Must See in San Diego?

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by oldpotatoe

Ooooo-rah!!

The company I worked for for 30+ years is now owned by a former RIO in F-4 Phantoms in the late 1960s-early 1970s as was my sister's husband. We celebrated the company's 100th anniversary with a BIG catered party on the Midway. A phantom displayed on deck is one that my pal flew missions in over Viet Nam. He has the log to prove it. :-)

[tylercheung]

I've only been near the convention center and Old Town since that is where most of the conferences have been. That little island to the south with hotels that begins w/ a C is nice.

By far the most fun, though, was when a friend took us to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Encinitas. not the old zoo but this new one up north that is "free range" or something. It was great! Plus in a stroke of genius, they opened up a bar on a nice hill inside so that you can chill in the nice CA afternoons and sip beer/wine and watch the hippos wash their butts in the mud!

[KarlC]

Originally Posted by tylercheung

I've only been near the convention center and Old Town since that is where most of the conferences have been. That little island to the south with hotels that begins w/ a C is nice.

By far the most fun, though, was when a friend took us to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in Escondido. not the old zoo but this new one up north that is "free range" or something. It was great! Plus in a stroke of genius, they opened up a bar on a nice hill inside so that you can chill in the nice CA afternoons and sip beer/wine and watch the hippos wash their butts in the mud!

I fixed it for you.

[cgolvin]

Since you said you won't have time to ride in SD, this is probably even less likely. But if you rent a bike with wider tires, the riding on Catalina is by all accounts outstanding — remote areas, scenic vistas, good dirt surface.

+1 on Modern Times, too.

[redir]

It's been a worlwind but having a great time. I got your IM Ken, again thanks for that. Got to sneek out to the La Jolla tidal pools and went to a place called George's to entertain collegues and had a fantastic Margarita.

Went to a grocery store near by and stumbled across a great bike shop, Uccyclery and of course had to poke around a bit. Not often you see 10k bikes on the floor!

Heading out to Balboa Park now . Tomorrow pickup a car and head north.

[donevwil]

Originally Posted by redir

.... Heading out to Balboa Park now ....

Don't forget Friday Night Racing at the velodrome.

[ptourkin]

Originally Posted by donevwil

Don't forget Friday Night Racing at the velodrome.

Women's night at FNR.

Also, SCNCA Masters during the day all weekend but it sounds like he'll be gone.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by redir

It's been a worlwind but having a great time. I got your IM Ken, again thanks for that. Got to sneek out to the La Jolla tidal pools and went to a place called George's to entertain collegues and had a fantastic Margarita.

Went to a grocery store near by and stumbled across a great bike shop, Uccyclery and of course had to poke around a bit. Not often you see 10k bikes on the floor!

Heading out to Balboa Park now . Tomorrow pickup a car and head north.

UC Cyclery is a fine shop. Dave has owned it for 25+ years and now I see his daughter getting involved after graduating from college. Were you at Ralps, Trader Joe's or Whole Foods? They are all a stone's throw from Dave's shop. Rides start there every weekend. I live 2 blocks away. If you can choose only one museum at Balboa Park I'd choose The Aero-Space. OTOH I just read that The Timken Museum has some Monets on loan and The Museum of Art (right next door) is also about to show some Monets. There regular collections are good too. If you get hungry/thirsty while in the park The Prado is a good place to go. They probably have a good happy Hour 4-6pm. If you walk west across the Laurel Street Bridge to 5th Avenue you can eat/drink at Cucina Urbana which may have a more adventurous menu than The Prado but they are both good. Cucina has a retail wine selection so if you don't find anything you like on the wine list (hard to imagine) you can buy a bottle at retail and pay a VERY reasonable corkage fee. OTOH, if you like something you tried by the glass you may very well be able to buy some bottles at retail to take with you.

Where are you heading "north"?

[redir]

Yeah I was at the Trader Joe's when I saw the shop. Hanging out on a bench by the Globe Theater now, talking about going to the gas light district. The Timken was excellent.

North we go tomorrow to meet a friend in Pasadena. Then talking about going to Los Padres National Park North of Santa Barbara. Might day trip out to Catilina as well.

