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Discover Places to Go and Things to Do
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San Diego, CA
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Semi-tropical San Diego, with its mean temperature of 70 degrees F, Mediterranean-like white-washed stucco buildings and strong cultural influences from sunny Mexico, is as close to visiting a foreign country as visitors could get and yet, is as American as apple pie.
The heart of this clean city lies at the foot of the harbor just minutes by car from  Lindbergh Field , where most travelers debark. Yet, modern San Diego has become much more than just a harborside city. Spanning from the North County beach areas to the South Bay cities along the Mexican border, San Diego is one of the top ten largest cities in the United States. While all these areas fall under the San Diego umbrella, each individual community maintains its own personality, geography and identity. Truly, in San Diego's case, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The heart of this clean city lies at the foot of the harbor just minutes by car from Lindbergh Field , where most travelers debark. Yet, modern San Diego has become much more than just a harborside city. Spanning from the North County beach areas to the South Bay cities along the Mexican border, San Diego is one of the top ten largest cities in the United States. While all these areas fall under the San Diego umbrella, each individual community maintains its own personality, geography and identity. Truly, in San Diego's case, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
Downtown Less than three miles from the airport is downtown proper. This thriving commercial area with its active waterfront is a bustling, colorful combination of major hotels, convention facilities, restaurants, nightclubs and shopping venues. Its focal point is Horton Plaza , an architectural masterpiece that holds trendy shops, lively restaurants, a theatre and even an ice rink during the holiday season. Just east of Horton Plaza is the Gaslamp District, a 16-block source of civic pride. Once slated for destruction, this area has been reclaimed by the people of San Diego thanks to the 1970s Redevelopment Plan. Where once dilapidated warehouses and run-down Victorian houses stood, and where no one dared to enter after dark, the Gaslamp District has now become the pulse of the city.
Due west of the city proper is the Embarcadero, a fun daytime location where visitors can take in leisurely views of the bay, hop aboard a harbor cruise or enjoy seafood at its finest. For shopping, visit Seaport Village , a 14-acre shopping and dining complex designed to emulate early California-style architecture.
Balboa Park No visit to San Diego would be complete without a trip to Balboa Park . Home to the world-famous San Diego Zoo , the park is much more than a beautiful place to see exotic animals. Gardens and grounds in Balboa Park were established as a city park for the people in 1868. In preparation for hosting the Panama-California Exposition of 1915, a celebration of the opening of the Panama Canal, founding fathers, architects and master gardeners collaborated to create the fine Spanish Colonial Revival-style buildings and gardens that still grace the grounds today. Additional buildings were raised on the site in the early 1930s, this time incorporating the look and feel of the Mayan civilization and California's early indigenous peoples. Within the confines of the park, visitors can enjoy scores of museums and art galleries including the Museum of Man , San Diego Museum of Art , Timken Museum of Art and Spreckel's Organ Pavilion .
Old Town For a taste of what San Diego was like in its earliest years, take in the sights and sounds of this colorful settlement, now preserved as a state historic park. Famous as the first European settlement in California, this area is also well known for its glorious year-round gardens, mouth-watering Mexican dishes, lilting Mariachi music and free-flowing margaritas. Be sure to spend a little time browsing through Bazaar del Mundo , truly a marketplace of the world.
Within easy walking distance from the center of Old Town is the Presidio , a must-see while in San Diego. This structure, now a historic landmark, is where Junipero Serra established the first of the Spanish missions in California.
La Jolla A short drive up the coast takes visitors to La Jolla ("the jewel" in Spanish), and truly a jewel it is. Despite its dense population, the people of this affluent city have somehow managed to maintain its beautiful natural setting. Cliffs along the main streets overlook the beaches and coves along the Pacific Ocean; tropical vegetation creeps and climbs across red-tiled roofs and verandas; and sunsets at La Jolla Shores are simply spectacular. Beyond breathtaking oceanfront scenery, this seaside community is home to the Birch Aquarium , which features the largest oceanographic display in the United States.
