Something Special in San Diego

Be sure to take advantage of the many free things to do in San Diego. A quick check on the internet and you can fill an entire day with activities that won't cost you a cent. Balboa Park is a great way to spend an afternoon or evening, filled with museums, great architecture and wonderful landscaping, the park sits in the middle of San Diego. Go on a Tuesday check out the visitor center to find out which museums are free that day.

Quick Tips:

Old Town Trolley Tours is a great way to start a vacation and get an overview of San Diego with many interesting facts about the city. They have eight stops that allow you to get off and catch another trolley. This will give you the chance to see San Diego in one day and figure out what you liked best so you can visit that place another time.

Best Way To Get Around:

San Deigo has limited public transportation; I must advise renting a car. Try to be at your destination during rush hour. Remember, traffic is highly predictable and usually avoidable. When you are on the beach, there are plenty of things to rent like kayaks, bikes, rollerblades, surfboards, or just take a leisurly walk down the boardwalk in Pacific Beach, watch the sunset and have a drink at a local bar.

Café Sevilla’s restaurant almost has the atmosphere of something from Disney World. The entire place is divided into three parts, the restaurant, the bar and the club downstairs. The restaurant is decorated like you are sitting outside at a restaurant in Spain. The outdoor feel is friendly and inviting. This is a great date place to go and the food is good. The bar is very relaxed if you just want to stop in for a bit.

The club downstairs has a large dance floor but low ceilings. This is where all the Brazilian and Latin people in San Diego come to party. There are two things you will definitely notice about the people in the club, first is they are all beautiful and second is they are all scantily clad. The low ceiling and crowd of people make for a very hot place to be and the less clothing you are wearing, the more comfortable you will be. The crowd varies in age, so you won’t feel out of place, unless you want to wear your favorite Parka. They offer Salsa dance lessons during the week, a flamenco dance show on Fridays and Saturdays followed with Latin-style disco, and Sunday night is Club Brasil following a Lambada dance class. Any night of the week is a great time to come.

This is the best of Spain right here in San Diego.

The decorative food is sinful to eat. I took my boyfriend to this restaurant for his birthday since it is our all-time favorite in San Diego. I suggest making reservations for Holidays and weekends, you may be able to get away without them during the week. The atmosphere of the place is clean and artistic. The food is artistic and delicious. You can’t help but peer over and look at what is on your neighbors plate and ask them what they ordered.

We started out with drinks while we looked over the menu. There aren’t more than 20 main dishes, but trying to decide which one to get, and which one will go with what appetizer is a difficult and painstaking task. For an appetizer we ordered the Panfried Chicken Potstickers with sundried tomatoes, fried basil and balsamic-chile oil. Our main course followed with the Crispy Tangerine Duck with curried crepes and blackberry chutney. The two of us split both dishes and were full. It was so delicious and though the entire meal we kept saying "Oh my God, did you try some of this" There were garnishes that were so delicate and pretty, yet very tasty. Chef Deborah Scott puts things together that you wouldn’t even dream of. The theme of the restaurant is "where Southeast Asia meets the Southwest". As full as we were, we had to get a dessert and went for the Potted Brownie with warm carmal topping and Kemo Sabe ice cream. We couldn’t finish it, probably because the Potted Brownie seemed like a mixing box of warm Brownie, underneath a half gallon of Ice-cream, not to mention it was sitting in a pool of caramel. There was also this animal made from chocolate coming out of the dish that enthused the three year old next to us. Yes, you can bring kids here and they can order food from Corvette Diner next door.

This restaurant is an absolute must here in San Diego!!!

Merci, La Vache. This little French restaurant is small but amazing. I went there late Sunday morning with my boyfriend and had a great breakfast. We had been driving around the Mission Hills area of San Diego looking at some beautiful houses deciding which one we’ll buy when we make our first million. We were in the mood for something French after doing some window shopping in town.

An absolute must is the Kir Royal. It’s a sweet mixture of Champagne and a drop of this syrup that gives it a wonderful red tint. We got a plate of warm bread with two small croissants. They served it with chive butter and it made all the difference in the world. We split the Crab and Crayfish Omelette that came with potatoes and a small dish of fruit. The waiter knew that we would be splitting, and the meal arrived on two separate plates.

It was a relaxing and beautiful morning thanks to our great start!!!

Once you walk up the stairs of this restaurant you wouldn’t know if you were in New Orleans or San Diego. The décor gives you the feel like you are in the middle of Mardi Gras and the food is a spicy creole cuisine. The restaurant is in the beautiful Gaslamp district of San Diego, and stands out from the rest with a distinct flavor and feel that go hand in hand for an enjoyable evening. Stop by during the week if you want to catch some happy hour specials where they serve a variety of appetizers for $3 and drink specials.

