Whats cool in san diego?

pfft skye!  shame on u for not telling me ur going there!  I have been going down there on and off since i was 9.  My parents own a condo down there (dunno about rates and availability though ><) www.sdoceans.com and its about 100 feet off of pacific beach (i think thats the right one).  I grew up (*hides*) fishing off of those piers.  Didnt usually catch much--macarole (spell?) or two.  But I did see dolphins and a whale and got to pet a wild pelican (fed it a fish while doing it :)

Seaworld is great, when I go down to san diego it is something I always try to get to.  My favorate part of it is the manta ray tanks--feeling them suck the squid off of your hand and being able to pet their smooth, sleek body is way beyond cool.  I even have a picture of me when I was little being kissed (licked) by the origional shamoo   (Oh if you go to seaworld a bit of advise..they have year long passes for not much more then one entry fee--so if you think you might go more then once I advise getting that.  They also have a monthly payment plan for the year passes. You can sometimes find passes for cheaper on ebay for seaworld and disneyland as well)

The SanDiego zoo is very nice and quite famous.  I would definately stop in there.  It beats hoogle zoo hands down.

One thing I am surprized no one has mentioned is the SWAP MEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! omfg i *L*O*V*E* it there.  oooohhh baby on a sunday all the people and the deals  

Tejuana (i think i spelt that right...oh well) is fun..but as good as it was when i was growing up--well deal wise.  There are still alot of good deals and always alot of liquor down there (if your going to get liquor make sure u ask how much u can legally bring over or make sure you have a good poker face cuz if they suspect u bringing anything over your car will be searched--and that takes a long time) Another note, and i cannot stress this enough, make sure you get insurance for your car for while ur in mexico!!!  There are alot of places that will offer it right off of freeway exits before you hit the boarder.  The drivers down there have big grills on their cars to *ahem* help them drive around in traffic.  I have seen a fair few cars just get wacked and no one even cares.  and as the other person said dont drink any water while your down there--and also remember that many of the toilets dont flush toilet paper so there are lovely (stinky) baskets next to them to put the used paper.  There is a nice store down there that u can get some good deals (just remember currency conversion price though).  I will see if I can have my mom remember the name of it.

Oh yeah somethign else we like doing--lol but there is a good $1.00 chinese food place there.  My parents love it! they go everytime and get 3 diff items and their food is only like $3 each.  :) 

Pier 1 clearance store is down there too and usually has some good prices--good for your house or to have a few emergency wedding presents/family gifts/etc on hand.

I am pretty sure there is a website that tells of any special events going on (not sure when the sand castle competitions are..) and if i find it later I'll let you know.

but at the website  www.sdoceans.com there are pics there of my parents condo and also of some of the stuff I have mentioned here--and more info there on other stuff

Edited by RATTISSIA

Skye:

Coincendentally, this just came across my desk, thought it might be of interest to you:

"U.S. Department of State
Thursday January 27, 2005
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
This information is current as of today, Thu Jan 27 08:31:26 2005.
Mexico
January 26, 2005
This Public Announcement is being issued to alert U.S. citizens to the current security
situation along the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border in the wake of increased
violence among drug traffickers. Although the majority of travelers in the region visit
without mishap, violent criminal activity, including murder and kidnapping, in Mexico's
northern border region has increased. The overwhelming majority of the victims of
violent crime have been Mexican citizens. Nonetheless, U.S. citizens should be aware of
the risk posed by the deteriorating security situation. This Public Announcement expires
on April 25, 2005.
Violent criminal activity along the U.S.-Mexico border has increased as a product of a
war between criminal organizations struggling for control of the lucrative narcotics trade
along the border. The leaders of several major criminal organizations have been arrested,
creating a power vacuum. This has resulted in a wave of violence aimed primarily at
members of those trafficking organizations and criminal justice officials. However,
foreign visitors, including Americans, have been among the victims of homicides and
kidnappings in the border region in recent months.
Mexico's police forces suffer from lack of funds and training, and the judicial system is
weak, overworked, and inefficient. Criminals, armed with an impressive array of
weapons, know there is little chance they will be caught and punished. In some cases,
assailants have been wearing full or partial police uniforms and have used vehicles that
resemble police vehicles, indicating some elements of the police might be involved.
U.S. citizens are urged to be especially aware of safety and security concerns when
visiting the border region. The majority of the thousands of U.S. citizens who cross the
border each day do so safely, exercising common-sense precautions such as visiting only
the legitimate business and tourism areas of border towns during daylight hours. It is
strongly recommended that red-light districts and neighborhoods where street drug
dealing occurs be avoided."