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 Seniors in Motion: Three Days in San Diego
Taking the Kids: Three Days in San Diego
 Interested in a San Diego urban-style vacation, where key activities include visiting museums, hitting trendy nightclubs, trawling the Old Town or dining in the city's finest restaurants? Or would you rather aim for an outdoorsy getaway -- paddle a kayak, get on a bicycle, pick up a golf club or simply bum out on a beach? San Diego's schizophrenic that way -- you can mix and mingle a bit of both.
Amazing Freebies Worth Pursuing: Picnics in Balboa Park; organ concerts at Spreckels Organ Pavilion on Sundays; admission to the Timken Museum or Art; strolling along the Embarcadero or through the Gaslamp District; watching the whale migration every December through March at the Whale Overlook in Point Loma.
Home Away From Home:
 Historic Ambience Amidst the Comforts of Home: The Britt Scripps Inn may well be one of San Diego's few remaining 19th-century manses, and it's definitely a throwback to the Victorian era, but its nine rooms are uniquely decorated and feature key modern amenities like 1,000-thread-count sheets, flat-screen TV's and bath amenities from Kiehl's.
Hip and Happening: The downtown W San Diego is the perfect spot for hipster couples looking to check out the San Diego social scene. The rooms resemble stylish beach cabanas and are stocked with Bliss spa products. But the real attraction is the open-air bar on the roof that has a sand floor and fire pits -- a little bit of the beach right at your hotel.
Day One
Spend today exploring Balboa Park, the largest urban cultural park in the country. There are over 1,000 landscaped acres and 15 of San Diego's best museums in this cultural complex plus art galleries, street performers and the world-famous San Diego Zoo. A free tram runs through the park every 10 minutes.
Art lovers should spend the morning at the San Diego Museum of Art and the Timken Museum of Art; nature lovers will delight in exploring the Japanese Friendship Garden and the Botanical Building; and animal lovers can bypass everything else and head straight to the San Diego Zoo.
You can easily get to and from the zoo and the rest of Balboa Park on the #7 bus from downtown San Diego. Admission to the zoo is $32 for adults and admission to the museums varies (some are free).
Head across the bay to Coronado for lunch. We love the Bay Beach Cafe as much for its laid-back "beach boy" atmosphere as for its casual fare. While on Coronado, don't miss a visit to San Diego's most famous historic hotel -- a luxury resort that caters to the rich and famous.
By the way, the easiest way to get to Coronado is via the ferry. It leaves every hour on the hour from San Diego and every hour on the half-hour from Coronado. A round-trip ticket is $4.50. The ferry terminal is located at Broadway Pier, right next to the cruise ship terminal on Harbor Drive. When you return, have dinner at nearby Star of the Sea restaurant. Every table in this sophisticated, bay-front restaurant offers water views. The focus here is on seafood -- for a little of everything, start with the Star of the Sea, a selection of oysters, clams, mussels and crab claws from the restaurant's award-winning menu. There is also an extensive wine list with selections for every budget.
Day Two
If yesterday was, by and large, devoted to urban pursuits, today's day trip to La Jolla will focus more on the great outdoors. La Jolla, the "Palm Springs" of this stretch of Southern California, is a seaside resort town perhaps better known for its designer boutiques and high-rent restaurants than the opportunity to go sea kayaking or nude beaching, but there it is again: the area's schizophrenia! We'd suggest that you rent a kayak and explore the sea cliffs and La Jolla Cave, or head to Seal Rock to observe the harbor seals and sea lions playing in the water. For something a little more daring, head to Torrey Pines Gliderport and see La Jolla from the sky while you paraglide in tandem.
When you've worked up an appetite, have a gourmet pizza at Sam's Woodfired Pizza and then stroll along Prospect Street, which overlooks the Pacific Ocean and is lined with the town's exclusive specialty shops, boutiques and art galleries. If you're in the mood for something more extravagant then a pizza, head to George's at the Cove Ocean Terrace Bistro for gourmet sandwiches and entrees with spectacular views of the Pacific ocean.
For couples who want to break up their trip in San Diego with a night in La Jolla (and in this case we'd suggest making it your first or last night of vacation), consider splurging on a night at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, the only five-star hotel in the city of San Diego (as rated by AAA). If the price tag is too hefty, you might still enjoy a massage there -- competitively priced at $120. If one or both of you is an avid golfer, a round at the world-famous Torrey Pines is the feather in a golfer's cap.
If you're more in the mood for a party then meandering around La Jolla, take a day trip to Tijuana, Mexico. The border is just 17 miles south and accessible via San Diego's light rail network (do make sure to bring a passport or driver's license; after December 31, 2007, passports will be mandatory). You simply walk through border control, and then you're in Mexico! Taxis are available for the five-minute ride to the city, or you can walk to downtown in about 15 - 20 minutes.
Tijuana's known for a lot of things, such as dog racing, jai alai and outdoor shopping plazas (mostly tourist trap stuff), but what's really fun is to sample its famous tequila. In Mexico, you don't shoot it, you sip it, even if it's served in a shot glass. Order yours "completo" and it will come with sangrita, a tomato-based palate cleanser meant for sipping along with the tequila. Be forewarned -- if you're looking for anything other than a great party town, you'll likely be disappointed in Tijuana.
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