Travelling to San Diego!

[mom2binsd]

Coronado, walk around the hotel Del there are cool photos of famous guests and and lots of history all over the building. It has some interesting stories. The sand out front of the hotel is so pretty, it has flecks is gold in it. You could eat in their patio/terrace or find someplace else, lots of great options.

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[pinay]

If you're staying in Bankers Hill area, be prepared for planes flying overhead- it can get pretty loud, but they do stop after 11 PM so it isn't too problematic for sleeping. I wouldn't walk in that area down to the Midway, there's not a lot of foot traffic and it isn't particularly pedestrian friendly.

There's a great spot for drinks and dinner that may be in walking distance to your airbnb: https://www.starlitesandiego.com/
If you do end up in La Jolla, there's a Duke's on Prospect that has great views and good food: https://www.dukeslajolla.com/
I haven't been, but Sunny Jim's Sea Cave is in La Jolla and is supposed to be a fun little stop: https://lajollabythesea.com/listings...jims-sea-cave/

[AnnieW625]

If you're staying in Bankers Hill area, be prepared for planes flying overhead- it can get pretty loud, but they do stop after 11 PM so it isn't too problematic for sleeping. I wouldn't walk in that area down to the Midway, there's not a lot of foot traffic and it isn't particularly pedestrian friendly. …..

I did walk from the Doubletree Hotel (in the Bankers Hill area) to the San Diego children’s museum (which is by the convention center) with then 4 year old Dd2 in a stroller and Dd1 was 8 and the walk was okay and tbh the worst part was that we ended up walking past the jail so there were some vagrants in the area but it was fine and it was during the day. There is a green line trolley stop in Bankers Hill/Little Italy area that would take you to the Seaport Village/Midway area (look up MTS green line). It might be a 1/2 mile or so walk depending on how far into bankers hill you are staying. In retrospect I remember thinking I should’ve just taken the trolley but we were fine walking. If you don’t do the trolley downtown San Diego was Uber friendly pre pandemic (and would presume it still is).

In the Little Italy area we ate at Filippi’s Pizza Grotto and you either like it or hate it, but I personally like it (and have liked it since college….there is a location in Pacific Beach as well) and Burger Lounge (on India St.). I have also eaten at Kansas City BBQ a few times (this is where they filmed the Top Gun bar scene at) and it has been pretty good. This is near Seaport Village. The Corvette Diner which is in Liberty Station is a few minute drive but always fun. Phil’s BBQ in Point Loma gets rave reviews but is often crowded. Yelp found us BBQ House & Grill in Ocean Beach one time after the line was too long at Phil’s, and it is very tasty. We have been to Duke’s in Huntington Beach and like it a lot, so would assume the same would be true for a location in La Jolla. They are in Del Mar but I have been to Jake’s, and Sbicca numerous times and like them both. (Del Mar is about 25 mins. north of downtown)

Fwiw: most of the time when I am in San Diego I have a car and am comfortable driving and parking there. The time I didn’t Dh had needed the car for work so I walked that day.

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[liz]

I'd do either the zoo or safari park but not both. Honestly, animals are animals, if you've never been to a zoo I'd go, but I would do things you can't do in other cities (there are good zoos all over the country).

Yes to LaJolla, maybe do a kayak tour at the Cove, but definitely don't miss that.

You know, those are excellent points. That's typically how we travel, by finding things unique to the area. I think I was panicking about planning so late and just threw a bunch of things on a list.

So a few changes: we will choose between the zoo or the safari. Looking at recent reviews, people felt the safari didn't have many animals to see without paying extra for the safaris (We aren't doing any extra safaris). Some recent reviews stated there weren't any scheduled shows and that most birds are off exhibit due to the avian flu. So haven't decided on which park yet...

We've added in Torrey Pines for some light hiking. We are all excited to add that to our list.

I am now seriously looking into the La Jolla kayaking/caves tour! I am just worried it will be cold? We're traveling with carry-on luggage, so could fit in swim bottoms, long sleeve rash guard and water shoes. Would that be sufficient?

[bisous]

I personally love both Safari Park and the zoo. Well, actually I loved the old Wild Animal Park and LOVED their tram tour of the enclosures. I really miss that option. Our family probably WOULD do both but we love animals so to each their own! Maybe you could plan a day at Balboa Park. Hit the zoo (which is in the park) and if you run out of things to do, there are lots of other fun museums around, pretty places to walk etc. I feel like it is very iconically San Diego there. It has a really cool vibe that I happen to love! Safari Park on the other hand is really out in the middle of nowhere and in a completely different direction. I think I'd only pick Safari Park over the Zoo if I was planning on buying one of their excursions but those have always been outside of our price range.

