In and Around San Diego

Compiled by Gregory Harris, LASN

La Jolla is the location of Torrey Pines Golf Course, site each January or February of a PGA Tour event formerly known as the Buick Invitational and now (since 2010) called the Farmers Insurance Open. The 26th season of MTV?EUR??,,????'?????< Photo by Joanne DiBona

Ah, sunny San Diego, California. Ocean breezes, sand, surf, golf, tennis…the possibilities for fun are endless. Of course attending workshops, education sessions and indoor exhibits can be fun too, but if you need a break from activities inside the convention center, San Diego has plenty to offer.

Centennial Park is majestic looking, extending from Orange Avenue to San Diego Bay, with a first class view of downtown San Diego. The original ferryboat ticket booth and a rose garden are located near the Centennial Park Orange Avenue entrance. A wide sidewalk runs through the park’s length with seating areas in between.
Photo by Brett Shoaf

History
San Diego was incorporated as a city in 1850, but its history extends back many centuries. The first European to visit the region was Portuguese explorer Juan Rodrigues Cabrillo sailing under the Spanish Flag in 1499 - 1543, San Salvador, from Navidad, New Spain. Cabrillo claimed the bay for the Spanish Empire and named the site San Miguel. In November of 1602, Sebastián Vizcaíno was sent to map the California coast. He arrived with his flagship “San Diego.” Vizcaíno surveyed the harbor and what is now Mission Bay and Point Loma, naming the area for the Spanish Catholic Saint St. Didacus (San Diego).

After the end of the Mexican-American War and the gold rush of 1848, San Diego was designated the seat of the newly-established San Diego County and was incorporated as a city in March 1850. A significant U.S. Naval presence began in 1907 with the establishment of the Navy Coaling Station, which gave further impetus to the development of the town. San Diego hosted two World’s Fairs, the Panama-California Exposition in 1915 and the California Pacific International Exposition in 1935.

Old Town San Diego is considered the “birthplace” of California. San Diego is the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California. It was here in 1769, that Father Junipero Serra came to establish the very first mission in a chain of 21 missions that were to be the cornerstone of California’s colonization. Since the ASLA Expo will be held during the Halloween weekend, attendees may want to visit the Whaley House in Old Town. Walking tours are available for the area around Whaley House, a park that used to be cemetery, and a haunted brothel located on the Whaley House property.

Notable Architecture
San Diego’s long and colorful history is evident in its architecture. Though the area’s native residents left little permanent trace on the city, the structures built by Spanish missionaries still remain, most notably in Old Town and at Mission San Diego de Alcala. The past also persists in the form of landmarks like Cabrillo National Monument at Point Loma.

The city’s historic Gaslamp Quarter dates back to the Wild West saloon days of Wyatt Earp, and still retains much late-19th-century character in its architecture. The Gaslamp Quarter (bounded by 4th Avenue, 6th Avenue, Broadway, and L Street) is a 16 1/2-block national historic district filled with renowned Victorian-era architecture. The Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation conducts guided walking tours at 11 am every Saturday.

The Mission Hills Historic District lies within the original 1908 subdivision of Mission Hills laid out by George Marston and others. Various genres of architectural styles from 1908 through World War II are represented in this District including: Craftsman, Spanish Revival, Mission Revival, Dutch Colonial, Greek Revival, Prairie Style, English Tudor and others. Several Master Architects also built in this area, including: Emmor Brooke Weaver, Nathan Rigdon, David Owen Dryden, Richard Requa, William Hebbard and others.

Suburban areas uptown bear the mark of the development eras, with breathtaking Victorians still occupying much of Golden Hill (and honored in the eight-acre Heritage Park, which includes several late-19th-century homes and San Diego’s first synagogue, Temple Beth Israel). Woodsy Craftsman homes, meanwhile, line the streets of nearby North Park. More recently, gentrifying areas boast new condominiums, which are either fascinating examples of modern design or “architorture,” depending on your perspective.

The Gaslamp Archway was symbolic as a declaration that the city of San Diego was committed to continuing the redevelopment of Downtown. It serves as an icon for other cities to look to the Gaslamp Quarter as an example of successful redevelopment. The Gaslamp Quarter has successfully transformed into a premier shopping, dining and entertainment district with more than 200 restaurants, bars, nightclubs and lounges, and countless boutiques, art galleries and shops to peruse.
Photo by John Bahu

Naval Presence
The USS Midway Museum provides visitors with a detailed history lesson of the famous aircraft carrier. Admission to the museum includes a self-guided audio tour of 60 exhibits throughout the historic aircraft carrier and 25 restored aircraft. Exhibits range from the crew’s sleeping quarters to a massive galley, engine room, the ship’s jail, officer’s country, post office, machine shops, and pilots’ ready rooms, as well as primary flight control and the bridge high in the island over the flight deck.

Visiting the USS Midway Museum, guests can spend the day exploring more than 60 exhibits with a collection of 25 restored aircraft. The self-guided audio tour, narrated by Midway sailors, brings the carrier’s history to life.
Photo by John Bahu

Adventurous museum attendees can take a seat in the ships flight simulators. Simulators include double-seat simulators (pilot and co-pilot), and single seat simulators. They are the actual military trainers used by aviators during the Vietnam War era to train new pilots. Mach Combat software provides a level of realism that will appeal to aviation enthusiasts of all kinds. The cockpits consist of 3 F-4 Phantoms and 1 F-8 Crusader. The museum also has the Naval Combat Mission, a group motion simulator for up to 12 guests at a time, featuring a daring mission in Operation Desert Storm.

