San Diego Coast Life Blog

A Travel Guide for Locals and Visitors

Archive for category Attractions

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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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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Oceanside Pier

Sep 7

Posted by admin in Oceanside, Piers, Restaurants | No Comments

Oceanside Pier

Oceanside Pier

By Mark Goodkin
San Diego Coast Life
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Oceanside Pier is a long, wooden pier on the north end of Oceanside, CA, about two miles south of Oceanside Harbor. On a clear night, the lights of Oceanside Pier can be seen far down the coast – as far as La Jolla.

About half way out along the pier is a bait and tackle shop. The pier is a popular fishing spot, as are all the public piers in San Diego County. Sometimes, the pier gets crowded with people fishing, but they fish along the sides, near the railing. The wooden walkway is wide enough for everyone.

The pier makes for a nice walk, especially on a sunny day. As you walk out along the pier, the beach, beachgoers, homes, and swimmers subside in the distance. At 1,954 feet, Oceanside Pier is the longest wooden pier on the west coast. Why go there in the first place. Well, it’s a chance to get outdoors, take a long walk, and breath in some fresh, sea air.

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Old Point Loma Lighthouse

Sep 5

Posted by admin in Landmarks, Point Loma | No Comments

Point Loma Lighthouse

Old Point Loma Lighthouse

By Mark Goodkin
San Diego Coast Life
See Photo Gallery

Old Point Loma Lighthouse stands proudly near the tip of Point Loma in San Diego, CA. The lighthouse is part of Cabrillo National Monument Park.

The keeper kept the flame lit in the lighthouse for 36 years – from November 15, 1855 to March 23, 1891. From this vantage point, ships could see the lighthouse from afar – at least when it wasn’t foggy.

The lighthouse was replaced by the “New” Point Loma Lighthouse, which still operates today, located at the foot of the Point Loma bluffs. Although the old lighthouse was high up, fog made it hard for ships to see the light. The new lighthouse could be seen during foggy times.

It costs $5 to get into the national park, but you can use the entry ticket for 5 days. Once you pass through the entry gate, you go up a windy road to a large parking lot near the visitors center. Read the rest of this entry »

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Oceanside Harbor

Aug 6

Posted by admin in Harbors, Oceanside, Restaurants | No Comments

By Mark Goodkin
San Diego Coast Life
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Entering Oceanside Harbor

Entering Oceanside Harbor

Oceanside Harbor is San Diego County’s northern most harbor, located in Oceanside, CA. Everytime I drive down the hill on Harbor Drive and enter the harbor, I’m struck by its secluded and peaceful quality, with commercial fishing boats in the foreground and the Harbor Village and lighthouse behind – a fairytale setting.

I usually go to the harbor to take photos or just walk around. Oceanside Harbor has a north and south section. The north harbor is a marina for small to medium-size private boats, while the south harbor has a commercial fishing fleet, with charters, and boat rentals, as well as private boats.

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Oceanside Harbor Village Shops

Aug 3

Posted by admin in Harbors, Oceanside, Restaurants | 3 Comments

By Mark Goodkin
San Diego Coast Life
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Oceanside Harbor Village

Oceanside Harbor Village

Oceanside Harbor Village is a cluster of a dozen or so shops, restaurants, and a sportsfishing center, reminiscent of an old California harbor fishing village with muted blue, yellow, and red wooden buildings, steep shingle roofs, and a lighthouse.

Harbor Village gives Oceanside Harbor a magical quality. The lighthouse is not only a familiar landmark for the quaint shopping village, but for Oceanside Harbor and Oceanside, itself.

Harbor Village is Oceanside’s version of Seaport Village on San Diego Bay. The village sits on the south side of Oceanside Harbor, where the commercial fishing fleet is. The small shopping village comes right up to the water, separated only by a boardwalk. You can eat outdoors and watch charter fishing boats come and go, along with pelicans and seagulls. Once you’re done eating, you can shop through the stores and walk along the boardwalk. The beach is also within steps.

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Torrey Pines State Reserve

Aug 1

Posted by admin in Lagoons and Reserves, Nature Centers, Torrey Pines | No Comments

By Mark Goodkin
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Torrey Pines State Reserve View

Torrey Pines State Reserve View

Torrey Pines State Reserve is a very special place in North San Diego County, between La Jolla and Del Mar. The park is part of the California State Park System. I love going up to the reserve to get away from the bustle of the city.

The park has about half a dozen hiking trails that emanate from the Torrey Pines Visitor’s Lodge (download trail map). Round trip distance ranges from half a mile to over two miles. One trail leads to Torrey Pines State Beach.

When I go to Torrey Pines State Reserve, I like to park in the parking lots at the top of the hill, near the visitor center. The two parking lots are small and can fill up fast during the summer. Below, at the base of the reserve is a larger parking lot and an entry outpost where you pay to enter. Many people like to park here and walk up the windy road to the visitor center and trails. Read the rest of this entry »

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Seagrove Park in Del Mar, CA

Jul 31

Posted by admin in Del Mar, Shoreline Parks | No Comments

By Mark Goodkin
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Seagrove Park, Del Mar, CA

Seagrove Park, Del Mar, CA

Seagrove Park sits on a bluff overlooking the ocean in beautiful Del Mar, CA, a small affluent beach community, with its own distinct vibe. The town is a great getaway for families, romantics, or friends. Seagrove Park sits at the bottom of 15th Street, a block from Camino Del Mar, the town’s main drag and center of Del Mar Downtown Village. The park is a popular place for weddings

I remember one summer evening when I had an evening picnic there with some family and friends. We parked our cars up the street at Del Mar Plaza, which saved us the hassle of trying to find a space along Camino Del Mar. Parking in the underground garage is free for the first two hours, as long as you bring a receipt from a plaza shop or restaurant.

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