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WORLDMARK San Diego Balboa Park - things to do

jrogersok

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We're taking our first trip to San Diego and staying at the San Diego Balboa Park. We'll be there for three nights (Feb 18-21). What are the must sees/do's? What are the things to do in Balboa Park and is it walk-able as it looks sooo big?

Any reason to have a car?
 

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We stayed there a few years ago. We had a car (you'll need to pay for parking) as we like to go to La Jolla, drive up the coast, things like that. We were within walking distance of the Gaslamp area, which we didn't find all that exciting. We could also walk to one of the trolly stops and used that to get a lot of places.

Things I would recommemd:

Balboa Park, especially the zoo - we drove there, you might be able to get there by bus. The park is large, but I think there is a tram that goes between some of the areas.
Hotel del Coronado - we drove, you could take the ferry, but then it would be a long walk
USS Midway - highly recommend. Take the trolly, then not too bad of a walk.

You can also get to Old Town and Little Italy by trolly.
 

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You will need a car. There is parking between the Zoo and the Nat'l History museum. Nearby as an artist workshop area, Be early. Obviously a day at the zoo. Ride the bus around to orient yourselves then walk or aerial tram to animals you want to spend more time with. There will be lines for Pandas, Koalas, Gorillas. We like the museum, the conservatory, a meal at Prado $$$, there is a car museum, an airplane museum. A Japanese garden, the world's biggest outdoor organ (catch a recital). In short, you simply won't see it all in 3 visits. But you'll enjoy every minute.

Jim
 

Luanne

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One more thing about Balboa Park. The Old Globe theater is there. You might want to check to see if there are any productions going on while you are there that you would enjoy.
 

presley

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I wouldn't recommend a car for the zoo or Balboa park. Just take the bus that is in front of the WM or call an Uber/Lyft. It's only a few long blocks away from where you are staying. While Balboa Park is huge, it is walkable as you probably won't want to see everything. There are many museums and nice areas, as well as many areas that homeless people and drug addicts will be sleeping during the day. There's no reason to go to those parts. There are a couple places to get some food, none of which I would recommend, but if you get super hungry, they will be tolerable.

My personal favorites at Balboa Park are the car museum, the Natural history museum and the Reuben H Fleet museum and science center. They show several short movies there on a space screen. If you like to hike, there's a small hike across Park Blvd through the rose garden and then the cactus garden. While a smaller hike, it has some nice plants to look at.

You'll be in a good position to take a bus or Uber/Lyft to the harbor to visit the Midway Museum or Old Town San Diego. Those are easy to Google to see if you are interested. While Old Town is only a couple hours visit, it does offer trolley tours of San Diego.
 

geist1223

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When we stay in San Diego we always have a car. But then we are there for a week or two. My son and DIL walk or use Uber or Lyft. So with a 3 night stay you will actually only have 2 full days. 1st night check in is not until 4pm. After 3rd night check out is noon.

What do you like to do? Do you like Zoos, Sea World, Lego Land, Museums, etc? San Diego has lots to do. The Zoo is a full day.
 

DaveNV

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Haven't been to Balboa park in a few years - is the Arboretum open? It has remarkable plants, and is centrally located in the Park. If you like unusual plants, it's worth a visit. There are many museums to visit, if you have a special interest. Ask ahead of time which are open, or if there are any special exhibits happening. There is/was a cooking school at the Prado. We had a spectacular outdoor meal there, prepared by students who worked very hard. It was excellent.

The WM location is actually south of Balboa Park proper, and is about three blocks north of Broadway, the main street through Downtown San Diego. Park Blvd is at what would be 12th, as it crosses Broadway. The closest intersection to "downtown" SD is at 5th or 6th and Broadway. So it's not far, if you want to walk. Driving around downtown is a hassle, as is parking. Renting a car for a day, on a day you want to get out and see the outlying areas, makes the most sense. While you're hanging in town, or around Balboa Park, public transportation or Uber/Lyft makes the most sense. As others mentioned, there are street people hanging around in the Park, and car prowls are common. No need to park there unless you expect to need that car.

Dave
 

Passepartout

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As Dave said, if I only had 2 full days in San Diego and wanted a 'taste' of it, without hassle, I'd UBER/Lift to the Zoo and make a day of it. If, toward the end of the day you wanted a great meal and to be off your feet, Prado is not too far to walk. Then day 2, UBER to Olde Towne to see where/how S.D. Started. Eat Mexican there. Or in the evening trolly or UBER to Little Italy. Filippi's is my kind of pizzaria/grocery store, but might be too casual for everybody.

Jim
 

pedro47

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Please venture to Liberty Station for over 100 different restaurants and all are located at the old San Diego Navy Recruitment Training Station. Now called Liberty Station.

There is also an upscale movie / dinner theater onsite. Plus, there is a nine (9) hole golf course on site.
 
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pedro47

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Also, these are the things we loved about San Deigo. The San Diego Zoo, the USS Midway Museum, La Jolla Cove, a day trip to Tijuana, Petco Baseball Park and all their city parks for families to enjoy.
The hop on hop off trolley is a very good way to see the City without a car in my opinion.
 
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Luanne

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As Dave said, if I only had 2 full days in San Diego and wanted a 'taste' of it, without hassle, I'd UBER/Lift to the Zoo and make a day of it. If, toward the end of the day you wanted a great meal and to be off your feet, Prado is not too far to walk. Then day 2, UBER to Olde Towne to see where/how S.D. Started. Eat Mexican there. Or in the evening trolly or UBER to Little Italy. Filippi's is my kind of pizzaria/grocery store, but might be too casual for everybody.

