What should I do for a few days in San Diego?

[disapr]

My wife has been included in one of her friend’s wedding in San Diego and is bent on being there 3 days before the wedding to do ‘girl stuff’.

I’m considering going with her and just splitting off to go do something fun while they do boring wedding junk. Any ideas? I’m thinking of something all inclusive like a driving school that provides a car or some type of excursion out in the desert with hummers – Or just really nice roads to rent a car and drive on.

Thanks!

[ragingclue]

Ocotillo Wells is nice, but you'd have to find a suitable vehicle first. That place is a blast.

[FStop7]

SD Zoo

Aircraft carrier museum

[Little_Titto]

Phil's BBQ for food

[Tondtar]

SD Zoo is amazing but I def go to their Wild Animal Safari park instead if I was you. The only place in US that can come close to getting to see wild animals in their "natural" habitat. If you have kids, they'll love it :

http://www.sandiego.org/listing/Visitors/2985

[jlspeed29]

im down there at least once a month..

really depends what you want to do bro

theres the beach, downtown, ballparks, theres even a driving thing that goes on at qualcomm stadium...

tell us what you prefer and ill do my best to guide you

[disapr]

I'm not really into sports, but I like pretty much everything else. I'd like to do something that we don't have in Houston or something that is just better in SoCal. I think that it'd be fun to race shifter carts, go ride in a gofast boat or go rappelling in a canyon.

Some of the other suggestions look pretty good, thanks for the info and I'm open to many more.

[solefald]

Originally Posted by disapr

I'd like to do something that we don't have in Houston or something that is just better in SoCal

beach? avoid easily accessible beaches. they are nasty. go to blacks. its a bit of a hike, but it is awesome with not too many people, but don't go too far, unless you are into naked old people and gay dudes.

there is all kinds of hiking and canyons. drive to julian or palomar mountain is fun as shit, just rent a car that can turn.

coronado island if you are into touristy stuff.
you can take a ferry from downtown to coronado, have dinner across the bay from downtown with a killer view.

take a harbor cruise (dinner cruise is also available)

balboa park has all kinds of museums + sd zoo

downtown La Jolla is a nice area to check out

santee and el cajon if you are into "country western" and meth situation. lol

[skinnycow]

Gaslamp Strip Club- A Steak Place
340 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 231-3140 ‎

Awesome place!

[scollins]

Just got back from San Diego, but it was a trip "for the kids", so what we did wasn't exactly super exciting (at least to me.)
We did:
San Diego Zoo
Sea World
San Diego Zoo Wild Safari Park
Legoland
CV41 Midway Aircraft Carrier tour (the highlight of the trip for me!)

The Safari Park could have been much cooler, but for the following:
Asia cart tours were sold out within 90 minutes of the park opening (we got there late.) Can't see the Asia section except via the various Safari Tours.
Kids weren't old enough for the other Safari Tours offered (caravan, etc.)
Balloon ascent was shut down due to winds.
Kids not old enough for the Zip Line.
The one thing I wanted to really see, the fucking LIONS, were not on exhibit that day. WTF?

The only place we ate that I thought was great was Joe's Crab Shack, and of course, In-N-Out Burger! . We also ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory (have them around here, but remember, we have the crumb crunchers with us, service sucked ass), Rock Bottom (also around here, but at least the food is decent).

Where I wanted to eat, but couldn't because of having the kids along were:
Stingaree
Quarter Kitchen

[jlspeed29]

Originally Posted by disapr

I'm not really into sports, but I like pretty much everything else. I'd like to do something that we don't have in Houston or something that is just better in SoCal. I think that it'd be fun to race shifter carts, go ride in a gofast boat or go rappelling in a canyon.

Some of the other suggestions look pretty good, thanks for the info and I'm open to many more.

the food in SD is definitely better..esp real mexican food..unlike that tex-mex stuff you guys got over there

try
el zarape on Adams or park...both locations are BOMB

since it sounds like you are more into action stuff...
rent a bike and take the ferry from downtown to coronado island and you can ride around there...pretty cool...

also check out the wild animal park as others have noted...worth it IMO....
if you are into golfing there are plenty of courses and a badass range stadium golf, they;ve got a two tiered driving range open at night too...

[solefald]

Originally Posted by scollins

Stingaree

havent heard of Quarter Kitchen, but I would avoid Stingaree food.
there are a TON of much better places in downtown to eat.

[GregTheStig]

Check out the Maritime Museum, if that interests you at all. The Star of India was cool and especially the Russian/Soviet sub they've got there. Also check out the USS Midway if you've never been on an aircraft carrier before. More than anything just enjoy the sights because that city is beautiful.

[MediaArtist]

Extraordinary Desserts in Downtown, best sweets in the city.

[Gavin@MMW]

Come out for a Mullholland Highway run!

[Little_Titto]

Originally Posted by MediaArtist

Extraordinary Desserts in Downtown, best sweets in the city.

Went there last time I was in SD. 8pm on a Sunday and the place is still packed. Let's just say that Chocolate Mouse kept me up all night before I had to fly back to Syracuse on Monday.

[firstkill]

http://www.lajollakayak.com/

is a cool way to see part of la jolla/ san diego

otherwise its downtown

http://flytorrey.com/cms/

for a pretty good rush

or one of the Indian Casinos there.

other than that its just a beach city

fk

[jlspeed29]

Originally Posted by MediaArtist

Extraordinary Desserts in Downtown, best sweets in the city.

good choice, although if its just you, the GF would be pissed if you go somewhere like this w/o her! lol


breakfast- broken yolk cafe or i heard cafe 222 is pretty decent
lunch- el zarape
coffee- cafe calabira
dinner- anthonys fish grotto (never been, heard it was good tho)
desert- ghiradelli or extraordinary deserts

if you are into the bar scene, then stay in gaslamp...there are more bars there than you can imagine

[Cdnrockies]

Originally Posted by skinnycow

Gaslamp Strip Club- A Steak Place
340 Fifth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 231-3140 ‎

Awesome place!

For the room and the atmosphere. We found the actual food decidedly average, but it was a very cool place. Greystone's is far better for steaks but not as hip.


We have a place just outside of SD and still go to both SeaWorld and the SD Zoo every time we go.

[scollins]

Originally Posted by solefald

havent heard of Quarter Kitchen, but I would avoid Stingaree food.
there are a TON of much better places in downtown to eat.

Hmm, some of my SoCal coworkers said it was good. Maybe they were just trying to punk the out-of-town guy.....

Fuckers....

[schoy]

Quarter Kitchen ... meh

Honestly, there's not much in the way of great food here in San Diego. Downtown is a mix of either steaks, Italian or seafood. There's the usual stand-by of steakhouses (Ruth's Chris, Donovans, Flemings, Morton's), but a new one that recently opened is Cowboy Star in East Village downtown, which I like because it's a little different. None of the Italian food is any good. Best seafood is probably Oceannaire.

Non-downtown food is a little better. Hotel del Coronado (on Coronado, duh) has a really good (but really pricey) Sunday brunch. Grand Del Mar has the best restaurant in all of SD (Addison's) ... but it's pricey.

Best bet is to just Yelp your food.

*Edit: My usual suggestion to out-of-towners is to try the many Mexican or Mexican-inspired restaurants in SD, only because it's usually different than the cuisine you might find wherever you live.

[McMuffin]

Go to TJ and treat yourself to a hooker