Visiting San Diego

I'll be on a brief trip down to the whale's vagina starting next Friday. Laydeez?

But in all seriousness, any recommendations as far as things to do or places to visit?

I lived in Cardiff before moving to FL and gotta tell you....totally depends on your scene. You will most likely be directed to the Gas Lamp district. Lots of different types of bars, restaurants and clubs all within walking distance.

For me, the best thing about S.D. is the beaches and the bars around them. One of my favorite hangouts down there is the Kraken in Cardiff on Coast Hwy. Really low key and down to earth bar/club (read: shithole). There's also a couple of really low key hangouts in Carlsbad as well. Downtown S.D. tends to have a lot of pretentious hangouts with overpriced drinks and the latest top 40 like The Blvd, E-Street, etc. If that's your scene then you will have a blast there.

Check out PB (Pacific Beach) and/or Mission Beach for a really cool low key beach hangout. La Jolla if you want to take pics of some breathtaking cliffs and seascape.

Oh, in case someone directs you to Blacks - it's NOT a cool nudist beach. Mostly gross naked dudes in their mid to late 60s looking to see a non-existent hot 20-yr old coed.

If you like Mexican food at all...eat at an Alberto's. Really kick ass taqueria chain. Many are open 24 hours.

If you really dig sushi and/or Japanese food...go to Tomiko in Encinitas. It's right off the 5 fwy. Stay the fuck away from "Mr. Sushi" if anyone suggests it. Yes it's cheap...but for a very good reason.

Lastly, there are shitloads of Navy and Marines that you'll run into especially at night. Know that the green peas have a tendency to show off how bad ass they are. You will probably see them doing lame shit like pushups on a dance floor and starting fights. Bring a camera. Seriously...you'll laugh at these images for years. Ah...memories. The ones that have been in the military longer are generally way cool.

http://www.smashshack.com/

Thank you so much. That's a lot that I have to take note of.

I was thinking about mixing it up between the dives and the pretentious hangouts. I have a morbid fascination with those horrible clubs that are so popular for some reason. They're so terrible here, I can only imagine how hilarious and painful they must be in SoCal.

I'll be staying in La Jolla too, so I'm really looking forward to taking pictures there now. Are there any other good spots for photography?

I'm not worried about the military dudes (I'm Navy). Hell, I'll probably run into some old shipmates. I'm going to generally try to avoid the military scene, though. Any specific place that they like to congregate?

Are there any non-tourism spots that are amazing to visit? I'm not really a tourism kind of guy, and my host has spent more time out at sea than in town.

Also, do you know if there are any disc golf courses in the area?

YES.

I'll be celebrating my birthday the entire week I'm there, so if you run into me, I will buy you a drink.

Ha...OK, definitely do E Street and On Broadway in downtown S.D. (Gas Lamp District). Ultra trendy with a mix of total snobs...many friends of mine learned to hate women there before realizing they aren't all like that.

Depending on what sorts of things you like to shoot. There are the missions like the San Diego de Alcala which was the first Mission in CA...built in the 1700s. It's got the touristy thing going on (like people go on tours there) but for architecture, it's pretty cool. You don't have to go on a tour...I did once then came back and just photographed outside and around the grounds.

There's also the sanctuary in Cardiff (off Manchester Blvd) which is cool for a long nature walk along and through an inlet. I lived on Manchester right above it so I'm probably pretty biased to that location. You'll obviously hafta go at low tide (the tide times are marked where you park) if you decide to go there.

It's actually the Marines in Pendelton that are more of a nuisance than the Navy. For clarity, I'm not saying all fresh-out-of-bootcamp Marines are like this...but those who are will be VERY visible. They are in Oceanside so two really big hangouts for them is The Red Rooster in Oceanside and The Boar's Cross'n in Carlsbad. Good for a night of comedy.

Don't do anything east of the 5 Fwy for the most part (except downtown S.D.). The exception to that is in Temecula if they are doing the hot air balloons. It's off the 805 fwy that runs parallel with the 5..but much further inland. Stay away from Old Towne Mall...I'm sure people will tell you how "stellar" that is. It's just a mall built a really long time ago with the typical money-sucking lures of pressing a penny into a souvenir for the amazing low cost of $2 and bullshit like that. Really, I think the beach area and the pubs/hangouts around them will be of most interest.

Man, probably...I honestly don't know of any. Most of the people around the beaches are really laid back and non-snobbish. Ask them and I'm sure they will know or find out for you.

Oh, and in case you've never been in the Pacific - it's nothing like the Atlantic. Very cold and the sand is brownish.

Which reminds me...since you are gonna be in S.D. ....you really should go to Mexico for at least a night.

GAHHHHHH this thread makes me want to gouge my eyes out. San Diego sucks so much.

Mission Beach - No.
Pacific Beach - No.
Gaslamp - NO!

I'll have more to say later, but Morley Field has disc golf. Also, rapists.

Add hackeysack players and I'm nuking the place.

Depends on where you live and what you do there. It's also easier to be bored or hate some place if you either grew up there or lived there too long and became bored or annoyed with it. If you are a beach person, northern S.D. county is better than L.A. county by far but then I think H.B. is far better than S.D.

