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During this past summer I have visited San Diego and loved it. It is a great city.
I arrived at the San Diego Airport and took an Uber to our hotel. Our driver was an African American who moved here from the Midwest. He had lost his job there and his wife told him to move to San Diego. They were not the only ones who wanted to move to San Diego. A lot of people want to live in San Diego. I have read about this online.
We went to our hotel, the Sofia Hotel. Our driver even showed us where to take the streetcar. We stayed at our hotel. NBC was right across from our hotel.
After walking along Broadway and a park with palm trees near the Westfield Horton Plaza, I went to the Gaslamp District along Fifth Avenue. It was a really nice area and we stopped at a souvenir shop. The downtown area feels touristy and not as corporate as other downtown areas in other major cities. The downtown area in some areas looks like a standard downtown USA the buildings are newer and there are some buildings that look like condominiums. The buildings here were painted the right colors, they weren’t tacky. After I ended my tour of Fifth Avenue, I saw on Google maps how the area had a Turkish restaurant, and a Brazilian BBQ place, a typical tourist area. Before I went here I read about how this part of town was a shady run down area. Now it is a tourist attraction I wonder how they cleaned that area up. I read on Wikipedia that residents were concerned about the preservation of historic architecture and they preserved it as a historic district.
I also enjoyed the waterfront area. I saw the Convention Center. I then went to Seaport Village. This area is beautiful and I am glad that San Diego did something with this area. Seaport Village seemed a bit 1960’s themed. I do not know why though. After that, I saw the marina and walked along the walkway near the water.
The layout of California cities is just different than in the northeast. San Diego, at least downtown San Diego gets an A for smart city planning and smart growth. There are streetcars, beautiful shopping centers, nice restaurants, and skyscrapers. I also noticed that there was a large shopping mall in downtown San Diego. In New Jersey you don’t see large shopping malls in the downtown areas. They are separate from one another.
I took a bus to Coronado beach. It looked like a wealthy and white area. The water was cold but the area was nice. The beach and the houses were beautiful, The residential area almost reminded me of Latin America. The main street was nice too but I didn’t explore it that much because I was hungry and I was waiting for the bus to get to Little Italy. On the bus from Coronado, I saw Barrio Logan. The neighborhood did not look that pretty but I was impressed by all the street art they had there. Chicano Park had murals as well. I wish our lower income neighborhoods had street art like this. But I know there Southern California has a strong history of Chicano activism so that probably in part explains why there is so much street art around here. I also read how Barrio Logan in the past had issues with environmental justice, a very common problem in low income neighborhoods.
Little Italy was nice. I don’t know much about Italian immigration to California other than that the Italians that came to California were more prosperous than in the Northeast and that many came to work in the vineyards. The food I had at one restaurant was really good. I had callenolli. The Italian food I had here was surprisingly better than a lot of the Italian food I had here in the Northeast. I also saw that they were trying to build something here in Little Italy. I think it is a plaza or something. I think San Diego is on the upswing in terms of real estate.
I went to Balboa Park. It was a very beautiful and hilly park. There were joggers and dog walkers there. It was a huge park. It was such a big park that as I walked here from my hotel I had to take a bus then a streetcar home. I took a bus to Jack in the Box. We really don’t have much of these in the New Jersey. I like Jack in the Box better than Burger King or McDonalds. When I was in there I remember a woman working there asking the security guard there if there is a lot of work for him to do. He replied “right now there isn’t.” It seems odd that there would be a security guard in a fast food restaurant in what seems to be a safe neighborhood. It was south of Balboa Park but north of the downtown area. And according to FBI Statistics, San Diego is a pretty safe town for a big city. However I have noticed that there is a large police presence in San Diego so that might play a factor.
The last full day I was in San Diego I went to Fashion Valley Mall then Old Town. I wanted to go to a Southern California mall plus the tour guide I read prior to coming to this trip recommended this mall. Coming from the Northeast, I am used to seeing large indoor shopping malls. However it is like all the malls I have seen in Southern California well with the exception of one In LA were outdoor malls. I even saw palm trees in the mall! Very different from the Northeast. I liked the mall. I think the malls here in San Diego are better designed than in New Jersey. I also noticed how the northern part of San Diego is more hilly than the downtown area.
I was told to go to Old Town by the Uber Driver but I did some research on San Diego before coming and I already wanted to go here. I also believe I read somewhere that this is the number one recommended place to visit in San Diego so why not come here? Even though this area is supposed to Mexican themed I definitely cannot confuse it for a street in Tijuana. Old Town is not even in a predominately Latino neighborhood. However the food is cheap and Old Town is still a colorful place to witness Mexican culture. We first stopped at a Mexican restaurant. My mom liked her food, I forget what my sister had, and I ordered a chimi changa. There was a singer with a guitar who was able to sing any song we asked him to sing. I asked him to play “La Bamba”, (it seems fitting right? Since we are in California) and he played it. Old Town was very touristy with many souvenir shops, restaurants, and cantinas. I went to the park which I believe is the main tourist spot in Old Town. They even sold paraphernalia for “Las Dias de los Muertos” which is a big thing in California. They sold panchos, handicrafts, and Mexican purses. It felt like you were in the 1800s with the small adobe buildings and the lettering of the buildings that read “General Store” I think Old Town was supposed to make you feel like you are in California in the 1800s. I was impressed with how San Diego integrates history and tourism so well. In some New Jersey cities we really can’t do that even though New Jersey is very historical.
