Jane, that's what I thought you might be referring to. Most of us here hate it too. The reason the seaweed is left there is that, apparently, leaving the seaweed like that helps a small fish called a grunion to procreate. Several times during the "grunion season" you can go to the beach and catch them - with your bare hands and you must have a fishing permit.

You should fly INTO L.A. and OUT OF San Diego, that way you don't have to do any backtracking to catch your flight home, and it counts as a roundtrip with the airlines.

Check the car rental rates for both ways however, sometimes it is cheaper to rent in San Diego and leave in L.A., other times its the other way around. Avis and National have good one way rates (usually).

All of this is speculation on our parts, get a book or look at one in a store, a guide book, and see what you are interested in. Then decide yourself, how can strangers here decide for you? You may enjoy show biz, you may enjoy sitting on a beach, you may enjoy the SD zoo. Look in a guide book.

Oh, come on -- Mission Beach is one UGLY area, and Mission Blvd. (St.?) is absolutely the PITS!!