San Diego in early April?

Quote from Ionic : There are a ton of things to do in San Diego. A must see is Balbo Park. It's one of the best parks that I have been to, the museums are excellent and they also have a nice restaurant called "the prado" with good to excellent food. I don't know if you are going with kids, if you are you can't overlook Sea World. As far as nightlife is concerned I only go out to Downtown, there are EXCELLENT restaurants, a couple that I would suggest is "Panne vino" and the "gasslamp strip club" strip club [cohnrestaurants.com] don't the wrong idea, it's a restaurant You can also hang out at one of the many bars in the area. You can also take a harbor cruise hornblower [hornblower.com] And as mentioned before Cabrillo National Monument is also a must see. Post up what you are looking to do/what your interests are, maybe I can give you some more pointers.

Thanks for the recommendations, we would definitely do Balboa Park and probably the zoo. Harbor cruise sounds good, we'll probably do that too, and definitely Cabrillo National Monument. We don't have kids, so won't be bothering with Seaworld (looking forward to having kids though, an excuse to go to Legoland LOL)

We may check out a museum, although I haven't done any research about what type of museums are in SD.

I'd definitely appreciate more pointers about what to do. We aren't really into wine tasting, but if the scenery is good, maybe we'd take a drive. We also aren't interested too much in history. Basically we are just coming out of a mild, but long winter in NYC, so we wanted to soak up some socal sun while we can. I've checked out google street view around San Diego, you guys really are lucky to be living in such a nice place. Palm trees/tropical plants everywhere, I can really appreciate that.

Pirates also convinced me to take a drive up to La Jolla.

Quote from PiratesSayARRR : Let me know if you want restaurant recs...because there are much better ones than Panne Vino and Gaslamp Strip Club.

Pirates- we'd appreciate some restaurant recommendations. I'll tell you a little about what we're looking for. We like spicy foods, chinese, japanese, thai, indian, basically any asian in general. Also we're looking to try some cali Mexican places, since we hear it's totally different from the Mexican we have in NYC.

We aren't too much into fancy, expensive italian restaurants, or french bistro type places. i.e. $30 entrees in the fanciest white cloth restaurants is not what we're looking for.

Also in Google Street View, I noticed a ton of taquerias in Encinitas which immediately made me hungry. I'd really like to try some of the fish tacos in San Diego.

To sum it up, cheap, good eats is what we're looking for. Outdoor seating is a nice bonus, and stuff that we can't really get in nyc!

We will probably also spend a night checking out the gaslamp, so a casual, good restaurant there would be appreciated as well. Gaslamp bar recommendations are appreciated too, I read about Vin de Syrah, and it seems like an awesome place!

Check out this Rachael Ray video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmAgczdvG3Q it has some good recommendations.

While in San Diego I would highly recommend spending at least one evening having dinner at one of the many ocean front restaurants. One that I love is "Tom Ham’s Lighthouse" on Harbor Island. The food is great and so are the views.

I'm sorry that I can't recommended many Asian restaurants, the only ones that I frequent is Benihana and Sushi Ota (per my Japanese friend is truly authentic).

For Mexican food you will have to drive down to Tijuana, all of the places that I have been to in San Diego don't offer authentic Mexican cuisine. They are americanized versions of Mexican food, I can tell you that because I'm half mexican. If you have a passport it's worth it to make the trip down, you can either drive down to the border and walk across (safest in my humble opinion) and take a taxi to where ever you want. Every major mall has it's own private taxis, these are called "taxis de sitio" these are very safe to use. I would just go directly to your restaurant of choice, I would suggest "La diferencia" or "Cien años" for authentic mexican food. The prices are cheap and the food and service is second to none. When you are done eating you can tell the waiter to call a taxi for you and have them take you back to the border.

If you do drive down then you will have to drive down to "Puerto Nuevo" and have some lobster, it's incredible!

Note you can search all of these on yelp.

