Our ten-year wedding anniversary is this fall and though we wanted to do Disneyland, we have come up with an alternate plan that will work. Excited.
What can you guys tell me about San Diego?
OH, you asked for it. SAN DIEGO = my dad’s childhood home and the only big city I would ever consider living in, if it weren’t so expensive. It’s California’s best city!
I’m more familiar with the Point Loma/Mission Beach area, so your mileage may vary. Here are some great places to visit:
Fun and free:
The BEACHES, particularly on Coronado Island. There are also Ocean Beach and Dog Beach on the west side of Point Loma, if you prefer a more hippy, small beach town feel. Very crowded, though. Coronado is much more spacious. If you want to try surfing, go to Tourmaline (Pacific Beach) in the early morning. WEAR A WETSUIT OR YOU WILL WISH YOU WERE DEAD.
Sunset Cliffs State Park (Point Loma) is a lovely place to take a walk in late afternoon, as it faces the sunset. Also, awesome tidepools.
Balboa Park’s arboretum and rose gardens (Downtown)
Old Town State Park, right near the intersection of I-5 and I-8 (also has the Mormon Battalion Visitor’s Center)
Coronado Island also has the historic Hotel Del Coronado, which was in
the movie “Some Like It Hot”. It’s too expensive to stay in, but lovely
to visit and look around. It’s right on the beach!
The San Diego Temple (La Jolla). Truly one of a kind, it sits like a spectacular vision right on I-5. Definitely see it at night! 🙂
Fun but requires $$$:
Balboa Park (Downtown) has a lot of GREAT museums, a replica of the Old Globe Theater, and one of the BEST ZOOS IN AMERICA. Visiting that zoo is a whole day in itself!
Seaport Village (Downtown) is a cute shopping village on the water (fee for parking, they validate if you buy something)
The Maritime Museum (Downtown) has several awesome boats you can tour, including the Star of India (which still sails!!!), a Russian nuclear sub, and the actual ship used in “Master & Commander”. There is also a flipping AIRCRAFT CARRIER down the street, for a separate fee.
Sea World
San Diego Safari Park, further inland in Escondido
There’s something called Belmont Park (Mission Bay, west of Sea World) with an old-fashioned wooden roller coaster, but I’ve never been there myself.
Westfield Horton Plaza in the Downtown area, and Westfield Mission Valley in Mission Hills (eastbound on I-8). LOTS of shopping.
Birch Aquarium (La Jolla): SEAHORSES
Cabrillo National Monument (Point Loma) has a great view of ALL of San
Diego, and the historic Point Loma lighthouse. You have to get on
Catalina Blvd. and drive south forever, right through the military base
until you get to the park entrance. A bit of a drive, and there is a
small park entrance fee, but it is WELL worth it.
Good eats:
POINT LOMA SEAFOOD (FOREVERRRRRR!!!!!!)
A little Mexican restaurant called Nati’s in the Ocean Beach neighborhood (my grandparents’ favorite)
Just about anything in Old Town
Just about anything Mexican or seafood, really.
Tip: Have a REALLY good map and review it before you start. Driving in San Diego is a hazardous experience. There are twisty roads and crazy turnoffs and you could find yourself circling around and around without a clue as to how you get out!
Basically, San Diego is the best and I love it forever and I love you for going there. 😉
Thank you! ! ! ! This is so helpful!
‘Cause I’m a forgetful bunny, here is more, with actual links this time:
It’s Point Loma Seafoods. (Or Seafood’s? Their website uses both.) I’ve been saying it wrong my whole life, apparently?
If you LOVE soup, go eat at Souplantation! It’s the same chain as Sweet Tomatoes (there’s one in Utah??? HOW DID I NOT KNOW THIS???). It’s right next door to a stationery shop called Just For The Halibut. LOL
Check out Mission San Diego de Alcalá! For good and bad, the missions were such a big part of California history. And they’re beautiful!
For a fabulous supermarket experience, try Vallarta Supermarket! SO MUCH GOOD FOOD
I can’t offer much info on hotels, since I always stayed with family. But I think the general rule is that things get cheaper the further inland you go.
You can also try a Trolley Tour! I’ve never done it, but I’ve heard it’s fun!
If you REALLY want to go crazy, take the ferry to Catalina! Catalina is PARADISE. I haven’t been there since I was a kid, but OH MY GOSH.
FORGET DISNEYLAND. GO TO SAN DIEGO. DO IT. YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO.
I did a terrible job of telling you how awesome Old Town is, so I found this video for you:
It’s funny—just yesterday I was thinking about looking for writing related material to post, since it’s an extremely important beginning step to animation, and just now my friend tagged me in a post on Facebook linking to this!
#1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
#2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.
#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
#5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
#7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
#8: Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
#9: When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
#10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
#17: No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on – it’ll come back around to be useful later.
#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
#20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
#21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
#22: What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.