San Diego is considered to be the most desirable city in America to live in. With its 250+ days of sunshine per year, stunning beaches, and virtually no winter, it’s hard to imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to live here.
Some important things to expect in San Diego:
- English is the primary language, while Spanish is the second most widely spoken.
- Credit cards are accepted pretty much everywhere, including AMEX.
- The weather is great a majority of the year. December and January tend to be the chilliest months, dipping into the low 50s. July-September are the hot months, ranging anywhere from 75 on the coast to 100+ inland.
- Despite being a mostly desert climate, there is a fair amount of humidity. During the spring and summer months, the humidity usually ranges from 70-90%, while fall and winter months are usually 35-60%.
- We have “June Gloom” where most of May and all of June is overcast and grey.
San Diego is a melting pot for culture, which leads to a great selection of cuisine. Since San Diego borders Mexico, you can imagine the huge selection of authentic Mexican food options. If you are into Mexican food, I HIGHLY recommend checking out Old Town. It is a state protected historical park with tons of history. It commemorates the early days of the town of San Diego and features many historic buildings from 1820-1870. It is currently the most visited state park in California. Its many attractions include live music, traditional Mexican food and costume, shops, old historic buildings including a schoolhouse, San Diego’s first newspaper shop, and free of charge museums. However we mostly go for the food 😀 Check out Old Town Mexican or Casa De Reyes for live music and amazing food and margaritas!
If you want to try some amazing Asian cuisine, head on over to Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa. If you’ve never had Korean BBQ, it is a must try! One of my all time favorite things to eat, and there are tons of options in Convoy. If you want the best Korean BBQ around though, Korea Town is just a short drive away in LA. Besides that, you can find great Asian restaurants pretty much anywhere in San Diego. Some of my personal favorites are Zen 5 Sushi in Pacific Beach (PB), this little hole in the wall Thai restaurant called The Orient Thai Café, also in PB, and you simply cannot come to San Diego and not experience ramen. I recommend either Tokyo Miyoshi in PB or Tajima Izakaya in Kearny Mesa.
For the best authentic Italian food, you want to make your way to Little Italy in downtown San Diego. What was originally a predominately Italian fishing neighborhood, has since become a quaint little part of town, composed of primarily Italian restaurants. You pretty much can’t go wrong in this district. Each restaurant offers a unique menu and an extensive wine list. My personal favorite is Mimmo’s Italian Village.
If you are looking for something super casual, my go to spot is Dirty Birds wings located in either PB or Liberty Station. This place is a must in my opinion and offers a HUGE selection of unique wing flavors.
For fun things to do in San Diego, I always recommend Balboa Park. It is a 1,200 acre urban culture park, with a wide variety of attractions and museums, as well as various gardens, walking paths, restaurants and shops. It boasts the world-famous San Diego Zoo, which is its largest attraction. The zoo is simply a must see, and is definitely an all day event. There are tons of museums to check out, many of which are free of charge, and feature an abundance of art and photography. My mom was definitely a fan of this place, and especially loved the gardens and architecture.
Another fun activity I would recommend is checking out the Safari Park in Escondido. This is actually different than the zoo and a little more intimate. You can take one of the safari tours around the park, or just opt to walk like we did. I’m actually glad we walked because we were able to go into several of the exhibits, including the lemur exhibit and several bird exhibits. You can also see the antelopes and giraffes roaming the “safari” grounds, which are massive. The park is really beautiful and scenic, which is a bonus. You can even do zip lining or the “balloon safari” pictured below.
San Diego offers a variety of outdoor activities which include paragliding, surfing, and hiking. I personally enjoy hiking, and thankfully there are TONS of great trails just a short drive away.
My all time favorite hiking spot is Iron Mountain. It’s about a 45 minute drive if you are coming from PB or La Jolla area, and features some of the most scenic trails in San Diego. I love the fact that it’s very green (you will come to see that much of San Diego is desert). There are many interesting different types of vegetation to look at, and the view from the top is simply stunning.
I really love the beginning of this trail and the tunnel feel you get as the trees welcome you to the mountain.
I especially love the view from the top, with the rolling hills and the fog we were blessed with on this particular day.
Besides Iron Mountain, there are plenty of other great hiking spots to check out including Torrey Pines Natural Reserve, which gives you a great view of the coastline, and takes you right down to the beach. Some other San Diego favorites are Mt. Woodsum Summit (better know as Potato Chip Rock), Three Sisters Falls, Devils Punch Bowl, and Cowles Moutain which is a little tamer. I personally like to just explore random trails and wander around.
If you are really into natural parks with breathtaking views and scenery like I am, then this next spot is the place for you.
Sunset Cliffs Natural Park needs no introduction, the name says it all. This is a serious San Diego gem, and it’s stunning with or without the sunset (although the sunset is pretty amazing). The entire coastline features gorgeous views along the cliffs, with different paths to walk and trails that lead down to the beach. The hike down to the beach can be a little treacherous, which is why it’s practically empty once you make it to the bottom. This place is a surfing hot spot because it’s so peaceful and relaxing.
As you will see, it’s one of my favorite places to take photographs, no matter the time of year. It is one of the most unique parts of San Diego.
Last but not least…. the beach diaries.
San Diego has some of the finest beaches in southern California, and lets face it, the primary reason anyone visits. Each one has its own individual charm, and they are actually all very different. If you are looking for a fun environment with lots of beachside shops and restaurants, I’d recommend Pacific Beach. This is also the home of all the bars and nightlife. Drive a little further down and you will come to Mission Beach, or Mission Bay on the opposite side. Mission Beach is home to many vacation rental beach houses along the board walk, and my personal favorite beach to lay out on and relax. For water sports, you can rent pretty much anything over at Mission Bay. Scripps Beach over in La Jolla is also one of my favorites, with tons of great opportunities for photos. Another popular desitination is Crystal Pier in PB. As you can see below, it offers great views of the beach on either side, and is especially pretty at sunset.
One of my other favorite spots is Windansea beach in La Jolla. It’s super scenic, and again, gorgeous at sunset.
There are so many different areas at Windansea to explore, and lots of great photography opportunities.
These are just a few of the many fun things you can do in San Diego.
Living in San Diego has been like being on permanent vacation. I am blessed to have called this place my home for the past three years. I can proudly say I’ve never missed a sunset 😉
