San Diego VAcation

[GilbertsGrape]

well i "may" begoing to San Diego for vacation in june and i know some ppl on G|A are from CA and i would like to know some Must See things and places to go. attractions etc. I havent been west of KY so i know things are probably differnt over there.

Thx,
Grape

[mojo]

well, i'm from california...but sorry...i won't be able to make it :P



oh, must see:

mission san diego...um, both if you can (presidio park and sd mission)
old town
gaslamp quarter (downtown)
sd wild animal park (north county...we'll allow them to call themselves sd since it's a cool park ;) )
sd zoo if you can't see the wap (no, i didn't call nobody that)
sea world if you're so inclined
la jolla (specifically lj cove and seal beach)
sunset cliffs
roller coaster in pacific beach
tijuana if the horror stories don't scare you off
balboa park...museums and such. try to plan ahead for this stuff

*must eat a carne asada burrito at a hole-in-the-wall taco stand

-if the signs say don't swim...don't swim there!
-if the signs say don't stand too close to the edge...don't!
-sd zoo doesn't charge for parking...sucker! ( :P scam vagrants pull)
-sea world does charge for parking...bastids! (scam sea world pulls :angry: )

[ufcrusher]

Mojo forgot to mention that the WAP (Wild Animal Park to those who think he was making an ethnic remark) does charge for parking.

Other things he left off....
The Sunset over the Pacific
Pacific Beach if you want to party with the younger type people
You should rent a surfboard if you are so inclined and try to ride a wave - dont go if it rained in the last 72 hours


Otherwise he did a pretty good list...there are lots of places in the Southern california region to go see, but for San Diego proper and the surround area those are the highlights

[mojo]

oh oh oh oh

then there's:

mt soledad
mt helix

both great views along with controversial landmark crosses :D

(and free to go see ;) )

and if you go late enough in june, hit the del mar fair (definitely not free) and plan ahead to see great live acts at the grandstand...often included in your ticket price! :D

[psycho-]

GO AWAY, YOU'RE NOT WANTED!

Hehehe, just kidding, I'm sure you'll love it here :P

[DankNstickY]

and eat at "the spaghetti factory" 3 times.

ok , once is fine. :P

[avlena]

Originally posted by ufcrusher
Mojo forgot to mention that the WAP (Wild Animal Park to those who think he was making an ethnic remark) does charge for parking.


sad... i saw WAP, and first thing i thought was "Wireless Application Protocol" :P

[cheapie]

Originally posted by ufcrusher
....a wave - dont go if it rained in the last 72 hours

???

[hang10wannabe]

Originally posted by mojo
well, i'm from california...but sorry...i won't be able to make it :P



oh, must see:

la jolla (specifically lj cove and seal beach)



great place... u should really go... and then you can be snobby to all the rich folk there :)

[ufcrusher]

For approximately 72 hours after it rains the water is considered unsafe to swim or surf in...not that it stops some people. The rain ends up washing out lots of things you dont want to be "bathing" in. I personally dont like surfing in sewage and runoff, but hey if you dont mind getting bacterial and viral infections, go right ahead.

[RoniMan]

hotel del coronado.

ucsd library. (hey, you get to say you saw the mothership from attack of the killer tomatoes)

99 ranch market (it's the only one in sd at the moment, so all the chinese ppl are there.)

legoland (it's not THAT wonderous, but you gotta see the lego cities!)

blacks beach (if you want to see naked old ppl)

the mormon temple (if you're mormon)

if you have the time, go to julian, they have good bread there.

[cheapie]

i've noticed the glaring omission of tiaju....ummm, mexico. is that because nobody from san diego ever goes there?

[mojo]

Originally posted by ufcrusher
For approximately 72 hours after it rains the water is considered unsafe to swim or surf in...not that it stops some people. The rain ends up washing out lots of things you dont want to be "bathing" in. I personally dont like surfing in sewage and runoff, but hey if you dont mind getting bacterial and viral infections, go right ahead. ...and this, my friends, is what keeps marine biologists employed in sd :hihi:

seriously tho, if it gets to high levels it's in the surf reports and if it keeps up they'll put up signs. and of course you'll see ppl with their wetsuits on surfing when the signs are up. and you'll also see increased hospital visits. and i'm pretty sure that the ER and urgent care places don't treat these particular patients as genii :P

[mojo]

Originally posted by cheapbast@rd
i've noticed the glaring omission of tiaju....ummm, mexico. is that because nobody from san diego ever goes there? the glaring omission was because you glazed over my first post ;)

tj is a great place. not at all like the horror stories. and a lot of ppl consider it the world's most visited city (a lot of cities make this claim tho)...and most of the ppl that visit are from sd.

