San Diego

[swerb]

Got a chance to visit San Diego for the first time this week. What a town.

Perfect weather, an abundance of beautiful and friendly people, great food. The city is bright, clean, and safe to walk around in the wee hours of the morning, has next to no bums, and is set up real cool. Got a big train that runs right through the heart of downtown, palm trees everywhere, a massive and very cool convention center, Petco is right downtown, and the Gaslamp District is a very nice stretch of top notch bars and restaurants. Since it never rains there, almost all the buildings have awesome rooftop bars with great views of the bay, city, and surrounding areas. Just a beautiful part of America. And the city is just set up perfectly. Airport is right downtown. Like a 5 min drive to almost any hotel. Planes buzz right in above your heads as you are cruising around the city.

Anxious to get back there on a vacation where I actually have time to do some things. Short drives to Vegas, LA, Phoenix, Mexico. Surrounding burbs like La Jolla, Coronado that are supposed to be excellent. Best zoo and Sea World in America.

Loved that freakin' city.

[mistero]

Great city no doubt. I was there on and off when I was in the Navy. The weather will drive an Ohio boy completely nuts though. It's Ground Hog day. 77 and sunny every freaking day. Sucks in the fall and winter when the holidays come. There were tons of homeless in the late 80's early 90's. Sounds like they fixed that problem. Good. It is a great vacation spot.

[FUDU]

I have a relative searching for home there right now. Beside every thing Rich already mentioned they also said there a virtually zero bugs there. You could leave you windows open in the summer with no screens.

Have heard many that have transplanted there say it is America's most ideal, well rounded city.

[Bill the Butcher]

[Bill the Butcher]

But in all seriousness, this thread makes me want to visit that place even more.

I've heard so much about it. How great and well-rounded it is.

Perhaps early next year...

[dmiles]

You didn't even look me up Swerb!!!!

At least JB wants to toss one back at Pizza Port. By the way Pizza Port won some big award at the event Ziner attended in Colorado.

Great town. My whole division is moving to Orlando next June (at least the guys invited) and am not looking forward to that. Prolly beg borrow and steal to stay here.

La Jolla is not really a burb it's a part of town, much like Scripps Ranch to the East, Rancho Bernado to the north east, Rancho Penasquitos, and Mira Mesa in the north/center. etc. (there are so many areas I am not going to list them)

I think the best Burbs are the beach towns in the area going up I-5, it starts with Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas and Carlsbad. Within Encinitas they have Cardiff-by-the-sea and Leucadia which retain their own zip and cachet but they are part of Encinitas. The funny thing is I almost never go downtown or to La Jolla. Yet if someone comes to visit, where do you take them? La Jolla, Coronado, Gas Lamp, etc. Of course the beach cities I mentioned above all have their own little cool areas to hang out, so there is no need to go downtown. I go through San Diego and down to Chula Vista for a lot of travel ball baseball games, and of course we had our HS football game in La Jolla last time out, this weekend we host Coronado. (son is playing). So we do get down there just not all that much. I do work in La Jolla so I get about as far as Torrey Pines golf course, maybe a 1 mile south and just east of I-5 (if you saw the course).

A lot of people take the train down to Petco as you can catch it as far north as Oceanside and it stops in each of the beach towns on the way down. What's cool is they let you BYOB onto the train. You see some folks heading down to the game with a 12-pack having a blast. Once you arrive at the downtown area you generally need to take the trolley over to the field so you pretty much need to finish all of your beer and dump the rest.

[swerb]

dmiles, I had no free time. Or I would have looked you up.

Didn't know about the BYOB on the train. Very cool.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Never been there, would really like to go at some point.

Did you know San Diego means "Whale's Vagina" in German?

[dmiles]

dmiles, I had no free time. Or I would have looked you up.

Didn't know about the BYOB on the train. Very cool.

For a baseball fan it would almost be fun to fly in, stay in a hotel up north and take one of these jaunt's from say Oceanside to downtown to take in a game. The organized ones are sitting at a table together playing cards and pounding. I say all this hoping they haven't changed the rules. There is typically one last train in the evening heading north and I could swear these guys go find a 7-11 and get it going again on the way back. The wife and kids and I tried a train trip to a game for the experience and it wasn't that great for us. Loud and raucous. Without the family would have been a blast. Plus it costs more (something like $11 round trip) than it does for gas and parking (for a family of 4 anyway). For the younger guys without kids in tow it's the only way to go. It does take longer than driving of course.

