Must See in San Diego?

[Lanternrouge]

Originally Posted by roguedog

Thanks, Ken.
Food -

Mexican, of course.

Old Town Mexican Cafe is good and is somewhat of a local institution. http://oldtownmexcafe.com/

There's not exactly a lack of decent and better Mexican places in the area.

[ripvanrando]

Maderas Golf Club is a very nice golf course with stellar facilities inline with a good private club although it is not inexpensive. A bit of a ride.

Aviara at the old Four Seasons was always half decent, especially if staying there is convenient.

I have not played Steele Canyon but understand it is a also very good

Torrey Pines is a one and done for me, $240 for the South course with bumpy Poa greens and 5-6 hours. No thanks. I know, not the typical opinion.

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by ripvanrando

Maderas Golf Club is a very nice golf course with stellar facilities inline with a good private club although it is not inexpensive. A bit of a ride.

Aviara at the old Four Seasons was always half decent, especially if staying there is convenient.

I have not played Steele Canyon but understand it is a also very good

Torrey Pines is a one and done for me, $240 for the South course with bumpy Poa greens and 5-6 hours. No thanks. I know, not the typical opinion.

Great place to park for a ride tho..down the hill, head north..go thru Carlsbad...San Onefre or Pendleton..then back..fun ride along PCH..always something to see.

[ripvanrando]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Great place to park for a ride tho..down the hill, head north..go thru Carlsbad...San Onefre or Pendleton..then back..fun ride along PCH..always something to see.

Agree there!!!

I like to ride up to Julian for pie.....lots of pie. I have only been in SD maybe 6-8 times but like it there a lot although the drivers seem to hate cyclists more so than in other states.

[mod6]

Funny I guess were you live can skew your perception on interactions with drivers. Compared to Long Island I found the drivers to be friendly and patient when I was out there in August. Most of my rides started in Mission Beach and went up to the Torrey Pines area. Folks would give you room and wave you through stop signs. Here most days on the road it feel like a battle.

Originally Posted by ripvanrando

Agree there!!!

I like to ride up to Julian for pie.....lots of pie. I have only been in SD maybe 6-8 times but like it there a lot although the drivers seem to hate cyclists more so than in other states.

[ptourkin]

Originally Posted by mod6

Funny I guess were you live can skew your perception on interactions with drivers. Compared to Long Island I found the drivers to be friendly and patient when I was out there in August. Most of my rides started in Mission Beach and went up to the Torrey Pines area. Folks would give you room and wave you through stop signs. Here most days on the road it feel like a battle.

They're pretty good in general and our roads are marked and signed. Going up to Julian via Cuyamaca is a winding mountainous road and on weekends there are some jackasses hauling their offroad toys but in general it goes fine.

[Ken Robb]

For golf I'd suggest Torrey Pines North which is designed for average golfers as opposed to the very challenging South Course. The views can be spectacular and the weather won't be very hot due to its proximity to the ocean. Then when you watch the pros play there on TV you can remember how you played it----for better or worse.

A spectacular place for Mexican food is Coasterra which sits at the end of Harbor Island looking across San Diego bay to downtown and Coronado. Next door is C Level which offers lots of small plates as well as regular entrees and the view is almost as good.

Gee, I just read about $240 fee for T.P. South. I had no idea it cost so much for out-of-town players. Since it is owned by The City of SD residents get a huge discount. I'd suggest you wait until you get here and check the weather reports and then choose a course with the weather you prefer. :-) OKAY, now I think I remember that South costs more than North so check the website for accurate info.

[93KgBike]

Originally Posted by woodworker

If you're referencing the YMCA at Broadway & India, it doesn't exist there any more.

Well, it was 9 or 10 years ago.

After that swim, I had a nice chat with the fac/dir in the lobby and got to compliment it.

I suppose there's a newer one, now.

[ptourkin]

Originally Posted by 93KgBike

Well, it was 9 or 10 years ago.

After that swim, I had a nice chat with the fac/dir in the lobby and got to compliment it.

I suppose there's a newer one, now.

It wasn't replaced. Downtown was used mostly by office workers who wanted a shower. Big money gyms have taken that over.

[roguedog]

Thanks all for the rec's. Will put them in my list for reference.

Yeah. Torrey Pines is out of my league. I'd pay it if my game were worth it. Uh.. it's not.

Really liked the look of Maderas though and Aviara kinda cracked me up with this video. If they really do give cookies after a round, I might be in!

I know there's lots of Mex places but wanted to know any locals favorites vs me picking from yelp whilst I"m in town.

If anyone has anything else, feel free to add but wanted to say thanks to all who did provide recs.

[Lanternrouge]

Originally Posted by roguedog

Really liked the look of Maderas though and Aviara kinda cracked me up with this video. If they really do give cookies after a round, I might be in!

Aviara really does have cookies and lemonade too, I believe. The starting house also has water and cookies for dogs.

[ptourkin]

Originally Posted by roguedog

Thanks all for the rec's. Will put them in my list for reference.

Yeah. Torrey Pines is out of my league. I'd pay it if my game were worth it. Uh.. it's not.

Really liked the look of Maderas though and Aviara kinda cracked me up with this video. If they really do give cookies after a round, I might be in!

I know there's lots of Mex places but wanted to know any locals favorites vs me picking from yelp whilst I"m in town.

If anyone has anything else, feel free to add but wanted to say thanks to all who did provide recs.

Regarding Mexican food, as a local -- unless you really want an extended sit down, I'd say places like Old Town are a waste of time and money - esp if you're coming from a place that doesn't have our kind of Mexican. Come grab a burrito at a spot the locals frequent and it will be the best thing you'll eat.

In SD, our specialty is the California Burrito - we passionately defend it over other (gross) stuff from other regions like the (gross) Mission burritos in San Francisco. For a good take on that with some other cool stuff to look at, go to Lucha Libre in Mission Hills or North Park but every neighborhood has its favorites. As someone who doesn't eat meat - I prefer Pokez downtown and Ranchos Cocina in North Park. Toward the beach, we have Liticker's in Ocean Beach, which is in a liquor store and would blow away anything out of town.

If you do want to sit down, I would go to Barrio Star in Bankers Hill or City Tacos or the aforementioned Ranchos in North Park.

Finally, if you are a committed carnivore, there is only the real OG - Las Cuatro Milpas in Logan Heights. Everything else is a tourist trap compared to them.

[Ken Robb]

There are so many good places for local-style Mexican food that it's hard to go very far wrong. Two of my favorites are next to each other in Solana Beach. The area is known as Eden Gardens and has historically been the area just across the freeway from very expensive Rancho Santa Fe where Mexican workers/gardeners lived. Tony's Jacal and Fidel's started very small providing food to neighbors in the neighborhood. Word got around and people from all over town flocked to these two and a couple of other lesser-known places on the same street. Both menus are extensive but it would be a mistake to miss carnitas at Fidel's or chile relleno at Tony's.
The drive on I-5 at rush hour is bad so you might go for lunch tied in with a scenic drive up the coast.

[Gummee]

Speaking of North Park: Chicken Pie Shop and the Corvette Diner are good places to eat too.

...but I'll second (third?) the recommendation of 'find a hole in the wall Mexican place' and feast for not much $$.

I actually sorta kinda had a CA burrito here in the DC area. Got the local place to put french fries in my steak burrito for a taste of 'home.'

added: Angelo's up the coast for burgers. Miss that place.

M

[Ken Robb]

So, what about the rest of your trip? Did you get to Catalina? Any recommendations for other visitors(or residents)?