Welcome to San Diego!
Yes, it's Nearly Always Sunny and 70
The Coronado Bridge stretches across San Diego Bay.
Yes it's always sunny, in the 70s and sits right on the California coastal.
It's San Diego, and even the name brings about feelings of warmth, good times and smiles.
San Diego one of the
most beautiful cities on the West Coast, a combination of a large, vibrant metropolis with a small-town feel.
This is an overall guide to the city – what it's like, how
to get around, where to stay and more.
You're Here! Now what!?
The Gaslamp Quarter is the centerpiece of downtown San Diego.
San Diego is in southern Southern California, two hours below Los Angeles and just a half-hour from the Mexican border. The airport – Lindbergh
Field – is so close to downtown, people often get wide-eyed on
approach because the planes come in at almost eye-level to the buildings.
The city can seem both compact – San Diego Bay, Coronado, Balboa Park and Old
Town are within minutes of downtown - and spread out. It would take
a month to see all of San Diego, as it runs from Mexico to the North
County beach towns of Cardiff by the Sea and Encinitas.
 For those on a short schedule, downtown is where San Diego the city shines the most.
It's the
city's heartbeat, pulsating with the dining, drinking and shopping spots
of the Gaslamp Quarter. This has just about everything one needs anywhere – shopping at Horton Plaza, cozy European-style restaurants with patio seating, live music venues, pubs and clubs.
It's an easy walk to the massive Convention
Center and shopping-heavy Seaport Village. The Padres play in Petco Park, located at the edge of the Gaslamp.
Horton Plaza is the Gaslamp's multi-level shopping center.
Coronado is across the big
bride that serves as the skyline backdrop. Balboa Park is just east
of downtown and the beach cities are to the north.
For city novices, the San Diego Trolley Tour ($34, pickup at Horton
Plaza) is a good orientation guide. Like the London double-decker buses,
it allows for on-and-off privileges at any of its nine stops, plus the
drivers are informative and humorous. This is different than the city-operated
trolleys; they run on tracks, not the streets.
Coronado Beach is across the bridge from downtown.
The main areas of San Diego are briefly described below on Surfside Sam and our sister site, PubClub.com:
• Gaslamp
Quarter/Downtown. The heartbeat of San Diego's city scene.
Restaurants, bars, clubs, pubs, shops and Petco Park baseball
stadiu fill a 16 1/2-block area of downtown.
• Pacific
Beach. Where the party meets the Pacific. A classic California
beach town where surfing is the passion and bars are the pastime.
• Del
Mar. Known mainly for its horse racing track, there's much more to this Pacific paradise than just the ponies.
• La Jolla.San Diego's jewel, this cliff-hanging town is upscale, has a great snorkeling spot, restaurants with great views and even a nude beach.
• Ocean Beach.This mellow beach is where 60's hippies hang out, and where tourists go for the Hodad's burgers.
• Old Town and Mission Valley. Old Town is the original
San Diego community – indeed, the birthplace of California –
that today is mostly Mexican shops and restaurants. Mission Valley is
a business area that encompasses Qualcomm Stadium, where the Super Bowl
was once played.
Transportation
The main North/South freeway is I-5. It ends at the U.S./Mexico border.
Interstate 8 runs East/West and heads to the beaches. There are other
freeways – the 805 also runs North/South, farther inland from "the
5" for instance, but these are the main roads. Downtown is off
the Civic Center exit. Harbor Drive runs along the downtown harbor and
to the airport.
Rush-hour traffic can be brutal, especially at the 5/805 interchange
in North County.
San Diego does have public transportation. Buses run
to Old Town, Mission Valley, Mexico, Coronado and Balboa Park. The very
cool trolley system goes to Mexico and Old Town, Mission Valley
and Qualcomm. Check in at the Trolly Store at Broadway and 1st for schedules
and such. There is no public transportation to/from Pacific Beach and
downtown.
The sunsets along the man beaches in San Diego are stunning.
 Related Article: La Jolla
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