Cove Skateboard
Park
3SAN DIEGO
EXPLORE > See San Diego’s skyline and naval history
along downtown’s Embarcadero, a waterfront
pathway leading to the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier
Museum ($17 for adults; $9 for ages 6 to 17). Take
trolleys, trains or buses to other attractions. Don’t
miss Balboa Park, with 15 museums and the famous
San Diego Zoo. Experience the city’s Hispanic heritage
at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, a site that
commemorates California’s first Spanish settlement. You’ll
find restored adobes, mariachi music and hand-rolled
tortillas. Old Town Mexican Cafe is a local favorite for fresh
food. For cheaper south-of-the-border fare, head to Rubio’s
Fresh Mexican Grill (there are several in San Diego), and order
a Baja-style fish taco, the specialty of the house.
STAY > The new Hilton San Diego Bayfront has a spa and saltwater
pool; rooms start at $180 per night ( hilton.com). It’s smack in the
middle of dynamic downtown—across from Petco Park, where baseball’s
Padres play, and near the Gaslamp Quarter and the pretty-in-pastels Horton Plaza
shopping center. Across the bridge from downtown, Loews Coronado Bay Resort is
relaxing and quiet, with a laid-back, private-island feel. Surrounded by both bay and
ocean, it’s great for jet skiing and sailing adventures, and teens will love the Guitar
Hero World Tour competitions in the ultra-cool PBteen lounge, which also has movies
and iPod-ready rockin’ chairs. Nightly rates start at $199 ( loewshotels.com).
SNORKEL > The water is crystal clear at La Jolla Cove, part of a protected ecological
preserve. Look for brightly colored fish, rays and coral, and sometimes seals and
harmless leopard sharks. Rent snorkel or kayak equipment on Prospect Street, two
blocks away. Or ask about surfing lessons in the area. And don’t forget to save time
for window shopping and gallery hopping in downtown La Jolla.
SKATE > San Diego is heaven for Rollerbladers and skateboarders—after all, Tony
Hawk is a hometown legend. Kids can zoom along paved paths on Mission Beach,
stopping at Belmont Park for a ride on the Giant Dipper coaster ($6). Or head to one
of the skate parks in Coronado, Oceanside or Ocean Beach, for X Games-style fun.
WHALE WATCH > Besides being home to star orca Shamu, Sea World brings you
face to face with adorable belugas in the Wild Arctic exhibition; 1-day admission, $65,
ages 10 and up; seaworld.com. To glimpse whales in the wild, head to the Cabrillo
National Monument lighthouse, on Point Loma Peninsula; from December through
mid-March, you can spot gray whales migrating to Baja.
INFO > jXe[`\^f%fi^
Torrey Pines
State Reserve
S
s an Diego
kyline
USS
Midway
Aircraft
Carrier
Gaslamp
Quarter
Ocotillo in
Anza-Borrego
Desert State Park
[SCENIC ROUTE]
San Diego to Anza-Borrego
Desert State Park Hike
through California’s largest
State Park ( parks.ca.gov).
DISTANCE: 90 MILES EAST
Sights to See » Wildflowers: The
desert is awash in color every March.
Palm Canyon Trail: This rugged 3-mile
pathway leads to palm groves,
waterfalls, swimming holes and rock
grottoes. Wildlife: Big-horned sheep,
roadrunners, iguanas, mule deer and
golden eagles all call this place home.
(continued)
Photos: Courtesy of Joanne DiBona (La Jolla
Cove); Michael L. Peck/Jupiter Images (bird).
