Visiting San Diego 9/20-9/26 for vacation (El Cajon, Soledad: rental car, rental, HOA)

[htnguyen504]

Hi all! I am from New Orleans and will be visiting San Diego 9/20-9/26 for vacation and needed recommendations on what to do. I have done googling on what to do, etc. but would like a local's take and not do the tourist trap things that you always see online. I am 33 years old and going all by myself. I have nothing planned or going to be in a certain area I am restricted to so I am open to all ideas near and far since I have a rental car. I love to eat (Vietnamese food especially) and Korean and Mexican tacos, Japanese, BURGERS, and SUSHI but open minded to everything. I also love to hike, outdoors activities, nice scenery for taking photos, site seeing, parks, tours, museums, window shopping. Not into clubs and bars at all and not into 4-5 star fine dining where you pay $100 and still leave hungry. Any recommendations would be appreciated! Thank you in advance!

[bloom]

Burgers: Burger Lounge, Smashburger, In-n-Out
Sushi: Hane (downtown), expensive though
Hike: Mission Trails Park, Torrey Pines SP
Balboa Park - museums, scenery

[kettlepot]

Saigon Restaurant 4455 El Cajon Boulevard has a good local reputation. (I haven't been there myself)
Supercucina 3627 University Avenue is an authentic Mexican restaurant that I have been to and enjoyed.

Both of these are probably $10 - $15, maybe $20 restaurants if you buy something expensive.

I took a harbor tour many years ago, and enjoyed it. You can catch one downtown on the Embarcadero.

For spectacular views -
On a clear day, drive up to the top of Mount Soledad.
Pay the $10 to go to Pt Loma Lighthouse. In particular, if the boats are coming in and out of the harbor, the sightseeing is great.

Bloom nailed the best hiking... Mission Trails and Torrey Pines.

Avoid Seaport Village, and I'm not a fan of Old Town either. But Seaport Village is the ultimate tourist trap.

San Diego is noted for its beer breweries. If you like beer, you should check out some tasting rooms. Let us know, and maybe some of the beer drinkers will give recommendations.

For window shopping, I guess that would be downtown La Jolla, around Prospect and Girard. You could do Mt. Soledad, window shopping in downtown La Jolla, and take in the La Jolla beach all in the same general excursion. You can even rent kayaks and paddle in La Jolla Cove, but I've not done that myself. Torrey Pines State Park is up in that same general area too.

[LaJollaEast]

If you do like beer the best place to check out breweries is in the Miramar area. You can visit Ballast Point, Green Flash, Alesmith and many others that have great beer.

[shmoov_groovzsd]

Cool, sounds like a fun trip. Any idea where you will be staying? You can always Uber/Lyft some of the recommendations as well.

At 33 and to really have some fun dont pass up on 30th Street in North Park in the evenings. It checks off most of the things you are looking for.
Its not touristy in the traditional sense, but in terms of eating and general social vibe, eclectic restaurants and literally all the famed beer SD has to offer is all within walking distance along this corridor.
Things To Do In San Diego - Explore North Park

But this is 2017 and you likely have a smart device. I would say any app that has peer reviews (Google or Yelp) with 4 stars plus can give you a great place to start as well if you happen to land in an area where recommendations were not listed above.

Just keep in mind, SD is in pockets and is spread out. As long as you plan accordingly on each day with hitting one or two of the suggestions above, it will keep it open ended enough to improvise along the way.
Have fun!

[malcorub16]

Originally Posted by kettlepot

Saigon Restaurant 4455 El Cajon Boulevard has a good local reputation. (I haven't been there myself)

I've been here a couple of times. I usually let my Vietnamese friend order for me as the menu is super intimidating for me, but I have been satisfied each visit.

I like to say SD has some of the best pho places in the US and since OP loves Vietnamese food, I would recommend Pho Mignon on Convoy St for delicious pho soup in a hip urban setting (the restaurant more than the neighborhood) or my favorite pho place called Pho Hoa on University St for a straight up pho lunch spot, in my opinion the best tasting pho in SD.