Sunset Cliffs Natural Park

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is somewhat out of the way for most San Diego visitors. This is a beach bluff park with a small beach that is used mostly by surfers. Parking is primarily on the street and there are a few small parking lots along the cliff. On most days, even weekends, there are only a few people on the beach. This is an amazing beach to visit at low tide. It is a bit difficult to get to but well worth the effort. There is a stairway to the beach at the foot of Ladera Street at Sunset Cliffs Blvd. To reach the sandy area you will need to trek over large rocks for a short distance. There is also a path along the cliff and a steep area with a rope to help you access the beach. Both routes are not suggested for small children or anyone who is not in good physical condition. Most visitors stay at the top and take in the great views and sunsets. Although hidden away Sunset Cliffs Natural Park is another way to `Enjoy San Diego`.
For more information see- www.sunsetcliffs.info

Encinitas Fall Festival

This year the Encinitas Fall Festival was on Sunday November 18. This is a huge street fair with over 400 vendors, live entertainment and lots of great food. The Fall Festival has been going on for 20 years and takes up Highway 101 from D to J streets. Besides the vendor booths there are plenty of open stores, shops and restaurants to keep you interested. Encinitas considers itself a small beach town (of around 60,000 residents) and events like this almost convince you of that. The old buildings and surf lifestyle are here to take you back to a simpler time. Encinitas is a fun town to visit all year. It boasts some of the best surfing beaches in California and the Self Realization Center (Swami`s) is always a good place to relax and reflect. This is another wonderful place to enjoy San Diego!
For more information see www.encinitas101.com/events/fall-festival/

Leo Carrillo Ranch, Carlsbad

Leo Carrillo Ranch in Carlsbad is a great place to spend some time. There are walking trails and old California ranch buildings to explore. This little slice of yesteryear gives you the opportunity to see what California was like 50 to 100 years ago.
The actor Leopold `Leo` Antonio Carrillo (8-6-1881 to 9-10-1961) loved his ranch and at one time owned about 4500 acres in Carlsbad. He spent his time away from Hollywood here and invited many of the film stars of that time to visit. The ranch today has 27 acres and is owned and operated by the City of Carlsbad. There are guided tours of the property and you can also tour on your own. There is no fee for parking or entry. This is just another way to Enjoy San Diego!
For more information visit www.carrillo-ranch.org

San Diego Blues Fest

The second annual Blues Fest was on Saturday September 22, 2012. This is such a fun event to attend. The music, food and drink are great and you cannot beat the setting. This event is located in Embarcadero Marina Park North on San Diego Bay at Seaport Village. The cost was only $10 plus two cans of food and the proceeds go to benefit The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank. The park had lots of open grass area for your blankets and chairs. There were two stages of great blues music.
For more information see www.sdbluesfest.com

Nessy Burgers

On Old Highway 395 just north of Highway 76 west of the 15 is a fun place to stop and enjoy a great burger. Nessy Burgers has large burgers that are served out of a trailer. That is correct a trailer. This landmark eatery was previously located on Highway 76 just west of the 15. They moved to their new location a few hundred yards away and we think that the move was a good one. This location is a bit further from tha 15 and thus more quiet. If you are up in that area and hungry, stop in for some great fresh food. You will not leave hungry. Enjoy!
For more information see http://www.nessyburgers.com/

Balboa Park

Balboa Park is such a great place to visit that it is hard to decide what to see on a day trip. The park started in 1868 on 1400 acres and was originally called City Park. There are currently 1200 acres in Balboa Park that house the zoo, museums, golf course, gardens and much more. This wonderful urban park was the site of the 1915 Panama Exposition and is named in honor of Vasco Nunez de Balboa the first European to cross the Isthmus of Panama to the Pacific Ocean in 1513. When you visit Balboa Park try not to be overwhelmed by the large number of attractions. Just pick a few for the day and plan to come back for more later. You can almost always expect something special to be happening here. When you are in the area, take advantage of this gem. Enjoy!
For more information see www.balboapark.org www.sandiegolawnbowling.org

Old Poway Park July 4th 2012

The `Old-Fashioned Fourth of July` at Old Poway Park on Midland Road in Poway is truly an old fashion event. The park is always a step back in time, but this Fourth of July celebration is almost like something out of a Norman Rockwell painting. The park is decorated for the day and vendors and visitors alike experience the old time feel that is always here and comes out even more on the 4th. There are bands in the gazebo, train rides, traditional food and drink and all of the good cheer an event like this brings to the faces of everyone present. You do not need to wait for the 4th of July to enjoy Old Poway Park as it is open all year. Enjoy!
For more information see http://www.poway.org/ http://www.powaymidlandrr.org/ http://www.hamburgerfactory.com/

