So how did we end up in San Diego in the middle of winter (our trip was in February 2013)? Well we had hit that time of year when we can no longer get excited about fresh powder in the mountains, skating in the Plaza or even the annual YYC Hot Chocolate Festival….no we have hit that time of year when a change of scenery, change of food and routine are essential to our mental state and the health and welfare of others! Now we only had 6 days so a long flight was out of the question which directed our thoughts to Scottsdale or Palm Springs but the prices were ridiculous. Seattle is always an option but neither of us were up for a car trip, our getaway was disappearing before our very eyes which could spell disaster. Then like a miracle we see a cheap deal to San Diego and faster than you can say “charge it” we were going to Southern California!
So what I love about San Diego is that it is easy. The airport is basically in the city so it is never a long ride to the hotel. My best suggestion is stay in Old Town. You are 15 minutes from the airport and you have a tourist Mecca at your feet. Plus the transit hub is a hop skip away so every part of the city is at hand. The Old Town is spectacular as it is a historical State Park so you see costumed interpreters throughout the village carrying out the work and life of the town. We also believe that the best margaritas can be found at Fred’s (now prior posts/tweets I have written Fiesta DesReyes- this has now fallen to number two as Fred does a darn smooth strawberry marg….a little like a glass of strawberry jam….a strong adult cup of jam!!!) The great thing about the Old Town is that even in the dead of winter the place is packed, lively and hustling and bustling! We sat in the town square soaking up sun and drinking great hot chocolate from the General Store….yummy! The Presidio is a short walk up the hill and affords outstanding views of the city and outlying area. We had no problem spending the day wandering in and out of the various museums and put in some time at a few of the bars…I mean really margaritas aren’t going to drink themselves!! We were in San Diego during national margarita day and we managed to taste 4 different margs before falling over….
San Diego has an amazing harbour front with loads of cute shops and restaurants. We ate at…expensive but worth the food service and view. We jumped over to Coronado gotta love this “island” it is really a peninsula but it so relaxed and the gelato…oh my…you must go to Botegga Italiana. We also found a restaurant new to us Leroy’s….absolutely fantastic!!!! Renting a car was no problem (thanks to our hotel) and we jumped up to Laguna to devour great vegan raw food at The Stand and laze on the beach….
We had hoped to visit the USS Midway but it is at least a 3 hour time commitment and it felt like a lot of time out of margarita drinking and sun laying.
Point is San Diego is a great city to relax and unwind, to explore, learn and to simply enjoy! The best bet for to the minute info on San Diego is their tourism twitter account @visitsandiego, they are very active on the account and will respond to questions you may have . I can’t wait to return…on our list of things to do….USS Midway, more restaurants in the Gas Lamp district, and Cowles Mountain. Until next vacation…
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