Top 10 San Diego (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)

132 Pages·2007·23.4 MB·English

by  DK Publishing

EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
TOP 10
SAN DIEGO
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
10 0
YOUR GUIDE TO THE 10 BEST OF EVERYTHING
TOP10
SAN DIEGO
PAMELA BARRUS
EYEWITNESS TRAVEL
TT--SSDD_000-00-01-0tit1le-StiDtle.inSdDd . i1ndd 1
Left Villa Montezuma Center Cruiseship liner at San Diego Harbor Right Wild Animal Park
Contents
San Diego’s Top 10
San Diego Highlights 6
Reproduced by Colourscan, Singapore
Printed and bound by South China Gaslamp Quarter 8
Printing Co. Ltd, China.
Embarcadero 10
First American Edition, 2005
07 08 09 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Balboa Park 14
Published in the United States by Old Town State
DK Publishing, Inc.,
Historic Park 22
375 Hudson Street
New York, New York 100141. Coronado 24
Reprinted with revisions 2007
Point Loma 26
Copyright 2005, 2007 ©
Dorling Kindersley Limited, London
Mission San Diego
A Penguin company
All rights reserved under International de Alcalá 28
and Pan-American Copyright
Conventions. No part of this publication SeaWorld 30
may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
La Jolla 32
system, or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic, mechanical,
Tijuana 34
photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without prior written permission of the Moments in History 38
copyright owner. Published in Great
Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. Historic Sites 40
ISSN 1479-344X Museums & Art Galleries 42
ISBN 978-0-75662-488-0
Architectural Highlights 44
Within each Top 10 list in this book, no
hierarchy of quality or popularity is Gardens &
implied. All 10 are, in the editor’s
opinion, of roughly equal merit. Nature Reserves 46
The information in this DK Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide is checked regularly.
Every effort has been made to ensure that this book is as up-to-date as possible at the time of
going to press. Some details, however, such as telephone numbers, opening hours, prices,
gallery hanging arrangements and travel information are liable to change. The publishers
cannot accept responsibility for any consequences arising from the use of this book, nor for
any material on third party websites, and cannot guarantee that any website address in this
book will be a suitable source of travel information. We value the views and suggestions of
our readers very highly. Please write to: Publisher, DK Eyewitness Travel Guides,
Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London, Great Britain WC2R 0RL.
Cover: All photographs specially commissioned except: Alamy David Sanger B/C tc, Joseph Sohm spine;
Corbis Charles Krebs F/C c; Royalty-Free F/C clb, F/C main; Photolibrary.com Indexstock F/C b; Robert
Harding World Imagery B/C l.
2
Contents
Left La Jolla Center Souvenirs at Tijuana Right The Cheese Sho p, Gaslam p Quarter
Stores & Shopping Centers 48 Streetsmart
Performing Arts Venues 50 Planning Your Trip 104
Children’s Attractions 52
Getting to San Die go 105
Restaurants 54
Getting Around
Cafés & Bars 56
San Diego 106
Nightlife 58
Things to Avoid 107
Outdoor Activities 60
Budget Tips 108
Offbeat San Diego 62
Special Needs Tips 109
Beaches 64
Security & Health 110
Festivals 66
Banking &
Communications 111
Around Town
Shopping Tips 112
Downtown San Diego 70
Eating &
Old Town, U ptown,
Accommodation Ti ps 113
& Mission Valle y 78
Southern San Diego 84 Places to Stay 114
Northern San Diego 94 General Index 122
Left California Tower, Balboa Park Right Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Ti juana
Key to abbreviations
3
Adm admission charge Dis. access disabled access
Contents
TT-SD_004-005-dps.indd 4 17/8/07 11:04:09 PM
SAN DIEGO’S
TOP 10
San Diego Highlights
6–7
Gaslamp Quarter
8–9
Embarcadero
10–13
Balboa Park
14–19
Old Town State
Historic Park
22–23
Coronado
24–25
Point Loma
26–27
Mission San Diego
de Alcalá
28–29
SeaWorld
30–31
La Jolla
32–33
Tijuana
34–35
Top Ten of Everything
38–67
TT-SD_004-005-dps.indd 5
SAN DIEGO’S TOP 10
San Diego Highl
Blessed by a sunny c limate that never v
moderate and a splendid settin g along
Diegans can well boast they live the Ca
non-stop outdoor recreation, a vibrant d
class attractions keep the city’s spirit y o
its Spanish beginnings as the birthplace

