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Post by mom2ja2 on Feb 28, 2015 16:12:59 GMT
Update:
We're now staying in La Jolla for the week. The condo we booked in Oceanside ended up only being available part of the time we were there, due to the owners deciding to spend a long weekend. We're excited about La Jolla though!
We're in the WindanSea community.
I was in La Jolla 20 years ago for the afternoon - and remember only the seals on the beach.
We still plan on having a car - and doing things like the zoo, old town and other things mentioned here.
But, with La Jolla as home base - does anyone have a favorite restaurant, shop, picnic spot or anything that we shouldn't miss?
Thanks again for everything!
******************original post below***************************************************************
We are thinking of heading to the San Diego area for Spring Break. (The first full week of April.)
DH goes to San Diego about once a month for business, but doesn't really do anything touristy - and it's been 20 years since I've been there.
We'll be traveling with our 3 kids - 15, 13, 11....not only their first trip to California, but also first time in an airplane.
I found a place in Oceanside California that seems nice - a resort called North Coast Village. But there are so many places to stay I'm overwhelmed. We usually go to the same area in Florida & I know exactly where to stay & where to avoid, I feel like I'm flying blind here.
We'll be renting a car - and do plan to drive up to LA and do some fun things there.
Wondering if anyone has any advice?
Is Oceanside a good home base for a vacation divided between San Diego & LA?
Any "must-sees" in the San Diego area? Or a tour of Hollywood that you can recommend? (there are so many tours - ranging in prices from 20 bucks a head to 300 bucks a head) Tips on restaurants?
Thanks in advance for any help!!
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luvnlifelady
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Post by luvnlifelady on Feb 28, 2015 16:21:13 GMT
I live in Oceanside. Do you have pictures of the place? If not, I can drive by and check it out and get pics. sometime. Downtown used to have a rather seedy reputation but it's really improved over the last 10 years or so. We are near a base, so you will get service men/women at the bars at night which can sometimes get rowdy but other than that, it's pretty good for walking around in the early evening.
There's a diner at the end our pier which is good and you can rent bikes. There's also a small eatery under the pier called "Tin Fish." I think it's a good spot to do things between San Diego/LA. There's also a train depot right there with Coaster service to San Diego or Metrolink to Orange County. Amtrak also services both directions. There's plenty of other restaurants and a movie theatre downtown too.
They may be too old for Legoland, but if you go, be sure to say "Hi" to my DD. She just got a job there. There's also Padre games in San Diego or Angels in Anaheim. We loved renting Segways in Mission Beach in San Diego and taking them around Mission Bay (they let you go by yourself). There's a small beach-side amusement park there too.
I'm not up on the restaurants too much since we tend to do boring stuff like "Denny's" but there is a European deli/restaurant that the Peas recommend off Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad called Tiptop Meats. Good portions and prices but the lady taking the order reminded me of the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld.
If I think of more stuff I will add it. Oh, there is K-1 Speed Go-carts in Carlsbad and a Family Fun center nearby to me with the usual go-karts, arcade, batting cages, mini golf, etc. There's also bowling near downtown Oceanside. We also just got a new Regal theatre in Carlsbad at the Westfield Mall (they are re-doing the entire mall).
There's good eating/shopping at the Carlsbad Outlet Stores near Legoland.
One thing I'm sure you've heard of is that our traffic can be really bad. There's really no good window but of course, avoiding rush hour helps to some extinct. However, I was in a 4 mile backup yesterday at 1:45 in the afternoon due to an accident so it can really vary. You may want to stay up in LA and do that part and then stay down this way and do San Diego. Just a thought.
Oh another point is that the "San Diego Wild Animal Park" is not near downtown. It's actually inland quite a bit so that can be a little confusing to tourists that think most things are near each other. Balboa Park has a lot of museums if you're interested in that.
A new cat cafe just opened near downtown San Diego. You buy a coffee or similar drink and then go next door to hang out with the cats that are also adoptable (during peak times there could be a wait).
The Spectrum in Irvine is also good for shopping/eating especially if you need a break between LA/San Diego. There's also a large ferris wheel there and a movie theatre.
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Post by freecharlie on Feb 28, 2015 16:21:55 GMT
well the obvious are the San Diego Zoo and Sea World
If it is opening day when you will be there, you could take in a Padres game
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raindancer
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Post by raindancer on Feb 28, 2015 16:28:38 GMT
I would skip Legoland for those ages for sure. The zoo and the wild animal park are fantastic and doing a "safari" at the wild animal park is something I always recommend. Loved it. I would also see about sailing. We have a friend who owns a boat, but you could find a charter for sure.
I would also highly recommend the tour of the USS Midway. It's a really great museum/tour and it's a "go at your own pace". The food is meh, but it's right there and supports the museum so I'm partial to eating there anyway.
I love Mission Bay, we skipped the segways, but my son was only 10 last time we went. I would reconsider now that he is a bit older.
The kids liked Sea World but dh and I weren't fans. (And it has nothing to do with Blackfish), but rather that it feels like they don't really have a plan. Is it amusement park? Is it conservation? Is it a circus? Lord only knows, and they don't do any of those things well. Too many eggs in one basket. We felt it was kind of dirty and run down. We go to SD a lot (several times a year) and we have only gone there once.
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Post by mom2ja2 on Feb 28, 2015 16:31:20 GMT
Thanks so much! I do have Sea World & the Zoo as things to do on my maybe list - Sea World is really pricey, so it may get cut. Here is a link to North Coast Village - the condos look nice on the inside. www.northcoastvillage.com/You don't have to drive by! But it's amazing that you offered. My youngest would love legoland - the older 2 not so much. We're trying to find things all 3 will enjoy.
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TankTop
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Post by TankTop on Feb 28, 2015 16:39:58 GMT
My list of must do things. My father lived there for 13 years and we vacationed often.
1. Coronado. Check out the hotel and walk the beach and Main Street. 2. Point Loma. Walk down to the tide pools to explore sea life. Check out the light house too. Stop at brown bag deli on Rosecerans for lunch afterwards. This is a nice morning outing. 3. Captain Dave's boat tour out of Dana Point. Amazing experience. You should be able to see whales while you there. 4. Spend an evening in Old Town. Such a wonderful slice of Mexico. Beautiful! The food is amazing in this area. 5. Drive up to Disney. Choose one park and do it up. We found one day was fine for one park.
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oaksong
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Post by oaksong on Feb 28, 2015 16:59:55 GMT
Oceanside would be nice if you want to enjoy the beach, but the traffic to San Diego is brutal. Here are some places we've stayed that would be great for a family. All of them had kitchens, and we're very reasonably priced, but that is going to depend on the time of year.
Bahia Resort in Mission Bay - villas right on the water. It was kind of old and funky when we were there, but the price was right. You can rent bicycle carts and ride around the bay.
El Cordova on Coronado Island - converted apartments, very charming, walk to the beach, shops, restaurants. I love Coronado Island! If you're there have lunch at the Del Coronado.
Inn at the Park - they were new and renovating so it wasn't expensive. The decor was really high-end modern, so the price may have changed since then. Right across the street from Balboa Park, and there is a shuttle to the zoo.
The Zoo is a must-see. Sea World is also fun and interesting. Check out the City passes. They have a flat price for all of the places, and there may be one that includes Legoland or even Disneyland. If you come to LA, I think Universal Studios is worth a visit if you have the time.
ETA: The Wild Animal park in Escondido is also really great. I haven't been to the Midway, but it's on my list. Your family is going to love San Diego!
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luvnlifelady
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Post by luvnlifelady on Feb 28, 2015 17:04:53 GMT
San Diego has a good trolley system. You can park your rental if it's too confusing/hard to drive in downtown and take the trolley to different spots.
I was going to recommend Old Town too for some good Mexican food.
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Deleted
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Aug 18, 2025 19:52:55 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2015 17:54:43 GMT
First off, huge thanks to luvinlifelady for the Cat Cafe tip! My DD is going to go crazy, I'm totally taking her there soon.
I also recomend Cabrillo National Monument and the tidepools there. You have to check the times of low tide online before you go.
We recently hiked Torrey Pines and it's a very beautiful hike to the coast. You start at the top of the hill and work your way down to the beach. The views from the top are beautiful!
Stand Up Paddleboarding is very popular here and you can rent them fairly inexpensively. I think with the ages of your kids they would enjoy that activity a lot. My girls are 9 and 13 and love SUP. We go on Mission Bay. The weather can be iffy in April, and what's nice about SUP is that you stay dry - unless you fall in the water! My kids didn't fall in the water at all their first time trying.
We've enjoyed the cruise on the Bahia Belle, also on Mission Bay.
Old Town is fun to walk around and look, and eat mexican food. There's another Old Town in Temecula which I went to the first time a few months ago and thought it was absolutely darling. There was an old timey candy shop that my kids had fun in.
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Post by padresfan619 on Feb 28, 2015 18:03:24 GMT
I'm marking my place here to come and give you tips!
One thing off the top of my head is the Midway Museum! It is a museum on an aircraft carrier.
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luvnlifelady
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Post by luvnlifelady on Feb 28, 2015 18:08:01 GMT
First off, huge thanks to luvinlifelady for the Cat Cafe tip! My DD is going to go crazy, I'm totally taking her there soon. I also recomend Cabrillo National Monument and the tidepools there. You have to check the times of low tide online before you go. We recently hiked Torrey Pines and it's a very beautiful hike to the coast. You start at the top of the hill and work your way down to the beach. The views from the top are beautiful! Stand Up Paddleboarding is very popular here and you can rent them fairly inexpensively. I think with the ages of your kids they would enjoy that activity a lot. My girls are 9 and 13 and love SUP. We go on Mission Bay. The weather can be iffy in April, and what's nice about SUP is that you stay dry - unless you fall in the water! My kids didn't fall in the water at all their first time trying. We've enjoyed the cruise on the Bahia Belle, also on Mission Bay. Old Town is fun to walk around and look, and eat mexican food. There's another Old Town in Temecula which I went to the first time a few months ago and thought it was absolutely darling. There was an old timey candy shop that my kids had fun in. The cat cafe can be a little hard to find downtown but just look around the corner. Also, the owner says earlier in the day is better if you want to interact with the cats. The number of cats they have really depends on recent adoptions (they have been quite successful with that). If having a number to play with/choose from is important to you, maybe call ahead and ask about it. The place is a bit on the small side, so try to go during off-peak hours for more cat interaction time if you can. They also have reviews on Yelp. OP-I forgot until now but there's also a Lagoon in Carlsbad that offers water type rentals too.
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Post by mom2ja2 on Feb 28, 2015 18:25:09 GMT
Thank you for all the info so far! There is so much on line it's hard to organize what we want to do. This is helping so much! My kids would freak at seeing a whale....I would freak at seeing a whale!
Didn't know about a lot of this - getting more & more excited!
Off to a baby shower - so won't be able to respond for a bit - but thanks again for all this great info!
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Post by bc2ca on Feb 28, 2015 20:30:43 GMT
One of DD's BFFs has a unit in that complex and it is in a great location. If you google map it, you are walking distance to both the harbour where every rental fun-on-the water option is available (whale watching, fishing, kayak, stand up paddle board, pedal boat, jet ski, sunset sail, etc.) and to the Pier and the heart of Oceanside (more shopping, restaurants, etc.). Book any whale watching, fishing or sailing excursions out of the Oceanside Harbor - it makes no sense to drive to another location to do these. The harbor has a few restaurants (I'd recommend Rockin Baja), tourist shops, great ice cream, etc. Over by the Pier you will find everything from high end (333 Pacific) to family friendly places like Ruby's Diner at the end of the Pier. The world's best fries and other wonderful food can by found at the Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen (completely family friendly). Save Thursday night for the Sunset Market - there is a daytime Farmer's Market and then in the evening it is all about food and entertainment. If we have someone visiting over a Thursday, we usually head down there for dinner and sunset at the beach. LA is a long haul, although we do it for the day occassionally. On paper Oceanside is 90 minutes to LAX but it took me three hours late afternoon yesterday and Hollywood is at least another 45 minutes north. Oceanside has a Mission, but I'd recommend the one in San Juan Capistrano if that is of interest to you. If you head to the Safari Park in Escondido, stop and have dinner at the Stone Brewery on the way home (another spot we always take out of town guests). I'd spend at least 2 full days exploring San Diego. A great way to get an overview is on a hop-on, hop-off trolley tour. We stopped & started at Old Town and spent most of the day and had lunch in Coronado when we did it years ago. The Midway and the Maritime Museum (multiple ships to explore including a tall ship and submarine) are close to each other and both worth exploring as is the Zoo. I'd skip SeaWorld for a whale watching trip and you will likely get a dolphin show too. Disneyland is about an hour north and doable for a day trip, but a long day.
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Post by 950nancy on Feb 28, 2015 21:18:39 GMT
We travel every year and try to go out of the country. My favorite vacation in the US was SD area. The water was really cold (June), but there was so much to do. I remember just picking a beach and it was full of dogs. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. I later found out it was Dog Beach and not every beach was full of canines.
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Post by cmpeter on Feb 28, 2015 21:31:49 GMT
If you like seafood go to Point Loma Seafood and get a crab sandwich on sourdough bread. So yummy!
For breakfast we like Cafe 222 and Tip Top Meats. Tip Top is a German deli but they have awesome, huge and reasonable breakfasts.
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Post by mom2ja2 on Mar 31, 2015 20:30:12 GMT
Eek! We leave this Saturday - so excited.
As mentioned above, we're now staying in La Jolla for the week. Thought I'd bump this just to see if there were any "must do" things in La Jolla!
Thanks again, everyone!
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Post by padresfan619 on Mar 31, 2015 20:43:00 GMT
George's at the Cove is a don't miss. Sit outside!
Burger Lounge, Windan Sea Cafe, and Donovan's are all good too.
The seals are still at the Children's Beach - be prepared for a gross smell. La Jolla Shores is a good beach, there are lifeguards, grassy areas, a boardwalk, a park and lots of benches to sit on. If you want to spend the day on the beach try to leave early - parking is minimal and the weather is really nice so lots of people are flocking to the beach! The Birch Aquarium is a nice afternoon activity.
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keithurbanlovinpea
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Post by keithurbanlovinpea on Mar 31, 2015 21:04:35 GMT
Go to the aquarium and then to Caroline's Cafe for lunch.
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Post by bc2ca on Mar 31, 2015 21:12:48 GMT
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Post by shamrock on Mar 31, 2015 23:05:17 GMT
We have *loved* our visits to La Jolla! Seal Beach is a favorite place to visit for my boys. We liked George's at the Cove. We also enjoy Del Mar area.
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Post by SockMonkey on Mar 31, 2015 23:08:49 GMT
We liked Brockton Villa in La Jolla for breakfast. It's right on the water. Lovely! www.brocktonvilla.comThe line gets LONG though.
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Post by SockMonkey on Mar 31, 2015 23:09:59 GMT
Also, I am not a zoo person at all, but the San Diego Zoo was AH-MA-ZING. Don't miss it!
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Post by hennybutton on Mar 31, 2015 23:49:59 GMT
Lot's of great advice here. Be sure to spend a day at the museums at Balboa Park. The Natural History Museum has a King Tut exhibition going on now. You could blow a day in Old Town too. Definitely hit the Zoo and the Wild Animal Park. (I refuse to use Safari Park, it's a stupid name.) They're really committed to education and protecting endangered species. I wouldn't bother going all the way to LA. It would take you 2 to 2-1/2 hours of driving each way with no traffic and there's plenty to do and see in San Diego. Hollywood is highly overrated. Disneyland is doable as a 1-1/2 to 2 hour drive from La Jolla.
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Post by mom2ja2 on Apr 1, 2015 2:07:20 GMT
Taking notes! Thanks again for all the advice & recommendations. Making a list!
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smginaz Suzy
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Post by smginaz Suzy on Apr 1, 2015 2:22:33 GMT
Ditto on Cabrillo monument and the tide pools. I like the kayaking on Mission Bay too. Rent a bike or a peddle car on Coronado Island. Eat at Jake's in Del Mar or the Potato Shack in Encinitas. And there are some days I still like to stop at Kobey's swap meet on Saturdays. Just for kicks and giggles.
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