San Diego like the locals do

1. Free stuff!
Wander around BALBOA PARK. The gardens and architecture are a feast for the eyes. Some of the attractions inside the park have free/discounted admission days.

Watch the Navy planes do "touch-and-go" practice runs on CORONADO ISLAND. They fly over the beach so low you can count the bolts on the fuselage.

While you’re there, make lots of bubbles on breezy CORONADO BEACH. Hold up an oversized bubble wand and let the wind do all the work. Just be careful that you don’t stand where the bubbles will drench a nearby sunbather.

Where can you hear top quality live music for free? Go to the DE ANZA COVE RV RESORT on Mission Bay. Every Wednesday night, a really great swing band called Big Band Express rehearses at the De Anza recreation center. If you can find your way to the rec center, you’re welcome to come in and dance, or just listen. All ages welcome; ultra casual.

2. Stroll Seaport Village at the EMBARCADERO. It’s a shopping/tourist area, but it’s as pretty as any park. See for yourself: go to this website. Click on "photo tour" and see photos. There’s even a link to a 360 photo tour.

3. Take the WATER TAXI TO CORONADO ISLAND. When you get to the Coronado Ferry landing, buy a drink from a pushcart, pull up a chair under a tree, and relax. Watch the sailboats, look at the cute storefronts, and listen to the occasional street musician.

4. SERENDIPITY. (Finding something good while you were looking for something else) Make time for it; there’s lots to find in the San Diego area.

Quick Tips:

Rent a car, and don''t be afraid to get off the freeway. Read up on out-of-the-way places, and take them at a leisurely pace. Take the trolley around the city and stop where it amuses you. Find out what’s inside Balboa Park before you go, so you can plan your trip around it. You’ll want to spend more than one morning or afternoon there, even if you never set foot inside the zoo.

Best Way To Get Around:

You can get to a lot of fun places on the trolley, but you''re really going to want to have a rental car, especially if you stay at one of the lovely timeshares in the San Diego vicinity.

There really is a place "where everybody knows your name." It''s called Bobbie''s South in Chula Vista, a southern suburb of San Diego. Eat there once, and they''ll ask your name. Eat there again, and they''ll call you by name. Really.

The customers call each other by name, too. The personal touch is important there. Bobbie is a real person, not a corporate owner. She and her daughter Robin are the cooks, and they''ll cook for you like family. Vicki refills your coffee cup before you even realize you need it. Tease her a bit, and she''ll tease you right back.

And just like at home, you never know what''s going to be on the menu. On any given day there will be additional items that Bobbie or Robin just felt like making that day. Bobbie writes them on a whiteboard next to the cook''s window. It could be pot roast, roast pork loin, or corned beef and cabbage for $5.95.

Everything at Bobbie''s is homestyle. It''s just like Grandma makes. Gravy is made from pan juices and flour, not from a mix.

Biscuits are rich and light as a feather, made from scratch every morning. When I say from scratch, I mean it...NOT from a mix. Nothing on the menu (or off, for that matter) costs more than $7, but because of the friendly atmosphere and topnotch grub, a meal at Bobbie''s is priceless.

Of course, Bobbie''s does have a menu, if you want to order from it. Robin''s home fries are second to none, but you can get Mexican breakfast favorites like huevos rancheros or machaca (the unlisted special the last time I was there) if you prefer. For $2.50 you get one egg, toast, and potatoes. A "short stack" of two pancakes with two eggs is $4.25. Mind you, the pancakes are enormous.

Lunch is standard short-order diner food; grilled sandwiches ($3.75-$5.25), a triple decker club ($6.25), burgers to die for ($4.50-$5.95). Calorie-watchers can have the char-broiled chicken breast with cottage cheese, tomatoes, and fruit for $5.75. Some say her best lunch item (not counting her unlisted specials) is the steak sandwich, served open faced on sourdough bread with fries and a salad for $6.75.

Bobbie''s is open Monday through Saturday from 6am to 2pm, and on Sunday she closes at 1pm.

My uncle knows all the best restaurants. If he says, "Hey, let’s go to this restaurant tonight," it’s a good idea to go along. That’s how I happened to be eating at The Fishery in "PB," or Pacific Beach.

The Fishery is also a cash-and-carry fish shop. What fishy finery! Oysters, shrimp, ahi, yellowfin, you name it . . . so fresh, I’m sure it was flopping around a couple of hours ago.

Appetizers were $7.95-13.95. The oysters, a half dozen shucked to order, were $10.95 to 12.95. Fresh, fresh, fresh. I half expected a mermaid to come in, snatch them, and say, "Hey, I was using those! Get your own!" They also have a very nice ceviche with scallops. I know it was prepared fresh because I could see into the kitchen from my chair, and I saw the guy chopping up the vegetables. Do we see a pattern of freshness developing here? My uncle treated us all to soft-shell crabs.

Most entrees are $15-25, though a few were under ten dollars. I had a terrible time choosing. It all looked fantastic. That day’s market specials were pesto glazed Alaskan Troll King salmon for $19.95, potato crusted Alaskan halibut for $20.95, and broiled local White Bass for a salsa of olives, roasted peppers, mozzarella and basil for $16.95. The "Old Favorites" on the menu included salmon Miso for $15.95, swordfish picatta for $20.95, herb crusted yellowfin tuna for $25.95, and macadamia crusted halibut for $19.95.

