Trip to Palm Springs and San Diego
 

Question: my husband and I will have five days in Palm Springs followed by three days in San Diego in late April.
We are from Canada and want to see unique things in these spots, i.e. not just shopping.
We are staying with friends in Palm Springs in La Quinta, but would appreciate tips on where to stay in San Diego. We are just a couple, no kids, and so want to see as much as possible without spending time in child friendly activities.
Tips?

Are there budget limitations?

Assume you will have a car, correct?

Do you need to be at the beach or have any sort of ocean view?

Certainly, Balboa Park would be "unique" for San Diego so I would definitely add that to the list.

Thanks Dukey1.
No real budget concerns as the trip is short and yes we have a car, although do not want to spend too much time driving.
Our preference would be to see urban things but any short side trip recommendations would be most appreciated.
We are yet to book a hotel in San Diego and want to stay close to interesting things so tips here would be helpful as well. No need to see the zoo.
Also, no need for the beach or an ocean view. Prefer interesting city scales.

You say you are staying with friends in Palm Springs - are they in Palm Spring or in Palm Desert? The two places are very different from each other in so many ways. We had a lovely stay in Palm Springs in November - we visited Palm Desert and didn't like it at all. Palm Springs is a charming, walkable town; Palm Desert is more like suburban sprawl.

One unique thing you may want to do in Palm Springs is to go up the mountain via gondola lift. Amazing views! (and it will be cooler up there!)

We enjoyed a side trip to Joshua Tree National Park as well.

Just so you know: There are 2 Amtrak buses from the Palm Springs airport daily 8:55AM and 3:05PM that go to Fullerton to connect with Surfliner trains to San Diego.
The whole trip takes about 5 hours but it might save you driving through some of the desert if you didn't really need the rental car in San Diego.

You WILL NEED a car in San Diego if you are going to maximize your time. I say this as someone who has lived in San Diego.

In Palm Springs, we enjoyed going up the gondola at Mr Jacinto. We also enjoyed hiking in one of the palm canyons. We did the easy Andreas Canyon but there are several others. I did a tour of the O'Donnell House. There are also other architectural tours of the mid-century homes.

http://odonnellhouse.com/tour-info/

My husband and I visit Palm Springs almost every year in late winter or early spring.
We always stay in La Quinta. This year, in looking for something different and interesting to do there (need a break from golf every day!) I came across the Coachella Valley Preserve. It was maybe a 15 minute drive from where we were staying in La Quinta.
We took a guided tour (Tour of 2 Oases) and it was fascinating. We learned a little history of the area, a little about desert foliage and palm trees and tectonic plates and why the oases were there.
It was an easy 2 mile walk with a lot of stopping along the way. We both enjoyed the visit. It's certainly something unique to the area.

Thanks Landseaair. We too are staying in La Quinta and your suggestions are most appreciated.
Thanks to everyone.
Any San Diego hotel suggestions? Looking at Old Town as a good spot for walking? Or is Little Italy more appealing?