green-fee is really low (I believe around $ 25.00) and the course is fun.

Enjoy your trip to one of the most beautiful cities I have encountered so far!
hsv

BTW Torrey Pines will be hosting the US Open in 2006 or one of the years to follow (not sure which one exactly, only sure that it is going to be pretty soon).
The nice hotel Melissa refers to might be The Lodge at Torrey Pines.
There is also a Hilton Resort next door.

Torrey Pines is a public and pretty famous golf course, home of the Buick Invitational every February and, as hsv mentioned, the US Open in a year or so. Getting there at 5am probably won't make any difference as far as getting to play goes. But, if you stay at either the Torrey Pines Hilton or the Lodge at Torrey Pines, they have agreements with the City and offer golf packages (expensive!) which would ensure a tee time.

Check out www.golfsandiego.com