I opted for the charbroiled Chilean Seabass in soy ginger marinade, with perfectly fork-tender zucchini. My husband had some kind of salmon salad; I don’t remember what he had because I was so engrossed in my own delicious entrée (isn’t that awful?) . . . I think it was the "salmon and greens" for $14.95.

We tested the service with a special request from my son. He wanted fried fish and chips, but wanted it to be fried salmon, not the usual halibut or cod. They gladly breaded it, herb crusted it, fried, and served it, no questions asked (though the rest of us were stumped!)

When it was time to move on to dessert, we saw that The Fishery has unusual items. I have never seen a little Egyptian pyramid covered in chocolate and hazelnuts before, but it was really fun, especially when we dug in and found the chocolate mousse filling. I had the balsamic glazed strawberries with vanilla gelato. Yes, balsamic, with brown sugar and butter. Was it tangy? Yes, but not too much so. Was it to die for? Yes. But be warned -- it’s enough for two people. If you want something a little more "ordinary," go for the warm chocolate brownie or the peach and berry cobbler with caramel gelato. The Chocolate Crunch Pyramid is $6.25, and all the other desserts are $5.95.

Reservations aren’t necessary, but call ahead for preferred seating (it’s a tiny place). It’s open daily 11am to 10pm.

Coronado is the perfect beach. It's peaceful and spacious, yet close to restaurants and shopping. You won't find a boardwalk, cheap souvenirs, overpriced ice cream, or bodybuilders. You also won't find gaggles of teenagers or college kids showing off for each other, running around kicking sand on your towel. What you WILL find is soft black and white sand with flecks of sparkling gold, a nice breeze, and a surf gentle enough for swimming but exciting enough for body suring. And it's the perfect place to build sand castles.

And did I say spacious? I mean, this place is huge. At low tide, it's like the size of the parking lot at a mega mall. It takes an hour to walk from one end to the other. Even on a Saturday afternoon, it's not crowded. Plant an umbrella, sit back, and watch the seagulls play.

Most of Coronado Island is taken up by the Naval Base, and the airstrip approach is right over Coronado Beach. It's fun to watch the planes fly over. They fly so low, you can almost count the bolts on the fuselage.

If you have bubble lovers in your group, take a large bubble wand. The breeze is so strong that all you have to do is hold up the wand, and the wind blows the bubbles for you. For really big fun, take a big wand that has lots of little holes in it. Hold it up and make huge flocks of bubbles, and watch the children giggle and dance in them.

For the prettiest sunsets in San Diego, walk down to the Hotel Del Coronado and watch the sunset from there. Then head across the street for ice cream, or a delicious dinner at one of the fabulous restaurants on the strip. Shameless RCI plug: that's where the lovely Coronado Beach Resort is.

When you're ready for a little shade, head for the beautiful park in "downtown" Coronado. There are free concerts there on most summer Sundays.

Have you ever heard the saying, "Thin as a rail?" I’ll bet you thought it meant a fence rail, like me. It actually refers to the Light-Footed Clapper Rail. Your next question is, what’s a Clapper Rail, and who thinks of these goofy names, anyway? A Clapper Rail is one of the many species of shorebirds and waterfowl you can see at the Chula Vista Nature Preserve. When I visited there, I didn’t learn who thinks of those goofy names, but I did learn that the Clapper Rail is so thin that when you look at it head-on, it is almost invisible. When it walks through the marsh grasses, the grasses don’t even move. Hence, the saying "thin as a rail."

I’ve been told that my brain is a compendium of useless information, so I really loved adding this bit of trivia to my store of useless knowledge. Even if you’re not a trivia junkie, a visit to the Nature Center is still great. Okay, it wasn’t as much fun as Legoland. But he was really glad he got to pet the rays. Yes-—PET the rays!

According to the website, "The Chula Vista Nature Center is an internationally recognized zoo/aquarium, exhibiting plants and animals native to San Diego Bay and marsh/wetland habitats." In other words…this place is COOL.

Most of their exhibits are interactive, but their newest and best is "The Shark and Ray Experience." It is a 17,000 gallon glass tank with at least 15 species of sharks and rays. The tank is free standing, so you can walk all around it and really get a good look inside it. I walked down the slope and stood where I was eye level with the top of the water, and instantly came eyeball to eyeball with a stingray! It was swimming near the top, poking its head above water (looking for top, as I was told by the Guide). What an incredible moment.

But the most fun in that exhibit was petting the rays. There’s a waist-high pool that’s open to the air, and it is filled with Round Rays and Bay Rays. It’s low enough that the average child can lean over the edge and actually reach in and pet the rays. They feel like jelly.

The outdoor walk-through aviary contains herons, egrets, and ducks. Special flight cages contained "Raptor Row," with majestic golden eagles, hawks, and owls.

We were there for about 90 minutes. I would have gladly stayed longer. I wanted to walk the trails, especially after I spotted a jackrabbit, but the last shuttle was about to leave. Vehicle access to the site—-located in the Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge-—is restricted. To visit the Nature Center, park in the lot just west of the E Street exit off of I-5 and take the free shuttle to the center. The shuttle starts at 10 a.m. and makes a loop approximately every 15 minutes.

Hours: Tuesday- Sunday, 10am to 5pm.