Page 118 - 2015 Travel Guide to California

SAN DIEGO
COUNTY
Warm sunshine, theme parks,
museums and miles of sand and sea
TOP CITIES
San Diego, Coronado, Chula Vista, La Jolla, Del Mar,
Encinitas, Solana Beach, Carlsbad, Oceanside,
Escondido, El Cajon, Julian, Borrego Springs
INTERNATIONAL GATEWAY
San Diego International Airport (SAN), also known as
Lindbergh Field, is conveniently located on the edge of
downtown
TOURISM WEBSITES
sandiego.org
lajollabythesea.com
coronadovisitorcenter.com
delmarmainstreet.com
visitcarlsbad.com
visitoceanside.com
POPULATION
3 million
SAN
DIEGO
COUNTY
116 2015 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A
B Y M A R I B E T H M E L L I N
A s you bask in San Diego’s warm sunshine, consider your options
for fun and illumination. Beyond all its outdoor attractions, San
Diego has a rich cultural and intellectual soul. Writers, artists,
musicians and scientists conjure ideas while surfing at La Jolla Shores or
jogging in Mission Bay Park. The Old Globe and La Jolla Playhouse, both
Tony winners, frequently send plays to Broadway. Multiple scientific
landmarks including the Salk Institute and Scripps Institute of Oceanog-
raphy are magnets for some of the world’s brightest minds.
There are so many attractions in downtown alone there’s no chance
you’ll ever be bored. The exciting Gaslamp Quarter, Little Italy and East
Village neighborhoods are packed with restaurants, clubs and shops.
The Embarcadero along San Diego Bay passes by the Maritime Museum
with its iconic Star of India’s tall sails to the sweeping rooftop of the San
Diego Convention Center (a proposed major expansion is under review).
Cruise ships berth at the foot of Broadway, the main artery into down-
town, and passengers flying to the San Diego International Airport pass
over high-rise business towers as they land at the northern edge of
downtown. Hotels of every description and hip-quotient are scattered
throughout the city’s center, making it one of the most desirable places
to stay while exploring the county.
DANCESTROKES/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: VIEW APART/SHUTTERSTOCK; F8GRAPHER/SHUTTERSTOCK