San Diego Bay

San Diego`s large bay has military, commercial and recreational uses. This large bay is lined with docks, restaurants and hotels. You will see all types and sizes of boats on the bay all year. There are so many places to stop and enjoy the scenery along the bay from Point Loma to San Diego to Chula Vista to Coronado. We are lucky to have parks and beaches on both sides of the bay. A favorite tourist spot is Seaport Village but just across the bay is Old Ferry Landing Marketplace in Coronado. This quaint shopping village has many interesting shops and restaurants, free parking and many wonderful spots to spend an hour or a day. The view across the bay of the San Diego City skyline is always interesting and changing. You can take a ferry to the other side for a small fee and enjoy the calm waters. This is another of San Diego`s treasures that can be used all year with many different points of interest along the waterfront. Enjoy!
For more information go to: http://www.coronadoferrylanding.com/ http://www.thebigbay.com/ or http://www.seaportvillage.com/

San Diego Wooden Boat Festival

June 16 and 17, 2012 marked the 22nd anniversary of the San Diego Wooden Boat Festival at Shelter Island. The event is held at the Koehler Kraft Shipyard just across Shelter Island Drive from Humphreys Half Moon Inn. Koehler Kraft is a working shipyard so there are boat materials and various boats in all stages of manufacture and repair. There was food, music and wooden boats of all types. This is a fun event and all proceeds go to benefit Challenged America. If you like beautiful boats in a beautiful setting you should attend this fun festival. Enjoy!
For more information see: www.woodenboat.com www.koehlerkraft.com and click the `wooden boat festival` link http://www.challengedamerica.org/

Little Italy, Mercato & Pacific Beach on a windy day

When we feel like Italian food. I mean when we really feel like authentic Italian food. We go to Little Italy. The pasta, sausage, meatballs and sauce are like no other place in San Diego. Yes, you can get great Italian food at lots of other places around the county, but you cannot get so many great options of fresh Italian to prepare a meal at home. There is a favorite shop for pasta, a favorite shop for bread, a favorite shop  for sausage.....well you get the picture. We headed to Little Italy for some food for Saturday night dinner and had the added pleasure of the Mercato (farmers` market). The Mercato, the food for dinner, lunch at a fantastic Italian restaurant and the view of San Diego Bay are all included when you decide to visit Little Italy on a Saturday.
For more information visit http://www.littleitalysd.com/

 Last Saturday was a rainy and windy day so we stopped just north of Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach to watch the wind surfing and kite boarding that goes on there when the wind kicks up. Even when the weather is bad, life is good in San Diego. Enjoy!

La Jolla Children`s Pool

The Children`s Pool in La Jolla has been one of our favorites for many years. This beach has a protective wall that allows safe swimming.The wall was built in 1931 with funding provided by Ellen Browning Scripps. Over the past few years the beach was closed to people due to the large number of seals that have made this their home. There was a movement by some over zealous animal rights people to try to get the beach closed completely to humans. This seems to be faltering. We wrote about this issue back on March 31, 2011. At that time there were only seals on the beach. last Sunday April 8, 2012 the beach still had seals, but also had people on the beach and in the water. This is a great development. As you can hopefully see from the above photo, people and seals can get along fine at this wonderful beach.
For more information see: http://www.friendsofthechildrenspool.com/ and www.sandiego.gov/lifeguards/beaches/pool.shtml

Heritage Park

We have visited Old Town San Diego many many times. For some reason, we have never ventured over to Heritage Park. This is where six Victorian-era homes and a synagogue have been relocated and restored. The synagogue is Temple Beth Israel which was the first synagogue in San Diego. You can reserve it for weddings, receptions and bar mitzvahs. There is a small shop in one of the homes, but the others are not always open to the public. Heritage Park is a fun place for a short stroll to see these great old buildings. Enjoy!
For more information see www.sdcounty.ca.gov/parks/heritage or http://www.heritageparksd.com/

