[SIZE=2.4em]36 Hours in San Diego[/SIZE]
Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times
By
BROOKS BARNES Published: September 4, 2008IF
San Diego feels half empty, that's because it is. At any given time, swarms of residents have decamped a few miles south to
Mexico or a few miles north to upscale resort towns. Also, the Navy is the area's largest employer, so a sizable chunk is presumably floating around on aircraft carriers somewhere. Is it any wonder, then, that the town leans so heavily on big tourist attractions (Shamu, the zoo)? A deeper look, however, will reveal more personality than you think. A necklace of quirky, sun-kissed neighborhoods rings downtown, from
surferhangouts like Pacific Beach to gentrifying neighborhoods like University Heights. Restaurants are flourishing, too. There is even an emphasis on preserving history, which, for Southern California, is a headline in itself.
Friday
5 p.m.
1) EASE ON DOWN
There's no better indoctrination to San Diego's laid-back style than a stroll along the Embarcadero, a two-mile stretch of downtown waterfront where a gentle sea breeze will lull you into a zombie-like state in no time. The decommissioned aircraft carrier Midway sits nearby and can be admired from Tuna Harbor Park, a shady nook next to the touristy but tasty Fish Market (750 North Harbor Drive; 619-232-3474;
www.thefishmarket.com). Warning: Skip Seaport Village, a
shopping plaza on the boardwalk, unless you're into pushy pedicab drivers and shops that sell obnoxious T-shirts.
7:30 p.m.
2) GASLAMP GLAMOUR
Much energy and money have been spent gussying up the Gaslamp Quarter, a 16-block downtown neighborhood that was once an archetype of urban blight. The jumble of frat bars is still rather depressing, but several boutique hotels have opened attractive lounges and restaurants. Avoid the W with its hipper-than-thou staff and head to the sleek but comfy
Ivy (600 F Street; 619-814-1000;
www.ivyhotel.com). Hollywood bigwigs roost there when attending Comic-Con, the annual comic-book convention and movie marketing extravaganza in July. The Ivy's restaurant,
Quarter Kitchen, tries a little hard — the hostesses are hilariously outfitted in full-length shimmery gowns — but the menu (by Damon Gordon, formerly head chef for Ian Schrager's constellation of hotels) and modern décor have A-list locals practically moving in. The caviar tacos with horseradish cream ($26) are a favorite but don't overlook the Code 7 ($10), a trio of chocolate glazed, jelly and cinnamon-sugared doughnuts.
10 p.m.
3) CULTURE CLASH
How adventurous are you feeling? If the answer is not very, then perhaps top off the night with a sashay through the Ivy's multilevel nightclub, Envy. For the stronger at heart, there is the Casbah, as in “Rock the ...” Conjuring the 1982 hit from the English punk rockers Clash, the
Casbah (2501 Kettner Boulevard; 619-232-4355;
www.casbahmusic.com) is a venerable, if a tad dingy,
music club where Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins and the Lemonheads cultivated an audience. Don't be frightened by the scull-and-cross-guitars logo; the club also features more mainstream acts à la Alanis Morissette.
Saturday
8:30 a.m.
4) GREENSWARD GIANT
No visit to San Diego is complete without taking in
Balboa Park (1549 El Prado; 619-239-0512;
www.balboapark.org), the 1,200-acre public park that is home to the Old Globe theater, a gargantuan outdoor pipe organ and a half-dozen major museums. A morning walk or jog along the park's central thoroughfare is a perfect way to experience it. If some of those Spanish Baroque Revival buildings look familiar, it's because they starred as Xanadu, the over-the-top estate in “Citizen Kane.”
10 a.m.
5) CALIFORNIA PAST
Tucked in an easy-to-miss enclave just north of downtown, Old Town (
www.oldtownsandiego.org) offers a peek into what life was like in San Diego when agave plants still outnumbered people. Start at the
Old Town Mexican Café (2489 San Diego Avenue; 619-297-4330;
www.oldtownmexcafe.com), where the “tortilla ladies,” visible through giant windows, can be seen frantically hand-rolling corn and flour tortillas, some 7,000 on a busy day, the restaurant says. Don't stop to eat: those tortillas are better seen than tasted. Rather, wander into the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park (
www.parks.ca.gov/?page_ID=663) to explore exhibitions like the 143-year-old Mason Street School, a one-room shack decorated with pictures of schoolmarms past. Shops scattered around the Old Town grounds sell the wares of local crafts makers. Large glazed ceramic tiles ($120 to $200) are big sellers.
