Both trains and buses leave you in the heart of
downtown San Diego: Greyhound at Broadway and First Avenue is more
central than Amtrak's Santa Fe Depot, at the west end of Broadway.
Lindbergh Field Airport is only two miles out, on bus #2 ($1.50).
Getting around without a car, by day at least, is comparatively easy.
Seven companies operate the integrated Metropolitan Transit System (bus
tickets $1.25-2.50; ); the Transit Store, 102 Broadway (Mon-Sat
8.30am-5.30pm; tel 619/234-1060), has detailed timetables and sells a
Day Tripper Transit Pass for one- to four-day visits ($5, $8, $10 and
$12, accordingly). The passes apply also to the tram-like San Diego
Trolley , which runs throughout the area (tickets $1-2.50) and covers
the sixteen miles from the Santa Fe Depot to the Mexican border crossing
at San Ysidro. It's a 45-minute journey ($4 round-trip; every 15min from
5am-midnight), and the last trolley back leaves at 1am on Saturday
night. Bicycle rental shops include Rent-a-Bike, 523 Island St (tel
619/232-4700), and Hamel's Action Sport Center, 704 Ventura Place,
Mission Beach (tel 619/488-5050).
The International Visitors Information Center is downtown at 11 Horton
Plaza, F Street at First Avenue (Mon-Sat 8.30am-5pm; tel 619/236-1212,
). The poste restante, or general delivery, post office is at 2535
Midway Drive, between downtown and Mission Beach (Mon 7am-5pm, Tues-Fri
8am-5pm, Sat 8am-4pm; tel 1-800/275-8777; zip code 92138).
Wherever you are in San Diego, you'll have few problems
finding somewhere to eat good food in a fun atmosphere at reasonable
prices. Everything from crusty coffee shops to stylish ethnic
restaurants is in copious supply, with seafood at its best around
Mission Beach and the Gaslamp District, and the latter home to the
greatest concentration of restaurants, aimed at both tourists and locals
alike.
Anthony's Star of the Sea Room 1360 N Harbor Drive, downtown tel
619/232-7408. Pricey Franco-California-style preparations of seafood,
justly famed for its freshness and variety, served on a terrace on the
waterfront.
Bella Luna 748 5th Ave, downtown tel 619/239-3222. This romantic, moon-adorned
restaurant serves up wonderful, familiar Italian dishes to a relaxed
artsy crowd.
Berta's 3928 Twiggs St, Old Town tel 619/295-2343. A far cry from the
area's many touristy Mexican restaurants, offering low-priced, authentic
cooking from all over Latin America.
Café 222 222 Island Ave at 2nd Ave, downtown tel 619/236-9902.
Industrially decorated café serving some of the city's best breakfasts
and lunches - mainly fresh twists on staples like sandwiches, burgers
and salads - and at reasonable prices. Open daily 7am-1.45pm.
Chilango's Mexican Grill 142 University Ave, Hillcrest tel 619/294-8646.
Gourmet food for under $8, with solid emphasis on Mexican-vegetarian
cooking. Tiny storefront locale is popular with locals and packed to the
rafters in the evenings.
Crest Café 425 Robinson Ave, Hillcrest tel 619/295-2510. Old-fashioned
American staples at low prices, with a fair selection of homemade
desserts.
Croce's Restaurant and Jazz Bar 802 5th Ave, downtown tel 619/233-4355.
Devoted to the life and work of folk-rock troubadour Jim Croce, with a
pricey but excellent range of pastas and salads; the Sunday jazz brunch
is renowned for its tasty mix of music and munchies.
Filippi's Pizza Grotto 1747 India St at Date St, Little Italy tel
619/232-5094. Great pizzas and a handful of scrumptious pasta dishes
served in a convivial small room at the back of a Little Italy grocery.
Fio's Cucina Italiana 801 5th Ave at F St, downtown tel 619/234-3467.
Stylish, high-priced Italian cuisine aimed for business clientele and
special events.
Ichiban 1449 University Ave, Hillcrest tel 619/299-7203. A good spot to
enjoy quality, reasonably priced Japanese cuisine, and especially good
for combo platters.
