Page 78 - 2023-2024 Travel Guide to California

POINT LOMA LIGHTHOUSE in Cabrillo National
Park, above; Coronado Bridge at dusk, right;
hamadryas baboon grooming her baby, San
Diego Zoo, opposite top; LEGOLAND Castle
Hotel, Carlsbad, opposite below.
INSIDER’S TIP
Tony Awards. Its most famous tenant, the
San Diego Zoo, recently opened the Wildlife
Explorers Basecamp with four unique habi-
tats: Rainforest, Wild Woods, Marsh
Meadows and Desert Dunes—featuring the
wildlife that live in these areas.
San Diego is exceptionally pet
friendly, even at the beach.
Though dogs are banned from
most public beaches, they can
race from sand to sea at a few
specific spots. Some say the
section of the public beach
beside the MISSION BAY JETTY in
Ocean Beach was San Diego’s
original dog playground, and it’s
still one of the most popular in
the county. Nearby FIESTA
ISLAND is beloved by dogs and
their human companions for its
great expanse of sand edging
Mission Bay. You can count on
finding lots of large, active
canines here. The north end of
CORONADO’S BEACH has signs
showing the designated off-
leash area. DEL MAR’S CITY
BEACH, near the Del Mar Race
Track, is open to canines from
Labor Day until mid-June.
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.
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 Victor-
ian, Baroque and Frontier buildings. Petco
Park, downtown’s baseball stadium,
anchors the East Village filled with condo
complexes, cafés and the 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
76 2023-24 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
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 LGBTQ+ 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.
The Great Outdoors
Surfers, swimmers, boaters and anglers all
play in and on the Pacific Ocean, from Im-
perial 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 Ocean Beach,
Pacific Beach and dozens of small patches of
sand with gnarly waves just offshore.
East and north of the city center, the
landscape gives way to rolling foothills and
canyons. Lakes and reservoirs offer fresh-
water fishing and tranquility. The vast
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, home of
S.BORISOV/SHUTTERSTOCK; SEAN XU/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: BILL CHIZEK/SHUTTERSTOCK; EQROY/SHUTTERSTOCK