I will be going to San Diego for business in August...my husband will be with me part of the time and it's our first trip to CA. We plan to vacation in CA one day...so I'm not concerned with missing any must-sees or dos - but would like some ideas of what we could do during our free time. We are staying at the Town and Country Resort...I know this isn't the most convenient locations for going to Old Town and such but it's where the convention is being held and we are getting a good rate.

Would appreciate any info including:

restaurants - good and inexpensive mostly, but if there's one fancy/expensive restaurant we should splurge on which one and why?

activities - zoo, harbor cruise, trolley ride, scenic drives etc?

beaches - we love the beach! which ones are worth checking out?

anything else of interest?


Sun 8/10 arrive San Diego 10:45am - we have the entire day.
Mon 8/11 - we have the entire day
Tues 8/12 - some work in the late afternoon-early evening
Wed 8/13 - work 8-5 or so...
Thurs 8/14 - work 8-5 or so..
Friday 8/15 - work 8-? (husband returns home)
Saturday 8/16 - I have the entire day
Sunday 8/17 - I return home

Thanks in advance for your help!

Actually, the Town and Country is pretty coinvenient becauses right behind the resort, in Fashion Valley, thee is a Trolley station.The Trolley will take you to Old Town (also a 5 minute drive, but parking can be a pain), the Gaslamp District and the Embarcadero (a short stroll from the Trolley station). The Embarcadero is where you would get on the Harbor Cruise or visit the Star of India. It's also the home of Anthony's Star of the Sea restaurant -very expensive, but good.

For everywhere else, you will need to drive. La Jolla is really lovely to stroll around, shop, sit on the beach either at La Jolla Cove or La Jolla
Shores. Do have either lunch or dinner(around 7pm so you see the sunset) at George's Terrace. Fabulous views, great food - be sure to try their soup! - and much less expensive and more casual than the downstairs restaurant. Reservations strongly recommended, but not required. When you drive into La Jolla, there is valet parking which is open to the general public right outside George's. This is the best and easiest way to park in La Jolla. If you go to La Jolla Shores - a great beach - there is a parking lot, but it can fill up.

You could also drive north to Del Mar. Terrific beach, nice shopping, great restaurants.

Another good place to eat is the Fish Market downtown. It's right on the water and has a lovely outside bar where you can wait for your table. If you go to the upstairs "Top of the Market", it costs a bit more, but you can make reservations. Try to get a table at the window, so you can watch the boats going by. Also a good sunset place, but the window seats can be a bit warm at lunchtime. The downstairs restaurant is less expensive, but does not take reservations. Because it's very popular, you can wait up to an hour for a table. But you'd have that nice verandah outside to wait on! You might want to take a light jacket or cardigan for the outside in the evening.

Don't forget to drive to Kal's favorite San Diego place, the Cabrillo Monument on Point Loma. Here is best view of San Diego! And there are interesting historical artifacts and lectures.

If you go to the Zoo, don't go on Sunday. Balboa Park is crowded every Sunday and parking is very difficult. The Zoo is crowded every day, but if you go early, when it opens at 9am, not only can you park more easily, but it's cooler.

You might want to take a drive over the bridge to Coronado and visit the Hotel Del and the beach there. Another great place to sit outside and watch the sunset, with a conveniently located bar!

For shopping, right behind your hotel, where the Trolley station is, is the best mall in San Diego (IMO). Then La Jolla has lots of little boutiques, as does Del Mar and Coronado.

Have a great time.

Gosh, let me try that first sentence again!

The Town and Country is pretty convenient because, right behind the Resort, in Fashion Valley, there is a Trolley station.

Please excuse any other typos!

If you go to the San Diego zoo, plan to arrive after 3:00. Most are leaving for the day at that time, and the weather will have started to cool. It is open until 9:00pm during the summer. A very cool restaurant to hit on the way back to your hotel from the zoo is Kemo Sabe in Hillcrest. They're known for having the best chef in San Diego.

Must do's in San Diego also would be having a margarita at Casa de Bandini in Old Town, going to Rubio's (Fast Food) for a fish taco especial, driving to La Jolla and shoping at the galleries or simply admiring the coastal views (and the seals). My other favorite restaurants in San Diego are Roppangi in La Jolla, Il Fornaio in Del Mar, and the Indigo Grille in Little Italy--voted best new restaurant.
Also, check on the Padres schedule. A night game in short sleeves with palm trees in the outfield is always a treat, even if the team isn't doing so hot!
Oh yes, I believe Mamma Mia is playing downtown in August. If you like Abba, you should consider seeing it!

Aloha all,
Barb-ahhhhhh Cabrillo. Mags tore me up with the sub sandwich comments! Wish they'd leave the place open more than until 5-ish.

Bogie, We stayed at the T&C years ago at a convention. Good location as everything is still pretty close in good ol' SD....even the occasional bumper to bumper traffic!

Look across the freeway on So. Hotel Cir. and see if the toilets are still overflowing at the Holiday Inn NOT SO Select!
If you have a rental car, a nice little car tour would be to drive I-5 south to Immoral Beach <Imperial Beach> then back north up Coronado past The Silver Strand, Navy Seal Training Obstacle Course, and then back over the Coronado Bridge. Spend some time at The Del and the Coronado area.

