Whitestripe Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Ok good people of the board, we're having a 7-day family reunion of sorts in San Diego at the end of the month. It's the Stripe Family (me, husband, skunkling age 11 and skunkling age 9) plus Auntie and Uncle Stripe, Stripe cousins ages 12 and 15, and Grandparents Stripe (ages 75 and 81). We are renting a condo on Mission Beach with room for all, and renting enough vehicles for each smaller unit to do individual activities. (Grandpa Stripe is pretty spy but a bit of a curmudgeon and will participate in some activity, but may be content to sit on his balcony while the rest of us go on an adventure) What do we do? We have no real interest in big ticket items such as Sea World or Legoland, but kayaking/canoeing/art museums/aquariums are good. Roller coasters are ok too. (It seems as though there is some sort of adventure park on Mission Beach) What's not to be missed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercenaryChef Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 at some point ditch the kiddies and go to little italy to the ballast point tasting room. 3 four ounce pours for $5!!! kair and i had 21 different beers there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manhole Eunuchsbane Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 San Diego Zoo is top notch. Not cheap, but well worth the coin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry of the Lawn Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Ok good people of the board, we're having a 7-day family reunion of sorts in San Diego at the end of the month. It's the Stripe Family (me, husband, skunkling age 11 and skunkling age 9) plus Auntie and Uncle Stripe, Stripe cousins ages 12 and 15, and Grandparents Stripe (ages 75 and 81). We are renting a condo on Mission Beach with room for all, and renting enough vehicles for each smaller unit to do individual activities. (Grandpa Stripe is pretty spy but a bit of a curmudgeon and will participate in some activity, but may be content to sit on his balcony while the rest of us go on an adventure) What do we do? We have no real interest in big ticket items such as Sea World or Legoland, but kayaking/canoeing/art museums/aquariums are good. Roller coasters are ok too. (It seems as though there is some sort of adventure park on Mission Beach) What's not to be missed?There's an amusement park at mission beach, and.then Wild Animal Park in Escondido (zoo affiliated) in North east county. La Jolla Cove has awesome kayaking, guided tours available. Balboa Park (next to the zoo) is beautiful, especially the greenhouse / botanical garden.Eta: mission beach / bay, Pacific beach and la Jolla are all very bikeable.and relatively flat, if the kids like to bike or skate you'll have a blast. Look out for Slo-mo o. the boardwalk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitestripe Posted July 1, 2015 Author Share Posted July 1, 2015 San Diego Zoo is top notch. Not cheap, but well worth the coin. Is the zoo still good? I know it used to be one of the best in the country, but has it kept up with the times? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manhole Eunuchsbane Posted July 1, 2015 Share Posted July 1, 2015 Is the zoo still good? I know it used to be one of the best in the country, but has it kept up with the times? I must admit the last time I went was roughly 10 years ago, but it was still the most impressive zoo I've ever been to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitestripe Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 Eta: mission beach / bay, Pacific beach and la Jolla are all very bikeable.and relatively flat, if the kids like to bike or skate you'll have a blast. Look out for Slo-mo o. the boardwalk.Bikes, check. We all love to bike. I assume you can rent kid-size bikes and helmets? We're flying from the other side of the country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starkess Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Zoo is still good. I'm a grown woman and I try to go at least once a year, I can only imagine as a kid how awesome it would be. I've never actually been to the Birch Aquarium, but it's supposed to be awesome. When my parents were out here that was the one thing they really wanted to do (they went while I was at work). If you like hiking, I'd recommend Cowles Mountain. It's not too long but still challenging (doable for kids, I'd say, I see them there a lot) and offers some amazing views of the city, the park, even out the water and the headland. No shade though so wear sunscreen and bring water! Balboa Park has a lot to offer. There are some hiking trails there, although they are along the canyons so pretty but not much for views, and also a ton of more leisurely walking trails. Plus the park center has a gazillion museums and some really neat architecture and little nooks and crannies. You'll see some great sunsets from Mission Beach, but if you are in the area I'd recommend trying to see one at Sunset Cliffs or the Scripps Coastal Reserve. Also those are both just neat places to check out the ocean. Cabrillo National Monument is out on the end of Point Loma and is relatively cheap to enter. There is an old lighthouse there and some WWII bunkers and other neat historical items to check out, but the real kicker is an insane view that is about 300 degrees of ocean. And you can drive right up so no hiking required! You can also drive down to the tidal pools there, which are pretty neat. And be prepared to stuff your face because everywhere you turn there is delicious delicious food. It's amazing. Except the barbecue. DO NOT try the barbecue! It's a trick. But burritos, sushis, tacos, sandwiches--pretty much everything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli Fury Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 The zoo and the zoo safari park are both AMAZING. Ini and I went a couple years ago. Also check out children's beach in La Jolla to see all the darling seals laying around. And try some pinkberry if you've never had it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inigima Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Yeah what Kay said. Rent a car and drive up to the Safari Park in... I think it's Escondido? It's not a bad drive.Not that you shouldn't go to the regular zoo too, it's also