San Diego help and information appreciated!

pjlla

DIS Veteran
Joined
Oct 21, 2003
DD and I are flying to San Diego in September so that she can attend a professional conference. She will be at the conference all day Fri-Sun, but I am not attending so I am thinking about what to do with my days.

I was going to rent a car but I am rethinking that plan, since I can get a shuttle from SAN to our resort for $6/pp. How is the public transportation around San Diego? Would it be an easy ride (as the resort claims) from the "Hotel Circle" area to the San Diego Zoo? How about to the beach? How do the prices work for the public transportation?

I will be renting a car when we leave San Diego, as we are driving to Anaheim :cool1: for a few days at DL. But it would save me about $60 to NOT rent a car while we are in San Diego..... but subtract $6/pp one way for the airport shuttle to get us TO the hotel and then $6/pp for me to get BACK to the airport to get the rental car and I am down to $42 saved. If the public transportation for two or three days costs me that much.... or if it is unreliable/unsafe, I would HAPPILY pay the money for a rental car. I am not afraid to drive in strange cities and I live in a very rural area and I am very used to driving myself everywhere.

Not really interested in SeaWorld or Tijuana or shopping or restaurants, but I love history and exploring new places.... throw the ideas at me! Thanks in advance for your help!..............P
 
I may have answered my own question about public transportation. Just Googled it and it would cost me $4.50 each way to go to the Zoo.... so that is $9 for one day/one person/one excursion. Add another excursion the next day to the beach or a museum and assuming it is another $9. And without a rental car I am without the flexibility to go away from the resort for dinner without taking public transit again. Plus I double checked with my hotel and our block rate for the conference includes parking. Rental car it is!

Could still use help with what to see though! Bring it on!.................P
 
Sounds like you are going with renting a car, which I think is definitely the way to go. I live in San Diego, and our public transport is not great. Since parking is included in your hotel rate, you will love the flexibility of having a car. The zoo is great, and huge. Hotel Circle is not far from the zoo and it's an easy drive. Zoo parking is free. There are a lot of museums in Balboa Park (where the zoo is), so if you are interested in a museum, you could combine that with the zoo, but the zoo really could be a whole day excursion. It just depends on how you want to spend your time. Balboa Park itself could be a whole day or more, and there are some great museums.

The beach is also a very easy drive from Hotel Circle, but figure out which beach you would like to go to. It depends on what you want to do which beach you might prefer. If you want to sit on the sand or go in the water, you would be better off in Pacific Beach, but if you are looking to just enjoy the scenery, La Jolla is beautiful.

Good luck with your planning!
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you! Thank you for confirming that I am doing the RIGHT thing in renting a car.... and for the beach advise. I'm not much for the beach, but MUST dip my toes into the Pacific while I'm there! Hoping I will be able to see both the Pacific and La Jolla!............P
 


You are making a smart move renting a car. Our public transportation is safe and reliable but takes forever for you to get to your destination. For example, I have an 8 minute commute to work. One day I decided to take the bus. I got to work in 40 minute (I live next to the zoo and was going downtown, so very well traveled routes). Having a car will enable you get to where you are going and off the beaten path if you so desire.

As for beaches, Coronado and La Jolla are favorites and rightly so, but I'm a fan of Sunset Cliffs for sunsets.

You are well centered to all staying in Hotel Circle. Have fun!
 
If you love history and exploring, I would suggest Old Town and The Presidio. Both are great areas to walk around and explore with a lot of history. Both are very close to Hotel Circle.
 
When we go back, I will drive down to the Harbor Cruise area and park there. Then take a 1 or 2 hour cruise of the harbor - a great way to see sights and know what you are looking at, and we've loved it every time we've gone. Then see the USS Midway and the Star of India, and have lunch at Anthonys Fish Grotto. We've done that a few times over the years, and have loved that day of our trip. Great sightseeing and people watching.

Another day would be La Jolla - visit Scripps Park, the beach and have lunch and shop around town.
 


San Diego native here. Absolutely go with renting a car; public transportation is not very good. I agree that if you like history, visit Old Town as well as the museums in Balboa Park. Beautiful views at Cabrillo National Monument. You should also check out the mission, Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala. If you are staying in Hotel Circle, Mission Beach is close by. If you do decide to drive up to La Jolla, just be prepared for the traffic.
 
Lots of people have said pretty much all you need. Rent a car. Visit the zoo which is next to balboa park with dozens of museums. Go on Sunday and the cultural houses will be ope. Old town is great. Personally I love la jolla but then I lived there. One place people haven't mentioned is Liberty Station. It's an old military bas turned into a. Park and lots of various indie shops or commercial shops, but the he history and plaques are still there.
 
Thanks for everyone for taking the time to reply! I'm taking notes and getting ready.... but I'm sure I'll have more questions as the trip gets closer!.....P
 
One week away and I STILL haven't fleshed out an itinerary for myself! I will definitely have one full day to myself..... plus part of a second and third day. I will be attending a part of the conference to see DD present her poster one day and then Sunday I will probably not venture too far as I will need to be packing up, checking out, and getting ready for the drive to Anaheim.

I would love to see La Jolla, but not if the traffic is going to be a nightmare. I want to see beautiful beach scenery and would love to dip my toes or go wading, but I do NOT need a "swimming and sunning" type of beach.... and the less people the better.....although I'd love to see surfers!

The USS Midway was a great suggestion! Thanks @ahutton.... plus the suggestion for the harbor cruise is great! Quick way to see a lot! The Presidio sounds like something the history-lover in me would like. I see that there is a snorkeling tour of La Jolla Cove that is really affordable. Anyone familiar with it??

Okay.... still open for ideas and suggestions! ................P
 

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