Restaurant Recs:
Japanese: Sushi Ota (need reservations) it in a strip mall off of mission bay dr, you could also go to their sister restaurant Hane Sushi off of 5th Ave in Banker's Hill. If you order a lot of sushi it can get expensive pretty quickly.

Thai: Amarin Thai on Richmond and University in Hillcrest is very good. I recommend a reservation and prices are reasonable. For a quick Thai restaurant I recommend Saffron off of India street. If you choose the Marriott Courtyard there is also a thai place within walking distance next to Sushiya (which has fairly decent cheap sushi).

Indian: Taste of the Himalayas. This is off of Midway near Rosecrans. Very very good indian food. I also like Bombay off of 5th in Hillcrest.

Fish Tacos: South Beach Bar and Grille in Ocean beach has very good tacos and you are close to the ocean. I also really enjoy the fish tacos at Blue Water Seafood off of India, but beware as the line can get long thanks to food network for exposing it

Breakfast: The Mission, there are several locations pick one and prepare to enjoy a delicious inexpensive breakfast. The Broken Yolk, I believe there are 3 locations now, the one nearest your two hotel choices will be the one on Midway. They are popular now too since Man V. Food came for the omelet challenge. Snooze (Originally a small chain in Denver), this is their first expansion outside of CO. It is very good but go early, you also have an advantage because you are here during the week.

Mexican: For me there are two types of mexican joints. Sit-down restaurants, of which I like Casa Adams (off of Adams and the 805), Casa Guadajara (in Old Town), Fiesta De Reyes (in old town) and my absolute favorite more expensive one is El Agave in Old town. I am also a big fan of quick fast food mexican joints mostly for california burritos or breakfast burritos. MXN (formerly Santana's) is spreadout through San Diego. For a quick huge $6 burrito it is the place to go. Others offer similar quality: Los Panchitos, Panchos...etc.

Trendy: A short list of some of the new and/or trendy, but very good, restaurants. Cucina Urbana: rustic italian with a little modern flare. Searsucker: Brian Malarkey's first San Diego venture (he now has a total of 4 with another on the way (Burlap, Gabardine, Gigham). Slater's 50/50: good burgers and beer in Point Loma. Personally my favorite burger in all of San Diego is at a joint called Rocky's in Pacific Beach off of Ingraham. It's a small bar that means one hell of a good burger.

I would not venture to TJ. It is a crummy boarder town and is not representative of Mexico...there is only one restaurant I would ever venture into TJ for and they don't even serve traditional mexican cuisine. The majority of us over at the Trip Advisor forums (I'm a Destination Expert for San Diego, same screen name) recommend against the visit, particularly when there is a short trip.

Quote from PiratesSayARRR : I would not venture to TJ. It is a crummy boarder town and is not representative of Mexico...there is only one restaurant I would ever venture into TJ for and they don't even serve traditional mexican cuisine. The majority of us over at the Trip Advisor forums (I'm a Destination Expert for San Diego, same screen name) recommend against the visit, particularly when there is a short trip.

It's sad to see that they have so naive "experts" on that website. Anyone that can write off such an important Mexican city as a crummy border town has probably never been there or is just plain ignorant.

How can Tijuana not be representative of Mexico when it's the 5th largest city on Mexico? Tijuana has always been a direct influence in Mexican politics and culture. I will not waste any time noting worthless stats as Tijuana being one of the industrial corner stones in the Mexican economy, or how some of it's local companies are world wide conglomerates, for example the wine maker LA Cetto.

Mookie3333 have you ever tried a Caesar Salad, well it was created in Tijuana by Mr Cardini. He was a well known business man here in Tijuana. He was an Italian immigrant, and a fine example of the diverse and cosmopolitan population that Tijuana has. Tijuana has a very large Jewish, Lebanese, Spanish and American retiree population.

Tijuana is in the Mexican state of Baja California, most commonly referred to as Baja. It's the home of Valle de Guadalupe where some of the finest Mexican wines are made, the home of the Baja style lobster, cross country Baja 250, 500 and 1000 mile endurance races, and many other things.

