Thrifty Travel Fun: San Diego, CA

Thrifty Travel Fun: San Diego, CA Read Post

California San Diego

Thrifty Travel Fun: San Diego, CA

As temperatures start to drop off in the rest of the country, sunny San Diego becomes a delightful destination for family travel. With lots of water and sand (70-mile's worth, to be precise), and a laid-back, California vibe, there's lots to explore in this ocean-side city.

Sunny picture via San Diego Blog

1. San Diego's Balboa Park is its most famous, and a beautiful, spacious place to spend an afternoon. Pack a picnic (and some bubbles) and enjoy the stunning architecture and landscaped gardens. And don't forget to stop and smell the roses: the Botanical Building (and most of the gardens) are free to enter, and well-worth a visit. 

2. Have you ever come across your kiddos playing cops and robbers? Ever taken a mini police officer trick-or-treating? San Diego has a museum for you! The County Sheriff's Museum has a kid-oriented, educational feel, and youngsters will love exploring the police cars and motorcycles on display in the courtyard (they can even sit in a car and try out the siren) the mock jail cells inside, and more. The museum also houses artifacts, photographs, and other sheriff's department memorabilia. Admission is free!

3. Don't miss the boardwalk. Sure, it's a bit of a no-brainer, but it's quintessentially San Diego, and also ideal for some family fun. Make your stroll into a scavenger hunt: break the family into teams and have everyone keep their eyes peeled for three surfboards, a family wearing matching shirts, a boy eating ice cream, five sea gulls...you get the idea.

Accommodation Tip: The Best Western Golden Triangle Inn  puts you close to all the touristy spots on your to-do list, but keeps you close to what you really came for, too: the beach! 

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Best Westerns along the California Coast

Best Westerns along the California Coast Read Post

Best Western Hotels California

Best Westerns along the California Coast

After our recent getaway in San Diego our family drove up the California Coast to Los Angeles and then Santa Barbara. Along the way, we noticed several Best Westerns sitting right on the coast, overlooking the sparkling Pacific Ocean.

Here are a few of those:

BEST WESTERN PLUS The Inn at Marina del Rey is a swanky boutique-style hotel that's minutes from Venice Beach.

From the harbor side rooms at BEST WESTERN PLUS Sunrise Hotel at Redondo Beach Marina you can fall asleep to the sound of the waves crashing and the sailboats rocking.

BEST WESTERN PLUS Blue Sea Lodge sits right on a sandy beach in San Diego.

BEST WESTERN Encinitas Inn & Suites at Moonlight Beach sits perched on a cliff above the ocean in Encinitas.

BEST WESTERN PLUS Inn by the Sea is two blocks from the beach in the pretty little village of La Jolla.

BEST WESTERN PLUS Beach View Lodge offers rooms with balconies overlooking the Pacific (photo above).

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Splurging on wetsuits in San Diego

Splurging on wetsuits in San Diego Read Post

California family fun

Splurging on wetsuits in San Diego

Hotels rooms under $100, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, cheap flights with long layovers and strange departure times. I'm used to seeking out deals when traveling. Our family can only afford to travel on the cheap.

And so when we went to San Diego with some friends for a beach getaway, I was hesitant to splurge on wetsuit rentals. Two-hundred and fifty dollars to rent wetsuits for a family of four for five days—ouch! It pained me to spend that kind of money, especially since the rest of the trip was already pushing us to the edge financially. But our friends kept saying that the water is cold and you won't enjoy yourselves without a wetsuit.

We caved, and it was some of the best money I've ever spent.

We spent hours riding the waves on boogie boards in Solana Beach. It's the first time my kids have ever really liked being in the ocean. And now my son (pictured left) wants to become a surfer.

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Planes, trains & automobiles Day 10: San Diego

Planes, trains & automobiles Day 10: San Diego Read Post

California Planes Trains Automobiles

Planes, trains & automobiles Day 10: San Diego

The Rundown

High point of the day: We wake up on Easter morning and it's a glorious day. We drive to La Jolla where we sit outside on the patio at the Cottage restaurant and feast on French toast. Then we walk to the beach and the kids build a sand castle.

Low point of the day: We must return to San Francisco! The trip is over!

Photo of the day: Lovely La Jolla beach. Quote of the day: "I don't want to go home!"

