Local Wally's Guide to San Diego
The original locals guide to San Diego...since 1996
The Best Tourist Traps, it's the Best of The Rest of San Diego's Top Attractions!
After so many great things to do in San Diego, you're probably thinking I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel, sending you off the tourist traps, dumps, and dives. Seriously? Not!
Let's start with a margarita the size of a small bird bath fountain at Old Town. Then hop on the Old Town Trolley and take a guided tour of our city, stopping off at Seaport Village to do some shopping in a setting right on the bay. Now head over to Mission Beach and take a ride on a historic roller coaster and visit an old fashioned amusement park right on the beach!
Some of these places have been called tourist traps, but who cares if they're fun? Go ahead, put on those shorts and show off those skinny white legs that haven't seen the sunshine since you were 14. You're on vacation so forget about those other guys smirking as you climb on a fake trolley or jump on the bumper cars because you're the one having a good time, not them! These are San Diego's best "tourist traps" and you're going to love 'em!
Gray Davis served as Governor of California from 1999 until we kicked his booty out in 2003. A hugely unpopular politician, he will forever be known in San Diego as the Man Who Killed Old Town. At the time Old Town was a rocking good time, the number one revenue producing park in California. In an effort to grab even more revenue, Davis decided to take the park away from local Diane Powers and place it in the hands of a New York concession company -big mistake.
Ignoring the age old saying that if it ain't broke, don't fix it, Gray Davis then decided to make the park politically correct and removed all of the festivities and replaced it with drab and boring exhibits. Out with the colorful umbrellas, in with the tan tarps. Out with the fun light theater shows, in with the ...educational shows? Come on Gray, does that sound like a fun vacation? Stay home and watch PBS instead, which is what a lot of people did. Old Town got so boring that even the haunted spirits at the Whaley House were complaining it looked like a ghost town.
WHAT'S THE OLD TOWN TROLLEY?
Locals might mock you but the Old Town Trolley is a tour bus that's actually a pretty good way to get around - and a great way to get an overview of the sights of San Diego when you first get into town.
Yes, it's one of those fake trolley cars with tires instead of tracks, and yes, you'll be surrounded by white legged tourists wearing white socks with their boat shoes and no, there's no way anyone is ever going to mistake you for a local once they see you on this thing, but it's actually a fun and interesting way to see places such as Old Town, Seaport Village, Gaslamp, Coronado, and Little Italy. Great for a quick overview of San Diego when you first arrive.
So forget your pride and hop on the Old Town Trolley for a terrific overview of the popular sights of San Diego.
Fast forward to 2009 when the state, now broke and destitute, gave control of the park back to a local. He's working hard to bring back the shine, and while the park is still a shadow of its glory days, it's improving enough that I am upgrading it from my "Avoid at All Costs" list to a solid three star status. You'll find historic San Diego buildings, a haunted house and old cemetery, t-shirt shops and old fashioned candy stores, and lots of Mexican restaurants - lots.
It's still pretty cheesy in some areas with the fake costumed cowboys and the Nacho Libre masks, but the Fiesta de Reyes area is getting close to recapturing the spirit of the original Bazzar del Mundo, which is now located outside the main park area. The Casa del Reyes restaurant took over the site of the hugely popular Casa de Pico and while the food isn't going to thrill purists, the atmosphere and giant margaritas will delight visitors looking for a good time. Get the grande margarita which is nearly the size of a large salad bowl and sit back and enjoy.
LOCAL WALLY'S SEARCHING FOR THE OLD OLD TOWN TIP : Diane Powers lost Old Town in the Gray Davis debacle but not her ability to turn out some great tacos in a festive setting. She opened a new version of the old favorite Casa de Bandini up the coast in Encinitas that has been a great success in capturing the old feeling of old Old Town. Popular Casa de Pico re-emerged 15 miles east in La Mesa and also does a great job of recapturing the essence of the original. And the original Bazaar del Mundo shops are back, though in a different location, and worth seeking out.
THE LOWDOWN: The original "birthplace of California" is now a hotbed for Mexican restaurants and tourist shops
LOCAL TIP: Where do locals eat in Old Town? Cafe Coyote and La Pinata are top picks. Old Town Mexican Cafe gets picked by Food and Travel TV channels as a top pick, though most locals refuse to wait in the lines. Fred's Mexican Cafe has got to have the worst food in town, but typically packed with tourists. Now you know better.
WALLY SAYS: For a while Old Town looked doomed, but recent changes have it bouncing back to its former glory!
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The Lost in Space robot is frantically waving his arms and screaming "Danger Will Robinson, Tourist Trap Ahead!" as you approach Seaport Village. A Disneyland-esque take on Cape Cod, cute stores filled with funny hats, hot sauces and t-shirts, this can't be any good, right?
Shunned by locals, Seaport Village has nonetheless remained one of the most popular tourist destinations since it opened in 1980, taking over a spot that was once a burial ground for those who died of scurvy on a 1782 Spanish Expedition. One could only imagine the scene if those same sailors arrived today - CAPTAIN TO SAILORS: "Those with scurvy line up here, everyone else, ice cream!!"
Seaport Village detractors have long called it a tourist trap, a Fake Cod sea village filled with trinket and t-shirt shops. Of course, these are the same people who loved Fisherman's Wharf on their last trip to San Francisco and who have photos of themselves standing at the banyon tree in Lahaina from their trip to Maui. People who are hard on Seaport Village miss the point. Yes it's touristy, but hey, that's why tourists like it! If they would walk the village with an open mind, with a vacation mind set, they just might understand why it's so popular.