Hopefully this will put some things in perspective for anyone that is reading this thread. I don' know if mookie3333 will even consider making the trip, but I could not ignore that uninformed description of Tijuana. Every country is a mosaic of different individuals, for example what do pople from San Diego have in common with people from the Louisiana Swamp lands? It's the same thing for people from Tijuana and the Indians from remote regions of Yucatan. Every single destination is representative of the country and it's diversity.

Thanks!

Quote from Ionic : It's sad to see that they have so naive "experts" on that website. Anyone that can write off such an important Mexican city as a crummy border town has probably never been there or is just plain ignorant. How can Tijuana not be representative of Mexico when it's the 5th largest city on Mexico? Tijuana has always been a direct influence in Mexican politics and culture. I will not waste any time noting worthless stats as Tijuana being one of the industrial corner stones in the Mexican economy, or how some of it's local companies are world wide conglomerates, for example the wine maker LA Cetto. Mookie3333 have you ever tried a Caesar Salad, well it was created in Tijuana by Mr Cardini. He was a well known business man here in Tijuana. He was an Italian immigrant, and a fine example of the diverse and cosmopolitan population that Tijuana has. Tijuana has a very large Jewish, Lebanese, Spanish and American retiree population. Tijuana is in the Mexican state of Baja California, most commonly referred to as Baja. It's the home of Valle de Guadalupe where some of the finest Mexican wines are made, the home of the Baja style lobster, cross country Baja 250, 500 and 1000 mile endurance races, and many other things. Hopefully this will put some things in perspective for anyone that is reading this thread. I don' know if mookie3333 will even consider making the trip, but I could not ignore that uninformed description of Tijuana. Every country is a mosaic of different individuals, for example what do pople from San Diego have in common with people from the Louisiana Swamp lands? It's the same thing for people from Tijuana and the Indians from remote regions of Yucatan. Every single destination is representative of the country and it's diversity. Thanks!

Frankly I have been there. I was there 10 years ago when it was a nice place to visit. I've been there recently as well...and it isn't pretty. Frankly it is plain dangerous. It's not like it was 10 years ago when the streets were filled with tourists and drug cartels were practically non existent. I don't go out of my way to visit troubled neighborhoods or areas. Until the government has taken back control of this city I cannot recommend in good conscious for any one to visit.

Quote from PiratesSayARRR : Frankly I have been there. I was there 10 years ago when it was a nice place to visit. I've been there recently as well...and it isn't pretty. Frankly it is plain dangerous. It's not like it was 10 years ago when the streets were filled with tourists and drug cartels were practically non existent. I don't go out of my way to visit troubled neighborhoods or areas. Until the government has taken back control of this city I cannot recommend in good conscious for any one to visit.

You are entitled to your opinion, and I can see your point of view even if it's just based on sporadic and spaced out visits. Tijuana did have a violence crisis back in 07. But it was limited to the bad parts of town, and I can say from my own personal experience they did not target tourists.

I drive down every single weekend, I own three different cars, two are flashy and one is inconspicuous, and the only thing that I have to worry about are the crooked cops. That's why I recommended mookie3333 taking a cab.

The places that I went to this weekend were sublime. I had a business dinner at a place called Mission 19, wow talk about great cuisine. The same place has a Bar on a terrace, they have specialty drinks, I had a couple of cucumber drinks, similar to a mojito.

Yesterday we went out to Puerto Nuevo and had dinner at Villa Ortega's, the fresh lobster, live mariachi, musicians, and view made this a night to remember.

So it's not all bad, and it's not dangerous. The only tourists that get into trouble are the ones that come down to get wasted, stoned or both and think that there aren't any consequences.

Lastly I do agree that based on their short stay it probably won't be worth the trip to go down to Tijuana, mostly because of the long border wait on the way back.

mookie3333 if you need pics of any place let me know, send me a PM, I might be able to swing over and have a quick lunch or dinner.

And I also forgot to recommend you check out seaport village, http://www.seaportvillage.com/ It's just a great place to hang out, have a quick bite to eat and enjoy the scenery.