Jim
Filippi's is the place you have to go through the grocery store to get to, right? Some friends, who we consider "foodies" (they were in the restaurant business in the San Francisco Bay area for 25 years and are very into both food and service) who spend a lot of time in San Diego recommended that place to us. Very good, HUGE portions.
 

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Filippi's is the place you have to go through the grocery store to get to, right? Some friends, who we consider "foodies" (they were in the restaurant business in the San Francisco Bay area for 25 years and are very into both food and service) who spend a lot of time in San Diego recommended that place to us. Very good, HUGE portions.
That's the place. if you order a meatball, you get ONE. And it's about the size of a softball.
 

jwalk03

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For 2 days I would spend 1 day at the zoo and 1 day at the beach.
 

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For 2 days I would spend 1 day at the zoo and 1 day at the beach.
The beach in February isn't going to be all that pleasant. Of course with the unusual weather that's been going on, who knows.

If you want to spend time at the beach I still suggest going to the Hotel del Coronado. It's a beautiful old hotel and it sits on a beautiful stretch of beach.
 

Luanne

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That's the place. if you order a meatball, you get ONE. And it's about the size of a softball.
It can also be very busy and they don't take reservations. It took us two tries to get there, the first time the line was out the door.
 

jwalk03

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The beach in February isn't going to be all that pleasant. Of course with the unusual weather that's been going on, who knows.

If you want to spend time at the beach I still suggest going to the Hotel del Coronado. It's a beautiful old hotel and it sits on a beautiful stretch of beach.

O that's true, I didn't really pay attention to the dates.
 

DaveNV

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Filippi's was always a favorite place when I lived in San Diego. In the front it was like what I imagined a New York deli would be like. In the back, the restaurant was excellent.

Dave
 

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You could spend the whole weekend at Balboa Park if you wanted. You can get around by walking, renting bikes, or using a bike taxi. There are so many great museums. We don’t do zoos but we do do museums. We particularly liked the museum of man and the natural history museum and the museum of science and technology. The last one has/had a huge exhibit about the history of video games with lots and lots of free game play available. So fun.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

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Personally, if I only had a few days in SD I wouldn't spend an entire day at the zoo. There are SO many other fun things to do in San Diego. There are several museums in Balboa Park, but my favorite is the Reuben H. Fleet. It is fantastic! I agree that the USS Midway Museum is also a must see and if you can squeeze it in and the weather is nice, right next to the USS Midway Museum, there are 2 companies (Hornblower and Flagship) that offer harbor cruises. We were able to take a narrated, 2 hour cruise with Flagship last summer by finding discounted tickets on Groupon. Even though we have been to San Diego many, many times, we really enjoyed the cruise and learned a lot, too. In a relatively short amount of time, you are able to see many sites around the San Diego Bay area. I highly recommend it! We are headed back to San Diego this weekend to celebrate our anniversary. It is definitely a special place to visit. Enjoy your trip!
 

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North park also has many beer tasting rooms if you like to indulge.

Also, try a new place called Coasterra. It’s right on the water on Harbor Island and has fantastic views of the harbor and downtown.
 

Luanne

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Just wanted to a make a couple of comments about the museums at Balboa Park. When dh and I were there a few years ago we did most of the museums there. To be honest, we thought some of there were kind of old and tired. If you've never been, it's fun, but don't expect to be wowed.

However, when I mentioned to dh about this discussion currently going on he said "You did tell them about the USS Midway!" And yes, I did mention that earlier, but wanted to give it another plug. It was absolutely fascinating. Self guided tour of an aircraft carrier. You could easily spend most of a day there.
 

Passepartout

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However, when I mentioned to dh about this discussion currently going on he said "You did tell them about the USS Midway!" And yes, I did mention that earlier, but wanted to give it another plug. It was absolutely fascinating. Self guided tour of an aircraft carrier. You could easily spend most of a day there.
+1 for USS Midway. There are docents all over the ship (guys who actually served aboard her- or other aircraft carriers) who can explain all her various bits- like the catapults or the Bridge or what goes on down on the hanger deck. There's a decent burger-joint restaurant at the aft of the ship on an airplane elevator with a view of the S.D. skyline. There's also a maritime museum nearby with the 'Star of India' sailing ship, a Soviet era submarine and several other vessels you can go aboard as well.

Jim
 

Luanne

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+1 for USS Midway. There are docents all over the ship (guys who actually served aboard her- or other aircraft carriers) who can explain all her various bits- like the catapults or the Bridge or what goes on down on the hanger deck. There's a decent burger-joint restaurant at the aft of the ship on an airplane elevator with a view of the S.D. skyline. There's also a maritime museum nearby with the 'Star of India' sailing ship, a Soviet era submarine and several other vessels you can go aboard as well.

Jim
I forgot to mention the docents. They are wonderful. Dh got into several long discussion with some of them.

We had heard it could take 3 hours or so to see the ship. We thought we were "done" in about 1 1/2 hours, couldn't figure out what would take so long. Then we discovered there was another half of the ship we hadn't seen! They have a pretty decent little restaurant onboard so we had lunch, then did the second half. Also, you can buy tickets ahead of time online. I don't remember if it saved us money (it may have) but it did allow us to skip the line to buy tickets. We were there when they opened in the morning.

As I also mentioned earlier, I think, we took the trolley to get to the USS Midway. It was a relatively short walk from the timeshare, and then a relatively short walk at the other end.
 
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