San Diego
A classic tale
of beauty and
the beach
    San Diego is a city for all seasons.  As a summer destination, however, it might not be the first place that comes to mind.  But it's a little like a wonderful Wisconsin summer -- with palm trees added. Instead of Lake Michigan on the east, you have the Pacific Ocean on the west. Thanks to the moderating effect of the world's largest body of water, the weather along the coast is usually pleasant. In July when it might be 105 in Phoenix, it's more likely to be 75 in San Diego.

    And the variety of things to see and do is as seemingly endless as the beaches of San Diego themselves. The city may be known for its world famous zoo and Balboa Park, but that's just a small taste of all it has to offer.

    San Diego Bay. In the Embarcadero along the city's waterfront you can climb aboard a 1,000-foot-long aircraft carrier open to the public or wander the Seaport Village, with shops selling everything from kites and sunglasses to music boxes and Americana. Or you can look back at the city from a harbor cruise, checking out the San Diego skyline, watching Navy ships as they come in and out of port, sailing under the famous high-rise bridge to Coronado Island, and getting a feel for just how immense the harbor is. On a two-hour cruise visitors can cover about 25 miles -- both the north and south ends of the harbor -- with the tour narrator giving a compressed lesson in the history and lore. If you like, you can opt for a dinner cruise or maybe go on a whale-watching excursion outside the harbor.

    The USS Midway Museum is the USS Midway, an aircraft carrier built at the end of World War II and named after one of the most famous and pivotal battles of the Pacific War. The carrier was decommissioned in 1992 after seeing action in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Visitors can see the berthing areas where the 4,500 crew members slept or go up on the four-acre flight deck to check out some of the 25 restored planes and aircraft on display. As the museum's Web site says, it's a chance to "go to sea without leaving port" -- you can even listen to recordings of former crew members as they describe their life on the floating city.

    Nearby is Seaport Village, a former railroad yard that has been reborn as an eclectic shopping area with meandering walkways, street performers and numerous restaurants featuring fresh seafood. In the shadow of high-rise hotels, the village has the look of a small coastal town transplanted from a century earlier. It offers great views of the harbor and of Coronado to the southwest.

    Mission Beach/Pacific Beach. Miles of sand stretch along this beachfront haven, home to restaurants of all varieties and businesses catering to bicyclists and surfers and anyone else who wants to enjoy the sand and sun. For the younger crowd, it's a place to be and to be seen. It may be a little crowded for some people, but it also offers one of the best people-watching opportunities around .

    The oceanfront "boardwalk" attracts walkers, runners and bicyclists all hours of the day and night. It's easy to stroll from the walk to the miles of sandy beaches, where you can watch surfboarders and sailboarders and kite boarders test their skills (or take part, if you're more adventurous). You can dine outdoors at anyplace from burger and fish joints to fine upscale restaurants.

    Parking in the area can be a challenge, but if you book a hotel in the area with parking , you can park and walk.

    To the south is the 4,600-acre Mission Bay Park, a large bay separated from the ocean that is a mecca for watersports fans. Visitors can sail, water ski, fish or swim. The park is also popular with joggers, picnickers and kite flyers. 

    After four years of regular trips to San Diego to visit our son in the Navy, we ate at just a few of the hundreds of fine restaurants that the city has to offer. With limited time and budget, it's obviously impossible to review every place. But we had some meals we particularly liked in Pacific Beach at the Café Bella Italia at 1525 Garnet Ave., the upscale Jordan at 723 Felspar Thomas Ave.

    SeaWorld. SeaWorld is on the southern edge of Mission Bay Park. It wasn't high on my list of places to see in San Diego, but we decided to give it a try. And what a great surprise it turned out to be. The main shows with porpoises leaping high out of the water and splashing the crowd and killer whales kissing their handlers and "walking" across the pool on their tails are awesome, but they are just a part of the scene.

    You could spend a half day at the park and see quite a bit, but it is easily a full-day outing. In addition to numerous shows, there's a Shark Encounter, where you walk under a 280,000-gallon aquarium and see sharks swimming overhead and around you, and Shamu: Close-Up, where you can watch killer whales glide by. And did you ever pet a stingray? Well at one hands-on exhibit you can reach into a pool and stroke their velvety skin.

    Balboa Park. Spectacular gardens -- one of them modeled after the Alcazar Palace garden in Seville, Spain -- and more than a dozen museums housed in buildings with ornate Spanish architecture are just a few of the highlights in the 1,200 acres of rolling hills that make up Balboa Park. If you have the time, there are museums about art, automobiles, San Diego history and natural history, among others.     
    In the basement of the Museum of San Diego History, the Model Railroad Museum features several giant train layouts in various miniature gauges, featuring the color, scenery and history of the San Diego area in what is said to be the largest operating model railroad exhibit in North America. The San Diego Natural History Museum focuses on the plants, animals and geography of Southern California, and the Art Museum showcases the works of San Diego area artists.

The San Diego Zoo is also a part of the Balboa Park campus, home to almost 4,000 animals. Polar bears frolic in a 130,000-gallon pool, four giant pandas munch bamboo and share their lives with the world on a panda cam, and the largest colony of koala bears in North America hangs out at the Australasia exhibit.

    Wild Animal Park. You can take a tram around the perimeter of the 1,800-acre park, or for something different take a hot air balloon ride high above the Serengeti-like plain. But you don't need to worry about drifting away into the mountains or out over the ocean -- the balloon is tethered. And there a numerous walking trails.

    The park, about 30 miles outside San Diego, is an arm of the San Diego Zoo and is dedicated to the preservation of endangered species. The layout of the park allows the more than 400 species of animals to live and lounge in settings that are much more natural than that of the average zoo. Photo excursions are offered as one of the options available to park guests for close-up animal encounters.

    Gaslamp Quarter. A onetime rundown area in downtown San Diego, the Gaslamp Quarter has become a trendy destination for dining and shopping. Close to the convention center and the Petco Park baseball stadium, the 16-block area that has been refurbished to keep its historic character has become popular with out-of-town visitors. Stop in to one of the numerous art galleries or try one of the dozens of restaurants in the area.

    La Jolla. This community just north of San Diego includes the Birch Aquarium at the Scripps Institute of Oceanography and is home to the Torrey Pines State Reserve, a 2,000-acre park that is perfect for those wanting to get away from the city. It offers eight miles of hiking trails, many of them with great views of the Pacific coastline. California sagebrush, bush sunflowers and coastal prickly pear cactuses grow here, along with the famous Torrey pines. Mule deer, black-tailed jackrabbits and California quail are among the variety of wildlife that can be seen in the park. 

    The list of things to do, places to see could go on and on. Old Town, northwest of the downtown, recreates the city's original commercial district in a pedestrian-only town with museums and shops. The San Diego area has more than 90 public golf courses, although it is probably more of a winter destination for Wisconsin golfers. Point Loma and the Old Point Loma lighthouse are on the peninsula where Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo first stepped ashore in San Diego on Sept. 28, 1542. Across the high-arching Coronado Bridge, lies the community of the same name. It is home to the magnificent and historic Hotel del Coronado -- and some high-end shopping.

    And, whether it’s from a hilltop or a beach, there are countless spots to watch the gorgeous sunsets over the Pacific at the end of the day -- even though you may not be ready for it to end.