I don't know about the anyone else, but I have a tendency of associating certain American cities with certain sites or attributes. Wind in Chicago, Gateway arch in St. Louis or that big-ass ball of twine in Cawker City. Whenever i thought of San Diego i though of the zoo and Shamu (who actually lived at SeaWorld). While I'm not morally opposed to zoos or anything, they just don't interest me. So i thought my visit to San Diego would be pretty boring.
It turns out, the city is more than just a zoo. However, arrival into
the downtown Greyhound station was not promising. Unless, you happen to be in featureless urban development. But the downtown core has been in the midst of an urban renewal project, which locals tell me has been super successful. The monumental improvements were quite apparent by the fact there had to be more tattoo parlours per capita than anywhere else I could think of. But i was off to the 'burbs. I had arranged to stay with some couchsurfers with hopes of getting the inside scoop on the city.
the downtown Greyhound station was not promising. Unless, you happen to be in featureless urban development. But the downtown core has been in the midst of an urban renewal project, which locals tell me has been super successful. The monumental improvements were quite apparent by the fact there had to be more tattoo parlours per capita than anywhere else I could think of. But i was off to the 'burbs. I had arranged to stay with some couchsurfers with hopes of getting the inside scoop on the city.
After I received some not-so-simple walking directions from my hosts house
to the centre ("are you really going to walk?") and set off through some park in the middle of the city I had never heard of. The zoo was there, as well as a bunch of other small attractions. Unbeknownst to me, Balboa Park was actually quite famous, even being declared a National Historic Site in 1977. Keeping in mind that 160 year is old in North America (just like 160 kms is far in Europe). The whole place is in a sort of Colonial Spanish flashback-type style. The first place i came upon was even called the Spanish Village Art Centre, a psychedelic place where artisans (none of which seemed Spanish) toil away with their chosen medium, glass, clay, wood, tourist skin and whatever. Free to wander around, most of the artists were quite chatty, if not a little desperate, understandably, to make a sale.
to the centre ("are you really going to walk?") and set off through some park in the middle of the city I had never heard of. The zoo was there, as well as a bunch of other small attractions. Unbeknownst to me, Balboa Park was actually quite famous, even being declared a National Historic Site in 1977. Keeping in mind that 160 year is old in North America (just like 160 kms is far in Europe). The whole place is in a sort of Colonial Spanish flashback-type style. The first place i came upon was even called the Spanish Village Art Centre, a psychedelic place where artisans (none of which seemed Spanish) toil away with their chosen medium, glass, clay, wood, tourist skin and whatever. Free to wander around, most of the artists were quite chatty, if not a little desperate, understandably, to make a sale.But the fun doesn't stop there. There are about a dozen
other museums and institutes and the like. Natural history, railroad, air & space, photographic and a handful of art museums await the culturally starved. While many of the places require an entrance fee, sometimes as high as $20, there are several places to be visited for free. The aforementioned Spanish art village is one. The botanical building is a giant wicker basket of all kinds of flora. The Timken Museum is a small but action pack little art gallery for free. And Tuesdays seems to be some sort of magical day in San Diego as local residents (not tourist) get entry for free to many others on the first Tuesday of the month. But the best part about the park is simply strolling around the myriad of fountains, statues and reflecting pools. With plenty of grass for picnics, and with only 10 inches of rain a year, it's not a bad place to hang out in.
other museums and institutes and the like. Natural history, railroad, air & space, photographic and a handful of art museums await the culturally starved. While many of the places require an entrance fee, sometimes as high as $20, there are several places to be visited for free. The aforementioned Spanish art village is one. The botanical building is a giant wicker basket of all kinds of flora. The Timken Museum is a small but action pack little art gallery for free. And Tuesdays seems to be some sort of magical day in San Diego as local residents (not tourist) get entry for free to many others on the first Tuesday of the month. But the best part about the park is simply strolling around the myriad of fountains, statues and reflecting pools. With plenty of grass for picnics, and with only 10 inches of rain a year, it's not a bad place to hang out in.But other than the park, I found the rest of the city rather uninteresting.
There are some beaches nearby, but I with the misfortune of being there in the off-season (actually my plan) combined will a thorough disinterest in beaches, i didn't bother going. The Gaslamp quarter is just a tourist trap. All this coupled with the fact the public buses, while comfortable and fairly frequent, do not provide transfers. Meaning you either need to buy a whole day pass or shell out every time you step on a different bus. Not very conducive to exploring a city (and country for that matter) built for drivers. Overall, the city doesn't seem like such a bad place to live. But in terms of tourism, without the zoo or SeaWorld they might be screwed. I liked San Diego. I'd certainly didn't love it. While it's not worth a special trip, if in the area, it's worth a day or two of exploration.
There are some beaches nearby, but I with the misfortune of being there in the off-season (actually my plan) combined will a thorough disinterest in beaches, i didn't bother going. The Gaslamp quarter is just a tourist trap. All this coupled with the fact the public buses, while comfortable and fairly frequent, do not provide transfers. Meaning you either need to buy a whole day pass or shell out every time you step on a different bus. Not very conducive to exploring a city (and country for that matter) built for drivers. Overall, the city doesn't seem like such a bad place to live. But in terms of tourism, without the zoo or SeaWorld they might be screwed. I liked San Diego. I'd certainly didn't love it. While it's not worth a special trip, if in the area, it's worth a day or two of exploration. 
1 comments:
I lived in Bankers Hill (right under the flightline for SAN) for two and a half years... this meant I was within walking distance of downtown, little italy, the harbor, balboa park, and the zoo. I didn't really like my job and knew very few people, but I loved living where I did and being able to walk to such cool places (esp since my job had me in my car all day monday-friday!)
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