As opposed to what other beaches in San Diego? Just about every other beach is in San Diego county and is north of there.

He might go to E Street and On Broadway for comedic value...not because it's a bitchin' neato hangout. That's all.

Not sure what experiences you had to where you hate S.D. so much but....sorry?

There are a couple of good cigar joints in Old Town if that's your thing.

Yes, I know San Diego sucks. But somebody wanted me to visit.

It sounds like the perfect place to go for unexpected comedy. One night, tops.

Oh God, no. I grew up in California, and that means that damn Mission report project in fifth grade. I'm scarred.

Haha, I've been to Temecula. Once is enough

I'm not really interested in going to the beaches as much (spoiled by beaches in Northern California, what can I say?), but I'll keep some of your other suggestions in mind.

Also, Mexico is out of the question. We need special permission to even look across the fucking border. As much as I want the visit the market in Tijuana again

Cool...I kinda assumed you'd never been to CA (dumb assumption but most tourists you meet there have never been before so...yeah).

No, it's cool man. I'm just visiting on a whim because even a week in Southern California is better than a week in South Carolina. I just don't spend a lot of time South of Monterey.

Okay, I have a little more time to rant now. San Diego isn't that bad, but Gringo pretty much recommended everything I hate about this place. How can you possibly recommend not doing anything east of the 5? This cuts out so many unique neighborhoods, like Hillcrest, North Park, South Park, and Kensington. The best food and concert venues are all east of the 5. As for beaches (the only thing west of the 5) I'll take Hodad's and homeless people in OB a million times over before I head down Mission Boulevard. To me, that place is merely a haven to drunk college kids, bros (and their hoes), and an unexpected amount of crime. And as for the Gaslamp, I have one thing to say: shiny shirt. Not for me, send to staff.

Oh, Monterey...right next to Carmel and Pebble Beach. The whole tourist thing is completely foreign to you because you has no Disneyland. (Ha...total sarcasm in case it's missed.)

Sad story...my brother and his wife lived in Mountainview while they were getting their doctorate degrees (he's a dentist and she's a chiropractor) in San Francisco and planned on living there and starting their own practices.

They both graduated and worked for other doctors and quickly learned that with the current over-inflated home prices back then (2000-2002), they would never be able to afford a home or private practices in the City.

I was bummed because I really enjoyed visiting them up there...they had to move back down to southern CA (Westlake Village) but they're adjusting.

I just couldn't imagine spending almost 8 years there then having to head back down south.

With east of the 5 - I was mostly referring to staying away from places like Escondido and Chula Vista (you probably remember getting a shitload of fliers for bars and clubs in Chula Vista when you were in S.D.). I probably should have said east of the 805 and its vicinity.

As for O.B. C'mon...be real. He's gonna be there during peak tourist time...it's gonna be a parking lot. Literally. He will have a much easier time navigating through the other beaches without wasting 2 gallons of gas idling.

And again, the shiny shirts in the Gaslamp District is kinda the goal to see. Maybe you're in a really serious mood and are missing that part.

I hope you have a relaxing weekend.

STOP! Stop right there!

Just because YOU don't like something doesn't mean a tourist won't love it.

You know what? Last year I spent 8 days in San Diego. I stayed RIGHT IN the Gaslamp and I loved it. I loved every goddam day of it. I plan on going back.

Firstly, bashing Sailors and Marines isn't cool in my book. Unless you are one of them.


I lived in San Diego for twelve years. Loved the Gaslamp too. Moved away in 2001, so it may have changed.

I suggest anyone visiting should pick up the READER as soon as possible after arrival. The Reader is a free weekly newspaper that comes out on Thursday. The Reader is a great source of info on what's happening in San Diego.

Damn it. Now I'm a tourist.

Dude, that is like saying you can't bash a politician or a police officer unless you are one. It's not like I was just bashing the military just to bash them. I explained who the typical offenders were, what they do, and added that those who had been in longer were typically cool. This is all from my experience living in Cardiff...and your results may vary.

I respect your position of automatic respect for people in the military but in my view, just because someone enlists in the military - doesn't mean they can do whatever they want without being called on it or having negative attention brought to them.

And yeah, I totally forgot about The Reader. Good call.

Yeah MrCrisp, you're a big, stupid tourist. haha

If you like Italian food go to Little Italy, food is off the chain. Check out the Stone Brewery that's in North County, awesome beer. Shit fucks you up like percocet. And if you like watching stupid people act foolish in public then you gots to hit up Oceanside and watch all the boots walk around with their bowl haircuts and brand new collard shirts all tucked in nice and proper. And when they feed alcohol to those god damn animals. Let's just say the show gets kicked up another level. Good times man, good times.

Pizza Port in Carlsbad is having their Real Ale Festival 6/12 and 6/13.

Shit, I forgot about Pizza Port. They have two fucking killer IPA's called Wipeout and Cronic. They're fucking it son, and on Wednesday they have wings and cheese sticks for cheep.