So check this out - Seaport Village sits right on the bay next to the giant Marriott hotel and down the street from the USS Midway. Cobblestone pathways, the boardwalk along the bay, you pick a sun drenched San Diego day and it's pretty darn pleasant down there. There's 55 shops filled with everything from t-shirts to hot sauces, but really the shops are just a backdrop for the overall experience. It's all about being outside walking around a pleasant "village" and if you find a cool shop or two along the way, nice. Vintage merry-go-round, live music, and plenty of opportunities for casual dining abound. Take a walk along the boardwalk to see the gorgeous view of the bay, the sleek sailboats and the million dollar yachts all against the background of Coronado Island. Tell me, really, does this sound like a tourist trap?
LOCAL WALLY'S SEAPORT VILLAGE RESTAURANT TIP : Locals know better than to eat a "real" meal at Seaport Village, not when there's so many other good eats options nearby. The Fish Market is right down the street with a gorgeous outdoor patio where you can get a plate of fried calamari or a shrimp cocktail, along with some real cocktails to wash it all down!
THE LOWDOWN: "Made for Tourists" village of shops and restaurants right on the bay is better than it sounds.
LOCAL TIP: Combine Seaport Village and Gaslamp into one day of exploring then hop the ferry to have dinner at Coronado.
WALLY SAYS: Typical tourist traps make you feel all slimy afterwards - Seaport Village makes you feel good!
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When I first moved to San Diego in the '70's my Mom asked if the roller coaster was still there. She remembered a thrilling day at a beach side amusement park, hot dogs and cotton candy, sand and sunshine, all capped off with a ride on the Giant Dipper, a wooden coaster. I love old coasters so I started my search for this amusement park utopia.
What I found was heartbreaking - the park was run down, the coaster closed, and the bums and rats had moved in. The amusement park was not very amusing. It was so bad that the historic coaster, built in 1925 in just 45 days, was destined for destruction. Thankfully, a few forward thinking citizens saved the coaster and the Giant Dipper was refurbished back to its original wooden glory and reopened in 1990. Today you can take a trip back in time and rediscover the thrills of the clickity-clack sound of a wooden coaster as it climbs the the top for a breathtaking view of the beach, the slight pause as it creaks at the peak, then right when you least expect it (meaning when you're waving to your friend who was too chicken to ride) you get the rush of adrenaline as you get hurled to the ground, dropping 73 feet at 40 mph in seconds! This is no tubular steel, loop the loop, buckled down modern coaster, this is a "we're all going to die" wooden coaster that feels like it's making it's last run before it crumbles into the sea. That's my kind of ride!
Belmont Park also has plenty of traditional amusement park rides, from the bumper cars to the vomit inducing Chaos ride, fun for the whole family whether you have tots or teens. For the older crowd there's the "as seen on MTV" Wave House, a restaurant/bar that features two wave machine pools set up for surfing, skimming and boogie boarding, as well as plenty of hot bikini girls and young studly guys hoping for a hook up. Live music and concerts keep the action moving, chicken wings and burgers at the bar, it's a non-stop beach party.
Times have changed but there's something special about a beach side amusement park. Maybe the folks back in the 1930's and 40's had it right when they made the original Belmont Park their favorite destination. Families will enjoy an afternoon here, teens will love the flirting action on the beach, and 21 and over's will feel like they stumbled into a MTV reality show.
THE LOWDOWN: An old time amusement park with a fabulous wooden coaster right on the beach
LOCAL TIP: Buy a wristband for unlimited rides and don't miss the shaved ice shops near the boardwalk
WALLY SAYS: Mission Beach is often filled with "eclectic" people, so if you're from Kansas, well, you're not in Kansas anymore!
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San Diego is famous for a lot of things.... sunny beaches, fish tacos, great microbrews. But wine? Well, not so much. But local wine makers are trying to change all that in Temecula, a relative newcomer to the wine making industry and a place that's starting to challenge some of the more established wine regions.
Located an hour north of downtown on the inland Highway 15 route, the colors turn from tropical vibrant to desert sepia during the hot Summer months. No, this isn't Napa, this is inland Southern California where Mother Nature can be brutal and Summer temperatures often break the triple digits. Exit the freeway on Rancho California Road and go past the shops and houses and the area soon opens up with wineries and vineyards lining the road. Many of the wineries have restaurants and gift shops to go with the wine tasting.
Sip a little wine, do a little shopping, grab a bite, what's not to like? During the Summer weekends Temecula wine tasting can turn into Party in the Limo and Girls Gone Wild Bachelorette Parties. But come on a weekday and the setting is more more relaxed, more of an education in wine than a pub crawl. Locals know to avoid the weekends and to avoid any winery that has a limo or party bus in front as they know the scene inside will be busy and crazy. White wines can border on the sweet side, reds are a bit more serious, but no matter which you sip it's hard to beat a day trip to San Diego's wine country.
LOCAL WALLY'S "WHAT ELSE IS IN TEMECULA" TIP: Old Town Temecula is a great stop after wine tasting if you like exploring antique shops in an old fashioned western town setting.
THE LOWDOWN: Thirty or sowineries with shops and restaurants all in one area make for an intoxicating experience!
LOCAL TIP: Take the sting out of paying for winetastings with these free Temecula Discount Winetasting Coupons!
WALLY SAYS: There are a lot of different varietals being grown in Temecula so don't give up if the first winery you stop at doesn't float your boat. Just keep tasting and you'll be sure to find a bottle to take back to the hotel.
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