Page 134 - 2017 Travel Guide to California

SAN DIEGO’S SPANISH COLONIAL
Revival railway station opened in March
1915 as the Santa Fe Depot, right; strolling
along the Point Loma hillside at the
Cabrillo National Monument, opposite top;
the Unconditional Surrender statue at the
USS Midway, opposite below.
INSIDER’S
»
TIP
Everybody has to eat some time,
even the Nobel-award winning
scientists and acclaimed
academics at San Diego’s
research centers and
universities. Some institutional
cafeterias and restaurants open
to the public rival the views and
cuisine at neighborhood hot
spots. THE SALK CAFE at the
architecturally stunning Salk
Institute for Biological Studies
overlooking the open sea offers
a daily lunch menu aimed at
pleasing a polyglot assemblage,
with Indian, Asian, Vegan and
good old American burgers
priced for student budgets.
CAROLINE’S SEASIDE CAFE at the
Scripps Institute of
Oceanography serves up
blueberry pancakes,
sandwiches, salads and
enchiladas overlooking La Jolla
Shores and research vessels
moored by the Scripps Pier.
Wild canyons and Mission Bay
provide the backdrop for the
University of San Diego’s
LA GRAN TERRAZA’s elegant
GRAND DINING ROOM. Business
dress is in order inside, but the
terrace is more casual and the
$15 buffet lunch is a steal, while
the Wednesday night Prime Rib
buffet fuels hungry students
when the parents are around.
Beach Towns
The coast between the Mexican border (18
miles south of downtown) and Oceanside is
lined with beach towns. Each has a unique
character, from Ocean Beach’s hippie vibe to
classy La Jolla’s Mediterranean ambience.
Beloved by surfers and escapists with suffi-
cient wherewithal, a series of small
communities line the coast north of La
Jolla’s Torrey Pines State Reserve.
modernist condo complexes, trendy shops
and gourmet restaurants helmed by top
chefs. As the hub of San Diego’s sophisti-
cated nightlife scene, the entire downtown
now pulses with energy day and night.
The urban core continues uptown
through Bankers Hill and Hillcrest, the
lively heart of the LGBT community. Over
the past decade, the former Naval Training
Center, now called Liberty Station, has
evolved into a mini-town with stores,
offices, galleries, schools and the Liberty
Public Market occupying the base’s
Spanish Colonial-style former commissary
building. Abundant open space makes
Liberty Station the perfect spot for art shows,
family gatherings and special events.
City & Town
San Diego’s cosmopolitan downtown
encompasses several hip neighborhoods.
The historic Gaslamp Quarter’s picturesque
streets are packed with classy restaurants
and clubs in restored 19th-century Victo-
rian, Baroque and Frontier buildings. Petco
Park, downtown’s baseball stadium,
anchors the East Village filled with condo
complexes, cafés and a stunning Central
Library. Little Italy managed to hold on to
some venerable pizza parlors, bakeries and
bars while evolving from a simple Italian
community into an urban enclave with
The Great Outdoors
Surfers, swimmers, boaters and anglers all
play in and on the Pacific Ocean, from
Imperial Beach near the Mexican border
north to Oceanside and the Marine base at
Camp Pendleton. Snorkeling is especially
good at La Jolla Cove, while surfers prefer
JORG HACKEMANN/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: DANCESTROKES/SHUTTERSTOCK; KAN_KHAMPANYA/SHUTTERSTOCK
132 2017 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A