[acmom]

We just came back from a trip to SD with our 3 kids (9th, 7th and 1st grades). It was chilly when we were there so we only saw views and briefly walked along beaches vs. actually "went to the beach" anywhere, but still had a great time.

Biggest hits for our family were:

- Safari Park
We did both that and the zoo. While the zoo was a great zoo and worthwhile, we all preferred the Safari Park, as it just felt like a more unique experience. We loved the scenery and views too.

-Midway
Very cool, awesome views, did the audio tour, but often pressed the kids button first and then did the longer adult version if we wanted to learn more. Also did the $10 "virtual reality flight", which we all really liked! Just make sure to adjust your headset until its not blurry. (One of our kids didn't know to do this so wish someone had mentioned that)
Also ate at the Fish Market right near there for lunch afterwards which was good

- Petco Park Tour
We are baseball fans so did the tour and had a great time there. Very cool park and lots of interesting history on tour, plus great views as we walked around. Season hadn't started when we were there, but would have definitely gone to a game if they had been playing - seemed like a great park to watch baseball!

- Coronado
Cool views, fun to walk around and walk on the beach. We also checked out the Del, which was like stepping back in time. Ate at the Coronado Brewing Company which was a good, casual place with good beer. We probably would have chosen to eat outside on the beach at one of the places at the Del if the weather had been nice - looked like a lot of good options there and you can't beat eating by the water.

-La Jolla, Childrens Pool to see seals and Scripps Aquarium
we did these 3 things in a day. Aquarium was small but interesting and had great outdoor views. Awesome to see seals and views from Children's Pool area. Ate lunch at the "The Shores" in the La Jolla Shores Hotel - right on the beach, great meal. Would have been great to walk on the beach and around La Jolla but it was pretty cold and windy while we were there.

- Stone Brewery
We did a meal there - fun atmosphere and great food/beer. Again, would have been even better if it wasn't cold as their outdoor seating looked great!

We also did the zoo and some museums in Balboa Park - nice options to have, but we would have been fine skipping them.

[acmom]

You know, those are excellent points. That's typically how we travel, by finding things unique to the area. I think I was panicking about planning so late and just threw a bunch of things on a list.

So a few changes: we will choose between the zoo or the safari. Looking at recent reviews, people felt the safari didn't have many animals to see without paying extra for the safaris (We aren't doing any extra safaris). Some recent reviews stated there weren't any scheduled shows and that most birds are off exhibit due to the avian flu. So haven't decided on which park yet...

We've added in Torrey Pines for some light hiking. We are all excited to add that to our list.

I am now seriously looking into the La Jolla kayaking/caves tour! I am just worried it will be cold? We're traveling with carry-on luggage, so could fit in swim bottoms, long sleeve rash guard and water shoes. Would that be sufficient?

The Torrey Pines and La Jolla kayaking caves both sound great - we would have loved to have done either or both while we were there, but the weather unfortunately did not allow it! We were there around the time California was getting that historic snow!

We didn't do pay extra to do any of the stuff at the Safari Park and still loved the experience.

Have you looked into a GoCity Pass? We did that and definitely saved money that way. It also made it all easier bc we didn't have to wait in lines and had more flexibility. We planned at the last minute too and had to make a bunch of changes due to weather and still had a blast!

[AnnieW625]

I just want to add that the Safari Park animals might be limited due to the weather. It has been raining at least two to three days a week since mid to late February. From last Friday to Wednesday it was the first time since then where we had 5 days of straight sun. I am just over an hour north and west of the safari park so my weather might be slightly different but I talked to a client yesterday who had hail in San Diego yesterday morning (we just had rain here), but he agreed with my statement about the lack of sun recently.


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[mom2binsd]

I can't remember if it's on your itinerary, but I feel like Cabrillo Monument is such an amazing place, you get such a different view ans if you walk down to the tidepools you will find some interesting marine life. Definitely pack some wind and warm fleece jackets as the coast can be cooler in April.

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[liz]

I can't remember if it's on your itinerary, but I feel like Cabrillo Monument is such an amazing place, you get such a different view ans if you walk down to the tidepools you will find some interesting marine life. Definitely pack some wind and warm fleece jackets as the coast can be cooler in April.

Yup, we've got that on our list! Thanks to the BBB for that suggestion I've picked a day where we can make it to the tide pools (low tide).