North County Travel a few miles further north along the coastal drive to reach Del Mar, another fine beach community. Famous for its racetrack , founded by Bing Crosby and fellow Hollywood cronies during the 1940s, this seaside town offers as much to families as it does to racing aficionados. Beaches here are clean and family friendly. Boutiques and open-air restaurants line the main street, giving it a Riviera-like quality. Just north of this city, visitors can find the renown Carlsbad Flower Fields and LEGOLAND California , great for those with young children in tow.
Moving inland, the city of Escondido is a quieter, more rural version of San Diego, replete with avocado and livestock ranches, vineyards and granite-strewn hillsides. The community hosts the San Diego Zoo's 2,200-acre Wild Animal Park , an extension of the city's world-famous zoo providing visitors a look at animals in the wild.
South Bay Visitors would be remiss if they never traveled south from the city proper into the area referred to as the South Bay. The main city in this area is Chula Vista, home to one of San Diego's greatest music and entertainment venues, the Coors Amphitheatre . This entertainment complex provides state-of-the-art acoustics, VIP tables complete with cocktail table service, stadium seating and picnic seating on grassy knolls. Adjacent to the amphitheater, visitors (and especially their children) can cool off in the watery fun at Knott's Soak City U.S.A. .
While each district of San Diego has an original flair, the various sections blend seamlessly into a thriving, cosmopolitan city. From the North County beaches to the downtown shopping districts, San Diego's first-class attractions consistently please tourists and locals alike.
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By Williamcul
5 days
Extend your Labor Day weekend to a full & fun-filled 5 days, hitting many sights in & around San Diego with a ride on the wild side on the last day when you travel to Escondido to visit the Wild Animal Park.
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By NorthAmericanAdventures
7 days
Fleet Week events actually unfold over six weeks, September 17-October 27. Events include the Sea & Air Parade September 29, free ship tours at the Broadway Pier September 29-30 and October 6-7 and the MCAS Miramar Air Show, October 12-14; http://www.fleetweeksandiego.org.
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98 people reviewed San Diego (1-20 out of 98)
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Top
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at 11:40PM April 22, 2009
San Diego is the best year around weather in the US? It is the "mainland paradise"!! Obviously, Hawaii is the paradise of the US , but San Diego is definately number two!!!
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at 3:20PM May 21, 2009
Beautiful city! The beach is minutes away and the water and view is breathtaking. The shopping is great and entertaining. There is also so many sites to see such as the San Diego Zoo.
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at 11:00PM July 12, 2008
Really interesting city, lots to do, great beaches and wonderful climate
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at 10:55AM May 29, 2008
Nice beaches but I have these a lot closer to home :>)
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at 6:53PM May 27, 2008
LOOOOVE it! Perfect weather EVERY day & very relaxing
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at 3:49AM May 29, 2008
This is a fun city to go to! The weather is warm but nice!
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at 10:40PM January 3, 2009
Great tacos and sunshiney
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at 8:50AM December 28, 2008
It's summer year round! You've got ocean views every where you look and a relaxed summer vacation attitude to enjoy it.
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at 6:42AM October 8, 2008
San Diego is a really beautiful place , we visited the San Diego zoo which is the best so in the world.. and it is!!
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at 9:21AM August 31, 2008
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at 9:10PM July 24, 2008
Great place to visit...the beach was clean...but the ocean was cold! We had a BLAST! Wonderful family place to visit!
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at 5:46AM May 29, 2008
SEAWORLD!! :)
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at 4:39AM May 29, 2008
only nude beach i have been too and for that matter the only beach i went to in california, very pretty location minus the old naked men jogging and the water was beautiful and perfect temperature.
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at 12:26AM May 29, 2008
A beautiful place, the weather is fantastic. It would be a great place to live
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at 6:56PM May 28, 2008
awesome city, great nightlife, hot weather every day
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at 5:12PM May 28, 2008
I love it here!!! Very hot at the moment but beautiful always.
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at 5:07PM May 28, 2008
San Francisco, eat you heart out!
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at 4:14PM May 28, 2008
I went here every summer when i was a kid... Its so beautiful and calm
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at 3:52PM May 28, 2008
Sandy warm beaches, beautiful sights, great zoo, and most of the people seem to know how to drive, even in traffic.
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at 6:40AM August 4, 2009
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