"Sun, Sand, Sea, Mountains and Desert " a San Diego Travel Page by npsdguy

San Diego is the USA's 6th largest city, but it's not really like a city - more an overgrown town. Downtown is small with the nightlife centered in the gaslamp area, which is defined by old style gas lamps (hence the name) and is between 4th and 5th Avenues and the Embarcadero and Market.

Since the new Ballpark was built - which is worth a visit - downtown night life has improved dramatically. There are a lot more new and fun restaurants to check out, and if you want to dance your ass off, there are some new and cool places to be seen doing it.

There are some great beaches here, my favourite is on Coronado island which is nice and sandy, great for kids and there is also a dog beach there. You'll also find the famous Hotel Del Coronado where you can sit, drink cocktails and watch the Navy Seals invade the beach most evenings! Mission beach is a fun place and also has an old wooden rollercoaster, and then there is Pacific Beach which is another fun place and has a 1960's kind of feel to it. The city has a very large park called Balboa Park, which is a great place to relax, and is also the location of many museums, the Globe Theatre, (a replica of Shakespere's original) and of course the world famous San Diego Zoo - get there early if you want to avoid the long lines to see the Pandas.

San Diego is made up of lots of small, vibrant, characterful and character filled neighborhoods. The nearest to downtown is Little Italy. It got its name from the Italians who settled this part of town and who in the early years mostly fished for their livelihoods. Now, it's a great place for great Italian food. All the restaurants here are good - you can't go wrong. If you like warm beer, there's also a British pub in this part of town!

Up the hill from Downtown is Hillcrest. This is a diverse neighborhood with lots of boutique shops and some of the best restaurants in San Diego...Region (American), Tractor Room (American), Hash House A Go Go (American), Kybher Pass (Afghan), Bombay (Indian), City Deli (American), Celadon (Thai)...these are just a few, there are a couple of Lebanese, Japanese, Mexican, Chinese, Italian and more.

As well as Hillcrest there is Mission Hills, Northpark, University Heights, Normal Heights and Kensington. Northpark is now the new trendy neighborhood for bars, clubs and restaurants. Check out The Linkery and Urban Solace (restaurants), True North (major happening bar). Also the scond Saturday of every month is called Ray at Night and is an arts and crafts focused evening around the center of Northpark. If you visit Kensington check out Ponces (Great Mexican food) and Bleu Boheme (Excellent French food, reasonably priced too). For people who love the old California craftsman houses, these neighborhoods have some great gems. During the summer months there are also street festivals with live music, food and stalls selling everything from art to toe rings! They're just great events for people watching.

There's a lot to do around the harbor area which stretches from the Convention Center all the way around to Harbor Island and beyond.

Seaport Village is by the Hyatt hotel, and has many small gift shops and restaurants. You can also rent boats from the marina near the Marriott.

Along the way from Seaport Village is the Aircraft Carrier Midway, which is now a museum. Then along from there and just past the cruise ship terminal you'll come across some old sailing ships. The Star of India is an iron hulled ship built in the UK and frequently sails out on the bay. It's also a museum, and kids can stay overnight and live the life of a pirate! Just along from there is also the ship that starred in the movie Master and Commander, and moored just behind that is an old Soviet era submarine.

You can also take a harbor cruise on one of the many boats near the Cruise ship terminal. They give a great commentary of the harbor and the city and are well worth the money.

If you get a chance, go to Point Loma and see the old lighthouse. It dates from the 1800's and you can go in and see how they lived back then. You also get great views of San Diego, and on clear days can see far down into Mexico and the Coronado Islands.