San Diego, California
Restaurants
The hotel concierge is a great resource for finding nearby restaurants. In addition, here are some restaurants that we have tried while conducting courses in San Diego.
On the bay featuring a great view of the harbor, especially at sunset. Requires driving from the hotel to downtown San Diego on highway 163, which takes about 30-40 minutes. We have usually been able to park at the metered parking right in front of the restaurant along the waterfront.
Nice restaurant in the middle of Balboa Park. Outdoor seating is recommended when the weather is pleasant (usually the case in San Diego).
This is a great place to go if you would like to try some locally brewed beer. They typically have about 10 different varieties of beer available on tap - all brewed on-site (or at one of their other local sites). Typical pub food is also available (burgers, pizza, pasta, etc.).
Shopping/Services
Fashion
Valley Mall - (Includes Movie Theaters)
7007 Friars Rd.
619-528-0428
Sightseeing
The San Diego Zoo is located on highway 163, which is the highway that you would most likely take from the airport to the hotel/course location. If you are short on time, you can combine a day at the zoo with an exploration of Balboa Park and finish with dinner at the Prado restaurant.
A beautiful park with nice views and several museums. The park also has a section that is devoted to artists' studios and features several restaurants within the park boundaries.
San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park
This park is run by the San Diego Zoo but it is located at a different site (further away from the course location) and requires its own admission ticket. You need to allow a full day to visit this park. Ride the tram first to get an orientation of the layout of the park.
Point Loma Lighthouse
Visiting this historic lighthouse has been highly recommended to us, but we haven't actually visited yet, so no specific tips from us.
About.com has current information about San Diego as well as many recommendations for "things to do."
Note that you can find some additional information about cities like San Francisco and San Diego in the California section that you won't necessarily see in the topic pages for those cities.