Noon
6) TACO TREAT
This is a desert, after all, and the sun can be exhausting. Recharge at
Casa de Reyes, a traditional Mexican restaurant at the Plaza del Pasado (2754 Calhoun Street; 619-220-5040;
www.plazadelpasado.com). Tucked behind a luscious flower
garden, the open-air but breezy restaurant provides a festive atmosphere with folkloric dancers and a mariachi band. Sit by the burbling fountain and try the tacos, preferably stuffed with crispy-edged carnitas ($9.95.).
1:30 p.m.
7) BEACH BOUND
There are dozens of
beaches, but none are more authentic than Ocean Beach, a funky surfers' haven that has stayed frozen in time because of strict zoning rules from the 1970s. Wander through the stuffed-to-the-rafters
Ocean Beach Antique Mall (4926 Newport Avenue; 619-223-6170;
www.obantiquedistrict.com). The sidewalk along Newport Avenue, the main drag, is an attraction in itself. As part of a business district improvement effort, the community sells inscribed sidewalk tiles to anybody with $125 and a printable message. The results are oddly touching. (“Jeff Loves Rosie.”) O.B. is a locals' favorite, so you might feel conspicuous without a surfboard or bare feet. Just call everyone dude and you'll be fine.
4 p.m.
8) SALTY SEA AIR
Just to the south of the Ocean Beach Pier is a newly constructed concrete path that leads to one of Southern California's most spectacular stretches of shoreline.
Sunset Cliffs(
www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/shoreline/sunset.shtml) spans 68 acres. Stretch out on the grass, fly a kite (as many locals do) or explore the bluffs and tidal pools.
6:30 p.m.
9) DINNER AT A DINER
You've sampled one of San Diego's new haute restaurants, now go the other way and check out one of the diners that locals gush over.
Hash House a Go Go (3628 Fifth Avenue; 619-298-4646;
www.hashhouseagogo.com), promises “twisted farm food.” It's mobbed at breakfast and lunch but more manageable at dinner. Try the griddled chili crusted
Indiana maple duck breasts ($24). Little ones in tow? Then the ticket is the tricked-out
Corvette (3946 Fifth Avenue; 619-542-1476;
www.cohnrestaurants.com), where beehive-coiffed waitresses hand out square pieces of Bazooka Bubble Gum to ease the wait for a table.
9 p.m.
10) THE FOX ROCKS
If the Regal Beagle, the pub from the 1970s TV sitcom “Three's Company” ever had a twin, this would be it. Except that the
Red Fox Steak House (2223 El Cajon Boulevard; 619-297-1313) is also a piano bar. Dimly lighted with red Naugahyde booths, the lounge at the Red Fox attracts a diverse crowd from hipsters to elderly couples. Everybody sings along after a couple of drinks. Give the adjacent dining room a peek; the room was originally built in 1642 in
England but was dismantled and shipped to California in 1926 by the actress Marion Davies, who used it as part of a summer home.
Sunday
10 a.m.
11) IF THEY BUILD IT
Tour the hot and dusty
San Diego Zoo if you must. The preferable option, especially for families with younger children, is
Legoland (1 Legoland Drive; Carlsbad; 760-918-5346;
www.legoland.com). No lines, immaculate grounds and a surprising lack of pressure to buy souvenirs. This is an amusement park? Come before the masses discover it (annual attendance is about a million compared with nearly four million for the zoo). The 128-acre park focuses on interactive, educational attractions like the new Lost Kingdom Adventure, a ride themed around recovering hidden treasure in 1920s
Egypt. For Lego fans — admit it, they're not just for kids — the park features a cavernous store that sells hard-to-find sets as well as little colored bricks in bulk ($7.99 for a quarter pound).