Expenses
* $40.02 breakfast, Cottage, La Jolla
* $25.73 lunch, Quiznos, San Diego airport
* $5.83 gas
* $40 rental car
* $150 Best Western Hacienda
* $500 plane tickets, Southwest Airlines
* $45, taxi cab, San Francisco
Total expenses: $806.58

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Planes, Trains & Automobiles Day 9: San Diego

Planes, Trains & Automobiles Day 9: San Diego Read Post

Planes Trains Automobiles San Diego

Planes, Trains & Automobiles Day 9: San Diego

The Rundown

Low point of the day: I realize that I have too much work and stay back at the hotel while the kids and their dad go to Seaworld. The Hacienda offers free wi-fi--as do all Best Western Hotels--and it's a good connection.

High point of the day: My kids return from Seaworld--and they absolutely loved it. They share all of the details of the day. They got splashed by Shamu at the killer whale show, Believe, and they laughed hysterically at the sea lions and their zany trainers at the Clyde & Seamore's Risky Rescue show. And their dad bought them cotton candy!

Photo of the day: Shamu, the killer whale, in action.Quote of the day: "Mommy, I want a whale for a pet!"

Expenses

• $12 parking, Seaworld
• $140 one adult and two children's ticket, Seaworld
• $9.86 breakfast, Seaworld
• $31.36, lunch, Seaworld
  
• $3.99, cotton candy
  
• $40 rental car
• $43.63 dinner, Tower Two Cafe
• $150 Best Western Hacienda

Total expenses: $433.84

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Planes, Trains & Automobiles Day 8: San Diego

Planes, Trains & Automobiles Day 8: San Diego Read Post

California Planes Trains Automobiles San Diego

Planes, Trains & Automobiles Day 8: San Diego

The Rundown
Low point of the day: It's raining! We planned to go to Seaworld but decide to hold off until tomorrow.

High point of the day: The weather clears in the afternoon and we go to Seaport Village where we browse the tchotchke stores, watch a pirate show, and hop on a SEAL, which takes us on a wacky land and sea tour in an unusual vehicle that drives along the San Diego waterfront before plunging into the water. The boat (or is it a bus?) cruises past docks where sea lions lounge and blue herons and brown pelicans are scavenging for food. My children love every moment of the adventure and my husband and I learn a lot from the funny and entertaining tour guide, Terri, who is a former marine.
Photo of the day: The sword-eating pirate at Seaport Village.
Quote of the day: "Mommy, I don't want to be a pirate when I grow up!"
Expenses

• $14.74 breakfast
• $20.22 lunch, Super Cocina
• $40 rental car
• $90 SEAL tour
• $76.95 dinner, Zia Bistro
• $150 Best Western Hacienda

Total expenses: $391.91

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Cheap, tasty Mexican food in SoCal

Cheap, tasty Mexican food in SoCal Read Post

California Dining out Planes Trains Automobiles

Cheap, tasty Mexican food in SoCal

"That's $4.55."
"Are you sure you got everything?"
"Yes. $4.55."
"I ordered two tacos and two burritos. Did you get the burritos?"
"$4.55."
I was shocked by the prices at La Tiendita, a hole-in-the-wall taqueria in San Clemente.


My kids and I pulled off the I-5 on our way from Legoland back to our hotel in San Juan Capistrano. The eatery wasn't much different from the burrito places I frequent in San Francisco's Mission District--Cancun, La Taqueria, La Cornetta--with faded pictures on the walls, a refrigerator full of Jarritos, and counter service. But when I ordered, I noticed one big difference: the prices were unbelievably low. The tacos were 99 cents each and the humongous bean-and-cheese burritos for my kids were also 99 cents each. In the Mission, my kids and I can eat out for $10 if they split a bean-and-cheese burrito and if I order a burrito with only beans, rice, cheese, and salsa.

When I bit into my tacos (pictured above)--juicy grilled chicken, chopped onions, cilantro, and hot salsa verde piled onto fresh grainy corn tortillas--I noticed another difference. The food tasted better. The tacos were more flavorful than those dished out at my favorite San Francisco taco truck that parks in a lot on the corner of Hayes and Polk. The meat was moist, not at all gristly or greasy.



We also sought out Mexican food in San Diego. A huge plus to renting a car was that we could seek out neighborhood restaurants. On Chowhound, I read about Super Cocina, a family-run place in City Heights. The lady behind the counter gave us tastes of several stews. We decided on a fragrant fish soup and chicken cooked in a spicy pumpkin seed sauce. And then we ordered the sopes (pictured above), tender little masa boats spread with a layer of refried beans and topped with sweet boiled chicken, crunchy cabbage, and rich cream. My 6-year-old daughter and I were fighting over them. We also ordered two plates of beans, rice and tortillas for the kids; a coke; and two bottles of water. Everything cost $20. I now realize why so many people live in SoCal. It's not the weather. It's the Mexican food.

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