Hopefully you will enjoy your trip to San Diego. Let us know if you need any more help.

Quote from Ionic : You are entitled to your opinion, and I can see your point of view even if it's just based on sporadic and spaced out visits. Tijuana did have a violence crisis back in 07. But it was limited to the bad parts of town, and I can say from my own personal experience they did not target tourists. I drive down every single weekend, I own three different cars, two are flashy and one is inconspicuous, and the only thing that I have to worry about are the crooked cops. That's why I recommended mookie3333 taking a cab. The places that I went to this weekend were sublime. I had a business dinner at a place called Mission 19, wow talk about great cuisine. The same place has a Bar on a terrace, they have specialty drinks, I had a couple of cucumber drinks, similar to a mojito. Yesterday we went out to Puerto Nuevo and had dinner at Villa Ortega's, the fresh lobster, live mariachi, musicians, and view made this a night to remember. So it's not all bad, and it's not dangerous. The only tourists that get into trouble are the ones that come down to get wasted, stoned or both and think that there aren't any consequences. Lastly I do agree that based on their short stay it probably won't be worth the trip to go down to Tijuana, mostly because of the long border wait on the way back. mookie3333 if you need pics of any place let me know, send me a PM, I might be able to swing over and have a quick lunch or dinner. And I also forgot to recommend you check out seaport village, http://www.seaportvillage.com/ It's just a great place to hang out, have a quick bite to eat and enjoy the scenery. Hopefully you will enjoy your trip to San Diego. Let us know if you need any more help.

Ionic, it seems like you know a lot about TJ. I was wondering if you know the answer to this question. I'm a US citizen and currently live in San Diego. I also have an ocean view apt in Rosarito which I go every other weekend there to relax. But my question is, I don't have any health insurance here and I'm not interested in getting one because it's way too expensive. I'm like 25 mintues away from the border, so I was wondering is there anyway I could get a health insurance in TJ if I'm not a Mexican citizen? Thanks in advance

Quote from persian_mafia : Ionic, it seems like you know a lot about TJ. I was wondering if you know the answer to this question. I'm a US citizen and currently live in San Diego. I also have an ocean view apt in Rosarito which I go every other weekend there to relax. But my question is, I don't have any health insurance here and I'm not interested in getting one because it's way too expensive. I'm like 25 mintues away from the border, so I was wondering is there anyway I could get a health insurance in TJ if I'm not a Mexican citizen? Thanks in advance

Yes you can get health insurance even if you are not a Mexican national. I would suggest you look up some private insurance companies down there. I have a contact that is pretty good, shot me a PM and I can send you his way. Doctors are very good in Mexico, I wouldn't hesitate to have anything treated there and it's nice to know that it will cost a fraction of what it would cost in the US.

Thanks guys for both of your help. I also don't think we'd be going to Tijuana, mainly because we've been to 2 other mexican border towns before (Piedras Negras, and Nuevo Laredo). It just seems to tense at the border towns these days. I agree that the government needs to take control in order to lure back tourists.

Ionic, I have to admit that I wasn't impressed with your answer regarding mexican food (must drive to TJ). I haven't even been to San Diego yet, but with 1 in 4 citizens being Mexican, I am 100% certain you can find GREAT mexican food in San Diego. "americanized mexican", or Mexican Californian cuisine is a type of cuisine in itself that we want to taste. There are dozens of different types of cuisine in/around Mexico, with cali mex being just one. "authentic mexican" can be very ambiguous- what is Authentic? What isn't?

Example - My mouth is watering everytime I look at "Las Cuatro Milpas". Like I said, fancy restaurants and expensive dishes don't impress me. In reality, it's about the food. I don't care if they're serving it out of a 10 ft by 10 ft shack. If this is Americanized Mexican, then I guess I'm looking for Americanized Mexican food when I come to San Diego!

we used to live in san diego..and right on hotel circle loved the area, but you would have to drive to do any of the site seeing things.

our favorite thing to do was sea world. I haven't been in 5 years now, so not sure if it has changed but it was fun even without kids.

all the other spots are great to check out. gaslamp is sooo much fun! That is one part of SD I miss. So many great bars and places to eat in such a short distance.

