It’s day two, and Comic-Con has the pedal to the floor. The panels, the announcements, the cosplay, the lines. Even the city of San Diego, whose populace was once a little “get off my lawn” about the event, is excited. In a recent poll, they ranked keeping Comic-Con higher than hanging onto the local NFL team.
That being said, a full four-day weekend at Comic-Con can turn into a bit of a slog. It’s important to take a break, see a bit of the city, and remind yourself what the outdoors look like.
Eat a California burrito. Somehow, with small restaurants and holes-in-the-wall getting priced out all across the city, scruffy burrito shops are still thriving in the Ocean, Mission, and Pacific Beach neighborhoods. The “California burrito” served in SD doesn’t claim to be Mexican food; it’s a different sort of hybrid all together. Wrapped in yellow paper, a true California burrito is made with carne asada and features french fries inside (rather than rice and beans) with a deep red salsa that sends a clear spice warning. Have a cold beer on hand. You’ll need it. MXN has multiple locations through the city, but it wasn’t always that way: Many longtime residents still remember this as “Santana’s” where you could drive through and order day or night. These days the name is different, but the hours are the same. So is the food; nap inducing but absolutely delicious. Nico’s is another legend of the SD beach burrito scene, with both a website and prices that feel stuck in the late ’90s.
Visit a skate park. Skateboarding is not a crime in San Diego. In fact, it’s celebrated. The city has a wide-ranging selection of skate parks for riders of all abilities. Most neighborhoods have their own parks, where the skate scene is revered rather than reviled. Two of the best are the Carmel Valley Skate Park and the Alex Road Skate Park a little ways north, in Oceanside; both spots have street skate features and deep bowls for more experienced riders.
Drink a craft beer. Somewhere in the mid-2000s, San Diego started creeping up on stalwarts like Portland, Ore. and Denver for the title of best beer city in the country. In recent years, the scene has exploded, which certainly isn’t bothering the locals any. If you go, it’s nice to mix and match a (relative) veteran establishment with a newcomer to the scene. Green Flash has been around since 2002, and their West Coast IPA has fans across the country. For something brand new, try Half Door Brewing, which is built into a two-story house right downtown. Looking for more places to try? Paste Magazine has a thorough guide to San Diego’s breweries that can put any aficionado on the right track.
Try a kitschy dessert. These days, you can’t just serve ice cream in San Diego; you have to have a hook. Try the French Toast Donut at the Donut Bar, a frozen-fruit paleta at Viva Pops, a hot-pressed ice cream sandwich at the Baked Bear, or an ice cream flight featuring six of the 93 different flavors available at Hammond’s Gourmet Ice Cream. If you like your treats with alcohol, try Zymology 21, where they serve sangria Popsicles in a glass of ale and test tube flights of “shrubs” (mixers made by fermenting fruit in vinegar and water) to blend with your favorite spirit.
Check out Mission Beach. Though Ocean Beach and Pacific Beach certainly have their adherents, Mission Beach is the epicenter of the San Diego beach scene. At Belmont Park, you can eat, drink a craft beer (of course), and ride the most rickety-ass roller coaster on the planet. You can learn to surf out in the ocean or learn to fall by trying FlowRider or FlowBarrel (two machine generated waves that definitely take some time to master). Maybe the best option is to take a bike up and down the boardwalk. Play a round of beach-town bingo, and see if you can spot the guy riding a beach cruiser with an iguana on his shoulder, the woman rollerblading with headphones like Rosie Perez in White Men Can’t Jump, and the middle-aged bro who got staggering-level drunk before noon.
Dine alFresco. Zoning laws have allowed San Diego restaurants to spread out to the sidewalk. That freedom plus the weather have made the city one of the best outdoor dining cities in the country. Downtown, where the people watching is best, you can sit outside, enjoy a craft cocktail, and get some excellent food. Rustic Root in the Gaslamp Quarter stands out, particularly the fried chicken with sweet potato and butterbeans. If you haven’t had your Mexican food fix fulfilled yet, check in next door at Don Chido and start off with the queso fundido.
Slow down for a sunset. Sunset Cliffs is one of California’s all-time great places to watch the sunset. With all the buzz of the city, it’s certainly nice to slow the pace and take a few long deep breaths as the sun dips below the horizon. If you surf, this is one of the best breaks in the city; if not, you can sit on the cliffs, check out the scene and just chill. Want to stay downtown? The open air bar at Kettner Exchange is breezy and serves fantastic food. The perfect place to chill as the day fades. Kettner is also a key player in San Diego’s “tiki drink revival.” [Naturally, we argued that “tiki drink revival” is not a thing, but were told time and time again “it’s happening, get used to it.” -ED]
Visit Balboa Park. Balboa Park is the No. 1 recommendation that everyone hears they “have to do” in San Diego. For out-of-towners, it probably seems strange because parks fall into the “seen one, you’ve seen them all” category so often. But this park is different. This park is vast, and diverse, and has the Museum of Man. This park has gazebos, and giant fountains, and its own miniature railroad. Seriously, what more do you need? Take a picnic, and spend some time.
Go to a pool party. The raging pool party scene started in Las Vegas and quickly moved to San Diego. The concept isn’t tough to wrap your head around… attractive people, few clothes, and alcohol. Just add water. If you like those things, you would probably like a pool party. San Diego has a lot of them, with SummerSalt at Palomar Hotel downtown being the best. On Sundays, Lady Dottie & The Diamonds cover classics of soul, R&B, rock, and Motown. https://instagram.com/p/4A8hczSfrv/
Hang for a week to visit Del Mar’s opening day. There are three fantastic reasons to stick around San Diego and go to opening day at the Del Mar race track: 1) You like horse racing, 2) you like wearing weird hats, or 3) you like to laugh at (with) people wearing weird hats (season starts July 16).
