San Diego—America’s Finest City

  1. Going out.  The night life in San Diego takes place in a couple of areas of town.  Primarily, bars and clubs, as well as restaurants and some movies are in the Gaslamp District, which is downtown.  Some of the restaurants are pricier but the clubs and bars most people talk about are down there and appeal to the twenties crowd.  A huge hotspot of nightlife as well as daytime revelry is Pacific Beach.  The PB Bar and Grille is one of the best-known hang-outs.  There are tons of shops, cafes, affordable restaurants and people to watch during the day as well.  There is also some nightlife in Hillcrest, though it is of a different sort.  Most of the population is Gay men, but others hang out there too.  There are many good restaurants, and some clubs.  The two closest movie theaters to SDSU are the AMCs at Mission Valley and Fashion Valley malls.  If you still have a student ID card, use it to get a student pass.  It will save you money.  I recommend the milkshakes at Ruby’s, located in the mall adjacent to the Mission Valley AMC. 

Concerts are a fun way to get out in San Diego.  The Belly-up tavern in Solana Beach is schlep, but some of the shows are worth it.  Fourth and B is downtown and has great music come through.  There are also huge venues, such as Cox Arena and the Open Air Theater (both at SDSU) and Coors Apitheater and the Sports Arean which bring everything from the Rolling Stones to Limp Bizkit and from Elvis Costello to Dave Matthews.

  1. There are fun touristy things to do in San Diego, and I recommend at least sampling them.  Balboa Park has a ton of museums, ranging from science and model trains to natural history and art.  They also have Shakespeare in the Park and other theatrical things.  Balboa park is also home to the San Diego Zoo, a frizbee golf course, lawn bowling, hiking trails, and other fun things I haven’t discovered.  Other things to visit include: the Wild Animal Park, Seaworld, Belmont Park, Coronado, and Torrey Pines.
  2. Who could accurately describe San Diego without the beaches?  Ocean Beach, Mission Beach, and Pacific Beach are the main three, and each has a distinctive personality you will discover within your first few visits.  Further north is La Jolla Shores and Torrey Pines.  I have heard about Black’s Beach, but never been—leave your bathingsuit at home if you go.  The first three beaches I mentioned are built up, which means you will see all kinds of people, be able to buy food and beverages just a block in, and occasionally feel like you are walking through someone’s front yard.  The other two are not far from civilization—nothing is in San Diego—but are a little more peaceful.  All are generally populated on a nice day.  If you ever want to do a bonfire on a weekend, I recommend arriving to reserve your pit at 10am.

 

The Best Of San Diego….

·        Best restaurant to take Freshmen to: Souplantation

·        Best off-campus pizza: Bronx Pizza, Hillcrest

·        Best pizza near campus: Woodstocks on El Cajon

·        Friendliest kosher caterer/bakery ever: Bill at Lang’s

·        Best sunsets: Torrey Pines

·        Cheapest Gas: Arco on 63rd and El Cajon

·        Best Tourist attraction: San Diego Wild Animal Park

·        Best place to buy cheap gimmicks and prizes: 99 cent store on Baltimore and El Cajon

·        Hugest grocery store known to man: Ralph’s in La Jolla

·        Definitely worth a try: In and Out Burger.  A true California adventure.

·        Amazing natural beauty: Anza Borrego Desert (just go east on the 8).

·        Strangest eating experience: Buca DiBeppo.

 

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