During our time in San Diego, we enjoyed seeing what the city had to offer. Our favorite ways to move around were by foot and bicycle.
By Bicycle
We enjoyed riding along the Mission Beach boardwalk on a Sunday morning. Once it got crowded, we continued along the Mission Bay Bike Path. After a 12-mile ride, we had lunch and walked around Mission Beach.
On Easter morning, we began our ride to the San Diego Bay at Liberty Station and rode the San Diego Bay Ride. This 12-mile loop took us past the airport along Harbor Drive and down to the U.S.S. Midway Museum. At this point, we rode east and through Little Italy and back to Liberty Station. This route was on both the path and roads, so we were happy to do this ride early before both became crowded.
By Foot
We had researched places to park near the harbor where our F-350 would fit, and found the parking lot behind the convention center was the perfect location. It was near Petco Park on the southern end of the city and not too far from the Gaslamp Quarter.
Highlights from Our Walk
- Gaslamp Quarter – This place is loaded with restaurants (many with outdoor seating). On Saturday, there was a street fair going on with lots of shopping options. If you want to just browse and see the amazing historic buildings, get there early. By lunchtime, the blocked-off streets were filling up and so were the restaurants.
- Kansas City Barbeque – This restaurant is known as the place where the sleazy scene from Top Gun was filmed. Great BBQ and lots of memorabilia from the movie. We ate outside and had a great view of Harbor Drive.
- Seaport Village – A short walk from Kansas City Barbeque is Seaport Village. Set in a series of buildings that look to be straight out of a New England sea town, Seaport Village is home to restaurants, bars, and lots of small shops.
- San Diego Waterfront – From Seaport Village, you can walk along the San Diego Waterfront all the way to the Embarcadero where the U.S.S. Midway Museum is located. This is also home to the U.S.S. San Diego Memorial, the wharf, and various cruise line departure ports.
- Petco Park – Petco Park is home to the San Diego Padres. While we weren’t able to enter the park, if you walk down J Street to the “Park at the Park”, there is a great area for a picnic. From here you can see into the park from the centerfield.
We were surprised at how many places we could see in the city on our 6-mile walk. Of course, we had to go back to the Gaslamp Quarter to get some Ghirardelli Chocolate before we left for home!
Our Views of San Diego
By bike or by foot, San Diego is a beautiful city to explore on a warm, sunny day. And here’s a tip: Hotels that host conferences have very clean facilities. If you need to go, walk in like you’re staying there and no one will question you!