San Diego Coast Life Blog

A Travel Guide for Locals and Visitors

Archive for November, 2008

Carlsbad State Beach

Nov 30

Posted by admin in Beaches, Carlsbad | No Comments

Also known as Tamarack Beach, Carlsbad State Beach extends from Frazee Beach (a part of Carlsbad Beach) near Carlsbad Village Drive southward to the warm water jetties, just south of Tamarack Avenue. The main entrance and parking lot to the beach are at the end of Tamarack Beach off of Carlsbad Blvd.

Carsbad Beach, especially near the jetties, is a popular surfing spot. The jetties offer good fishing. This family-friendly beach is fairly wide during low tide and has good sand.

Carlsbad Seawall separates the beach from Carlsbad Blvd above. The seawall has a concrete pathway about half way down the bluff that extends the length of the beach. Atop the seawall is another concrete pathway and a narrow palisade park with benches and picnic tables. The pathways are a popular spot for walking, jogging, rollerblading, bike riding and strolling baby carriages.

Most of Carsbad Beach is in a residential area. Carlsbad Village begins on the Frazee Beach side, with restaurants, shops and hotels. On top of the bluff at Frazee Beach at the seawall’s north entry point is a small park, a favorite spot for viewing the sunset.

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Crystal Pier

Nov 30

Posted by admin in Pacific Beach, Piers, San Diego | 1 Comment

Located at the end of Garnet Ave in Pacific Beach, CA, Crystal Pier is a long wooden pier which debut in 1927. The pier’s main attraction, Crystal Pier Hotel, features 29 blue and white cottages built in the 1930s. The cottages extend to about the half way point of the pier. Patrons can park their cars next to their cottages and listen to the rumble of the waves below them. For those who don’t want to be directly over the water, some of the cottages are directly over the beach near the entrance. For hotel reservations, go to www.crystalpier.com.

Although there’s a hotel on the pier, Crystal Pier is open to a public during daylight hours for sightseeing and fishing.

At the pier’s entrance is the historic “Crystal Pier” sign, as well as the famous Pacific Beach Boardwalk, which stretches for 3 1/2 miles along the beach from North Pacific Beach to South Mission Beach. Also at the entrance is a palisade park on the north side with stairway leading down to the beach. This is a center of activity with shops, restaurants and hotels nearby.

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Coronado Beach

Nov 30

Posted by admin in Beaches, Coronado | 1 Comment

Coronado Beach is a wide, sandy beach which stretches for about 1 1/2 miles from the Hotel del Coronado to North Island Naval Air Station.  Considered one of the world’s best beaches, Coronado Beach has a pleasant atmosphere, with a panoramic view of the Los Coronado Islands and Point Loma.

Coronado City Beach

Coronado City Beach

Choose from an array of activities like swimming, volleyball, boogie boarding, surfing, kite flying, fishing, and sunbathing. The beach is next to a residential neighborhood of expensive historical homes, and with downtown Coronado’s Orange Ave is just a few blocks away. Parking is available along Ocean Blvd and side streets.

Beach access can be reached from a dirt path near the hotel and farther north on a concrete path that leads down to the beach and restrooms.

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Torrey Pines State Beach

Nov 29

Posted by admin in Beaches, San Diego, Torrey Pines | No Comments

Torrey Pines State Beach is a long sandy beach that extends over four miles from Del Mar to La Jolla. The beach is away from development in one of San Diego’s most scenic natural areas. The closest shops and restaurants are on Carmel Valley Rd, east of N. Torrey Pines, Road, and in Del Mar Village.

Torrey Pines State Beach

Torrey Pines State Beach

At the north end from Del Mar Beach to Carmel Valley Rd, Torrey Pines State Beach is hidden below bluffs. On the bluffs is a small natural park. To the south is Los Peñasquitos Marsh inlet which separates the northern section of beach from the main stretch of beach to the south.

This main stretch is open to the coast highway with easy street parking and access along side the beach. Some rocks separate the beach from the highway. Across the highway is Los Peñasquitos Marsh, a scenic preserve, nestled in a small valley, closed to the public.

