Fodor's San Diego 2001: Completely Updated Every Year, Smart Travel Tips from A to Z, Pull-Out Color Map (Travel Guide) - Softcover

Fodor's

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0679005595 ISBN 13: 9780679005599

Publisher: Fodor's, 2000

Synopsis

"Fodor's guides cover culture authoritatively and rarely miss a sight or museum." - National Geographic Traveler

"The king of guidebooks." - Newsweek

No matter what your budget or whether it's your first trip or fifteenth, Fodor's Gold Guides get you where you want to go.

Insider info that's totally up to date. Every year our local experts give you the inside track, showing you all the things to see and do -- from must-see sights to off-the-beaten-path adventures, from shopping to outdoor fun.

Hundreds of hotel and restaurant choices in all price ranges -- from budget-friendly B&Bs to luxury hotels, from casual eateries to the hottest new restaurants, complete with thorough reviews showing what makes each place special.

Smart Travel Tips A to Z section helps you take care of the nitty gritty with essential local contacts and great advice -- from how to take your mountain bike with you to what to do in an emergency.Full-size, foldout map keeps you on course.
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Fodor's Compass American Guide Coastal California: A full-color guide, providing in-depth coverage of the history, culture, and character of Coastal California.Fodor's upCLOSE California: Designed for travelers who want to travel well and spend less.

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Destination: San Diego

To the Casual visitor, San Diego defines a vacation paradise: year-round sunshine, miles of white-sand beaches, family-oriented outdoor entertainment at Sea World and the world-famous San Diego Zoo, a laid-back casual ambience, and bits of history and Hispanic culture. But there's more than meets the eye here. If you look beyond the obvious, you'll discover why what many locals proclaim is "America's finest city" draws more than 14 million visitors annually.

Beaches

The coastline in and around San Diego encompasses some of the best beaches on the West Coast. Some are wide and sandy, others narrow and rocky; some are always crowded with athletes and sun-worshippers, others seem created for solitary beachcombers and romantic pairs.  Among the standouts are Imperial Beach, a classic southern California beach favored by surfers, swimmers, and frisbee fliers; Silver Strand State Beach, relatively calm and family-friendly, the underused North and Central portions of Municipal Beach on the isthmus of Coronado; Ocean Beach a.k.a. Dog Beach because of the number of canines found romping next to volleyball players and sunbathers; Mission Beach, which has a boardwalk popular with walkers, rollerbladers, and bicyclists, La Jolla Cove, where tidal pools and cliff coves provide exciting diversions for explorers; and Torrey Pines State Beach between La Jolla and Del Mar, one of the easiestand most comfortable beaches to visit in the area.

Outdoor Activities and Sports

At least one stereotype of San Diego is true -- it is an active, outdoors-oriented community. People recreate here more than they spectate, and as a visitor it's hard not to join in. As you would expect, the emphasis is on fun in the sun and surf -- sailing, swimming, surfing, diving, and fishing head the list. Some favorite activities and the best places to enjoy them include scuba diving off La Jolla Cove, surfing at almost any of the beaches, golfing at Torrey Pines, La Costa, or Rancho Bernardo, rollerblading at Mission Bay, and jet skiing at the Snug Harbor Marina in Carlsbad. But the San Diego area also contains vast open spaces -- mesas, plateaus, and oak-studded foothills which appeal to nature lovers, hikers, and mountain bikers.

Shopping

San Diego's many shopping districts are a mélange of self-contained megamalls, historic districts, homey villages, funky neighborhoods, and chic suburbs. Whimsical Horton Plaza, in the heart of center city, is the place to go for department stores, mall shops, and one-of-a-kind boutiques; the adjoining Gaslamp Quarter is chock full of art galleries, antiques shops, and specialty stores. Seaport Village on the waterfront is thick with theme shops and arts-and-crafts galleries. Coronado has a few blocks of fancy boutiques and galleries as well as Ferry Landing Marketplace, a waterfront shopping and dining center. Bazaar del Mundo in the historic Old Town district resembles a colorful Mexican marketplace, where you can browse in shops selling international goods, toys, souvenirs, and arts and crafts. Hillcrest is the place to go for vintage clothing, furnishings, and accessories. La Jolla boasts a collection of trendy designer boutiques and galleries among Prospect Street and Girard Avenue. Discounted designer fashions can also be found at the recently opened Carlsbad Company Stores.

Edition details

• Publisher: Fodor's
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0679005595
• ISBN 13: 9780679005599
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240