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Old 10-26-2015, 03:06 PM
 
226 posts, read 339,729 times
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Just a little background- family of 5 coming in to visit from East. I've been to SAN a few times and absolutely ADORE this place. I happen to remember a lot of what we saw/visited-my uncle was the ultimate host and loved taking us to all that SAN had to offer. Sadly we lost him to cancer about 2 years ago

It's time for me to go back and take my family-I've taken my sons prior but my husband/step-daughter haven't been, my sons were little guys, now they are all teens 14-15-16 (yep we ALWAYS need a good vacation ha!)

IN another thread I mentioned we found a good rental in OB-beautiful cottage. We mostly do vrbo rentals as hotels aren't workable really- we want boys/girl to have seperate rooms-we also get to save some money on having breakfast there, some days packing lunches (depending activities) and cooking/grilling a couple times at least. I'm allergic to garlic and intolerant to onions so it makes it hard to eat out a lot- some places will work with you though-or I can just have margaritas and dessert while they have Mexican food ha!

So, I kind of pre-planned an itinerary and wanted to get your ideas/suggestions/advice on it-we plan to stay 7-8 days if we can.

Day 1: Earl arrival (we gain time) (Sat in June)
Visit Balboa Park (not zoo)- have lunch there then check in
OR visit Seaport Village and Harbor Island to Tom Ham's Lighthouse (my uncle would take us here, I loved it then) then to check-in.
After getting settled in/unpacked go to Point Loma and Sunset Cliffs area till sunset- I see all these teens diving, is it allowed or 'overlooked'? Our kids love that kind of stuff.

Day 2: Torrey Pines/La Jolla Day (Sun)
Torrey Pines State Reserve/beach area for some hiking
Torrey Pines Gliderport and drive to USC for kids to take a look at the impresive college there
La Jolla Shores and Cove -Maybe Birch aquarium depending on time
Finally Mt. Soledad and stay till sunset

Day 3: (Mon)
Full beach day! Mission Beach/Pacific Beach area
Surf lession of 90 mins for the kids
Rent bikes to go up/down the area
Belmont Park in the evening/Wave pool place?

Day 4: (Tue)
Wild Animal Park am or Zoo- with teens any recommendation one above the other? I'm not really a huge zoo fan- I did go to SAN zoo but I don't know-makes me sad, I'm thinking the Animal Park (maybe more expensive) and seeing them in more open areas might be a lot cooler for the teens especially (they aren't big fans of zoo's either-not sure about SEaworld either honestly)

Dinner Old Town (is it a bit more casual then Gaslamp Quarter area-seeing as we won't be too dressy after a day w/animals).

Day 5:
Ocean Beach Farmer's Market/Beach/Skate park day
Gaslamp quarter at night to stroll/shop/eat

Day 6:
Encinitas to Moonlight Beach/Swammi's and maybe the meditation place which looks amazing, not sure of other activities or is that enough?

Day 7: USS Midway in the am
PM Coronado Island day!

Day 8: Likely open- we may take a redeye home just to enjoy a full day somewhere after checkout of cottage- perhaps Balboa Park if on day 1 we go to Seaport Village.

For eating I found quite a few in OB area recommended (Hodads, Corvette Diner -at least a milkshake to see inside for teens)- OB Noodle, Pizza Port/Southbeach and breakfast at Pier Cafe

Also some ideas for Old Towne/Balboa Park...don't know much about Encinitas area or La Jolla
Likely La Jolla day we will pack sandwiches for a picnic out Torrey Pines area.

Ok, long winded, but wanted to get any other ideas from you guys-any off the beaten path ideas or cool things for teens. We would LOVE to have a bonfire at the beach, not sure which area is best for this.
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Old 10-26-2015, 03:29 PM
 
Location: Hookerville, formerly in Tweakerville
15,129 posts, read 32,326,222 times
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No bonfires at the beaches.
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Old 10-26-2015, 03:38 PM
 
Location: Encinitas
2,160 posts, read 5,853,343 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by moved View Post
No bonfires at the beaches.
You still can (in approved pits) at Moonlight Beach, which he has down as Day 6.
If you can hit the Self Realization Fellowship Gardens on a Sunday afternoon, that's when they have Yogananda's residence open for viewing, which is pretty cool. Every other day, it's just the gardens open.
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Old 10-26-2015, 04:18 PM
 
Location: Hookerville, formerly in Tweakerville
15,129 posts, read 32,326,222 times
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Yes, there are fire pits for fires, but wood bonfires aren't permitted.
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Old 10-26-2015, 04:50 PM
 
6,893 posts, read 8,935,812 times
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Not a bad itinerary. Not overly ambitious. A little. Make sure to slow down. Enjoy your trip.
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Old 10-26-2015, 04:53 PM
 
Location: Central 858
601 posts, read 1,451,774 times
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There's East Coast Speed and there's San Diego Speed. We're a little faster than Island Speed (Hawaii).

Concur, you'll have to slow it down and savor your visit.
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Old 10-26-2015, 11:41 PM
 
8,391 posts, read 7,646,246 times
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Your itinerary looks great, but be aware that Ocean Beach itself has some issues with homeless young people and other scruffy types of people, especially near the beach and pier. They can be pretty in your face at times.

See for instance: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/...curity-patrol/

Keep a close eye on your kids, and make sure they understand that not everyone in OB will be their friends, even if they seem friendly.

On the other hand, it sounds like from your itinerary, you'll mainly be spending your time in other areas, so may not be an issue. As a fellow parent, however, I just thought I'd mention it so you are not surprised when in OB itself.

Last edited by RosieSD; 10-26-2015 at 11:51 PM..
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Old 10-27-2015, 12:17 AM
 
Location: Sandy Eggo - Kensington
5,291 posts, read 12,739,493 times
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What a cool dad...looks good. As others have already said, just slow down so you can enjoy everything. Check out Panama 66 in Balboa Park for a quick and easy lunch. Have fun!
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Old 10-27-2015, 07:32 AM
 
226 posts, read 339,729 times
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HA, it's cool mom! Dad can't plan his way out of a paper bag. I'm the Virgo and planner You should see my Canadian Rockies itinerary lol- except the husband and I decided to leave that for just US two down the road since a lot of it is scenery related.

I'll look into the bonfires in Encinitas area the and thanks for all the tips!

Yes, I'm aware that there are some issues w/homeless or scruffy people in OB- none of which scare me too much, we have our share of homeless and animated people here in ATL I think the kids can handle themselves ok, but for sure we will be around when visiting that area.

I will make sure to have the kids stick together also.

Yeah, I'd like to actually have another day in there just to be able to spread out our plans a little bit....it always ends up being that I make all these plans and husband slows us down We really do and can enjoy an entire day just chilling at the beach and relaxing.

I may make a note of what's most important to see and ask the teens opinions and maybe bring out a couple of activities? Not sure which though yet.
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Old 10-27-2015, 10:30 AM
 
8,391 posts, read 7,646,246 times
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I have a recommendation for lunch the day you're in the La Jolla/Torrey Pines area. There's an outdoor restaurant, Cliffhanger Cafe, at the Torrey Pines Glider Port where you can sit out on a cliff overlooking the coast AND watch the hang gliders take off and come in over the ocean. Food is mostly sandwiches - nothing fancy. It's always a favorite place with my out of town visitors, and active teens especially like watching the action there.

Torrey Pines Gliderport, Cliffhanger Café: Food With a View | Torrey Pines Gliderport | Torrey Pines Gliderport

(Even if you don't eat here, it's fun to go and watch the hangliders take off and land. The gliderport is just up the hill from Torrey Pines State Park, near UCSD and the Salk Institute.
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