Further south, the bluffs begin again, taller than those to the north. Atop the bluffs is Torrey Pines State Reserve, which can be accessed from a road at the base of the bluffs near the highway. A large beach parking lot is located next to the park reserve entrance. Both parking and access to the reserve require a fee.

The beach below the Torrey Pines bluffs is more secluded and less crowded than the beach to the north. This southern section of beach is popular for walking, jogging, and photography. The south end of Torrey Pines State Beach is marked by Bathtub Rock, a small flat rock that protrudes above the surf several feet from the beach.

Beyond this point is Blacks Beach, San Diego’s most secluded beach, hidden by tall bluffs, and difficult to access.

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Embarcadero Marina Park South

Nov 29

Posted by admin in San Diego, San Diego Bay, Shoreline Parks | No Comments

Embarcadero Marina Park South is a large park on San Diego Bay, next to the San Diego Convention Center. With sweeping scenic views of the bay, the park is an ideal spot for a picnic, stroll, or snooze. For a quick meal or snack, a permanent snack bar resides at the park near the water. For more formal dining, Joe’s Crab Shack is located at the park’s entrance.

Embarcadero Marina Park South

Embarcadero Marina Park South

The park has a small public fishing pier, basketball courts, picnic tables, bike paths and parking, exercise stations, a gazebo, waterfront pathway, grassy knolls beside the bay, and a large, flat grassy peninsula near the marina.

During summer, the grassy peninsula, which makes up about half the park, becomes the setting for the San Diego Symphony Summer Pops, featuring popular classical tunes, broadway melodies, and nostalgic Americana themes, presented by the San Diego Symphony Orchestra.

Embarcadero Marina Park South is within walking distance of Seaport Village, popular waterfront hotels, PETCO Park, Convention Center, Gaslamp District, and Embarcadero attractions.

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Seaport Village

Nov 29

Posted by admin in Downtown San Diego, San Diego, San Diego Bay, Shopping | No Comments

By Mark Goodkin
San Diego Coast Life

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One of San Diego’s most popular tourist attractions, Seaport Village is reminiscent of an old Spanish sea village located on the San Diego Bay waterfront near Downtown San Diego. The village is a mixture of restaurants, both formal and casual, specialty stores, and open air plazas, with cabanas, water fountains, a Japenese pond and bridge with coy, and a fully-restored 1895 antique carousel with hand carved animals by Charles Loof.

Seaport Village

Seaport Village

Families, convention goers, and other folks love Seaport Village because of its easy going atmosphere, with outdoor dining on the bay or in the plaza with live music; exciting shops with clothing, wind chimes, kites, artwork, toys, hats, flags, hammocks, candles, soap, souvenirs, candy, fudge, and more; and its proximity to downtown attractions and the waterfront.

Speaking of attractions, Seaport Village sits next to the Embarcadero, a boardwalk, which connects many popular waterfront attractions, including the USS Midway Museum, Maritime Museum of San Diego, Embarcadero Marina Park North and South, the San Diego Convention Center, Hornblower Cruises, San Diego Harbor Cruises, America’s Cup Cruises, B Street Cruise Ship Terminal and more.

Other downtown attractions include PETCO Park, Gaslamp District, and Little Italy.

A large parking lot resides next to Seaport Village with the first two hours parking free with a receipt from one of the village shops or restaurants.

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Cabrillo National Monument

Nov 29

Posted by admin in Landmarks, Point Loma | No Comments

By Mark Goodkin
San Diego Coast Life

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Cabrillo National Monument is a historic landmark and park near the tip of Point Loma in San Diego, CA. The monument commemorates explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo’s first landing at San Diego Bay on September 28, 1542. This Spanish explorer was the first European to visit what is now the west coast of the United States.

Cabrillo National Monument Park

Cabrillo National Monument Park

The center piece of the national park is the tall monument of Cabrillo himself looking toward the San Diego Bay, considered a natural harbor at the time. The statute with bay is a popular backdrop for photo opportunities of families and friends.