Regards.

[Ken Robb]

Please post YOUR reviews of places/activities here because I tend to recommend things that I like as a local and I avoid some places that are aimed at tourists and/or much younger folks. I'd like to give a balanced review of our town.

[redir]

Well, in the gas lamp quarter I simply googled brew pub and came across Half Door brew pup and I'll say their beer is quite good. Food was typical Irish pup fare but good enough. But again the beer is fresh and excellent imho.

Going to check out some roof top bar now, forgot name.

Edit: Altitudes, top of Marriott. Padres game going on and has a view over the stadium. Neat place.

[roguedog]

Hmm.. I'm heading there as well in a week with my Dad and bro. Annual family vaca. Need to keep my dad occupied. He likes doing tours.. well.. We'll be in the Mission Valley area

Things to Do

Going to do
Safari
Coronado and midway (tks for the rec)
Golf.. somewhere... (rec?)

Looking also for some tours.. food tour? history tour?

Food
Looking for a good Sunday brunch place (oceana? is the coronado all that.. really?)
Other? Should be healthier options than pub.

Would love to do the Sunday group ride with a group I rode with a few years ago but not sure I can get away and I'd prob have to rent a bike and all that. Oh well, this trip isn't really for me per se.

Love to hear about any other recs.

[Lanternrouge]

Originally Posted by roguedog

Golf.. somewhere... (rec?)

Torrey Pines would be a recommendation, though I understand actually getting on the course can be a challenge due to its popularity and relatively low prices for City of San Diego residents. My wife won a round at the Grand Del Mar at a charity action and was very impressed, so that's a recommendation if you are willing to spend a lot for an experience. I think the same would go for the Park Hyatt Aviara, but it's not as fancy. A public and challenging course also up near me (about 40 minutes or so north of Mission Valley) is the Crossings at Carlsbad. Another well known one near me in Carlsbad is La Costa. There are a lot of good courses in the San Diego area, so there will likely be a lot of recommendations and ones closer to where you are going to be staying.

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by roguedog

Hmm.. I'm heading there as well in a week with my Dad and bro. Annual family vaca. Need to keep my dad occupied. He likes doing tours.. well.. We'll be in the Mission Valley area

Things to Do

Going to do
Safari
Coronado and midway (tks for the rec)
Golf.. somewhere... (rec?)

Looking also for some tours.. food tour? history tour?

Food
Looking for a good Sunday brunch place (oceana? is the coronado all that.. really?)
Other? Should be healthier options than pub.

Would love to do the Sunday group ride with a group I rode with a few years ago but not sure I can get away and I'd prob have to rent a bike and all that. Oh well, this trip isn't really for me per se.

Love to hear about any other recs.

Check with UC Cyclery for info on their weekend rides and availability of rental bikes. Our annual Restaurant Week starts tomorrow. MANY restaurants participate with special lunch and dinner menus. This may or may not be good news. My wife and I think of it as "amateurs' night" dining when some places are very busy with diners who would not normally be there so the chefs may not be able to perform up to their usual standards. #-course dinners are $30-$50 depending on the place.

We have a surplus of golf courses (several have recently closed) so the local paper runs ads for special golf rates at various courses. This week a couple offered 18 holes and a cart for $35 or $50 if you wanted a lunch too. Because our weather can vary a lot depending on proximity to the coast I'd suggest waiting until you check the weather report and choose a climate you like. September and October are our warmest months.

We dine out often and are more into wine than beer so tell me what kind of grub you like and I'll offer some ideas. I understand "hopheads" who want to try as many of our local brew-pubs but I'm just very happy to know that I can get a good IPA in almost any decent restaurant in town.

[roguedog]

Thanks, Ken.


Golf - my bro and I aren't that great. We basically play once a year which is usually on this trip. That said, we'd like a nice course but doesn't have to be tippy top. Balance of condition, price and ambiance (views, customer service) and that sort of thing

Food -

Mexican, of course. Anything else that's kinda special? For brunch on Sun, I was thinking of going to Oceana. Places that have good lighter fare like fish and salads would be good so we can have healthier options.