If you had one evening in San Diego

[Ogrebonz]

I live in MI, but my job is sending me to San Diego for a few days for a conference. I'll be there from the 20th until the 25th of this month. I know it's short notice, I found out today.

So I'm wondering, if I can sneak away for one evening, what should I do? Is there something I just have to see in this town? Some dive with the world's second best cheeseburger? I'd like to see something the locals know about. I think most of us Jeep types could care less about the "finer" things in life, and I'm gonna ditch the company brass for at least a few hours.

Give me some ideas, but keep it real. I'm going to be melting the visa as it is already.

 

[Cottontail]

At night I'd just head down to the Horton Plaza/Gaslamp District and find a nice restaurant. There is a bar there called Whiskey Girl that I like.

If you have some time during the day, head up to LaJolla and see the seals on the beach, tour the USS Midway, hit the zoo. Also, a tour of Old Town is nice. Good Mexican restaurants at Old Town.

 

[GrimmJeeper]

if you're there on a weekend and single go bar hopping in pacific beach. you won't be dissapointed

 

[urban yan]

tacos

 

[Boatwrench]

tacos

yeah fish tacos at Point Loma Seafood.

 

[n1ywb]

Change your flights and take a couple days off.

If you only have one evening, go to Ocean Beach, Newport St. My favorite bars are in order Sunshine Company (good happy hour pitcher specials), Tonys, and Pac Shores (just cocktails). Wednesday afternoon/evening they have the farmers market, which is more like a street fair, lots of great cheap food. OB is more like what San Diego used to be than any other neighborhood, laid back and unpretentious and relatively affordable.

Point Loma Seafood has good fresh fish but Wahoo's Fish Tacos in La Jolla are absolutely the best. Although I admit I also have a soft spot for Rubios.

Here are my favorite places in San Diego:

• Balboa Park cactus garden (This is free)
• Black's Beach (yes, I was that fat naked guy surf fishing). (This is also free, as are all the beaches.).
• Sushi Ota; some of the best sushi I've ever had, and I've been to the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. Pretty expensive though.
• Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot, reasonable.
• Fry's Electronics
• Ham Radio Outlet
• La Jolla cove and the seals in the Children's Pool (free)
• Cabrillo Monument ($10 or something)
• If you have a day head out to Anza Borrego Desert State Park (free) or up Mt Laguna (day use pass required)
• If you have a few hours you could hit
• take a surfing lesson.
• Athena in PB -- Best greek food ever, and reasonably priced.
• Stone Brewery in Escondido; it's like an hour drive north, but it's worth it. Everything on the menu has beer in it.
• If you love asian food but don't want to break the bank there's sort of an asian ghetto in clairmont mesa and kearny mesa, lots of noodle shops and asian markets.

 

[rockclimber]

Gaslamp area downtown is great if you have one night for bar hopping.

what hotel is your conference at? I may be working :rofl:

 

[Ogrebonz]

Gaslamp area downtown is great if you have one night for bar hopping.

what hotel is your conference at? I may be working :rofl:

The Omni, I guess it's on the beach.

 

[Ogrebonz]

Fry's Electronics
Ham Radio Outlet

Easy to find?

 

[rockclimber]

The Omni, I guess it's on the beach.

not quite, it is downtown next door to Petco Park and across the street from the convention center. on the other side of that is the San Diego Bay, but the nearest beach is a few miles away.

that hotel could not be in a more perfect spot for enjoying san diego nightlife.


and FYI a buddy of mine on Jeepforum is in the engineering dept at that hotel.
his name is Steve, goes by stvdiego on JF.

 

[rockclimber]

Fry's Electronics
Ham Radio Outlet

Easy to find?

both of those are gonna be a 20~30 minute drive from where you are staying.

 

[ocean_jet]

If you're looking for nightlife, Gaslamp, Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach are all good choices, but all offer a little bit different vibe.

I'm more an OB guy. It's much more laid back than PB or Gaslamp. (Can't believe someone mentioned PacShore in OB... I love that place).


Both Gaslamp and PB... people will be a bit more dressed up and, in Gaslamp on the weekend, expect to pay a cover pretty much everywhere.


If you're looking for something to do during the day, you really cannot go wrong checking out some of the beaches. Coronado is nice and close to downtown... so is Point Loma. La Jolla and north of La Jolla has some nice really beaches, but it's a bit of a drive from where you'll be staying.


If you are downtown, and you like hot waitresses in short kilts and low cut shirts, you should have lunch at the Tilted Kilt while you're down there. Cool spot right next to Padre's Stadium. Yes, I know it isn't unique to San Diego... but it's a great place to grab lunch. The food is ok.

 

[Ogrebonz]

"If you're looking for something to do during the day, you really cannot go wrong checking out some of the beaches. Coronado is nice and close to downtown... so is Point Loma. La Jolla and north of La Jolla has some nice really beaches, but it's a bit of a drive from where you'll be staying."

Someone I work with mentioned La Jolla, is that very far from the Omni, downtown? How much would a cab ride cost?

I haven't been in a cab for probably fifteen years!

 

[ocean_jet]

I don't really take cabs, but I would guess $20 each way. It's not that far. On the map posted, it's straight west on the coast. You can't see it on that map, it's the beach that's cut off.

If you're staying downtown, and have limited time, Point Loma, Cabrillo National Monument and Sunset Cliffs are closer. They're all out on that peninsula straight west of the Omni, all the way on the coast.

http://www.google.com/search?gcx=w&...m=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1280&bih=855

http://www.google.com/search?tbm=is...0l4008l0l4158l13l13l0l1l1l0l197l1572l3.9l12l0

http://www.google.com/search?gcx=w&...m=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&biw=1280&bih=855

 

[rockclimber]

because I was bored.

 

[Boatwrench]

Pacer's either on Midway or Sport Arena Way. Home of the centerfold and two stages.

 

[Cowboydoc]

If you want a great burger... Danny's in Coronado. As long as you don't carry any anti-military sentiment in there, you are golden. If you go, take a look at the pictures above the bar, some hero's up there. I ride past the hotel you are staying at every day. If you see a random short fat hairy dude on a green gary fisher tooling past, that's me.

 

[Ogrebonz]

Well, I have been there and back again. Couple of things I discovered:
CA hasn't changed much since I was stationed on Ft Ord.
Fish Tacos are awsome!
CA nightlife has to be seen to be believed, even on Sunday nights.
San Diego has some incredible views.
I need to consider opening a burger joint here in MI, I had a few out there that make some of my favorites here seem pretty pathetic.
When you're as big as I am plane travel just sucks, I have a bruised shoulder from every idiot on the plane bumping into me as they went to the bathroom.

And damn am I glad to be home.

 

[n1ywb]

I'm more an OB guy. It's much more laid back than PB or Gaslamp. (Can't believe someone mentioned PacShore in OB... I love that place).

I worked on SIO research vessels for three years, we used to hit OB all the time. I've had some pretty rough mornings after ending up at pac shores. Man they mix a strong cocktail. They basically pour you a glass of rum and then show it a little coke.