Afternoon and evening in San Diego, suggestions for two Canuks?

[mullysisters]

I was in SD in my youth but my DSis has never been. We have the afternoon and evening/ night between our first visit to DL and our cruise on the Wonder. I wish we had time for more! Our only request- authentic SD/Mexican dinner and evening entertainment. A few hours in the afternoon for culture/ history? Thanks!

 

[DisneyConvert]

Zoo and Gaslamp quarter?

I used to go there a bit on business but it's been a while.
Of course, back then we did Legoland!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I would say Balboa Park, in general. There is lots to see even without going to the Zoo, which I think is really a full-day ticket. There are excellent passes to the BP museums that cover everything (there is a zoo option as well).

Then hop a Lyft out for dinner, possibly in Old Town. OT can be a little touristy but you are tourists so no shame in that.

 

[Dust2]

https://oldtownsandiegoguide.com/Old Town for history and good Mexican food

 

[KVH]

Define authentic? Don't forget, authentic doesn't necessarily mean high quality. I might say La Puerta or the Blind Burro as far as taste goes. Maybe ¡Salud! down farther south. But if you want the whole dining experience to be "authentic", I'm not sure any of the establishments in 'Diego qualify. Most of them are, as pointed out, tourist oriented trying to push the "hip" vibe to attract regulars as the place to be. For that matter, I could even say Puesto's if you just want tacos and drinks.

Another suggestion might be, if you're staying downtown, is wait to do your south of the border dining while on the cruise (Cabo, Ensenada?) and do your night before dining at Little Italy? Just a thought for variety.

But just having an afternoon doesn't give you much time to do anything. You could do the Midway if you didn't want to do Balboa Park. Watch the Sunset at Ocean Beach? Ride bikes on the Front Walk at Mission Beach (Tacos el Trompo there)?

 

[mullysisters]

Thanks for those great suggestions. I worked for the City of Toronto for 40 years, very good Italian there too but surprisingly never came across Mexican (and I looked!) Our cruise is actually headed north, SF and Vancouver. I wish it stopped at Seattle. So no Cabo. I would love to see the Midway. We'll just enjoy. The beaches sound great!

 

[Camonkeygirl]

If you like ships, there is also the San Diego Maritime Museum. It is near the Midway and Cruise Ship Terminal. Mexican food, I would recommend Miguel’s in Point Loma. good food, and not as big a tourist draw. I second Balboa Park and the Zoo

 

[Calantha]

As you're looking for a way to get around, make sure you check out : https://www.ridecircuit.com/fred. It is a free Uber type service that helps people move around in the downtown area. We used it when my college roommate got married there several years ago. It was great to get from the hotel down to the Gaslamp Quarter and have the bachelorette party without worrying about a car or paying a taxi.

Also, agree the Zoo is awesome - but that's really an all day thing.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Old Town!