Even though San Diego has a conservative reputation, it seemed kind of liberal to me. At Fashion Center Mall, I saw young people with tattoos who had a hippie flow. San Diego just seems laid back and chill which is why I am surprised to see people on CD say it is conservative.
I liked how I didn’t have to drive in San Diego. I just took either a bus or the streetcar. The light rail system is not as complex as New York City but it is efficient nonetheless. The good thing about public transportation in San Diego is that it is not just for poor people but I think this is true for most major cities. I noticed that there weren’t that many cars in San Diego. However I then did some research and according to the Census, most people in San Diego drove to work. This did not make sense but then I saw a map of San Diego and noticed that the northern part is sprawling while the downtown area is the opposite. And since I was in the downtown area a lot of the time this explains why I was so surprised.
Other random facts. It is interesting how some buildings that looked like they were once churches serve other purposes like the San Diego Train Station and the Museum of Man. Something I also noticed that in California every toilet I could remember had toilet covers. Is there a law in California that requires there to be toilet seat covers? You usually don’t see that in New Jersey.
I've been to San Diego twice on vacation, and will be back for sure in future years. The San Diego Zoo and the USS Midway are must-sees too if you have the time. I spent a full day at the zoo and most of a day on the Midway. Coronado is great, but so are the beaches up the coast as well... La Jolla, Carlsbad, Oceanside. Sunset Cliffs is amazing for the sunsets (of course).
I like the public transportation system as well. The 923 bus took me straight from the airport to one of the hotels I stayed at on Broadway (Westin). Extremely convenient. The airport was the easiest one for me to ever get through. Never a hassle.
My wife and I took our second San Diego vacation last September. And we enjoyed every minute of it, just like our first time in 2015. The day we landed, it was 102 as we walked off the plane....well above normal. But it didn't dampen our fun.
We stayed at the Hotel Coronado and loved waking the beach everyday. Went to La Jolla and saw the seals... very cool! Checked out Old Town and other various places throughout the city. Driving a rental car on vacation is not the most relaxing thing, but necessary to see all the things.
We would love to live in San Diego, as it is so beautiful, and everyone seems so happy. Life seems to be so perfect for everyone that lives there. Sadly, housing prices are way, way higher than our budget could afford. So we will keep making trips there as often as we can.
I hope the locals in San Diego realize how lucky they have it.
My wife and I took our second San Diego vacation last September. And we enjoyed every minute of it, just like our first time in 2015. The day we landed, it was 102 as we walked off the plane....well above normal. But it didn't dampen our fun.
We stayed at the Hotel Coronado and loved waking the beach everyday. Went to La Jolla and saw the seals... very cool! Checked out Old Town and other various places throughout the city. Driving a rental car on vacation is not the most relaxing thing, but necessary to see all the things.
We would love to live in San Diego, as it is so beautiful, and everyone seems so happy. Life seems to be so perfect for everyone that lives there. Sadly, housing prices are way, way higher than our budget could afford. So we will keep making trips there as often as we can.
I hope the locals in San Diego realize how lucky they have it.
Thanks for the nice comments about San Diego. I lived in Columbus for many years before retiring here. Hope you come back soon. I do miss Columbus but not the winters. Cheers.
Yes, I have 3 days to go to hit my 6 year SD anniversary, and I still feel like I'm on my honeymoon and am grateful to survive here.
Granted, 2016 was probably the coolest/wettest year since I came in 2011, but that's okay...we need the rain, and it gets a little old when it's 78 and sunny for 6 straight months.
All of your comments were spot with only this minor correction, which is that the Italians came to work the tuna boats. There really were no vineyards down here until recently.
But to expand on some of your other comments, the buildings you mentioned that looked like repurposed churches were never actually churches, but buildings built during the heyday of Spanish Colonial Revival Architecture (1900 - 1930). One of the most recognizable forms of Spanish Colonial architecture to be copied was the church.
You are correct that San Diego is very safe for a large city. The job of the security guard at the Jack in the Box wasn't to stop robberies, but to keep out the homeless. We have lots of homeless, especially Downtown.
The people who talk about San Diego being a conservative city are usually from the San Francisco Bay Area or Los Angeles. In the scope of the nation's conservative-liberal continuum, they really don't have a tight grasp on what constitutes liberal versus conservative, only that every place in the country is more conservative than where they are from and therefore "is conservative".
Come visit again, and we'll guide you towards places that are bit more naturally San Diego versus areas specifically designed to separate a tourist from his money (Seaport Village/Old Town).
Last edited by kettlepot; 01-03-2017 at 06:31 PM..
We are seriously considering visiting San Diego this Spring, it'll be our first visit to CA. We like touristy places, and would like to do day trips to beach towns along the coast. We will rent a car. Is it too much to travel from SD to LA and back in one day? If so, then we will just go to places in and closer to SD. Probably going for 4-5 nights. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Depending on your starting point, it takes about 2-1/2 to 3 hours to LA but traffic can vary getting there. I'd also recommend visiting Laguna Beach in Orange County,it's an awesome SoCal beach town with lots of shops, restaurants, basketball and volleyball, etc right on the ocean. Takes about 90 minutes or less to get there.
We are seriously considering visiting San Diego this Spring, it'll be our first visit to CA. We like touristy places, and would like to do day trips to beach towns along the coast. We will rent a car. Is it too much to travel from SD to LA and back in one day? If so, then we will just go to places in and closer to SD. Probably going for 4-5 nights. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Too much for a SD-to-LA and back in one day for short trip.
You'll have plenty to do in San Diego city and county, from Encinitas in the north to downtown area, over those 4-5 nights.
Last edited by bloom; 01-03-2017 at 09:56 PM..
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