True to its name, the afternoon sun peeks out of a rare cloud at the rugged viewpoint of Sunset Cliffs, changing the colour of the Pacific Ocean to a brighter shade of turquoise. It’s just in time. Picnickers stand up, stretch their legs and get into position, ready for the picture-perfect background they’d counted on in San Diego, a perennially sunny location.
The glorious weather and laidback lifestyle of this Californian location mean you could spend a whole trip mooching around those wild cliffs, or even along the Cali-vibe promenade of Mission Beach, flanked with food trucks, restaurants with booming music and gift shops. But unlike Los Angeles, San Diego’s neighbour to the north, there’s also clear cultural focus and a unique Mexican influence (the border is 45 minutes away from the city centre).
While there’s always a time and place for tried and tested activities at this destination, if you’re looking for reasons to push San Diego up the bucket list, here are seven unique things to do.
The city greenery in San Diego is provided mainly by Balboa Park, stretching 1,200 acres. It’s crammed full of natural wonders, from a cactus garden to a pristinely kempt Japanese garden that features cherry blossoms, a lively koi pond and a bonsai tree collection. But go there primarily for the concentrated amount of museums and galleries it houses within its leafy perimeter – it’s home to 16 cultural jewels (including the Comic-Con Museum) in addition to venues like San Diego Stadium, Morley Field Sports Complex and the Old Globe Theatre.
Who doesn’t love a speakeasy, where the dark and dusky atmosphere only adds to the decadence of it all. Somewhat unexpectedly, San Diego is full of clandestine drinking dens. Ride a merry-go-round with a difference at Wolfie’s Carousel Bar, or slip through a fridge at Noble Restaurant to get to Young Blood, where there’s no cocktail menu – you just tell the bartender your favourite spirit and flavour profile, and they’ll surprise you with three tipples. Meanwhile at Part-Time Lover, the record shop that it claims to be is found at the back of the stylish bar.
On the main stretch of the well-to-do area of La Jolla, from the Children’s Pool in the south to The Cave Store in the north, you can find San Diego’s resident seals and sea lions. And there’s scores of them. Shuffling on their bellies, they either find a bit of space on the packed beaches – packed with other seals and sealions, that is – or pile up on top of each other on offshore rocks. You can see these colonies every day at any time, though May is when you’ll find a particular abundance. But if you ever wanted to witness pupping season, plan for a February trip.
You might have heard about the hipster area of Barrio Logan, a buzzy and vibrant place thanks to its generations of community-spirited Chicano and Mexican/American residents. But well before gentrification began, they were at loggerheads with the government to keep their community in tact. The fraught story is illustrated (quite literally) in Chicano Park. Contrary to the image that a park might conjure up, it’s a reclaimed space underneath the junction of two enormous bypasses that split the neighbourhood in two – meaning there’s more concrete than grass. But making the best of the situation (a running a theme in immigrant life), it’s crammed with 100 huge, well-maintained murals representing the story of Barrio Logan.
Within this public gallery, keep an eye out for a huge mural of Coatlicue, the Atzec god, whose depiction now incorporates the markings from a vandal’s paint bomb. And make sure to carve out time for the newly opened Chicano Park Museum for an in-depth understanding of the area’s culture and history.
Frankly, Mexican food is the highlight of any city, but outside of Mexico, nowhere does it better than San Diego. So close to the Mexican border, only the best restaurants with the spiciest chilli and most flavoursome tacos gain a reputation. Try Puesto for a relaxed, convivial atmosphere and a rake of margarita options (ours is a thirst-quenching watermelon marg please). It’s a tiny chain run by a Mexican-American family, and their passion is evident in their moreish food and citrus-fresh gauc. Or at Barrio Dog, you’ll find American-Mexican food: their comforting hot dogs are given a Mexican twist with their toppings and sides like elotitos (sweetcorn kernels served with spices and crema) and nopalitos (a tasty, fresh cactus salad). Try their cocktails with a tajin rim (that’s salt, chilli pepper and lime seasoning) for another authentic Mexican experience.
For Mexicophiles, it’s possible to enjoy a productive day trip to Mexico, even if it costs a day of your San Diego trip. The San Ysidro border is a 45-minute tram ride from the centre of San Diego – just show your passport at border patrol, and boom, you’re in Tijuana. From the border, it’s a 25-minute walk to the main tourist stretch of Avenida Revolucion. In that area, you’ll find street carts selling fresh tostadas and seafood loaded with fresh lime juice, coriander and creamy avocado, as well as gift shops, bars, restaurants and hotels. Returning back to the US is a more of a rigmarole as there’ll be larger queues and more questions (this border crossing is the busiest in the world, with around 50 million people coming through each year). But it’s worth it to make the most of the location.
To end a trip on a relaxing note, visit Paradise Point, a gated resort located on Mission Bay, just north of the city. It’s set up for families, but anyone can make the most of their sizable suites, which are within easy reach of their restaurants, bars – and water activities. If sailing, jet skiing or paddle boarding sound too active, a leisurely kayak along the bay offers a different view of San Diego. The bay is calm and the weather is almost always gorgeous, so you’re pretty much guaranteed perfect kayaking conditions. Divine.
Shilpa was hosted by the San Diego Tourism Board.