Nearby the monument is the visitors center, which includes a large gift store, along with a theatre for viewing movies about the park and local history. Outside the visitors center are decks which face the bay. The decks have large stationary binoculars and educational pictorial displays about the bay, the park and the areas history.

These decks offer a panoramic view of San Diego Bay with Coronado and North Island in the foreground and the downtown San Diego skyline and Coronado Bay Bridge in the background. Farther south is Mexico.

Another feature of Cabrillo National Monument is the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, just a short distance along a trail, up the hill. The lighthouse, now a historic landmark, once guided sailing vessels into the harbor during the second half of the 1800s. The living quarters of the Keeper of the Lighthouse appear much as they did during the 1880s.

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Moonlight Beach

Nov 28

Posted by admin in Beaches, Encinitas | 1 Comment

Moonlight Beach is just a few blocks from Hwy 101 in Encinitas, CA. The beach is well suited for people of all ages, particularly families with children, with its wide sandy beach, year round life guard, a playground, a snack bar (opened during summer), restrooms, outdoor rinse showers, and plenty of parking.

Moonlight State Beach

Moonlight State Beach

The beach also has volleyball courts on the sand, as well as several fire pits. Moonlight Beach is a popular spot for gatherings, especially on weekends and holidays. The water directly in front of the beach is designated for swimming while the water to the left and right are for surfing, marked by flags.

Moonlight Beach is part of an almost uninterrupted stretch of sandy beach that extends from La Jolla to Oceanside. The beach is ideal for walking and jogging, especially from Moonlight Beach to South Ponto Beach in Carlsbad.  Just be aware of the tides, since much of the beach along the bluffs can disappear at high tide.

During late spring and summer, the beach hosts such events as Wavecrest Woodie Meet, Encinitas Sunday Concerts by the Sea, and the Encinitas Sports Festival.

The beach is within walking distance or an easy drive to Encinitas historic downtown on South Coast Hwy 101. The town is a bit quaint and off beat at the same time with its good selection of outdoor cafes, restaurants, specialty shops, and old Hwy 101 charm. The commuter train station is also nearby.

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Del Mar Beach

Nov 28

Posted by admin in Beaches, Del Mar | No Comments

Del Mar Beach is a popular sandy beach, about a mile long, frequented by locals and tourists. Located in Del Mar, CA, north of San Diego, much of the beach is lined with expensive beachfront homes. The beach can be accessed from almost every side street that connects the beach to both Coast Blvd and Camino Del Mar.

At the south end of the beach near 15th Street is Powerhouse Park, a large grassy area overlooking the beach, and host of the Del Mar Summer Concert Series. Also at the south end are the Del Mar Motel on the Beach, Jakes Del Mar and Poseidon Restaurant, the city’s only beachfront hotel and restaurants. Parking is available along Coast Blvd and in a public paid parking lot across the street from the park.

At the north end of the beach is Del Mar Dog Beach, one of only a few dog beaches in the county. Here, dogs can go unleashed and enjoy running on the sand and through the water. Beach access and parking are available along Camino Del Mar, just north of the bridge over the San Dieguito Lagoon inlet.

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Children's Pool, La Jolla, CA

Nov 28

Posted by admin in Beaches, La Jolla | No Comments

Children’s Pool is a small, made made cove with a protected sandy beach. The beach is within walking distance of  La Jolla Cove, Ellen Browning Scripps Park, and La Jolla Downtown Village.

Children's Pool, La Jolla, CA

Children's Pool, La Jolla, CA

Several years ago, a concrete seawall was built to act as a barrier between the surf and beach, and create the protected cove. Children’s Pool was so named because the gentle water, created by the sea wall, was considered suitable for children.

For years, Children’s Pool was popular spot for beachgoers. More recently, the beach has been a protected haven for harbor seals and off limits to people.  People can walk out along the seawall to catch closer glimpes of the harbor seals, as well as enjoy watching the surf roll in and scenic ocean view.

Steps lead from beach to the cliff top walkway and street above. Another popular gathering spot for viewing the Harbor Seals is along the rim of the bluff, next to the pathway. Docents are usually available to keep people off the beach and answer questions about the seals.

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