Eat, drink and be tan. That should be the motto for San Diego since that’s all I did here. There are countless neighborhoods filled with the culture, the art of past and present members of this community and this is a guide to more than just bars. It’s a map to discovering the favorite spots of the people who call San Diego home.

Gaslamp Quarter

Everyone has heard of this area and its name comes from the Victorian-style gas lamps that adorn the streetlamps. This is a tourist hub filled with countless stores, restaurants, and bars. I know it from visiting my college friends and bar hopping which was really just walking into the spot next door because bars are everywhere. We finally ended up at a dueling piano bar where we sang our hearts out. The Shout House if anyone is interested. Even as the world opens up, packing into a bar and drinking alongside young college students isn’t how I want to spend four hours of my limited night in San Diego. However, if that sounds like heaven and you love to meet new people as you ask them to wave down the slammed bartender, the Gaslamp Quarter is absolutely the place for you. Even during the pandemic this area was always very full and parking takes patience but for those planners, the city has an online option to reserve your parking spot so you can get straight to the shopping, eating, and drinking.

Little Italy

The one thing you must do is go to the original DeFilippi’s in Little Italy. It’s an old-school Italian restaurant that has the best fettuccine alfredo and lasagna you ever had. Seriously, an old-school New Yorker confirmed it was just as good as on the east coast. The family has several spots but this one is the best because of its ambiance. Make sure to sit inside where it’s a bit cramped but it feels like an Italian eatery with the small tables and red checkered table covers. Take my advice and get a half order of anything you get. Even with a half order of my pasta I ended up in a food coma and had to fight to stay awake the rest of the night. Here’s a tip, order your dessert with your dinner. I waited until after to put in my order and by then, they were out of cannolis. I’m still very sad about this.

Balboa Park

Wear walking shoes and take your time, you’re going to need all day at Balboa Park. This place is enormous and breathtaking. There are about a dozen individual things to check out here, from the art garden at the Timken Art Museum to the Spanish Village Art Center. This is a spot for architecture and art lovers. Even if you don’t have a degree in art history, it’s impossible not to appreciate the Italian renaissance style buildings. You might not know exactly the style being replicated or why some towers appear to come straight out of The Vatican but everyone can appreciate the stunning buildings, gardens, and walkways. Even kids can appreciate the vendors selling treats, toys, and beverages. It feels like you’re at the fair, but without the rides. Everyone showed up just to enjoy being at the park and instead of staring up at the ferris wheel, we’re all starting up at the impressive California Tower which gives off Spanish-Colonial and gothic vibes.

 

Old Town San Diego

 

Old Town reminded me a lot of Olvera St. in Los Angeles. The area is colorful, quaint, and beautiful with pueblo-style architecture. Everywhere you go, you see vendors selling Dia de Los Muertos memorabilia, Frida Kahlo or La Virgen totes, blankets, or posters. There are a few Mexican restaurants and one of them had a performer belting out Selena hits. While nice, this one area felt like the most touristy part of the city. There were waitresses in baile folklorico skirts and men in mariachi gear everywhere. What I assume is the original “Old Town” opens up to a street that is like an old western mining town. Think of a kid-friendly version of “Deadwood.” There are original buildings from when settlers first arrived like a schoolhouse, bank, and gem shop. Further down, the street is lined with a dozen more Mexican food spots; each one touting their own margarita specials. Once I got to this particular area, it felt pretty commercialized but I don’t want to disparage the people who do an amazing job keeping up the energy and the fun. Who am I to judge what is authentic? But if someone said they were taking me to a place all the tourists go to get that “old west” meets “fiesta” feel, Old Town would fit the bill.

Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcala

In California, every fourth grader has to learn about how missionaries founded California by traveling up the coast and stopping every once in a while to build missions. Of course, now we all know about the Native Americans, the stolen land, and how they were forced to convert to Christianity or face death. You know, all the stuff you normally don’t tell a ten-year-old? Anyways, I don’t mention this to be a downer, but I think it’s important to understand the history of who came before us. When you come to San Diego, visit the mission, its gardens, and the grounds. Many people on both sides sacrificed a lot to make this stunningly gorgeous place their home and the visit puts things in perspective while keeping you humble. You can appreciate the religious iconography throughout the mission as well as the beautifully carved statues that surround the land. It’s like a zen garden your devoutly Catholic Abuelita would appreciate.

Barrio Logan

My favorite part of this city included a freeway underpass. I’m serious. Go to Barrio Logan and underneath the concrete overpass to Coronado Island, painted and realized examples of our culture and heritage. You see nonstop walls of murals honoring Aztec folklore as well as Mexican revolutionary icons. You’ll even find a statue of Zapata in the middle of Chicano park.

