HI!
I will be in San Diego for the first time in October and I will be staying at Hotel Solamar in the Gaslamp District so I'm no to worried about doing things at night but the
days are what worry me, any ideas or suggestions on my itinerary will be great!

Day 1: Arrive in San Diego at 4ish and take taxi to hotel.
Walk around Gaslamp (maybe go to Seaport Village?)

Day 2: Get rental car at 9 am
Drive to Pt Loma then from there go to Coronado Beach (is there a lot to see around Hotel del coronado i.e. little shops, restaurants, etc.)
Go back to hotel for the night (maybe go to Horton Plaza?)

Day 3: Drive to La Jolla Cove and Childrens Pool then drive up to Torrey Pines for awhile
I Dont really know what to do after Torrey Pines??? I was thinking Mission Bay Park but I'm not sure, maybe Del Mar or another nice beach area instead?

Day 4: Balboa Park (mainly for the gardens)--return rental car at 2pm and then go to Embarcadero area (Navy ships, etc. any ideas?)

Day 5: Airport by 7am

I know the zoo is great but I'm just not that into seeing anymore zoo's right now, and I just went to SeaWorld in Orlando last year. I'll be with my girlfriend and we're both in our mid-20's so any advice on the Gaslamp would be great also! Thanks a lot!

Hi tommy..
Hotel Solamar is a great hotel and in a perfect location in the Gaslamp.
When you drive to Pt Loma, you want to go to the tip at Cabrillo Monument and the lighthouse..Also, maybe stop for a fresh fish sandwich at Pt Loma Seafoods..drive to Shelter Island where all the boats are.
Coronado is a lovely quaint town..Hotel Del is gorgeous and have a drink or lunch there..rent some bikes or take a water taxi/harbor cruise.
Horton Plaza is a shopping mall..its fun but I wouldn't spend copious amounts of time there.
Seaport Village is touristy but a great place to walk around the bay.
La Jolla is my stomping grounds and probably one of the prettiest places in the world!
Make sure you go into the 'village' and walk around the coastline..
Have lunch at George's at the Cove on the terrace..
Drive up the coast all the way up to Carlsbad and just stop along the way.
Torrey Pines State Reserve is a gorgeous hike and there is the Glider Port next door to the Golf Course that you can ride tandem on the hangliders.
Balboa Park is a beautiful place to walk around the musuems and have lunch at the Prado..
Gaslamp is a fun place to stay and eat and drink..

gaslamp.org
georgesatthecove.com
sdhe.com

Thanks for great info, where do you recommend parking in La Jolla? I don't mind parking a few minutes away from the beaches, Thanks

October isn't so bad to park and they have 2 hour spots or you can valet at George's..
Have a great time and let us know how you enjoyed our great city!
If you like sushi, Taka in the Gaslamp rocks..great rooftop bars at the Marriott Gaslamp across from Petco..
Go to the Brigantine in Shelter Island or Del Mar for a fish taco..bet seafood happy hour in town.

brigantine.com

At the end of day three after you've seen the more family-friendly beaches of La Jolla & Del Mar, you might want to head down to Mission Beach/Pacific Beach "PB" (just south of La Jolla). You can walk the boardwalk/pier, ride the rollercoaster at Belmont Park and then get some dinner/drinks at the many bars and restaurants on or near the boardwalk. I can't think of any by name anymore as I've been away from that scene for along time. PB night life has a less "sophisticated" clientel than downtown at the gaslamp. It's fun though! Parking shouldn't be too back in October.

There is also an excellent aquarium in the LaJolla area, if you have an interest.

How about Old Town in San Diego?

Though you will have a car it is fun to take the trolley there. Also, Mission San Diego can be visited by trolley or car.

There are some really good low cost seafood places in Point Loma...Point Loma Seafoods, Hudson Bay...etc.. It's fun to eat lunch there though parking can be a trick.

Another recommendation for Pacific and Mission Beaches. I really like hanging around in those areas. Ocean Beach is fun too.

I really enjoyed the mission when we went - it is really well done. Old Town is definitely neat too - we stumbled onto a free walking tour of the old square one time - lots of good info.

I also like the PB/Mission Beach area -
you can rent bikes/ take surfing lessons/ my fav restaurant is the Green Flash - right on the beach- not terribly expensive.

I would skip Seaport Village - just a bunch of touristy shops and restaurants.

You can also take a train from downtown and get off at several of the beach towns north of SD

My daughter used to live in the area and one of her favorite beaches is Moonlight Beach in Encinitas - and the train does stop there - just a couple of blocks walk to the beach.

Since you have rental drive north of SD to some of the beach towns- Delmar, Cardiff by the Sea, Carlsbad - my daughter lived in Carlsbad and it is my favorite beach town

enjoy

My favorite stop in Gaslamp is Croce's. Owned by the widow of the popular 70's singer, Jim Croce. The food is creative, reasonably priced and fine. Most nights the salloon has a jazz group. A very pleasant evening amid some seriously mediocre alternatives.

Also, in LaJolla, almost any of the cove view places are enjoyable destinations for lunch or dinner. Crab Catcher has a patio overlooking the water with good food, drinks and atmosphere, but so do several others including Georges.

In my opinion, the best variety of "ethnic" restaurants of very high quality is in Hillcrest, about 2.5 miles directly north of your hotel--easy to reach by car, bus, or cab. Less expensive than the Gaslamp (which caters extensively to the huge convention business), they include Thai (five within two blocks), Afghan, Japanese, Vietnamese, Brazilian (sports-bar style), Southwestern/Pacific Rim, Moroccan, deli, country French, Mexican (of various types), Californian, Italian, etc. The blocks on University Avenue (3rd to Park Boulevard) and--for some blocks--just north and south of University are densely filled with restaurants.

For out-of-this world cakes and other sweets, try Karen Krasne's Extraordinary Desserts (2 locations--one on the eastern edge of Little Italy and the other just south of Hillcrest on 5th Avenue between Palm and Quince).

Ms. Claud E.A. Bear and I retired to San Diego 2.5 years ago from an inland city 240 miles north and picked Hillcrest for its "neighborhood" feeling and variety of restaurants. Today, 40+ restaurants later, we still have several on the to-do list. It is less of a tourist spot, but a good place to walk around in for a few hours before/after dinner.

Pick a Gaslamp restaurant for dinner #1, but try Hillcrest (and maybe Little Italy) for the other ones.

I agree. Pacific Beach is where a lot of college students live, so you may find it interesting to explore. You can go to the bars there one night if that interests you as well.