Please tell me, what the heck is so special about Coronado? (San Diego: fit in, how much)

[YoungSanDiegoDude]

I' am a 24 year-old service member (Navy) who has been living in San Diego for five years now. I love it out here in San Diego (the laid-back atmosphere, overall friendlieness, great weather, dating scene, and recreational opportunities) and I plan to stay the rest of my life. However, there are some places that I can't stand or don't care to visit, such as Del Mar, and Mission Beach. However, at the top of that short list is Coronado. I' am currently living on the seal base (NAB) and I have no car, so my only options when money is tight and I can't take the bus into the city (which I hope I won't have to do much longer if I can get a place in city soon) is to either stay on base (which is pretty boring) or go into Coronado. I almost always choose to do the former. Why? Because Coronado is a rediculously overrated pretentious tourist hell hole. Everyone here (especially the young women) is so stuck-up and fake that it feels like I' am living on the coast in the OC (i.e. Laguna or Newport). The tourists (usually from other rich areas) are just as bad. You will be lucky if anyone says hi to you. Coronado lacks the diversity that San Diego has (EVERY SINGLE PERSON that lives out here is WHITE, also just like coastal OC), and 99 percent of tourist are white. Although I' am white myself (I'am as white as you can get: Irish w/ red hair), I like being around and making friends with people of multiple cultures. Also, the restaurants, shops, and hotels are ALL overpriced and overrated. The Hotel Del Coronado alone is over $200 a night with crappy ammenities and customer service. The private villas on the beach are even worse; very small and AT LEAST $2000 per night. Also, the beach is overrated and always trashy (I know because I run on it almost every day), and the water is contaminated by sewage spills from TJ at least 2 weeks out of each month. Also, some people (probably rich white people) will say stuff like that Coronado has the best schools in So Cal, which is a big load of crap; I saw La Jolla High and La Costa on the lists of great area schools over the years, but not Coronado, NOT ONCE. They also say that the beach here is the nicest in So Cal and one of the nicest in the world, which is also a load of crap, since the most beautiful and pristine beaches listed for So Cal and only ones here ranked among the best in the world are in Santa Barbara (City and County). Also, Coronado IS NOT a great place to take a girlfriend, unless your rich, and she is materialistic (a.k.a. a gold digger). Also, the traffic and parking is horible. Personally, I think that anyone that is willing to waste their money and time in Coronado is a moron (rich or not). There is MUCH more to do and see across the bay in San Diego than there ever could be in Coronado. For starters, you can actually get a great view of the coast and the city in some places (i.e. La Jolla), however Coronado is completely flat. Downtown San Diego by itself has everything that anyone could ever want in a city. San Diego is where all of the action is, and I can't wait until the day that I finally leave this small, un-diverse, pretentious, and boring cesspool of spoiled brats and phonies. By the way, I say all of these negative things because they are true; I have the unfortunate experience of living out here on this island for almost all of my 5 years in the Navy to back it up.

[ranzchic]

You alreasy answered your own question. Coronado is like the isolated, almost gated enclave of the richest WASP in San Diego.That isolation is what makes it "special".

[Encinitan]

Do you really want an answer, or did you just want to type up a 500-word manifesto about how much you hate Coronado? Who said Coronado was so special?

[YoungSanDiegoDude]

Originally Posted by Encinitan

Do you really want an answer, or did you just want to type up a 500-word manifesto about how much you hate Coronado? Who said Coronado was so special?

Well, I would definitely like an answer. Normaly, I don't write 500 word manifestos, as you put it. However, I felt that I had to vent a little; this is really the first time that I have voiced my displeasure with Coronado. I have been stuck out here for a while now and as you can tell, I' am ready to leave and move to the city. By the way, I see that you are from Encinitas. I wouldn't mind living up there either. It's a pretty cool place. Very nice wave action up there (much cleaner water I might add) to.