Whaley House

Whaley House is located in Old Town San Diego. This Greek Revival style brick home was built by Thomas Whaley in 1857. At the time it was said to be one of the finest brick buildings in Southern California. Over the years the building was used a general store, residence, court house and the first commercial theater in San Diego. This historic house is open to the public for tours at a nominal fee. Besides the interesting artifacts and history, the house is considered the number one most haunted house in the United States. Enjoy!
For more information see http://www.whaleyhouse.org/

Blue Sky Ecological Reserve

Blue Sky Ecological Reserve in Poway is one of those quiet out of the way places to take a hike. This 700 acre riparian habitat is a good area to see what Northern San Diego County might have looked like before we built it up. There are native oak trees as well as other native plants and animals. The trail runs through a valley that has a small stream and lots of shade. This is an easy hike and dogs are permited. If you are looking for somewhere to enjoy nature for a few hours this is it. Enjoy!
For more information see www.poway.org/bluesky

Birch Aquarium at Scripps

The Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography sits on a hill high above the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla. The aquarium has fish from the local waters around San Diego and from around the world. This is always a great place to see the wonders of the ocean and to enjoy a great view of the coast. There are lots of aquariums here with all types of fish, crustaceans, jellyfish and seahorses. Scripps has offered the public access to their facilities since 1905. The current facility has been open since 1992 and more than 400,000 visitors visit the aquarium each year. There are few places that offer such a great ocean educational experience and do so much for our oceans. Enjoy!
For more information see http://www.aquarium.ucsd.edu/

San Diego Maritime Museum

The San Diego Maritime Museum along the Embarcadero in downtown San Diego has one of the best collections of historic ships in the world. This is a fantastic location for these great vessels. The museum is on the water and close to restaurants, hotels and public transportation. There are several ships, a submarine and lots of great information about what it must have been like to be on these old boats. Even if you do not go into the museum itself, you can see the vessels from the walkway. The Star of India was built in 1863 and is the world`s oldest sea going sailing vessel. This is one of the fun ways to experience what San Diego`s bayfront has to offer. Enjoy!
For more information see http://www.sdmaritime.org/

San Diego Botanical Garden

San Diego Botanical Garden is in Encinitas. It was formerly called Quail Botanical Gardens. This is a 35 acre garden with unique plants from around the world. The garden was once a private residence and was donated to the County of San Diego and opened to the public in 1971. This is a great place for an afternoon stroll and there is even a children`s area. February is a good time to visit because so many of the plants are in bloom. Take some time to visit this scenic San Diego spot. Enjoy!
For more information see www.sdbgarden.org

Cabrillo National Monument

Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was the first European to visit what is now Western United States. He came ashore September 28, 1542. The national park named for him is located at the southern tip of Point Loma Peninsula. This park has a fantastic view of the Pacific Ocean to the west and San Diego Bay and the city to the east. There is a theater that shows a variety of short documentary films, a museum, gift shop and the famous restored light house that was in service from 1855 to 1891. On the Pacific side you may see gray whales in the winter and can experience the tide pools at low tide. The views, hiking and history are all here for you to enjoy!
For more information see www.nps.gov/cabr/

Self Realization Fellowship Gardens in Encinitas

The Self Realization Fellowship Gardens in Encinitas is one of those places that we have driven by many times but never visited. We decided to visit on Sunday 1-8-12 and were not disappointed.The organization is worldwide and was founded in 1920 by Paramahansa Yogananda. He built a temple here in 1937. He went on to establish other locations in California. The gardens are free to the public and offer a fantastic view of the ocean from several cliff side locations. There is a koi pond and many benches in nice garden settings to relax and reflect. If you need a place to just stop and get away from the world for a few minutes, this is the place. Whether you want to meditate or just take some photos you should keep this garden as an option. Enjoy!  For more information see www.yogananda-srf.org

La Jolla Cove New Years Day

La Jolla Cove in La Jolla is one of the most beautiful beaches in Southern California.The beach is very small but the large grassy area above makes this area popular for picnics. The waters off the cove are usually some of the clearest in San Diego County. The visibility can get up to 30 feet and is usually at least 10 to 15 feet. The water here is great for scuba diving and snorkeling or maybe just a swim. This is a preserve and all of the marine life is protected. There is no fishing or gathering of any kind allowed. You can stroll the walkway above the cove around Scripps Park if you do not want to get wet. We are always amazed at the number of different languages that we hear along the way. There are several nice hotels nearby. The quaint village of La Jolla is just a short walk up the hill and has plenty of shops, restaurants and adequate parking. This is always a fun place to spend a few hours. Enjoy! For more information see http://www.lajollabythesea.com/