North Park is where we currently live. It's a vibrant trendy neighborhood with amazing restaurants, bars and where several breweries are located. We walk up to the main drag area and Balboa Park frequently. Places we love to eat at here: Alexander's on 30th Underbelly Taco Stand (one of our favorites for Mexican food) Streetcar Merchants West Coast Tavern Lucha Libre Great Maple Nomads (donuts) Hammonds (ice cream)
We lived in Pacific Beach for a long time (Alex lived there for 7++ years) and is really where our roots in San Diego began. The beach, boardwalk and pier are great. We also suggest taking a stroll (or jump on an electric scooter) on the boardwalk on the ocean and crossing over Mission Boulevard to the boardwalk on the bay (Mission Bay) at San Rafael Pl. Favorite Places to Eat Here: Thai Village PB Alehouse Dirty Birds (great wings) Enoteca Adriano Mamma Mia Leilani's Cafe Costa Brava (a favorite of ours) French Gourmet (great for picking up pastries and coffee in the morning)
Kate Sessions is one of Alex's favorite parks in the city. It overlooks the ocean, bay and downtown from the large grassy area. It's such a peaceful and beautiful place. There are also some hard to find trails that Alex and Carmelle (our fur baby) have hiked often.
We got engaged on the northeast end of Balboa Park. This park is HUGE. It has trails, the world famous zoo, 17 museums, gardens, food truck nights on Friday's in the summer, the International Houses (WE LOVE!), a golf course, a disc golf course and a Spanish Village. This place is beautiful and has so much open space, cool buildings and fountains to explore for free.
La Jolla Shores is the main beach in La Jolla where you can rent a kayak to go out in the ocean or just hang out at the beach. They also have a great little downtown area with one of our favorite Italian restaurants, Piattis. Not too far from the La Jolla Shores beach is La Jolla Cove where you can check out the seals and sea lions that come up to lay out in the sun on a beach. The main drag of restaurants and shopping in La Jolla is right by the cove.
Little Italy is GREAT! It is family friendly but also a great place to go grab some drinks with friends. There are a lot of options for food and even a food court. Places we like: Nolita Hall Ballast Point El Camino Carruth Cellers Born & Raised (great views of downtown on 2nd floor - even just for drinks) Underbelly Bencotto Civico 1845 Farmer's Table Morning Glory Salt & Straw Kettner Exchange Pali Wine (our neighbor, Travis, is the head chef)
Gaslamp Quarter is the heart of downtown San Diego. It's a cool place to walk around during the day to grab something to eat or stop at a bar. The main attraction is the nightlife in Gaslamp for all its bars, clubs and lounges.
This is a long park along with cliffs along the ocean (close to Kona Kai Hotel). It is a great spot to walk and watch the sunset. Great photo ops here!
Some of the best hiking in San Diego and of course, one of the top golf courses too. Torrey Pines has numerous trails that all overlook the ocean with some leading down to the ocean next to the cliffs. You can park in the park but you will have to pay. We usually park for free across from the golf course and walk in from there or park before the main entrance to the park which is also free then walk in (no charge).
This is a must if you have never been. Best views of San Diego by far. We used to run and/or walk up to the top of the mountain from our places in Pacific Beach often. You can drive up and park in the free lot (there are two) and then head down the mountain to either Pacific Beach or La Jolla Shores. We take every new visitor to San Diego there because on a clear day you can see a large portion of the county and even into Mexico.
The World Famous Zoo. Beautiful place.
This historic hotel is a site to see in Coronado. It is the 2nd largest wooden structure in the US and is right on the beach. It has restaurants, bars on the beach, some shops, a food truck and beverage trailer.
This is one of our favorite places and our favorite beach! We love it there and go frequently. The bridge you see from downtown heads over to Coronado Island. As soon as you get on the other side of the bridge you feel at peace in this beautiful, quaint place. The beach is wide and there's even a dog beach area where dogs can roam off leash into the ocean. There are little shops and restaurants on the main strip. If you want to go on a scenic drive check out Silver Strand where on one side of the road is the ocean and the other is the bay. Places to check out: Hotel del Coronado Clayton's Coffee/Cafe The Henry McP's Irish Pub
We used to go paddle boarding as friends and have some funny stories to tell about it (right Becky?!). This place lets you rent the paddle boards on Mission Bay in Pacific Beach/Mission Beach. So much fun to get out on the water and inexpensive. If you've never tried paddle boarding Mission Bay is the place to do it. It's typically very calm so you can keep your balance. The first time Bryce and his brother Josh rented them they went in the ocean and it was impossible to stand up.
Cowles Mountain is the highest point in the city of San Diego. Great hike and amazing views. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/cowles-mountain-trail