This place is great for going out with friends, and sometimes they have a live band to get you two-stepping. Also located to the rear of the restaurant are pool tables and another dance floor. If you come here on Fat Tuesday it is the biggest party in San Diego, maybe the biggest party West of the Mississippi for that matter.

Can you say tourist trap? OK, so I’m not a tourist and live in this town, but my co-worker convinced me to go there with her. She likes the restaurant (but she also likes Kentucky Fried Chicken). This restaurant is a chain in San Diego. The food is expensive and not very good.

For an appetizer we got the spinach, artichoke and crab dip that is topped with parmesan cheese, baked and served with tortilla chips. It was $8.99 and not at all what I expected. It was really thick and salty, and for lack of a better word, BAD. We also got a "U call it Bucket" and I let my friend pick out what she wanted in it. I think she picked lobster, shrimp and carne asada, but I’m not sure. They had this spice on everything that made it all taste the same. The bucket part of it is also misleading. They should say "Bucket of tissue paper with some food on top". The lobster tails were really small, you could hardly tell the difference between that and the shrimp and the carne asada was something you would give the dog, or make new shoes out of. After that, they give you a bill. There are plenty of wonderful restaurants in San Diego, spend your money at a good one.

After an afternoon of museums and culture at Balboa Park, The Prado was the only answer to "Where are we going to eat tonight?" This is one of the premier restaurants of San Diego and its location at the heart of culture and beauty only fits its grandeur.

I decided to treat my boyfriend since he appreciates great food. We went on a Tuesday night so it wouldn’t be so crowded and we could take in the atmosphere of the restaurant. Our first decision of our dining experience was whether we wanted to eat outside on the patio or pick one of two dining rooms inside. John and I decided to eat inside since we spent the entire afternoon outside walking around the park. The room we picked had a very warm feel with gold and maroon curtains that floated over the windows. All the decorations in the room had been meticulously placed and picked out. The room had texture and was visually stimulating. The ceiling was also painted with patterns that made me feel like a little girl staring through a kaleidoscope.

John and I are light eaters and we started with drinks, John had a glass of sangria and I went for a fru-fru girly drink, Strawberry Daquari. The waitress brought out some flat bread with a humus spread that was addicting. We could not tear ourselves away from this to even look at the menu. When we finally made a decision we decided to get two appetizers, chicken empanadas and crabcakes. The chicken was fried in a pastry shell and crumbled in my mouth. I have only had empanadas once before so it doesn’t give me much to compare to, but it was really good. The crabcakes were panko crusted and had real crab meat that were the size of squashed golf balls. The garnishes on the plates were just as delicious so we didn’t leave a crumb behind.

The bill was $50 for the two of us including the tip and it was an enjoyable evening to say the least. You can walk off your dinner in San Diego’s most romantic park, Balboa Park.

Thai food has it all -- great taste, it's healthy and looks very appealing on the plate. This restaurant took it one step further, the sauce. You don’t know how important the sauce is in Thai food until you have had incredible sauce on your meal.

My friend Jean and I went to this restaurant and wanted a place where we could get great food and look at her pictures from her trip to Mexico. This was a fabulous choice for a restaurant. There were people there but it wasn’t loud, and it was so neat and clean. We were sat at a small table next to this soothing fountain and it had a nice relaxed feel to the place. The waiter was very helpful and food was served quickly. Prices were very reasonable considering the quality of food we ate. It’s not located in the ritzy area of La Jolla near the cove, so that makes finding parking much easier.

You could never complain about not having a variety of foods in the Gaslamp district of San Diego. If you are looking for a good sushi restaurant, TAKA is the place to go. Located in the midst of Irish and English pubs, Mediterranean cuisine and fine Coastal cuisine, TAKA is Japanese at its best.

I’ve only been eating sushi for the past year, so I let someone else do the ordering. My friend and I started with a bowl of soy beans, that we dipped in soy sauce and nibbled to get the sweet bean out of its shell. On the order sheet that was left at our table, we picked out the spicy tuna roll, caterpillar roll, Philadelphia roll and something with Eel, but I can’t remember the name of it. It took longer than I expected for the food to show up so it gave me plenty of time to look around and really get a feel for the place. We had dinner reservations (highly recommended if you want to get a table) and sat at a small table in the middle of the restaurant. There was a long sushi bar that looked fun to sit at, because you can tell the sushi chefs exactly what you were in the mood for. My dining companion had been to the restaurant before and sat at the bar and told me that he needed a quick pick me up, and the chef served him something out of a Martini glass that was just what he needed. It certainly wasn’t quiet, but it was neat, clean and fun for people watching.