Kono's 704 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach tel 858/483-1669. Crowded, tourist-centric
place for breakfast or lunch on the boardwalk. Serves inexpensive, hefty
portions of eggs, sandwiches, hamburgers and other all-American
favorites.
Living Room Coffeehouse 1010 Prospect St, La Jolla tel 858/459-1187.
Great sandwiches, soups, quiches and pastries in a living room-like
setting - a bit comfier than its other three San Diego locations.
Mexican Village Restaurant 120 Orange Ave, Coronado tel 935/435-1822.
Good for cheap, south-of-the-border staples and renowned for its
authentic music and mind-numbing margaritas.
Mission Café and Coffeehouse 3795 Mission Blvd, Mission Beach tel
858/488-9060. Mexican breakfasts and lunch offerings, plus beer,
specialty coffees, shakes and smoothies. Open late.
Point Loma Seafoods 2805 Emerson St, Ocean Beach tel 619/223-1109. Fast,
inexpensive counter serving San Diego's freshest fish'n'chips and
oversized sandwiches. Often crowded, especially on weekends.
Sammy's 770 4th Ave, just outside of Horton Plaza tel 619/230-8888.
California cuisine in a Mediterranean-style atmosphere. Pizza, pasta,
salads, seafood and chicken are the highlights, along with local
favorites like rich, messy sundaes.
Taste of Thai 527 University Ave, Hillcrest tel 619/291-7525. Terrific
Thai for reasonable prices in the center of Hillcrest; expect a wait on
weekends.
Although San Diego's money is lavished on classical
music, opera and theater (half-priced tickets and information available
at the Times Arts Tix booth at 28 Horton Plaza; tel 619/497-5000), the
crowds flock to beachside discos and boozy music venues . For full
listings, pick up the free San Diego Reader from numerous shops, bars
and cafés around town.
Blind Melons 710 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach tel 858/483-7844. College-oriented
spot with live rock, blues and reggae bands nightly.
Blue Tattoo 835 Fifth Ave, downtown tel 619/238-7191. Stylish debauchery
with ass-shaking tunes, "foam parties" with copious bubbles, and a
snooty door policy that keeps slackers at bay. Make sure to come clad in
your hippest clubwear.
Café Lulu 419 F St, downtown tel 619/238-0114. A popular coffee bar
that's good for late-night kibbitzing and consuming a wide range of java
concoctions.
Café Sevilla 555 4th Ave, downtown tel 619/233-5979. Traditional Spanish
cuisine upstairs, hip Latin American-flavored dance club downstairs.
Brings in a trendy European crowd.
The Casbah 2501 Kettner Blvd, downtown tel 619/232-4355. Fun,
unpretentious hangout with a varying roster of blues, funk, reggae and
indie bands.
Emerald City 945 Garnet Ave, Pacific Beach tel 858/483-9920. Lively
disco with drink specials at weekends, and the popular underworld
industrial and Gothic night on Sun.
The Flame 3780 Park Blvd, Hillcrest tel 619/295-4163. The city's premier
lesbian club, with pool tables and dancing, and live musical acts from
early evening to early morning. Tuesday becomes "Boys' Night."
Gas Haus 640 F St, downtown tel 619/232-5866. Alcohol-free café with
eclectic decor and stocked with teens, students and aging hippies.
Lounge on deep-set couches or take in a casual game of pool.
La Jolla Brewing Company 7536 Fay Ave, La Jolla tel 858/456-2739. One of
the few decent choices for nightlife in this buttoned-down burg, with
tasty microbrewed beer and surfboard decor.
Red Fox Room 2223 El Cajon Blvd, near Hillcrest tel 619/297-1313. A
retro piano bar and steak joint with a swell atmosphere of mellow
newcomers and boozy old-timers.
Rich's 1051 University Ave, Hillcrest tel 619/295-2195. Gay club with
heavy dance beats Fri and Sat, and more casual "Hedonism" night on Thurs,
with house music and tribal rhythms.
Winston's Beach Club 1921 Bacon St, Ocean Beach tel 619/222-6822. A
former bowling alley, this local club has rock bands most nights, with
occasional reggae and 1960s-style acts as well. Close to the pier.
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