Ga s l apm Q u a r t e r
! Old-fashioned wrought-iron gas lamps
way to the hottest scene in town. Rocking
and a dazzlin g selection o f restaurants giv
San Diego’s original Victorian downtown (
Em
@ Wi
museu
and su
harbor
ferries
the Em
city to
(see p
Balboa Park & San Diego Zoo
San Diegans take pride in having£
one of the finest urban parks in the
world. Its famous zoo, fascinating
museums, and exquisite gardens offer
endless activities (see pp14–19) .

Co
%Th
recog
fabulous Hotel del Coronado. Coronado’s
Old Town State white sandy
$ Historic Park beaches, s idewalk
The original location and social cafés, and
center of San Diego until 1872, oceanfront
adobe houses , old wood-frame mansions
buildings, and arti facts belong - have enticed
ing to its pioneer families have visitors for over a
been faithfully restored (se e century (see
pp22–3). pp24–5).
6 Previous pages: Façade of La Casa del Padre Serra
San Diego’s Top 10
San Diego de Alcalá
nípero Serra established
n 1769. The first of 21, the
d to Christianize the Native
d affirm Spain’s presence
see pp28–9).
eaWorld
one of the premiere
tions of Southern
rnia, lea ping killer whales,
ing dolphins, and prome-
g sea lion divas entertain
our million visitors a year
pp30–31).

on-dollar seaside villas ,
d elegant restaurants line
this exclusive community,
noted for its prestigious
ceanograp hic research
pp32–3).

Tijuana
) Only 20 minutes south of San Diego
but a whole world awa y, this famous
border town o ffers great shopping and
top-rate d restaurants. And yes, striped
burros and black velvet Elvis paintings
still exist (see pp34–5 ).
7
San Diego’s Top 10
Gaslamp Quarte r
A hip nightlife, trendy restaurants, and unique boutiques
compete for attention in San Die go’s most vibrant
Sign for the William
neighborhood. Alonzo Horton’s 1867 New Tow n (see p38)
Heath Davis House
seemed doomed to the wrecking ball in the 1970s, but a
civic revitalization program transformed the dilapidated area into a showcase
destination. By 1980, the Gas lamp Quarter was decreed a Nationa l Historic
District with its quaint Victorian, Ita lianate, and Renaissance structures.
Top 10 Features
1 William Heath Davis House
2 Louis Bank of Commerce
3 Yuma Building
4 Old City Hall
5 Balboa Theatre
6 San Diego Hardware
7 Keating Building
8 Ingle Building
9 Lincoln Hotel
0 Wrought-iron Gas Lamps
William Heath Yuma Building
! Davis House £ Captain Wilcox of the
Named after the man who US Invincible owned down-
tried but failed to develop town’s first brick structure
San Diego in 1850, the in 1886. Named for his
museum is home to the business dealings in Yuma,
Gaslamp Quarter Historical Arizona, resi-dential lofts
Foundation. It is the oldest with bay windows now
wooden structure in down- occupy the building’s
town San Diego (above). upper levels.
Louis Bank Old City Hall
@ of Commerce $ Dating from 1874 , this
A bank until 1893, Italianate building
this Victorian features 16-ft (5-m)
structure (right) ceilings, brick
became Wyatt arches, classica l
Earp’s (see p39) columns, and a
favorite bar. It wrought-iron cage
once containe d elevator. In 1900,
the Golden the entire city
Poppy Hotel, a government wou ld
notorious fit inside. Today,
brothel. Present- the building
day offices are houses offices
much tamer. and a restaurant.
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San Diego’s Top 10