NYer visiting San Diego for the 1st time...what are MUST see ??? (Chula Vista: appointed, ski resorts)

[Encinitan]

Originally Posted by Think4Yourself

The beaches are going to be cold as it is currently December.

Except that it was 80 at the beach this weekend. Can't count on it but never rule out one of those days on a visit.

[bloom]

Originally Posted by Think4Yourself

The beaches are going to be cold as it is currently December.

Not necessarily at all.
Though the ocean water will be cold for sure.

[Cardiff Kook]

Yea it was beautiful at the beach this past weekend

[moved]

Originally Posted by oddstray

This might be a good way to go into Mexico: Turista Libre— Rad Tijuana Tours!

There's also Tijuana Adventures - www.tijuanaadventures.com.

[moved]

Originally Posted by oddstray

U.S. auto insurance is not accepted in Mexico, no matter what your insurance provider says. If you drive into Mexico, buy a short-term Mexican insurance policy. You can buy it just before any border crossing, I believe.

If you don't have a passport, be prepared to stand in line for at least an hour to cross the border back into the US.

[Popfizz]

I have a passport and i actually postponed to trip till March so the chances of rain are minimal.

[otterprods]

Something else pretty unique to San Diego: La Jolla Cave and Shell Shop
… more or less a tacky souvenir/shell shop, but for $4 you can walk down 145 scary looking steps into a real sea cave which lets out directly into La Jolla cove. Nothing spectacular, but pretty novel if you happen to be in La Jolla anyways. If that's not a good enough view of the sea for you, La Jolla cove is one of the best places for paddling and there are many rental/outfitter shops just north of the cove at La Jolla shores which will either rant by the hour or offer a tour.

Other than that just go to the beach in Coronado and maybe to the Zoo (or, better yet the Safari Park) if that sort of thing interests you. Yeah, it's a big tourist attraction, but it is still considered the best zoo system int he world, and for good reason. Sea World is great too, if you like that sort of thing (I do).

All of it is of course weather dependent, because even SD is often not having very warm beach weather in December.

As for Mexico… Baja is a great place to go, but border towns (including Tecate and Mexicali) are very touristy and pretty dirty. It can be ok to just walk across the border and say 'hey, I'm in mexico' and maybe eat a taco if you're daring enough. But it really doesn't start getting good until you get past Ensenada, which would be a whole separate trip that I don't recommend for inexperienced NYer who don't speak spanish (nothing personal).

[malcorub16]

Originally Posted by kettlepot

Hangout with the locals at:

University & 5th Avenues (Hillcrest)
University & 30th St (North Park)
30th & Juniper (South Park)
Adams & 33rd St (Normal Heights)
Park & Adams (University Heights)

Walk around and choose a restaurant, bar, taco stand, or food truck (Tuesdays - Normal Heights). At about Adams & 35th (north side of the road) is my preferred Cambodian owned donut shop, Golden Donut, because given your comments in your original post, you never know when the munchies may hit you.

Good ideas, right away people write off San Diego as suburbia and forget that we have hip uptown type neighborhoods because they spend there visit driving back and forth on the freeways from Wild Animal Park to Lego Land to Sea World to La Jolla.

[bloom]

Sea World sucks. Visit Birth Aquarium and Chula Vista Nature Center.

[malcorub16]

Originally Posted by bloom

Sea World sucks. Visit Birth Aquarium and Chula Vista Nature Center.

My 5 year old son loves the aquarium and so do I. I prefer places that you can spend an hour or two at and not $pend a whole lot.

Sea World might be a bit too much for a five year old. If Sea World would cost less we would go more often (ive only been once). Same reason why I have never been to LegoLand either. We can afford it, but I feel like its a waste of money and not worth the all day stress with little ones.