Things to do in/around San Diego

[Mr 409]

Weare thinking about going to Tiajauna (sp) the 1st day along with hitting the gaslamp district that night. The next day, we bought tickets to the Holiday Bowl luncheon with the bands/team (hope it is worth the $) and a trip to the beach late afternoon and back to gaslamp.

On gameday we are thinking about taking a dolphin/whale watching tour. We are staying at the Marriot (team hotel, wo we will also "player watch".... I am taking a 12 yr old daughter who loves to player watch).....and there are things called RIB rides put on by former navy seals. It is a 2.5 hour watch...... my wife and daughter love the water and especially dolphins... Any insight on this type of tour before we book.

I would appreciate it. The trip ends at noon and the game is at 5. Hoping, since the hotel is only a few miles away from dolphin tour and 8 miles from stadium, that we can pull tour off and still get to stadium by 2:00 to party with skersfan and KChusker and friends.

Is this possible.....asking those familar with San Diego or experiences like this.

Thanks

Well, I guess my experiences were just bad. Like you mentioned, alcohol usually starts a problem. Probably my downfall. :wasted

DO NOT GO TO TIJUANA! That place is a scum infested hell hole. A lot of America tourists are being assaulted and robbed, some even killed. If you insist on going to Mexico drive straight through TJ and go to Rosarito. Tijuana is not like Cancun or Cabo. I spent a night in jail there once for peeing on a cop car while the cops were still in it (this was definitely whiskey fueled)...my friends and I each paid a bribe of around $300 to get out. Not cool.

Tijuana is really not that bad!! Just be careful. There's plenty to do down there: gamble, drink, clubs, strippers, shop, eat, whatever; and all at a much cheaper price. However, you just can't be stupid. Don't flash money or get so drunk you can't remember where you are. If you plan on being stupid though, I wouldn't do it in San Diego either. The cops and criminals here are just as bad.

well, maybe it was just my experiences there. Ha ha. I was usually drunk and surrounded by other Marines. So I could see how that could be a problem.

:wasted

I went to MCT (Marine Combat Training) at Pendleton many moons ago. We had a weekend off with clear instructions to not go to Tijuana so of course we went straight there and didn't even look back. I had $800 dollars to my name (early 90's money), took it all with me, and had to have money wired to me to get back! I had an absolute blast. Seriously though, in case it's not obvious, Tijuana is NOT a family friendly place.

Great information, thanks.

 

[CornHOLIO]

Weare thinking about going to Tiajauna (sp) the 1st day along with hitting the gaslamp district that night. The next day, we bought tickets to the Holiday Bowl luncheon with the bands/team (hope it is worth the $) and a trip to the beach late afternoon and back to gaslamp.

On gameday we are thinking about taking a dolphin/whale watching tour. We are staying at the Marriot (team hotel, wo we will also "player watch".... I am taking a 12 yr old daughter who loves to player watch).....and there are things called RIB rides put on by former navy seals. It is a 2.5 hour watch...... my wife and daughter love the water and especially dolphins... Any insight on this type of tour before we book.

I would appreciate it. The trip ends at noon and the game is at 5. Hoping, since the hotel is only a few miles away from dolphin tour and 8 miles from stadium, that we can pull tour off and still get to stadium by 2:00 to party with skersfan and KChusker and friends.

Is this possible.....asking those familar with San Diego or experiences like this.

Thanks

Well, I guess my experiences were just bad. Like you mentioned, alcohol usually starts a problem. Probably my downfall. :wasted

DO NOT GO TO TIJUANA! That place is a scum infested hell hole. A lot of America tourists are being assaulted and robbed, some even killed. If you insist on going to Mexico drive straight through TJ and go to Rosarito. Tijuana is not like Cancun or Cabo. I spent a night in jail there once for peeing on a cop car while the cops were still in it (this was definitely whiskey fueled)...my friends and I each paid a bribe of around $300 to get out. Not cool.

Tijuana is really not that bad!! Just be careful. There's plenty to do down there: gamble, drink, clubs, strippers, shop, eat, whatever; and all at a much cheaper price. However, you just can't be stupid. Don't flash money or get so drunk you can't remember where you are. If you plan on being stupid though, I wouldn't do it in San Diego either. The cops and criminals here are just as bad.

well, maybe it was just my experiences there. Ha ha. I was usually drunk and surrounded by other Marines. So I could see how that could be a problem.

:wasted

I went to MCT (Marine Combat Training) at Pendleton many moons ago. We had a weekend off with clear instructions to not go to Tijuana so of course we went straight there and didn't even look back. I had $800 dollars to my name (early 90's money), took it all with me, and had to have money wired to me to get back! I had an absolute blast. Seriously though, in case it's not obvious, Tijuana is NOT a family friendly place.

Great information, thanks.

 

[huskerinacaveman]

So...I am not going to sit around and read through all of the responses because I want to think I am contributing, and not just being a repeater

Tilted Quilt is awesome if you like scottish food and girls to gawk at. Its just next to the baseball field.

Coranado Island, and has a BBQ place that seems to be the only place that serves decent "sweet" tea. and good bbq to boot

USS Midway is cool

Hiking just about an hour or so away

I saw the gaslamp already, and its worth going to.

Old town is just abunch of mexican resturants. but some good shops

Take the Trolly around Downtown, and just be amazed at the weird things you'll see. I saw a guy in an astronaut costume and a girl wearing underwear with boots by a lawfirm stripmall.

Just go to the beach. Always a good way to spend the day

 

[NUance]

*necro bump*

I guess this thread is relevant for those headed to the Holiday Bowl. Again.

 

[Nstructor]

If you make it to Old Town, make sure the Mexican restaurant you go to has Mexican coffee for after your meal. I'm pretty sure it's just coffee and tequila, but it's good.

 

[mmmtodd]

If you make it to Old Town, make sure the Mexican restaurant you go to has Mexican coffee for after your meal. I'm pretty sure it's just coffee and tequila, but it's good.

havent had 'mexican' coffee in awhile. frantically searching for my tequila and kahlua.

 

[Hujan]

Like SoCal, I live in San Diego. I'd be happy to recommend any good spots in the area or answer any questions.

To start, I'd highly recommend Balboa Park. The Zoo is there, but so are at least a dozen pretty amazing museums. Even if you're not keen on going to a museum, the park itself is a great place to walk around. It is easily my favorite place in San Diego. (I happen to work on the edge of the park just west of the Cabrillo Bridge.)

If you haven't been, I highly recommend La Jolla Cove as well. The street you'll want to look for in your MapQuest/Google Maps/TomTom/Garmin is called "Prospect." That will get you right into the heart of the action. From there you can park and walk around. (Georges, the restaurant that SoCal mentioned earlier, is right on Prospect in La Jolla.)

I didn't see it mentioned, but I would also recommend Seaport Village which is located near downtown. It's got lots of shops and places to stroll with a lovely view of the bay and the aircraft carriers. If you go, I would also HIGHLY recommend that you take a tour of the U.S.S. Midway which is docked there as a floating museum. Having lived in Nebraska, it's not everyday that you get to tour an aircraft carrier.

Other spots that others already mentioned are the Gaslamp District (which is basically a sophisticated version of "O" Street in Lincoln and would probably appeal to a younger crowd), and Coronado Island (which is not all that exciting except for the Hotel del Coronado).

Also, a lot of people talk about the San Diego Zoo (which, again, is in Balboa Park), but I personally think that the Wild Animal Park (now called Safari Park, or something similar), is actually better. It is further north of San Diego in a town named Escondido, but is worth the drive if you end up renting a car.

For those that are coming, safe travels and welcome to San Diego!