Quote from mookie3333 : Thanks guys for both of your help. I also don't think we'd be going to Tijuana, mainly because we've been to 2 other mexican border towns before (Piedras Negras, and Nuevo Laredo). It just seems to tense at the border towns these days. I agree that the government needs to take control in order to lure back tourists. Ionic, I have to admit that I wasn't impressed with your answer regarding mexican food (must drive to TJ). I haven't even been to San Diego yet, but with 1 in 4 citizens being Mexican, I am 100% certain you can find GREAT mexican food in San Diego. "americanized mexican", or Mexican Californian cuisine is a type of cuisine in itself that we want to taste. There are dozens of different types of cuisine in/around Mexico, with cali mex being just one. "authentic mexican" can be very ambiguous- what is Authentic? What isn't? Example - My mouth is watering everytime I look at "Las Cuatro Milpas". Like I said, fancy restaurants and expensive dishes don't impress me. In reality, it's about the food. I don't care if they're serving it out of a 10 ft by 10 ft shack. If this is Americanized Mexican, then I guess I'm looking for Americanized Mexican food when I come to San Diego!

Sorry that I disappointment you with my brief reply. I have never found one single restaurant in San Diego that truly offers authentic Mexican cuisine. Authentic in my humble opinion means that the meals are elaborated using the original ingredients and following the traditional steps. I'll try to explain a little more, every shop be it small or large that I have been to in San Diego that makes Pozole, uses the canned corn grain. The traditional recipe calls for the grain to be peeled by hand one by one, and this step can take all day. The canned cacahuacintle corn grain will never taste the same, this also applies for other ingredients like cuitlacoche that is used for various other dishes.

Another traditional dish, Barbacoa requires for the meat to be cooked in special kind of over. The oven must be dug under ground in a well, the walls must be surrounded in igneous rock. The lamb needs to be covered in pencas de magey (maguey leafs). The preparation of the "pancita" is also an art and varies from region to region, I haven't found a place that sells that here, the "pancita" they sell is a gut that resembles menudo. The broth obtained from this type of cooking is also delicious, my mouth is watering as I type this.

Now onto the dished that you could find at "Cien Años" and "La Diferencia", you can find alligator, chilicuiles, chapulines, authentic cuitlacoche, crema de epazote, filete de res con tuetano, cecina, and many other dishes, it will depend on the season.... I have eaten at these restaurants over the years, I know that they fly in most of the ingredients that aren't available locally.

In my taste there is a difference between cali-mex cuisine and the traditional mexican cuisine. I have traveled every single state in Mexico as my previous job required this. If there is something that I love is to eat great food and have a good drink. The best food that i have ever had be in in the US, Europe or Latin America has been in Chalma, State of Mexico

Thanks!

Quote from PiratesSayARRR : lol @ rich folk There are the La Jolla Sea Caves, "Children's Pool" where seals are beached and hang out, cool shopping district, Fish Tacos at George's California Modern (Also a fantastic view), just gorgeous coastline. Torrey Pines is part of La Jolla so it is worth a look...also if you want to see some impressive houses consider a drive on La Jolla Farms Rd. A couple of hotels that may fit your budget: The Marriott Courtyard at Liberty Station, The Pearl Hotel (a very cool boutique hotel in point loma, great drinks!). You could also look into www.travelzoo.com often there will be hotel deals for San Diego. I don't like the mission valley/hotel circle area, but if it fits your budget then by all means.

Hit the Crab Catcher Happy hour, you can fill up and have a few drinks with waterfront view for under $10

Best tacos I've had in SD are from:

Fruti Taco
8614 Troy Street, Spring Valley, CA

They are almost as good as getting a street taco in TJ. I don't blame anyone for not wanting to go to TJ just to get food, but there really is nothing else like a street taco from TJ.