Road trip from Phoenix to San Diego? (Scottsdale, Chandler: home, live)

[stephslug]

I've done this drive many times (at least twice a year for the past twenty years)... We just got back from a 9 day trip - we left on the 28th of June around 9 a.m. and had no problems with the heat. Parts of the road advise you to turn off your a.c. but I don't do this = I have a new car. We returned on July 7 and left San Diego around noon - again no problem with the heat. The 'shortcut' through Maricopa was always the way to go but now with all the development it seems slower - I still go that way, though. Have fun

[karenmattp]

Has anyone driven it in January? What is the weather like?

[hotornot]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Sounds like going to SD is very common experience here.

As a long time resident of Pacific Beach let me tell you that when summer rolls around I see a ton of Arizona license plates cruising down Garnet Avenue and Mission Boulevard. And I love it, keep 'em coming! No I don't own a business that caters to tourists. I don't make money off of Arizonans. What I do know is that people who travel are usually in good spirits and that makes them easy to talk to. A guy like me can appreciate something like that.

As soon as the calendar flips over from December to Janurary I keep a sharp eye out for the first sighting of an Arizona license plate. Usually I spot the first one in March or so. This year was atypical, the first one I saw was back in Janurary. Around October they tend to drop off the radar and it's then that I know that, sadly, another year is about ready to come to an end. Boy, doesn't time fly? Hey Arizona, drive safe and when you get here we'll see you out on the boardwalk!

[j760]

Great pictures hotornot, I have spent the majority of my life living in San Diego County, also lived in Phoenix, Arizona for about 4 years. I'm a big fan of both states as I think both offer a tremendous amount of beauty.

I also encourage Arizona residents to come here and visit whenever you'd like, we aren't that far away and it's a great getaway especially during those hot summer months.

I'm partial to San Diego and think it's the best place in California, and when I was an Arizona resident I came back here to visit often so I know what it's like to drive around San Diego with Arizona plates.

[hotornot]

Originally Posted by j760

I'm partial to San Diego and think it's the best place in California, and when I was an Arizona resident I came back here to visit often so I know what it's like to drive around San Diego with Arizona plates.

When I see a zonie license plate and they stop to get out of their car to go eat Italian food (cooked by people other than Italians, naturally) I'll sometimes lean over my apartment balcony and yell HELLO ARIZONA!

[Ponderosa]

With the price of fuel those 2000+ mile vacations are gonna be far fewer than before. It's nice to know that we have desert, mountain, beach, and even foreign country options within just a few hundred miles or so.

[Magnum Mike]

The next time I go by San Diego will be on June 3rd... In a Boeing 767-300 at 36,000 feet on the way to Hawaii, and will probably go over San Diego on the flight back to Phoenix late Sunday night June 8th

I was a "Zonie" in San Diego in June of last year and I enjoyed the visit. The best and fastest way to get there and back is Interstate 8.

[YAZ]

We drive to SD at least once per summer. Mission Beach is our spot.


The Hyatt just finished their upgrades and I hear it's "tubular awesome".

The zoo is the best in the world, Sea World is great, and the "Lantern District" can't be beat for dinner. BTW, a great place to catch a D-Backs game. Not a bad place to get married either. We did.

We tend to leave on a Thursday by 6:00 am, and come home Saturday whenever we feel like it.

Traffic has never been an issue, but it can be a boring drive in between. We like to stop in Yuma for lunch or breakfast.

[stephslug]

Hey Hotornot,

Be careful when looking for Zonie plates. Some of us live in SD for years without bothering to change them. I know I did

[Rick Lee]

I rode my bike to SD in late March. I would never do that drive at night, as the scenery is too good to miss. I got off I-8 in Campo and took back roads along the Mexican border. My bike died as soon as I got to my hotel in Coronado, so I was very lucky to get that far and it was a warranty item, so it cost me nothing but the taxi ride to pick it up. Riding back I froze my a$s off in the rain and mountains.