San Diego Coast Life Blog

A Travel Guide for Locals and Visitors

Archive for category San Diego

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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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

See photos

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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