good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry of the Lawn Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Bikes, check. We all love to bike. I assume you can rent kid-size bikes and helmets? We're flying from the other side of the country. Yeah, there's a bike shop in Mission beach about halfway between the south end and grand ave, and also another one right at garnet and mission blvd. They both rented bikes when I lived there, and I know there were a couple of smaller shops that did as well. My favorite mexican food there for breakfast burritos is Senor Cotijas on Garnet Ave, but if you want good chicken tacos go up Mission Blvd a couple blocks to Ramiros. Good seafood on Cass St and Loring, Pacific Beach, at the Fishery, also recommend World Famous Seafood closer to Mission Beach. Both are an easy bike ride from MB. If you're doing a beach day and plan to bring a lunch, I'd recommend either the park near the roller coaster in MB, or the Law Street Park in Pacific Beach, both are great picnic spots. Same for Kate Sessions (take a car, it's going up Mt. Soledad) - place has some amazing beach views and the softest most comfortable grass on barefeet in So Cal. I'd highly recommend driving up Mt. Soledad to see the views from the Cross -- just follow Fanuel or Cardeno north off of Grand or Garnet, it's a 10 minute drive from Mission Beach and one of the best views in the world. Feel free to PM me, I lived in the MB/PB area in a van, on a boat and at a few apartments for the better part of my 20s and I love that town. \\ ETA: I'd also echo Starkess' Sunset Cliffs rec. It's a 15 minute or less drive from MB, and just beautiful. If you don't mind dodging a $250 ticket, there's a nice 20ft cliff jump just south of the main parking area there. Also, watch the sun set each day you're there if possible, on a calm glassy sea you might even catch the green flash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitestripe Posted July 2, 2015 Author Share Posted July 2, 2015 Sunset Cliffs, check. That sounds like something we can do with my dad. I also think he will enjoy Birch AqariumWe'll probably kayak without him and grandma (who cannot swim and would just hate it anyway) Zoo, check. The great thing about my family is that nobody will have hurt feelings if someone decides NOT to go on a particular outing, as long as we plan *most* of the trip with everyone in mind. All ten of us don't have to do everything, and my parents are perfectly happy to watch the kids for an evening while the middle generation goes out to try those beers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruin Posted July 2, 2015 Share Posted July 2, 2015 Del Mar was my favorite beach to surf at. La Jolla is great too, pretty scenic. PB has some cool local restaurants. If you're going inland, head to Poway. Poway lake has some great trails, and has a really big park. Poway also use to have some cool horse trails, not sure if they have them anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arataniello Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Don't do a day trip to Tijuana, as I did when I went to San Diego many moons ago. The walk from the border into the tourist bit of Tijuana is through some pretty dodgy (it seemed to me at the time) parts of town. You could also nip across to the Hotel del Coronado, where they filmed Some Like it Hot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 I've not been to the zoo as recently as Chats and Starkess, but like ME, I was there about a decade ago, and it was still pretty outstanding. There was a panda who sat and ate bamboo with a massive audience like he was putting on a freaking performance. Sadly, I've heard that another exhibit featuring monkeys and otters together in the same habitat is no longer. Twas the greatest thing I'd ever seen even though the monkeys got absolutely humiliated and dominated by the otters. Starkess - Sorry to be pedantic, but I believe the expression is "grown-ass woman" or so the kids tell me. As larry touched on, you might want to go North up the boardwalk from Mission Beach until you get into Pacific Beach and then head up Garnet when you get there. It's kind a crazy strip with all kinds of cool stuff, though be wary: Pacific Beach is kind of a Never Never Land combined with Odysseus' Isle of the Lotus Eaters. Lots of sedated younger folks who cannot believe why anything should ever change. It's not dangerous per se, but I don't know how much you'd necessarily want to take the skunklings. Mt. Soledad is a good suggestion, and if you're willing to drive up the freeway just a bit, it might be worth going up to La Jolla which has a really cool cove and some cliffs with restaurants and stuff. Would echo Chef on Little Italy and also suggest Old Town which has some really relaxing, traditional Mexican Food places. Now for an utterly shameless suggestion. My alma mater, the University of San Diego, is in a really central location and has an utterly spectacular campus with views and Spanish frescoes harkening back to the mission days. Pics here, here, here (there's your Mission Beach off in the distance), and here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelli Fury Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Oh, I forgot but Balboa Park is ridiculously beautiful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cdawnb Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 All these ideas are great, but one thing you want to keep in mind is that any of the beaches are gong to be very busy this time of year. Give yourself plenty of time to find parking. One time when we went to La Jolla, it took almost 45 minuets just get grab a spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howling Mad Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 For dinner I recommend a trip to World Famous http://www.worldfamouspb.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitestripe Posted July 5, 2015 Author Share Posted July 5, 2015 The good thing about beach parking (if we stay in Mission Beach) is that our rental is on the beach, so we don't have to park. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calibandar Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 SeaWorld was extremely memorable. I would certainly revisit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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