Good luck. We forgot just how beautiful that city really is.
Kal

Looks like you'll miss the Padres. What a break! Luckily though, Sat August 16 is the Chargers first pre-season home game against Arizona.

Thank you all so much for the great information!

Barbara, you are very thorough in your suggestions...I really appreciate that. We will most definitely rent a car for the time that my husband is with me (Sun-Fri) and possibly just drive around on Sunday taking in the sights you suggested. Then perhaps the beach on Monday and the zoo in the evening if we feel like it. We'll take the trolley into Old Town during the week for dinner...possibly fitting in a harbor cruise if we can. Saturday I'll go shopping since DH will be gone and no car! ;-)

I'm going to go mull over the rest of the suggestions and put the remaining pieces of the puzzle together...

Thanks all! Hey Kal, is there anywhere you HAVEN'T been??

"Wellll, I've never been to Spain...."

When will you be up in "the real California", NorCal!?!? >-

We've grown a bit too comfortable in our travels of late and we may think about going to some places we haven't been before or only once next year for Mrs Kal 50th birthYEAR celebration.

NYC in May is nice we hear!

Mrs Kal would still be wandering around Fashion Valley Mall had not our plane been leaving the next day.
Kal

Kal - that's too funny about the mall. I have a friend who goes to malls when she is on vacation. I don't really get it, but then I rarely visit the mall at home either.

We loved Torrey Pines State Beach on our recent trip to San Diego. The parking is $4, but is convenient to the beach and for this reason is not too crowded either. There are 300 foot sandstone cliffs right on the beach. It's breathtaking. Torrey Pines is just north of La Jolla.

In La Jolla we enjoyed breakfast on the patio of Brockton Villa overlooking the water. That whole oceanside trail is beautiful. We walked down 160-odd steps to see Sunny Jim cave.

Downtown La Jolla is great too. Bought some really reasonable bone bracelets and letter opener at a store called Africa and Beyond.

I second the vote for Fish Market - had some wonderful cioppino there.

We stayed at the Marriott on Coronado and I highly recommend a visit to the island. Tour the historic Del Coronado Hotel. The beach at the Del was huge and beautiful, but the water was off limits when we were there. Don't know why. Have a great time!

JCor, I have to confess...I scored a new pair of Maui Jim's sunglasses while shopping there. Had a great sale so how could I resist. Mrs Kal came back to the hotel room "bagless".

She's more than making up for it since she's retunred home!
$-)$-)$-)

First of all you will be very close to Old Town, which is really a nice place to wander, look at shops and historical stuff and eat. You will also be close to great shopping malls (Fashion Valley) which have food courts! (Inexpensive meals!) Balboa Park is wonderful, as is the Zoo (it is really worth seeing). You didn't mention kids....Best beach is probably La Jolla Shores, but get there early in the day to find parking. The "chain" of Anthony's resturants are all consistenty good!

Hey gang, me again.

I think we are going to 86 the big attractions such as the zoo, sea world, etc...and save that for another trip one day. Here's what I really want to do during this trip. Can you help me figure out a workable itinerary? (see above work schedule)

La Jolla/Torrey Pines
Coronado/Point Loma
Downtown San Diego/Seaport Village
Old Town and Gaslamp district

We get in around 10:30am on Sunday and plan on getting a rental car. What would be a good area to explore this day? I thought Coronado and Point Loma would be nice...or would it be too crowded since it's the weekend?

Monday is also entirely free..I thought we would spend the day in La Jolla and possibly drive up to Torrey Pines as well.

Tuesday I have most of the day free...but will need to "report in" to work late afternoonish. Would downtown San Diego/Seaport Village be a good idea this day?

We'll take the trolley into Old Town and the Gaslamp district during the week for dinners (Tues-Thurs). Thinking about Casa de Bandini or El Agave in Old Town?? where for good not overly expensive eats in the gaslamp? and by the way...where is Rubio's?

DH leaves on Fri am so lookout Fashion Valley Mall! Saturday I'm considering a surf lesson and a relaxing day at the beach. maybe checking out Ocean Beach...

One more question...should we make time for Balboa Park?
Thanks again!

I would just go to Coronado on Sunday. Point Loma is a long way from Coronado and I would go there the same day you go to Seaport Village. There isn't an awful lot to see downtown except the Gaslamp District, so instead of looking at the business district when you go to Seaport Village, stroll along the Embarcadero and check out the Star of India.

Balboa Park is really lovely and you could fit it in as a dinner one evening if you go to the Prado restaurant. This is expensive, but very good. Do sit outside if you can. Stroll around the park first, then eat when it gets dark (just before 8)

Thanks for all the great suggestions, Barbara. I started another thread with a few more questions. ;-)

I think we have settled on...

Day 1 - Coronado
Day 2 - La Jolla
Day 3 - Ocean Beach and Point Loma
then off to work...

I think we'll fit in Balboa Park one evening after work like you suggested...stroll around and then have a late dinner.