So let’s say you are thinking about living in San Diego or maybe you live here and are just wondering what other San Diego residents do for fun? In this video, we are going to talk about seven of my favorite things I like to do in San Diego and well, let’s face it. I’m not that different so you might like to do them as well. Starting with number one, I like going to the beach!

Going to the beach

Who doesn’t like going to the beach. It’s San Diego. Like I said in my last video, when I think of San Diego I think of two things: Awesome weather and of course the beach. When it comes down to which beach, that is a different story. I like being down on the sand but which beach I am going to depends on what I plan to do. If I am going to the beach to just relax, throw down my chair, lie back and close my eyes, I am probably heading to Mission Beach. It’s not easy but it’s not impossible to park in Mission. Although there are several big parking lots (that fill up fast on the weekends and holidays), I tend to go to the area near old mission beach usually. I park on Mission Blvd. I usually throw on my backpack chair, grab something to drink and some snacks, and that’s about all I need. I big plus down at Mission is the boardwalk. If I’m feeling more active, I’ll walk up to crystal pier or down to Belmont park for amazing people watching.

If I’m heading to the beach to surf, I might be heading to north Mission Beach near tourmaline but more than likely now I’m heading up to Encinitas. It’s very difficult to find a better spot to surf in San Diego.

Getting dinner in Little Italy

The second thing I like to do in San Diego is go out for dinner in Little Italy. I like food but I wouldn’t call myself a foodie. That being said, I like a lot of the restaurants in Little Italy. Some of my favorites are going to be Mona Lisa (even though they almost always mess up my order for takeout), Monello, Filippis, Zinqué, Crack Shack (it seems strange to order fried chicken in Little Italy but trust me, just try it), Nonna is good, Mimmos as well. If you’re looking for something fancy hit up Born and Raised which also has an amazing rooftop good for cocktails and they have dining up there. Also, the place right now to be seen is going to be Barbusa. Very popular hot spot. Food is great as well. For pizza by the slice, go to Mr. Moto or try Landinis. Having a fish and chips craving or looking to catch a soccer game, hit up princess pub. I probably eat from Mona Lisa the most followed closely by Mr. Moto. All the places on my list are great, at least I think so.

Search for San Diego homes, condos, and town homes for sale here…

Walking the Harbor walk

My third favorite thing to do and I do it almost every day is going to be walking along the harbor walk. The walkway stretches for miles. It starts in front of the Bayfront Hilton near Petco Park and stretches all the way past Harbor Island in Point Loma if you count the side walk. You are going to have amazing views of the San Diego bay, you can check out the boats and ships on the water. There restaurants along the way, the can break off onto embarcadero island north or south. Actually check out south embarcadero if you haven’t been there in a while or ever. They just opened up the walkway around the new Rady’s Shell music venue and it looks great. I was pissed at first because they removed the workout equipment but then I realized they put in upgraded new equipment on the other side of the island so sorry symphony, my bad. You can also check out the Midway museum of you want to go on and your and actual aircraft carrier. Or hop on bay tour with Hornblower or flagship. That’s a great way to see the bay. You can also hop on the ferry and shoot over to Coronado. I mentioned I’m here almost every day. I usually just talk a walk midday to relax and recharge. It’s pretty phenomenal and it’s not lost on me how lucky I am to live right here and have that in my own back yard.

Going to San Diego Padre games at Petco park

Number four is something just about every one living in San Diego has done and if you are thinking about living here, make plans to do so. Go visit Petco Park. Unfortunately, if you are a fan of another club this is a tough year for you to do so. When the Padres are not so good, the ballpark is flooded with opposing teams fans. When the Padres are good, forget it. The park is filled with brown and gold. We are pretty good this year. Petco is one of the best if not the best ball park in Major league baseball. It’s fairly newish I would say, its constantly upgraded. Every year they add or change things so it’s better. It’s filled with local craft breweries, local restaurants are represented, it super kid friendly, it’s easy to navigate. My favorite days to go are Friday nights and I enjoy a day game mid-week if I can swing it with work. It you like give away, Saturday night is the day to go. Sunday is military appreciation day. It’s an awesome experience all around, go check it out.

Check out our 100% FREE buyer services break down here…

Going to the San Diego Zoo & the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

For number five, if you are an animal lover like me this is amazing. If you are not an animal lover, what’s wrong with you. We have not only the world famous San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park but we also have the San Diego  Zoo Safari Park. Both are equally awesome but the safari park is much bigger with enclosures that are almost like being in the wild versus the zoo in Balboa Park that has great enclosures and displays but is more like what you would expect from a normal zoo.  That being said, its anything but a normal zoo. Its world class. Both are great places to visit. The Zoo in Balboa Park is super easy to get to for anyone in the central metro San Diego area. It’s also close for anyone near the 5, 805, and 163 freeway system. The safari park is out near San Pascal in Escondido. San Pascal is also fun. Wine tasting in San Diego. I’ll leave that for another video. Given a choice, I like the Zoo in Balboa Park. I like bears and the zoo has a ton of them to check out.

Getting breakfast

For number 6, its going to be food related like number 2 except this is going to be for breakfast or brunch. There are so many great places to start the day in San Diego. This is not my recommendation on where to throw back endless mimosas. That can be fun but will could be an entirely different video. Probably a vlog. Maybe I should do that one soon. This is where I like to go to actually eat and be able to enjoy the rest of the day. Not blitzed. My favorite place is going to The Mission. I started out going to the one in Mission Beach because it was so close to my house. When I moved, I started going to The Mission on J Street in East Village. There is also one up in North Park. I haven’t been to that one only because I don’t live there. If I did, I probably be there a lot. Looking for a breakfast spot, give The Mission a try.

Hiking in San Diego

For number 7, I like to hike. I love being outdoors and one of the great things about San Diego is you do not have to go far to hit a great hiking trail. If I don’t feel like driving far, I usually just head to Mission Trails. Its close and it feels you like you in the middle of nowhere for the majority of the hikes out there. The views from the five peaks are all spectacular. Cowles is the most popular and it has the best views. It’s not easy but it’s not that difficult. I highly recommend trying some hiking at Mission Trails. There are a ton of other options for getting outdoors and hiking as well. You can head out to the desert, maybe inland past Ramona and hit up the mountains near William Heise Park. So many good options.

Looking for help buying, selling, or investing in San Diego real estate? Complete the form below to get started: