notes-sanDiego

Within each section of this page (parks, activities, restaurants), I generally list in descending order of awesomeness.

Parks

Sycamore Canyon/Gooden Ranch

Nice and desolate. I think Sycamore Canyon is the high-up part and Gooden Ranch is the low part. I've only been to the high part (i.e. entering through the highway 67 gate). For some reason, even though you're not far from civilization, you can't see many buildings from the trails, even though you are on top of hills and can see a long way, so it feels like you're in the middle of nowhere.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&layer=x&g=sycamore+canyon,+poway&ll=32.949407,-116.991692&spn=0.057548,0.104713&z=14

http://goodanranch.org/map.html

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Torrey Pines State Reserve

I don't like much of this park, but the middle of the Marsh Trail is my favorite trail so far in the San Diego area (I list it below Sycamore Canyon because if you can only go to one, you should see Sycamore Canyon -- but Marsh Trail is more fun to go to over and over).

The eastern end of the Marsh Trail starts on Flintkote Avenue. To get there from the 5 going north, get off at the Sorrento Valley exit, turn left, go along Roselle Street until it turns into Estuary Way, which turns into Flintkote. At the intersection of Estuary Way and Flintkote, off to the right there are signs telling you not to enter. This is the park entrance. Don't worry, the do not enter stuff only applies to cars. You can park on the street (I think; there are "no parking" signs on one side of the Flintkote, but not on the other), and walk into the park. You'll walk past a bunch of signs telling cars and drug dealers not to enter, and a few surveillance camera, and then past a gate that keep out cars. Now you're in the park. It's paved. You walk for awhile with beautiful hills on your left and some wetter-than-usual-for-san-diego nature on your right (in between you and the train tracks, which run parallel to the trail). Eventually you pass the ranger's house on your left, and go past another no-cars gate. Then you go further on the paved part until eventually you get to the unpaved part. This is where the best part starts! You might want to jog through the paved part in order to get to the good stuff.

The trail is very narrow and plants have been allowed to grow into the space above the trail, so you are often brushing through the ends of shrubs, which is fun. The trail goes on like this for a bit and eventually goes along the south edge of the Los Penàsquitos Marsh. Apparently the trail is only 1.4 miles long, but I've never made it all the way through to the western edge, which apparently ends near the main park entrance (then again, I've only managed to arrive in the late afternoon, and you have to be out by sunset -- also, I like to bring something to read and stop and read sometimes, and to pause and look at plants for a few minutes from time to time).

Between the beginning of the trail, where you go past the hills and the ranger's house and the stuff on the right (which I supposed is an overgrown marsh), and the middle, where you are brushing past shrubs right next to the hills, and the end, where you are next to flat marsh, there's a moderate diversity of different sorts of scenery and plant life, which is neat.

Be careful to be out of the park by sunset (which is when the park closes). If you enter and leave on the Flintkote side, you have to walk past the ranger's house to get out --- the first time I went on a long walk in this park, I miscalculated and didn't get out until it was dark, and the ranger was quite angry to find someone walking past his house in the dark. I don't blame him, it must seem quite suspicious to find someone right outside your house in the night at a time when no one is supposed to be there.

Black's Beach

You can park in the glider port parking lot during the day. I highly recommend standing or sitting on top of the cliffs, right in front of the parking lot, to watch the sunset.

Watching the sunset is the coolest part, but if you want you can walk down the stairs in the cliffs to get to the beach. The beach is particularly nice during partially cloudy days, because at this beach there is a high propensity for the sun to shine through breaks in the clouds and sparkle off the water.

I don't surf or swim or do beach stuff, but maybe if you do, you'll like to do beach-y things on this beach, too.

Note: it is a nude beach, so don't be surprised. You don't have to go nude, though, and most people don't. Note: I hear the surfing is hard, so don't go here if you're a beginner.

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San Dieguito

Not extremely nature-sy, but there's a bunch of trees, and there's fun stuff like flexible wooden bridges and wooden lookout point structures to climb up on.

This place burned in the fires and I haven't been there since so I don't know if it's still cool.

http://www.co.san-diego.ca.us/parks/picnic/sandieguito.html

Mission Trails

http://www.mtrp.org/

Marian Bear park

To get here from going east on 52, get off at Clairemont Mesa/Regents, and the park entrance is right near the highway exit. It's open until 9pm (at least right now). There are two parking areas/trailheads, I don't really know how to indicate the one I went on. But after you park and go in, there's a fork where you can go to the left (nearer the hills) or to the right (nearer the stream, although you can't see the stream yet). The right-hand trail is the "nature trail", a wide, paved trail going along the right side of the creek with 9 numbered posts that indicate where certain demo plants may be found (a list of the plants is in a pamphlet sitting inconspicuously in a white container attached to the welcome sign). The left-hand trail is my favorite, it is a narrow trail that people bike on a lot that goes next to the bottom of the hills, and sometimes near the stream. The plantlife reminds me of some parks in the Bay Area (northern california), except with no redwoods -- there are lots of oaks and poison oak and a little toyon.

http://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/marbear2.shtml

Other activities

UN International Cottages food events

This is my favorite San Diego activity. There are a bunch of "international cottages" in Balboa Park which represent various countries. They are only sometimes open. Twice a year, they are all open, and they all serve food particular to their country! It's delicious!

http://www.sdhpr.org/events-food.html http://www.sdhpr.org/events-icf.html

Bring money, because you have to buy the food.

One of my favorite dishes is the palestinian donuts.

County Fair

http://www.sdfair.com/fair/

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International Alpaca Odyssey

Every few years it comes to Del Mar Fairgrounds.

http://www.iaoshow.com/

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Zoo

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/

If you're going to go more than once, get a membership.

You can pet sheep in the petting zoo.

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Wild Animal Park

Run by the same organization as the zoo.

Not as much to see as at the zoo, but the animals have more room.

You can pet deer-like animals in the petting zoo ("petting kraal")!

http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wap/index.html

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Rock and Gem Roundup

http://www.ecvgms.com/ourannualshow.html

Beware, the Google Maps directions are wrong.

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Gourd farm

http://www.welburngourdfarm.com/

I've only been during the Gourd Festival.

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Birch Aquarium

http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/

Pumpkin Patch

I think they don't really grow pumpkins here, but they pretend to around halloween.

http://www.victoriasgardens.us/

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Restaurants

Mitsuwa and Kayaba

Mitsuwa is a japanese supermarket and Kayaba is a little restaurant inside of it. Kayaba's has a "no take-out" policy, so you have to eat it there (but you can take home leftovers). I like to get the kitsune udon with the mini oyako don.

We go here almost once a week.

Tajima

Great, cheap japanese restaurant. Two locations, one has more food, one apparently has a smaller menu and is more geared towards drinking. Get the black cod. (the black cod used to be even better because they used to serve it in larger portions, and with cabbage as well as the veggies that they serve now -- it's still pretty good though).

On some nights, they are open really late with a special late-night menu, including plenty of meat.

McDonalds

Great fast-food chain seen all over America.

Chipotle

Great fast-food burritos.

Rubio's

Great fast-food fish burritos (they have other stuff, but the only dish of theirs that I like is the fish burrito).

Burger King

Another fast-food chain seen all over America. I don't like their food as much as McDonald?'s, but their milkshakes are superior. Unfortunately, the franchises often don't bother to fix (or maybe to stock) their milkshake machines so the milkshakes are often unavailable.

Rock Bottom

Typical microbrewery restaurant (tasty burgers and such). I like to get the beer sampler.

California Pizza Kitchen

Chain with flavorful pizzas. I like the Jamaican Jerk Chicken and the BBQ chicken. The Adobe Chicken Chowder (soup) is good too. You can get a large bowl of it.

Awash ethiopian restaurant

Great food. Get the honey wine, too.

Tadashi

All-you-can eat sushi (with a time limit) for $27 including toro tuna when they have it! All you can eat toro!!!

Not a buffet -- you sit at the bar and the sushi chef prepares stuff for you as you order it. Not much diversity, but I love toro.

Old Town stuff

Some good touristy mexican food places.

Chevy's

Mexican food chain.

Roppongi

Good, some interesting dishes, kinda expensive (if not for the "kinda expensive", it would be much higher on my list).

Todai

Large, diverse all-you-can eat sushi buffet. No really upscale dishes like toro, though.

Mille Fleurs

Very good fancy food. Expensive.

Things that you might think would be good but that I'd recommend you avoid

Nobu restaurant

There are two Nobus in San Diego, one of them part of the famous chain, and one an unrelated local restaurant. I've only been to the one that is part of the famous chain. I didn't like it; the music was too loud (btw, the Nobu in New York didn't have this problem). The food was good, but the best food was sashimi without any special sauce; basically most of the prepared food was very good but not great (the Nobu in New York also had very good food, but not great; they kept making the mistake of putting too strong a sauce on dishes, masking out the delicious natural flavor). Also, the Nobu sakes are just so-so.