San Diego, here we come!

Why San Diego is an obvious vacation alternative to San Francisco and LA

San Diego is up against major competitors in California when it comes to being a sought after travel destination. California is the most populous state in the United States with an economy the size of a major country’s economy. It would be in the top 10 in the world in gross domestic product. At the same time, it is one of the most expensive states to settle in. San Francisco City’s associated tech sites such as Silicon Valley are undisputedly the world’s largest new technology hotspot attracting billion-dollar investments in a myriad of start-ups. Some of the most celebrated people in the world live here, and it is a true “melting pot”, where every day people cross each other in an eternal struggle to avoid the notorious morning and afternoon traffic to and from the city. Thus, it may be difficult for other lovely cities to climb the Californian tourist rankings. But San Diego does it pretty well. Look here.

San Diego is roughly 1.4 mill. people

The city is home to 1.4 million inhabitants (2017) and houses some of the country’s finest beaches. It is in 3rd place and little brother in the state’s hierarchy, San Francisco and Los Angeles taken into consideration.

Looking across the harbor to the beautiful San Diego skyline

San Diego is only 28 km from Mexico

San Diego is a beach town primarily, with a stunning waterfront and skyline. With just 28 km to the Mexican border town of Tijuana, the Latin American influence is felt and seen, when you are walking through the streets. The Mexican pancakes, you get elsewhere fade a bit once you have got your first real burrito or a selection of fish tacos in an authentic restaurant. Although one can easily spot a high-rise building or two in San Diego, the city is not really built in height. It has kept its charm.

SAN DIEGO-SEP 28, 2014: The Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego, California, on September 28, 2014 The Gaslamp Quarter extends from Broadway to Harbor Drive, and from 4th to 6th Avenue.

The Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego, California. The Gaslamp Quarter extends from Broadway to Harbor Drive, and from 4th to 6th Avenue.

Try to take a tour through the city’s old quarter, Gaslamp Quarter, a charming part of San Diego. The beach life and the Latin American impulses blend into the modern million people city whose attraction to tourists remain more or less intact all year round thanks to a stable warm climate where the temperature rarely moves below 10 degrees Celsius.

Shamu Stadium, Sea World

San Diego is in many ways also a family-friendly resort. First of all, you can experience Sea World, a theme park with a lot of sea animals and various aquatic performances. The killer whale Shamu has for many years been the main attraction, but after a coach got injured during a show in 2013, Shamu was released. Although Shamu has been released, Sea World is worth a day to spend if you have been in a regular zoo with a satisfactory number of times due to Sea World’s different format and the unusual animal species you can experience.

Aerial view of the Coronado island and bridge in the San Diego Bay in Southern California, United States of America. A view of the Skyline of the city and some boats crossing the sea.

The beach paradise Coronado Island and the hotel where “Some like it hot” was shot

Besides Sea World, Coronado Island just outside the city is also a beach area, which attracts children and adults from all over the United States each year. With Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemon and Tony Curtis in the lead roles. Some like it hot was filmed here back in the 50s. The hotel actually opened back in 1888, but the iconic round main building with the brick-red cone roof is in good shape on the edge of the Pacific Ocean. With fine sandy beaches and charming neighborhoods, Coronado delivers the sweet beach life, but the place is not a beach holiday for everyone. The majority of the island is an American naval base for a myriad of military personnel. It is not something you feel like a tourist, as the military people usually have plenty to look at at the base. A local sailor noted that you can see the light and hear the music playing from the mainland during the weekend evenings when you stand on the base and look over the dark Pacific. This gives rise every year to the USS Midway USS Midway Museum, an old aircraft carrier, opening up to see the fireworks from the ship. There will usually be sold out quickly, so you have to be in good time. If one were to be fortunate enough to be San Diego around that time, there are fortunately many other places and beaches, hotel rooms and bars – from where one can see the New Year Fireworks. We can already reveal that the Americans do not save on the gunpowder that day!