work trip and flight timings mean I have a sunday & most of a monday free in San Diego next feb.

MTB?
Surf?
Snow?

recommonendations please. Quite fancy a bit of snow if I can make it work as I’ve not been for a unhealthy amount of time.

Big Bear/Snow Summit in the town of Big Bear are about 3 hours away and are the closest hills to SD…. Not sure I’d make the journey if in SD for only two days …. beach/zoo/marine park/ trip up to Lajolla for the day ??

i’m in san diego from sat PM until thursday PM, I just don’t have to be working until tuesday.

don’t really fancy zoo/touristy stuff.

San Diego is one of my most favourite places in the whole world. I have family there so I’ve spent a lot of time in the area over the yerars.

About six years ago I had a work trip there as well and ended up with four days to myself. I took my bike and ended up being introduced to this guy who took me on the most amazing bike ride out in the wilderness. Honestly it was mind blowing.

His name is Steve Gordenker, also goes by the nickname ‘Aquaholic’. Is THE best rider I’ve ever had the pleasure to ride with. His trial skills are increible.

He’s the kind of guy that if you searched for him, then approached him and asked if he would give you a guided ride, he would jump at the change. He’s a top bloke.

The ride I did with him was over in Noble Canyon, which is about an hour’s drive inland from SD. There is phenomenal riding there but you will need a car to get anywhere and ideally a guide. A lot of the stuff is properly ‘out there’ wilderness riding so not really the kind of thing you should do on your own.

If taking the bike isn’t going to work, then here are my top picks for cool things to do in the area, again all assuming you have a car (which you will really need).

Balboa Park – cultural delights, museums, galleries, artisans, amazing conquistador inspired architecture. Fabulous place.

San Diego Zoo – if you feel like being a bit of a tourist. It’s in Balboa Park and is pretty special as far as zoos go.

Tijuana or TJ – this is a bit of a head **** but well worth experiencing. Check with the hotel you’re in whether it’s still OK to visit as things might have changed since i was there last. You can get to the border very easily from down town SD and then take a Tiujauana Taxi from there.

Point Lomas if it’s whae watching season offers boat tours to see the whales.

Drive up the coast north of SSD and into La Jolla or Del Mar. They are lovely coastal communities with a great feel to them. Perfect if you want a more peresonal experience of the area though in truth there’s probably not much specifically to see or do.

Get a surfing lesson, the ocean will be warm enough to do this!

Take a trip out to Julian, which is an old prospector town and very interesting to visit. A bit of a drive but fun.

If you really want to push the boat out and get yourself into some amazing wilderness territory, drive out to the Anza Borrego national park. This is a designated wilderness area and desert – it’s proper road runner territory and the closes thing you’ll get to monument valley short of going to monument valley. Note that the ride down Noble Canyon skirts along the edge of Anza Borrego.

Have fun!

Love STW … great post GT

no car booked via work. flying into san diego for an exhibition at the convention centre. staying at one of the big hotels close, not sure which yet but probably a marriot of some description.

can already surf reasonably well but probably a little rusty for throwing myself into blacks or trestles…plus no guarantee.

can’t really take a bike with me but happy to hire something. looks to be plenty of options.

a day on snow still appeals though. not been since kids arrived.

Zoo
Gaslight district.

Get youreself straight over to the gas lamp district. You could easily kick around there for a half day, take a look at the war ships in the bay (from a distance), head to Mission or Pacific beach for a night out.

It’s a f’ing incredible place, I used to go 3 or 4 times a year with work (O&G) and can honestly say it’s one of the best places I’ve ever been.

Try this place for some food as well:

https://www.cohnrestaurants.com/islandprime

It’s a great place, one of my faves.
I normally cycle up to La Jolla via Mission Bay, then down to Cabrillo Point before heading back to the city for a cool beer.
The USSMidway is well worth having a look at, whilst the ferry to Coronado Island is worth doing too.
Personally, I think there’s more than enough to see/do in the city for a few days without going too far out. But having said that, there are some great rides out into the hills, either on a bike or a Harley!

The ‘standard’ noble canyon loop was somewhere beyond my abilities when I rode it this year. 1h40m climb followed by technical downhill (that I had to walk in sections). Didn’t actually enjoy it that much – if you had a guide there would probably be better riding to be found. Oh and a car as well, it’s an hour out of town.

You may be able to get to Mission trails without a car, if so, E-Ticket is one of the rides to look for. Real nice easy riding relaxed area. I hired a pretty good Giant from The Bike Revolution on 6th Avenue (walking distance to the central hotel area) – they also rent out road bikes.

You can geek out at the Space museum if you like that sort of thing (I did).

For evening entertainment, seek out Noble Experiment – half the fun is finding it and getting there so take an impressionable colleague…

Jambo you could easily spend a day in down town SD and it would be lovely. But nice at it is, it is just another city in the US. It’s not New York but it is very special.

The thing is hiring a car is the easiest thing in the world to do in the US and it’s so cheap. Pick one up at the airport for a day or two and drive out to Anza Borrego. It will blow your mind and that kind of wilderness is not something you can experience just anywhere.

The surfing along the coastal communities north of SD is very accessible and very manageable. On an averagely big day the swell might be three metres and more but most of the time it’s about two. I can’t surf at all but last time I was there, after my 10 hour/50km Indian Creek/Noble canyon epic I went boogie boarding with my uncle (he has an office right on the coast in Del Mar) in the ocean in January!

SoCal is beautiful. Definitely hire a car – it’s difficult to eat otherwise, unless you like hotel restaurants. Wife has been to SD and loved it, that was until I took her to Laguna Beach and “The OC”, 75 miles north. Now whenever we plan a holiday to the US we try and schedule a day or two down there. The coast road is very pretty and it’s quite clear the whole stretch is the most affluent part of America. TLD and crank bros are based in Laguna with Oakley 20 mins up the road in Foothills Ranch.

Dana Point has a huge beach with a gentle RH beach break that’s great for surfing, sups and bodyboarders, particularly rusty imbeciles like me – no bad rips, reefs or decaying piers to contend with.

This is perfect timing, I’m off to sd in December for work and am trying to decide if I should stay for a day or two after work finishes. Looks like a yes.

Must book flights..

Get the tram out of town with a bike, and you can get to within a few miles of Mission Trails Regional park for some mtb. Granville is the nearest station I think.

Mission Trails would be a bit like driving to North Wales and then riding a canal tow path; it might be nice but you’re missing out on the reason for being there.

The Noble Canyon ride is relatively challenging and there were some rocky technical sections to content with but for the most part it’s on about the same level as a good Lakes or Peak District route.

Must get a job with a company HQ’d in San Diego (used to have one in Santa Cruz which weren’t bad)

Must get a job with a company HQ’d in San Diego (used to have one in Santa Cruz which weren’t bad)

Here’s one:

Nisus

Let me know if you would like an introduction to the CEO as I know him quite well!

I’m heading there for a couple of weeks in April, debating whether or not to pack the mountain bike. There seems to be some decent bike rental options.

Geetee – sorry, can’t agree with that at all. There’s plenty of challenging riding in Mission trails – the combination of heat and hills makes it a hard day out. I wouldn’t want to ride it every day as it’s quite small, but for a 1 day ride, close to SD, accessible without a car, it’s spot on.

Well it has been a while since I was there. I’ll defer to your more recent knowledge.

Try to find out what the name means. Scholars say the meaning was lost centuries ago.

If you’re into Vespa scooters you could drop in on Scooter West in San Diego. I’ve never been there, but I’ve watched a load of their Youtube videos, and would love to pay them a visit!