Travel: Southern California - San Diego

Flanked by Mexico on the south and the Pacific ocean on the west, San Diego is rumored to be heaven on earth. Being 70°F (21°C) and sunny practically year round, no matter when you visit, you are bound to have a great holiday.

Beaches
With the weather being as nice as it is, San Diego boasts many great beaches, and there is definitly something there for everyone. If you are looking for family-oriented fun, check out Mission beach. With a boardwalk full of shops, kid's carnival rides and face painting, there is always something to do if you don't feel like swimming.

For a party beach, head a bit north to Pacific beach (aka. PB). Here, you'll find your 20-somethings playing volleyball, building bon fires or eating at the many great pubs in the area.

Have a dog? Travel across the bridge to Coronado island's Dog beach. This place is specially designed for the furrier members of your family. With a quaint, small town atmosphere, Coronado island itself is a great place to spend a day.

If you'd like to get away from the mainstream, take the short but scenic drive north on the Pacific Coast Highway to Del Mar or La Jolla (pronounced "La Hoya"). La Jolla's Casa beach is a protected area where you can watch seals lounging on the sand, or playing in the water. During the summer months, the seals spend most of the days in the water, so it is best to come in the cooler times of the early morning or evening. You can see baby seals during pupping season (February-April) and if you're lucky, you might get to witness a birth! No matter what time of year you visit, don't forget to bring your camera!

La Jolla Cove is the most photographed beach in southern California for it's exquiset beauty. It is only a short walk from the commerical district of La Jolla and is a great place to go scuba diving or snorkeling.

RANDOM
For a bit of history, head into Old Town, the "birthplace of California". Here, you can eat at one of the many restaurants, check out the shops or take a tour of Whaley house, the most haunted house in America.

BALBOA PARK
For the animal enthusiast, check out the San Diego Zoo, home of 2 Giant Pandas, or check out Sea World! The Zoo is located in Balboa Park, a great area of San Diego where one could easily spend a few days, and still not see it all.

Balboa Park covers over 1,200 acres of land and houses over 85 cultural and recreational organizations including many museams as well as the House of Pacific Relations–17 cottages which are home to groups representing 30 different nations. These cottages house cultural artifacts and information about the nations they represent, are usually staffed to answer questions, and often have fresh ethnic food to sample. The world-famous Old Globe Theatre, presents at least 14 productions and 550 performances a year, or you can catch a free organ performance every Sunday in the Organ Pavilion, which is the home of one of the world's largest outdoor pipe organs.

Balboa Park Gardens
With about 15 different gardens, Balboa park can be a great place to relax and take in the scenery. It is the home of San Diego's Japanese Friendship Garden, located just north of the Organ Pavilion, as well as the Marston House Garden, a formal English Romantic-style garden with California influences; the Australian Garden; the Botanical Building, which at 250 feet long by 75 feet wide and 60 feet tall, was the largest wood lath structure in the world when it was built in 1915 and now houses about 2,100 permanent tropical plants along with changing seasonal flowers; or check out the Zoro Garden, built to attract butterflies.

With San Diego's proximity to Mexico and Los Angeles, it makes this city a great jumping off point-- stay here and avoid the traffic of Orange county or the language barrier of Mexico, but still be within driving distance to take a day trip to either place. Or, head northeast into the desert and visit Palm Springs, a small resort town with great shopping and food.