All the food showed up at the same time and the presentation was spectacular. We had also ordered two fried shrimp heads that were placed in the center of the platter. The rolls melted in your mouth and were delicious. It was really good. We ordered just enough food that we were happy, and not too full. I didn’t pay the bill, but I know that it was not cheap. A great adult night out.

Come aboard a Hornblower cruise for a spectacular view of San Diego’s downtown, Naval ships and Coronado Island. Hornblower offers narrated harbor tours, dinner and dance cruises and Sunday Champagne Brunch Cruises. There is also the Seasonal Whale watching cruise on the "Adventure Hornblower".

My college roommate and her husband came out to visit from Wisconsin and we had a few hours to spare in the afternoon. We bought our tickets for the one hour harbor excursion and went across the street to grab a sandwich before boarding. We got on line to board and watched as the ship pulled in. We boarded and chose a seat at the front of the ship and spoke to the crew. The captain welcomed me and allowed me to sit in the Captains chair and welcome the passengers with a brief one minute narration (my friend got a picture of that one).

The one hour tour that we took headed south for a view of the downtown skyline, naval ships that were in port, a few facts about the famous Coronado Bay Bridge. I’ve been on the two hour tour when my parents came to visit and that was a bit more interesting. We were able to see seals that were lounging on buoys, as well as more of the San Diego skyline. Both of the tours are very windy, so don’t spend too much time on your hair that day. I enjoyed the two hour tour because it gave you more time to relax and just enjoy the company of the people you came with. The one hour tour is great if you have a little time to kill while you are in the downtown area. Of course this is a very "touristy" thing to do and I did buy the picture they took when we boarded.

When we were back on land, we were bombarded with bicycle taxi’s anxious to give people a ride to nearby Seaport Village, an interesting area with shops, restaurants and sometimes live entertainment. We just walked as far as the tuna boats that are docked before we left downtown.

This two level dance club is too wild for the meek. I waited in line for over an hour when I got there at 10 PM on a Saturday night. Every person was wearing their sexiest outfit (even the bouncers wore expensive suits). You could feel the base through the concrete walls of the building and it rattled the glass with a rhythmic beat. You could not see what was going on inside for the heavy velvet looking curtains that covered the large windows, all you could do was stand on line and wait. When I finally got in the door, I paid my $15 to have my hand stamped. When I walked in I was mesmerized by the size of the place.

The main floor had a huge dance floor where a disco ball hovered over the smokey crowd of people, and a green laser light shot across the room. The young crowd was sweating and dancing to the techno pounding and for a minute I couldn’t remember if I was in New York City or San Diego. There were people sitting at tables off to the side eating sushi and people were crowded around a ruby red bar. I walked around looking for my friends and found a staircase that made an L-shape down to an area that had another bar and smaller dance floor. They were playing Hip Hop music. I kept walking through the maze of the club and found a room with pool tables and another bar and dance floor around the corner where there was an entirely different feel, they were playing disco when I walked in. The blue and silver of the room and bar gave it a cool feeling and the retro furniture was perfect. The ladies bathroom was done in pink, very clean and had an entire room full of lighted mirrors that made it look like we were backstage at a Broadway play.

I found my friends and ordered a drink (rum and coke $7). The bartender was a woman in her early 30’s and took eight drink orders, lined up different glasses and began pouring from different bottles into each glass. I was amazed at her speed and ability to remember them all. Walking around you’ll notice vaults and bars in the lower level, I found out later that the building used to be a bank. The club is also visually appealing with all its vibrant color, shapes of all sorts, and works of art on the wall by cutting-edge artists.

I really enjoyed the night I spent at On Broadway, only next time I’ll show up earlier to avoid the long line and have a few drinks before I get there. The cover charge is worth it since there is nothing in San Diego that can compare to what On Broadway offers. Beware of sensory overload!

2115 Kurtz St
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 298-8687

Do you want to see all of San Diego in one day, or do you want to plan out your weeks vacation in San Diego? Either way, the Old Town Trolley Tour is the best way to do it. They offer narrated tours of San Diego that allow you on and off boarding priveledges at any of the eight stops that it makes in San Diego.

I recommend allowing for one complete day for this. Every stop that it makes is worth getting off and looking around, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes to walk around in and bring a light jacket because the trolley can be breezy and cool. Each guide has a different personality and they all make you feel relaxed as you enjoy the ride. The tour gives you history and background on the city that is quite interesting.

The Trolley Tour is a great way to see the highlights of San Diego in one day as well as enable people to get a taste of what they may want to go back and spend more time doing in San Diego. This is a great family activity.