Downtown San Diego is a dynamic metropolitan area, drawing visitors and residents alike with the tantalizing sights and sounds of a unique sophisticated city center. Framed by inland mountains and one of the most beautiful natural harbors in the world, downtown San Diego’s dazzling cityscape is a testament to years of redevelopment and urban revitalization.
Photo by Joanne DiBona

Outdoor Fun
If you prefer nature with your thrills, surfing may be an attractive option. San Diego has 75 miles of open ocean coastline and as many distinct surf spots. Most of the shoreline consists of long beach breaks with primarily southwest exposure, but Point Loma and La Jolla are rocky points with a variety of reef breaks that work on north, west or south swells depending on their orientation. There are also patches of reef between Del Mar and Encinitas, man-made jetties at the Oceanside and Mission Bay harbor entrances, and the famous river-mouth set up of Trestles at San Diego’s northernmost limits.

The beach is more than a boundary dividing land from sea, more than a place to swim or sunbathe. In San Diego, the beach is a way of life, a source of pride and joy, a defining influence in people’s lives. For some, the mere memory of a mid-summer sunset melting into the Pacific is reward enough. Others have a more intimate relationship with the sea: surfing and sailing, biking and running, swimming and diving along San Diego’s many coastal beaches and bays.
Photo by Joanne DiBona

If you want to try surfing for yourself, you can rent gear from surf shops at all the popular San Diego beaches, or hire instruction from one of the licensed outfits that operate out of La Jolla Shores. If you want to ride the wave without dropping in, the best place to get a taste of the surfing lifestyle is Mission Blvd., from Garnet Avenue to the Belmont Park Roller Coaster. The shops here reflect the staples of the simplified surfing lifestyle: surfboards and bikinis, beer joints and Mexican food. To get more intimate with the sport’s history, check out the California Surf Museum at the head of the pier in Oceanside.

In its annual Top 10 survey, The Travel Channel has rated Coronado as one of America’s finest beaches. It’s essentially one big beach from Coronado south to the Mexican border, arbitrarily divided into individual spots. At North Beach, from Sunset Park to the North Island Naval Base, the coastline faces due south here, and in the summer hurricane season, when steep-angle south swells miss the rest of San Diego, ‘Outlet’ is the place to be for surf.
Photo by Brett Shoaf

Surfing is not the only outdoor activity in San Diego. Bicycling along the boardwalk provides ample opportunity to exercise, people watch and unwind from a day of Expo activities. At Pacific Beach from the Crystal Pier to Pacific Beach Drive, you can find anything from bicycle rentals to biker bars, and more of the same as you head inland up Garnet Avenue for many blocks. Many bike shops in the area offer bicycle rentals, check them out if you are interested.

LEGOLAND® California is built for fun to thrill the whole family. Offering a full day of interactive adventures with more than 60 rides, shows and attractions.
Photo by LEGOLANDCalifornia

Amusement Parks
San Diego is home to a variety of amusement parks and zoos, including LEGOLAND, the San Diego Zoo and of course, Sea World. LEGOLAND California is a 128-acre park geared specifically towards youngsters ages two through 12. With over 50 family rides, “hands-on” attractions and shows, LEGOLAND California provides education, adventure and fun in this first park of its kind in the United States. The park features a Lego miniland, a model village that includes models of landmarks and scenes from around the world made from millions of genuine Lego bricks.

The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park features more than 4,200 rare and exotic animals representing 800 species, many of which can be seen in natural habitats like the Polar Bear Plunge, Tiger River, Sun Bear Forest, Flamingo Lagoon, and Reptile Mesa. The children’s zoo has a petting paddock, animal nursery, and animal exhibits at kid’s eye level.

Sea World, located about seven miles from the convention center, promotes the energy and spirit of the ocean. The park envelops visitors in a multi-sensory celebration of life underneath the sea that entertains as it educates and inspires.
Photo by SeaWorld San Diego

The zoo offers a guided tour bus that traverses 75% of the park. There is an overhead gondola lift called the Skyfari, providing an aerial view of the zoo. Exhibits are often designed around a particular habitat. The same exhibit features many different animals that can be found side-by-side in the wild, along with native plant life. Exhibits range from an African rain forest (featuring gorillas) to the Arctic taiga and tundra in the summertime (featuring polar bears). Some of the largest free-flight aviaries in existence are here. Many exhibits are “natural” with invisible wires and darkened blinds (to view birds), and pools and open-air moats (for large mammals).

Sea World San Diego’s newest attraction, “Turtle Reef,” opened in June 2011. It features more than 60 hawksbill and green sea turtles in a 300,000-gallon coral reef habitat. Some of the adult turtles are more than 50 years old, and some juvenile green sea turtles were hatched in 2009. Tropical fish are included in the exhibit. Turtle Reef has educational activities and a spinning ride called “Riptide Rescue.”
Photo by Mike Aguilera, SeaWorld San Diego

Sea World is a 190-acre marine park on Mission Bay with four different shows, four rides, and more than 20 exhibits and attractions. The park is home to beluga whales, polar bears, walruses, penguins, five species of dolphins and of course, the iconic killer whales. Sea World is about seven miles from the convention center.

In addition to Sea World, many of the activities listed in this article are fairly close to the convention center. San Diego has a lot to offer, so once you are done with your convention activities, go out and explore the city.