What's there to do in San Diego?

[jtrux]

My girlfriend wants to go on vacation and I asked her to name a few locations. She picked Las Vegas, New Orleans (bleh), and San Diego. Naturally I picked Vegas and then she started crawfishing on me and said she wanted to go to San Diego more than any other place...

So what's there to do there, keep in mind i've never been to Cali and have no idea what to expect. We probably won't go for long..4 days so what's there to do?

Any national parks?
I love beaches and fishing...
She loves girly crap...shopping, window shopping, more shopping, and sometimes she likes to go eat at expensive places that I can't stand.

Ideas...

 

[wellington]

I don't live there, but went there for the first time the summer before last on vacation. There is a lot to do. Deep sea fishing, snorkeling, surfing, Disney and the zoo isn't far. There is also a safari park. There is a restaurant down by the ship docks that has the best oysters we have ever had. Can't remember the name of it, but it's a seafood place. We loved San Diego and would have went there again last year, but went to Hawaii instead. That's just to name a few things. Pick Cali.

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Found it. The name of the restaurant is Anthony's Fish Grotto, on San Diego Bay. All the food was fantastic. Hmmm, my mouth is watering now. If you go, have a bite or two for me.

 

[SDDTMama]

Balboa Park (a personal favorite). San Diego Zoo. Sea World. The beaches. Biking around beautiful Coronado Island. Sea-Dos in Mission Bay. Gaslamp (downtown San Diego) shopping/ bars/ nightlife. Hornblower sunset cruises. Horton Plaza, Fashion Valley, or Mission Valley malls (for the girlfriend). Old Town ('historic' San Diego) for eating out (I don't much care for shopping there). Golfing. Whale watching trips. The list goes on and on . . .

Ha! I was naming these off with my boyfriend and he's like, "Damn, I LOVE living here!"

 

[N2TORTS]

undefined whats up with my posts ?

 

[Melly-n-shorty]

Lego Land!

 

[Angi]

SDDTMAMA covered a lot I like Torry Pines State beach also. La Jolla is very cool. I would check out Gropons and those types of sites for a discount on activities. I just bought two 3 hour walking food tours for $22. each. There is also always a lot of beach activities you can really save on like whale watching, paddle boarding etc.... I enjoy vinyards and breweries. Lot and lots to do here in San Diego.

 

[Momof4]

I think everyone else covered it. Really good restaurants in The Gaslamp. You can walk around and eat along with shopping.

Best Brazilian food ever. It's all you can eat meat that they carve at your table as they walk around. Nice but not stuffy or fancy.
http://www.reidogado.net

Just about any of these are really good. But Blue Point is one of our favs for seafood and lobster bisque and lemon drops.
The Strip Club is fun. You grill your own meat.
http://www.cohnrestaurants.com/our-restaurants/

The list is endless.

 

[Kapidolo Farms]

I just moved here last week. So why did I ever live anywhere else (probably employment related)?

If you find military history interesting the whole of San Diego is a giant museum. It's not of keen interest to me, but the brother-in-law is all of sudden very eager to come visit his little sister, based on this.

You can take train into Mexico (bring your passport) for dinner too.

Like any city of a million plus, there is NOT a kind of food missing from the restaurant list. Maybe for the US, Manhattan would be the only better for restaurant variety. My wife not so interested in shopping, but sees a restaurant, no mater how great, a onetime ever place to go to.

So far for touristy places I'd put Bali Hai at the top of a short list, sunset, on either side is spectacular for the view, and the food is tops as well. It's on one of the man made islands in the bay.

LLLeptile, the new big store, is close about a 35 minute drive north from SD city center to Oceanside.

Live herps abound in Anza Borrego NP, about 2 hours east. Funny, but I know the park well, as I had been to SD before, but always a nighttime drive through on my way to AB and Joshua Tree NP. My 1st day time trip here was in Dec 2012 for the interview.

Will

 

[kathyth]

Sam Diego Turtle and Tortoise Society, in Balboa Park.
I adopted my desert tortoise from them.
I was born there and and love it?

 

[DeanS]

We moved from San Diego 15 years ago! When I worked at the zoo...EVERYTHING about SD was GREAT! I wish I could remember the name of the Sushi Bar in the wharf...best anywhere! Of course, the zoo and Wild Animal Park are tops. I'll NEVER go to Sea World again! More of an amusement park now than anything else. If you can get past that (I can't), they still have an awesome collection...but I prefer Aquarium of the Pacific!

 

[jtrux]

So what you guys are saying is that I won't be bored? lol