san diego - TravelPUNK Backpacker College Student Budget Travel Message Boards!

a4bcruiser · 08-26-2005, 08:46 AM

im flying there from oz on the 9th of september and cant find anything else to do . if anyone could give me any pointers on touristy things,night clubs,accomadation etc..it would be very appretiated.

**omisan** · 08-26-2005, 01:00 PM

I would highly recommend the San Diego Wild Animal park over the zoo.. it's a bit more out of the way, but soooo much cooler. The zoo and the park are owned/operated by the same folks, so you can get some sort of two-for-one pass that's good for both.

For nightlife, there's the Gaslamp district, but just about every place requires that you have slacks and a collared shirt - a bit chi chi for my tastes. I'd rather skip the flash part of town and head to Pacific Beach - tons of clubs/bars there with a much more laid back vibe - and the girls are just as hot

If you are in the Gaslamp, get a kick-ass steak at the Gaslamp Strip Club. Caveat: You grill it yourself.. which is half the fun.

**TheJake** · 08-26-2005, 01:05 PM

I would recommend the Ocean Beach Hostel as well. In fact I think I prefer Ocean Beach to Pacific... but thats just the hippy in me i guess....

travelguy · 08-26-2005, 01:09 PM

i heard la jolla beach is pretty cool, i think its there in diego. if all else fails though, you can hit up tijuana.

a4bcruiser · 08-27-2005, 07:27 PM

thanks alot for all your help,with tijuana how safe is it ,can you do a day guided tour,is it worth doing,how hectic is it getting back across the border?

pink_floyd · 08-29-2005, 12:57 AM

misson beach is the tits! it is a great place to do the boardwalk thing, and they got a roller coaster on the beach.... and you can take the trolly to T.J. and check out the action south of the border... I reccomend Iguanas in T.J. I seen the Ramones there on their last tour in 1994 and it was outta sight!!! holy shit! just watch out for hustlers and bacpacknatchers... Lock your shit up tight yo! B)

pink_floyd · 08-29-2005, 12:58 AM

[quote]
misson beach is the tits! it is a great place to do the boardwalk thing, and they got a roller coaster on the beach.... and you can take the trolly to T.J. and check out the action south of the border... I reccomend Iguanas in T.J. I seen the Ramones there on their last tour in 1994 and it was outta sight!!! holy shit! just watch out for hustlers and bacpacknatchers... Lock your shit up tight yo! B)
oh and stay away from imperical beach my bro got jumped by some vatos there and got 15 staples in his head cause some chivato decided to dolcheck him with a skateboard while he was passed out on the beach! yikes!

crustynavyguy · 08-29-2005, 01:14 AM

Check out the historic Gas Lamp quarter of downtown. Quite a few clubs down there and some good restaurants. You can also catch a Padres game if they're in town while you're there. Speaking of such, how long are you going to be there? I'm supposed to get in to San Dog around the beginning of October... Have a ball!

a4bcruiser · 08-30-2005, 06:43 AM

im in the country from 9th to the 28th of september.ive already got tickets for the dodgers verses the padres on the 10th,will this be a good game? as ive never really got into it ,but very keen to check out any local sport.oh yeah im also going to san bernardino for the ama motorcross!

**omisan** · 08-30-2005, 10:19 AM

a4b - I personally wouldn't expect much of the game, but it's not a worry. The fun of going to a baseball game is never the game itself, but just hanging out, drinking a LOT of beer, and eating bad, overpriced stadium food

pink_floyd · 09-04-2005, 12:26 PM

hey jack murphy is a great place to see a game, even if they call it petco center now and they got those dorky blue uniforms.. its still the padres.. i dont know why they changed they brown and yellow uniforms were tight as hell..

I_See · 09-04-2005, 11:20 PM

Will you be able to travel far from the city?

a4bcruiser · 09-06-2005, 06:15 PM

yes i will ive hired a car.

Elixir · 12-14-2005, 09:30 AM

TTP

il be LIVING in san diego, so if there is any info people have on that, it would be much appreicated!!

**joanofarc** · 12-14-2005, 10:41 AM

... let the san diego native step-in:

firstly, jack murphy and petco park are two totally different stadiums.
whatever, i'm just being technical.

as for sight seeing, i wouldn't miss -
little italy
balboa park (MoPA and the Mingei are our best museums)
hillcrest/kensington/adams avenue area
taking the ferry to coronado
the view from mt. soledad
a trip to tijuana

tijuana is a great place for cheap seafood, tacos and shopping. coming across the border is a nightmare, period. the lines are usually real long, it's still a must do though. totally worth the effort. maybe try to catch some lucha libre on a friday night.

i can recommend a good bar-hop too:
the alibi (hillcrest, but not gay)
the livewire (on el cajon blvd.)
the red fox lounge (on ECB too)
scolaris office (on 30th & university)
shooterz (down 30th)
the whistle stop (further down 30th)

if you care about eating out and great meals, i can recommend tons of restaurants too! let me know.

have fun. i've never stayed at a hostel since i live here, but our downtown hostels seem way cooler and cleaner than our beach hostels - FYI. better people watching and night wandering too/