[powersnax]

The last time I visited San Diego, I made sure to stop by Coronado a couple of times. Since I was on vacation, I was smart enough not to go during rush hour times. The drive over the bridge is beautiful. The beach is quite nice, specially since it was in the middle of December and in the low 70's. People were surfing and jogging on the beach. I walked around Hotel Coronado and grabbed some refreshments while I did some reading at nice dining area with a beach view. Walking on the beach was quite relaxing. I know someone who works at the Marriott resort in Coronado and it was nice to walk through as well. If you don't want to spend hundreds of dollars in Coronado... then don't. I didn't.

Coronado is a nice place to visit.

[sav858]

Coronado is rich and all your complaints can pretty much be applied to any other wealthy area in the country. Just stick it out and hopefully you'll get out of their soon, it's nice but I would never live there either.

[sdurbanite]

How could you hate Coronado that much? Would you be happier being stationed at 32nd St in National City?

Coronado is a great town. Sure, it might be boring but there's nothing wrong with that. Like you said, just across the bay is San Diego and all of it's diverse neighborhoods. Could it be that you mostly see White people in Coronado because it's a White majority city?

I go to Coronado Beach alot, especially during the Summer, and it's a flat out lie that it's trashy and contaminated by sewage spills 2 weeks out of the month.

And what's wrong with Del Mar and Mission Beach?

[sdlife619]

Coronado is very nice, what's really sad though, is how you have of a bunch of really old rich White people on one side of the bridge, and a bunch of poor brown Mexicans on the other side. It's really crazy how vastly different the 2 sides are. Almost like how SF and OAK is designed.

I remember last halloween me and my friends son went to Coronado to go tricker-treating, and we saw a lot of Hispanic families with kids getting candy at all the wealthy peoples homes. Obviously these people are coming over from right across the bridge in the Barrio, so they know what's good.

Personally Coronado is boring, it's more of a 65+ year old crowd retiree type of place, I do love many of the older homes in the area though, it has some character.

Coronado almost has like this privelege feeling, an exclusiveness that seperates the well to do, from everybody else which can seem pretty selfish in a way to many outsiders. I'm sure Coronado locals can tell that your not from Coronado, and might treat you differently especially if you look like you don't come from money.

I really believe that Coronadoians are so stuck on that little island, that they become so isolated from the rest of San Diego. It's like why leave that perfect place? There is no reason to travel anywhere else, your in paradise right? But this paradise can be damaging socially I feel, because the locals don't interact with other social classes of people, this can lead to that "I'm better than you attitude" and the mass amount of negative vibes some non locals feel, like stares that you'll receive if your driving a non "Luxury' vehicle, like a simple Honda Accord, "Oh know, they must be broke, let's stare".

Not sure which place is more rich, La Jolla or Coronado? The problem with rich or wealthy area's is they all lack racial diversity and are like 95% White. So I understand your frustration, but that's what is to be expected especially in California. Since San Diego is an expensive city to live in, we really don't have a middle class or wealthy minority. Most Hispanics and Blacks out here are broke or are barely making it by. The more successful Hispanics are coming from wealthy neighborhoods of TJ, they come over and move to Chula Vista because of safety reason and better quality of life. Go to Las Americas mall in San Ysidro, and you'll see what I mean.
Or we are getting a lot of rich outsiders from other countries moving here, buying up property, and using them as a vaction spot to relax and to enjoy themselves.

Overall Coronado is beautiful, it's really hard to hate that place, other than it's boring and full of really old people, I like it.

[breeze823]

Oh I've always loved Coronado but that bridge has always freaked me out,lol...I always hated crossing over!

[nmnita]

I think you just wanted to rant. I normally do not like it when someone says a conplaint is made because someone is just jealous, but in this case, I think it is true..You do not like what Coronado has to offer because it does not fit into your life style. This does not make it bad or wrong.

Most people find it beautiful, yes, very upper class but also very traditional, yes, touristy, still it is a quiet, well kept area and people who live there are proud to be able to afford the finer things in life. I do not see anything wrong with this. It is like San Marino Ca, or Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills and parts of San Francisco or maybe La Jolla, just to mention a few places.

Nita