Keep walking and you’ll find Latino-centric shops we only see on Etsy. Custom jean jackets with La Virgen on the back, or jamaica flavored kombucha without any of the cultural appropriations. The barrio proves that despite redlining efforts to keep Latinos from moving out and possibly growing generational wealth in other parts of the city, you can’t keep a good Latino down. The street is now lined with booming family businesses.

The real estate is tight, so some of the storefronts (which are actually homes turned storefronts) can be one shop and if you follow the side path to the backyard, you find another entrepreneur.

This street is a vibe, an attitude, a way of life that is not for anyone’s entertainment. On the weekends, you can walk down the sidewalks as tienditas set up tables to showcase their merchandise beckoning you in.

Friends of those owners and fellow entrepreneurs idle in groups as old-school rap blare on a speaker system someone set up on the concrete floor. Everyone is here hanging out and having a good time because it’s their weekend too. The shopkeepers politely greet the strangers that have entered their space but when they catch you pointing out a la Chilidrina wallet or a Walter Mercado car air freshener, their eyes light up, they laugh and smile along with you. We’re all fans of reminiscing over our childhood; over the things made normal to us in our homes but foreign the second we walked out the front door and away from our neighborhoods.

Barrio Logan felt like visiting a cousin’s house as an adult. We could enjoy the classics but now we didn’t have to sneak alcohol and we have money to shop to our heart’s content.

At Border X Brewery, each of the Mexican craft beers called my name. The Horchata Stout with hints of vanilla bean and cinnamon. The Blood Saison was thick but evened out with the refreshing hibiscus and agave flavoring. They even had an Abuelita’s Chocolate Stout, smooth but heavy.

Every place I walked by had something old and familiar made new. And once you made it up and down the two blocks of shops, turn to look at the street itself. Two lanes going in each direction with one center turning lane. But most of the time I was there, that turning lane turned into makeshift parking for locals visiting friends and family at the shops. It was tight trying to get around the randomly stopped cars, but no one was in a rush. Everyone was there to just be and enjoy. I even got a show when one of the parked lowriders started hopping as spectators cheered from their sidewalk seating.

Music also streamed from Beat Box Record Store. A tiny spot that you can immediately tell is beloved by locals. One of the customers was asking for a group that reminded him of Marvin Gaye but in Spanish. Like magic, the shopkeeper delivered and switched out the record to something I swore I’d heard before but know I couldn’t possibly have.

This is Barrio Logan.

Coronado Island

You can reach this island thanks to a very long bridge that cuts through Barrio Logan. I went to a brewery here and the food was good, beer was fine. Not much going on here except shops and restaurants. It was a pretty residential place with a shopping strip but didn’t see anything else. If I’m wrong, let me know.

Liberty Station

This spot used to be an old naval training center. When land developers took over, they turned all the barracks into business fronts. The layout hasn’t changed so all the squat buildings are spread out but within walking distance of each other and now house shops, restaurants, as well as a few small museums and art galleries. I visited Stone Brewing, which has a restaurant section but outback you could order your own items from your phone, pick it up at the bar, and head to the back to chill in a lounge area filled with comfortable patio furniture. This spot is located in a residential area so the whole place felt much more mellow and like a local group hangout. At the brewery alone, I spotted adult birthdays and reunions among old college friends so the back area definitely had the area to host large dinner parties.

Beaches

It’s San Diego, the beaches are amazing, the water is relatively warm for California and everyone is chill. My three favorite spots were Black’s Beach, Torrey Pines, and Coronado. Black’s Beach used to be clothing optional but I’ve heard it’s partly owned by the city now and they are cracking down.

Torrey Pines is a really nice secluded beach but parking is a pain. You can take Carmel Valley road to find street parking. I know people who park at the Amtrak station who have never gotten a ticket but I’m too much of a chicken to risk it.

Coronado Beach is classic California. It’s right by the Hotel Del Coronado so you get tons of families, tourists, and high schoolers on first dates but it’s just beautiful. The sunset makes it all worth it. Plus in the summer, the hotel offers movies out on their deck right by the waves for a small fee. They do the same in the winter and even offer hot chocolate.

Mesa Beach is also another spot I checked out but it reminded me of Venice where there were just massive amounts of people. I tried to ride a beach cruiser here and I ended up having to stop every hundred yards. It is what it is.

Final thoughts…

Ok, that’s it. I ate, drank, toured, and biked all around San Diego. I tried to hit up all the neighborhoods but a girl can only eat so much in 48 hours. I’m obviously going back and next time, I’m bringing bigger pants.