I hear you can take the train north to Staples and Anaheim stadium as well (Amtrak). I imagine the rules are a little tighter.

[dmiles]

Yes there is apparently consideration for banning alcohol after 9:00. Frankly probably not a bad idea, although I'd rather just see it patrolled. I am guessing quite a bit of underagers in the BYOB crowd. The rowdies were a little more agitating after 9:00.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jun/18/1mc18alcohol19654-coaster-may-ban-booze-after-9-pm/

[Zé Apelido]

San Diego's pretty good. LA - traffic also very good.

[jb]

You didn't even look me up Swerb!!!!

At least JB wants to toss one back at Pizza Port. By the way Pizza Port won some big award at the event Ziner attended in Colorado.

Great town. My whole division is moving to Orlando next June (at least the guys invited) and am not looking forward to that. Prolly beg borrow and steal to stay here.

La Jolla is not really a burb it's a part of town, much like Scripps Ranch to the East, Rancho Bernado to the north east, Rancho Penasquitos, and Mira Mesa in the north/center. etc. (there are so many areas I am not going to list them)

I think the best Burbs are the beach towns in the area going up I-5, it starts with Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas and Carlsbad. Within Encinitas they have Cardiff-by-the-sea and Leucadia which retain their own zip and cachet but they are part of Encinitas. The funny thing is I almost never go downtown or to La Jolla. Yet if someone comes to visit, where do you take them? La Jolla, Coronado, Gas Lamp, etc. Of course the beach cities I mentioned above all have their own little cool areas to hang out, so there is no need to go downtown. I go through San Diego and down to Chula Vista for a lot of travel ball baseball games, and of course we had our HS football game in La Jolla last time out, this weekend we host Coronado. (son is playing). So we do get down there just not all that much. I do work in La Jolla so I get about as far as Torrey Pines golf course, maybe a 1 mile south and just east of I-5 (if you saw the course).

A lot of people take the train down to Petco as you can catch it as far north as Oceanside and it stops in each of the beach towns on the way down. What's cool is they let you BYOB onto the train. You see some folks heading down to the game with a 12-pack having a blast. Once you arrive at the downtown area you generally need to take the trolley over to the field so you pretty much need to finish all of your beer and dump the rest.

LaJolla is my "win the lotto I'm moving there" destination. Most beautiful place I've ever seen.

I'm still on for the day after Turkey Day to mid week, Miles. I'll be in Carlsbad at my sister. When the time gets closer, I'm still plannning on PMing you for digits.

BTW - I just heard Rubios' has a lobster taco. Damn, I cant wait!

[dmiles]

My lotto town winning town is Rancho Santa Fe I really love it out there, but it's not really an area where tourists would go. The way the homes are built on all these little unknown side streets is just amazing. Big lots etc.

In some ways Del Mar is considered almost as elite as La Jolla, however La Jolla did win out for most expensive zip code. I think it boils down to whether or not you have family. Del Mar-to-Encinitas schools are vastly superior to La Jolla high. Of course of you're lotto loaded you can send them to Bishops School (something like 28k per year) in La Jolla and fugeddeddabout it. Last year when my oldest was in 8th grade flag football (we don't have Jr. high football here) we are walking to the car after the game (at Bishops), and this huge dude and his kid were walking next to us and it was freakin' Seau. Guy was ripped, and he can obviously can afford that tuition. It was about a week or two before he went back with "grumbles."

Also JB if you are into "red meat" then while you are hear demand your sis take you to Seaside Market in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. This is a funky little family owned grocery market, down near the 101. They do a marinated Tri-Tip, that has to be about the best thing I've ever eaten, and I don't say that in jest. I've been to some the aged Steak houses, and nothing compares to the tri-tip I get at that place. It's a little costly so we only get the stuff on special occasions (around $9/lb.) We have some friends from North Jackson who moved out here a few months after we did and live out in Rancho Bernardo which is a bit of a hike for us. Every time we get together with them they love this tri-tip so much they say bring us 5 lbs we'll pay you for it. In fact they don't even ask, we just take it.

[Naxos]

Got to say I enjoyed my time there as well. I lived there from 95 - 98 while in the Navy. Stayed on Point Loma for a short period and then ended up with a place in Kearne Mesa off of one of the highways. Good spot for me to go anywhere. Into downtown, to Point Loma for work, close to an Inn-n-Out, or a nice head start to Vegas for the weekend.

Was very nice being single at that time. I look forward to going back sometime for a vacation.

My lottery location though is probably upstate New York. Lake George or Saratoga Springs. I still enjoy my seasons.