Las Vegas NV / San Diego CA

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Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 7:58 pm

Breddan,

Quote:

small friendly, relaxed and casual

I see you've never been to San Diego, you might as well add "inexpensive" Very Happy

Have fun.

Always,
B. A. Ware

Not quite a Newb Joined: 09 Apr 2007 Posts: 37

As far as San Diego goes, I prefer La Jolla. Stay at the "Hotel La Jolla at the Shores", get a room up high with ocean view, and make sure you eat at least once at George's (also in La Jolla).

Take time to see the Gas Lamp district (at night) and drive over to Coronado Island to see the Hotel del Coronado (you could stay there too but it's pricey).

Have fun!

And, what fun is Vegas if you don't stay on the strip?

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 1:20 pm

My list of San Diego must sees are pretty affordable, and I've got to second the Hyatt/Seaport Village area. I stayed there in 2005 for a conference. It was very safe and walkable/bikeable, and there was an amazing casual resturant on the pier where seagulls roam around inside. I can't recall the name, but it was right on the pier, and probably had "pier" in the name. Food was good and plentiful, and not terribly expensive. They may only be open for lunch, though. But all the restaurants we sampled near the Seaport Village were extremely tasty. The carriers and Naval vessels you saw while walking around were amazing. When I was there, I got to see the Abraham Lincoln, and the Ronald Reagan was just heading out for the first time.

Must, must, must do the Midway carrier tour if you end up in SD. Self-guided audio tour for the most part, a ton of photo ops, $15 admission, best I recall, and you could be at it all day. Seriously, set aside most of the day for the visit. Particularly inspiring and moving if you know/knew anyone who did military service, and it was incredible to meet some of the volunteers, who were mostly WW2 and Vietnam vets, the day I was there. They would just hang out near some of the exhibits and answer questions or strike up conversations with you. It boggled me that at 5'2" (I'm being generous with my height, probably), I felt totally cramped in several parts of the carrier, yet hundreds of men lived there for months. I took probably four rolls of film on the Midway alone, and we didn't even manage the whole tour, really. The deck was covered with aircraft, as well. That was worth the price of admission all by itself.

There's also a flight simulator on board, but we didn't have a chance to try that.

I also highly recommend visiting the San Diego Maritime museum right near the Midway. You can walk by it for free, but a nominal fee gets you on several boats and a sub, and you get to play "pirate" on one of the boats from Master and Commander. I loved having the conference there, because it was so walkable. You did not need the services of Hertz to enjoy the entire area.

You could probably squeeze in those two stops without an overnight stay if you got there early.

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 3:05 pm

^^^ The Midway passageways are very small and yet the ship held thousands. Two years ago my son wanted to do fast attack subs. I drove him to Point Loma and if you go up to the military cemetery and walk behind the monument, you can look down on the sub pens. He looked down on them and remarked on how tiny they were. The Ray-gun was huge in comparison. He was actually concerned that what we were doing was dangerous. There's another must see. The end of Point Loma has the Cabrillo Museum and tidepools down below. Again, time your visit with low tide.

I've seen that place in the Village with the seagulls Mrs Bean, it looked nice. Here's something I wrote last year on Yelp about the Edgewater Grill. It's in the same complex.

Quote:

861 W Harbor Dr
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 232-7581
Category: Seafood

I found this place in a guidebook and immediately had problems. The directions from the guidebook were useless and the car's built in navigation database has the place in the Radison Hotel's parking lot, three solid blocks from the grill. After three calls we arrived to find parking extremely difficult on a Saturday of a three day holiday. Due to the validated parking, you should not have a problem on any other day. These problems do not reflect upon the Edgewater Grill in any way.

The place was nice, the food was better than a cafeteria. I started with a 12 dollar pair of crab cakes that were too salty and shredded too finely. My 6 scallops for 23 dollars were OK. When the waiter says "Please be careful, the plates are very hot." I know that the plates have been sitting on a heating shelf and the food is cold. Well it was not quite the case, the plates were so hot that the food was cooking some more. I don't understand how they could have this kind of service as the place was only a quarter full and there were plenty of wait staff. The Significant Other had the overcooked sea bass. It was the special and I also know that anything not on the menu is only special because they are trying to get rid of it, or it's specially priced higher than anything else. In this case it was the 25 dollar entree for the day. Pretty special.

The kid had the fish and chips. Actually done to my liking. There was so much of it that I had half of it the next day. The batter was a little too thick and as a result it was a little runny on the inside on some of it so the kid would not eat it all. I could not say that the fish was overcooked. It microwaved and then toaster oven-ed very nicely the next day. It was great for me. She also brought home the round loaf of rye bread. It is still sitting in the 'fridge 6 days later.

I never saw my waiter after the food was delivered. Some new guy took over the ice tea delivery so they ended up getting a $20 tip from me.

I don't mind the food because the view of the Coronado Bridge and the USS Ronald Reagan at sunset was worth the price of admission. A little something to gnaw on while you drink your ice tea and watch the sun drift over Point Loma.
The place is right on the sea wall promenade, so people are constantly walking by. They have a short bush that hides your food. Its always unnerving to see people walk by and look down at what you are eating. Its better for them to just see your head.

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 4:13 pm

I'm taking note of all the advice.
I leave home in about 18 hours from now.

As interesting as all the ships are, I'll give them a miss thank you, having spent 11 years in Her Majesties Royal Britannic Aquatic Hussars before transferring to the Belarus Navy. Laughing

Posted: Wed May 02, 2007 6:31 pm

If you are looking for a culinary extravaganza, try the dinner buffet at the Paris Hotel in Vegas. The line is long but well worth the wait. I think I consumed 8,000 calories the last time I was there,

419Eater is my life Joined: 12 Dec 2003 Posts: 482

BB, if you're anywhere on the coast or near Mission Bay, be sure and drive down Point Loma using whatever vehicle is handy. Be sure to check out the Sunset Cliffs on the right side of the road (as you are heading south) and see the famous, historic lighthouse at the end of the peninsula.

Earlier posters are also correct about the southern edge of Mission Bay being full of funky, really quaint shops. This is a must to visit and won't cost any price of admission.

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