[wrkngirl]

You should also check out:

http://www.wheresd.com - tourist publication
http://www.sdreader.com - info on the local scene
http://www.uniontribune.com - San Diego local paper
http://www.sandiegoperforms.com/ - has info on local artistic events - theatre, music, etc. - as well as a link to the 1/2 price ArtsTix booth and discounts for local attractions

Also, the Del Mar, I mean, San Diego County Fair opens June 13 - http://www.sdfair.com/sdfair2003.php

Tijuana is a great place to visit, be respectful of local laws and don't get too trashed and you'll be fine. The trolley (http://www.sandiegotrolley.com/) is a great way to travel there - you just walk across the border and then take a cab down to Avenida Revolucion.

[whitak24]

all the suggestions given above are great.....i can't think of anything to add.

SD is one of america's great cities.....enjoy it! :D

[GilbertsGrape]

what about tijuana mexico it is safe to drive over there.... or should we park on the US side and walk over. (do i need to take my pasport. and if i do take one will it get stamped? how far is la jolla from Shelter Island?

[InfiniteNothing]

You should probably let your insurance company know because otherwise they don't have to cover you. They'll charge you like a $10 extra or something like that. It's small and worth it. Uh I don't what it's called but theres this place at the top of a hill where there's no parking.
Visit UCSD. Walk down Library Walk. Go up the stairs at the library. Walk right and you'll see the snake path, EBU I and EBU II.

[Dave_7]

Originally posted by ufcrusher
For approximately 72 hours after it rains the water is considered unsafe to swim or surf in...not that it stops some people. The rain ends up washing out lots of things you dont want to be "bathing" in. I personally dont like surfing in sewage and runoff, but hey if you dont mind getting bacterial and viral infections, go right ahead.


Right... Mission Bay, as one of my friends calls it, "The Toilet with a Lifeguard."





Dave.

[mojo]

Originally posted by Dave_7
Right... Mission Bay, as one of my friends calls it, "The Toilet with a Lifeguard."well, mission bay is a bay. it's a bit in from the real beach. it's nice for over-the-line n stuff like that. but water can sit there for a while since there's no real action. if you wanna go to the beach, go to the beach :P

[mojo]

Originally posted by GilbertsGrape
what about tijuana mexico it is safe to drive over there.... or should we park on the US side and walk over. (do i need to take my pasport. and if i do take one will it get stamped? how far is la jolla from Shelter Island? park in san ysidro before you cross over. you'll see as you get really close. there's a street on the returning side where everyone parks that you'll never be able to find parking on- park there. well, maybe. if you plan on being late or are iffy on parking there (hey, i'm not gonna promise you nuttin regarding safety there, man :P ), then you should consider taking the trolley down. if you plan it right, you can park your car in a nice place and go down there with a bunch of touristy types n stuff. or you can still park your car in a decent place and go on your own. main point is, you might not wanna drive down there when there are so many good options that will serve you well for a one-time venture.

[DankNstickY]

i wouldnt recommend taking your car over there (tj). it might get damaged in someway, whether it be getting broken into, stolen, or getting into an accident since u might not be used to the streets and driving conditions from over there.

[cheapie]

Originally posted by mojo
the glaring omission was because you glazed over my first post ;)

tj is a great place. not at all like the horror stories. and a lot of ppl consider it the world's most visited city (a lot of cities make this claim tho)...and most of the ppl that visit are from sd.

oops. :blush: you mean the "tijuana if the horror stories don't scare you off" part?

as for parking, i parked north of the border and just walked across. i was glad i did because of the long line of traffic trying to get back into the us and the end of the day.

[whitak24]

take the trolley.

don't even think about driving across the border unless you're planning on buying some of the huge cast-iron cages, etc that you can get at the artisan's market.

the parking lots just north of the border are notorious for smash-and-grab thefts, etc, so that's not really worth it. in addition, if you're planning to get trashed while you're down there, you don't want to be driving back up to SD completely drunk.

take your passport or your birth certificate to get back into the u.s. w/ a birth certificate, you'll need a picture i.d. as well. i think if you have your passport, you're all set.

the trolly is simple, cheap, and direct, and it literally lets you off next to the border crossing. i'd highly recommend it.

[ufcrusher]

Personally I havent gone down to TJ since May 2001, but I always parked in the lots right next to the border. The trick is to make sure you are parked close to the attendant and in plain view of everything. They have cameras and security lights, the lots are fenced in with the exception of the driveway and the pedestrian exit by the border entrance. Obviously, I wouldnt drive our BMW down there unless I wanted a new one, but if you drive an average car you should be ok. My Probe, Previa, and Truck all survived the lots unscathed. Just make sure that there is nothing visible and everything looks stock or I guess good alarms also help.

[GilbertsGrape]

we will be in a rental van from somewhere near the airport and i think we will take the trolley. from what i have read in this thread. TAHNK YOU ALL for your suggestions and information. they are all appriciated...

Grape