Vacations Blog

I’ll let you all in on a little secret: we San Diegans, we’re not particularly fond of tourists. You further clog up our clogged freeways, you crowd our beaches, and you make going to the Zoo a nightmare.  Yet we begrudgingly accept your presence here, for without you, San Diego County’s economy would collapse, there’d be anarchy and chaos and mass hysteria, Arizona would invade our county and annex it…regardless, I feel bad for you, visitors to our fair county, because often times you seem so overwhelmed by everything that San Diego county has to offer. I want to help you make the most of your San Diego vacation. So here are five things that you should know before coming here in the summertime.

1. Don’t visit San Diego in the summertime. Ok, that’s a blanket statement. Wait until after July 4th weekend. The biggest reason is, believe it or not, the weather. May and June are two of the cloudiest months of the year, thanks to the marine layer; this is a near-constant bank of low clouds that hangs over the coast, blotting out the sun and keeping coastal temperatures in the mid-60’s. Think Seattle weather, and you’ll have a good idea of coastal San Diego county during this time of year.

2. Try a fish taco. You may occasionally hear people from other towns talk about how they found “the best fish taco” at one of their local restaurants. These people are lying. The fish taco is to San Diego as deep-dish pizza is to Chicago and bagels are to New York. Locals credit Ralph Rubio with introducing the Baja fish taco to San Diego; his chain of Rubio’s restaurants is the place to start if you’ve never had one. You can certainly get better, upscale, and pricier versions of the fish taco at many fine Mexican and seafood establishments in SD county, but Rubio’s is both good and inexpensive; a perfect place for travelers on a budget. Which brings us to my next point:

3. There’s lots of cool and cheap stuff to do that doesn’t involve sand, waves, and stingrays. Confession: I live across the street from the beach, yet I avoid it like the plague during vacation season. The crowds! If you’re enochlophobic like me, here’s a couple of places to go to get away from the hordes: Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. San Diego county is one of, if not the most geographically diverse counties in the U.S. – we’ve got deserts and mountains along with beaches (it even snows here in the wintertime!). Caveat – both places get pretty hot in the summertime, but with hats, sunscreen, and plenty of water, you can hike, bike, and check out some fantastic scenery.

4. You should spend some time downtown. Here’s a day for you – go check out an afternoon Padres game at Petco Park. Walk across the street and grab dinner in the Gaslamp. Take a ten minute drive down to Silver Strand State Beach and watch the sunset.

Sunset at Silver Strand State Beach.

5. You should also spend some time in the North County. Check out the ponies at the Del Mar Racetrack (yes, kids are welcome), or visit Legoland in Carlsbad. Afterwards, head to Encinitas and grab dinner at El Callejon (in my humble opinion, the best authentic Mexican restaurant in San Diego county). Then check out the gorgeous gardens and get a birds-eye view of the sunset at the Self-Realization Fellowship.

There’s truly a ton of stuff to do in San Diego, and those of who live here year-round realize how fortunate we are. So have a great time, and those stingrays I mentioned? Just shuffle your feet when walking in the ocean; that usually scares ‘em off.