San Diego, the second-largest city in California, is a first-class place for a holiday. As BA prepares to restart direct flights from London, Fred Mawer offers a guide.
Cycling along the boardwalk that runs behind the sands of Mission Beach and Pacific Beach, it's easy to poke fun at the homes with cheesy signs by their front doors: "Don't be crabby – you're in a lovely place"; "Another day in paradise".
But if I were fortunate enough to live in San Diego, I could well imagine gushing about my city. Not only does it have an impressive bayside setting and a sunny climate, but it is also made up of a set of appealing and distinctive neighbourhoods.
There's the youthful and surf-loving Mission Beach and Pacific Beach. Just up the coast lies upmarket La Jolla, where every other shop is a gallery and even the rubbish bins are artfully decorated. To the south lies anti-establishment Ocean Beach, where at the South Beach Bar and Grille you can buy a delicious fried fish taco – a local speciality – for just $3 (£1.86).
Farther south, a swooping two-mile bridge over San Diego Bay takes you to clean-cut, ultraconservative Coronado on the bulbous head of a peninsula, where the US navy has a strong presence, and you can see San Diegans in their hordes dressed up to the nines on Sunday morning for brunch at the venerable Hotel del Coronado.
Next Wednesday, after an eight-year gap, British Airways is due to restart non-stop flights to San Diego from Heathrow – at present, there are no direct services from Britain. No longer will British visitors need to make a dreary three-hour drive down the traffic-clogged freeway from Los Angeles International Airport.
With top-notch wildlife parks and wonderful beaches, California's second-largest city has much to offer families – and particularly so during the summer. In July and August, the weather in San Diego is likely to be a lot more pleasant than in the sappingly hot Florida, the more common choice for British families at that time.
San Diego also is great for an adults-only break. Thanks to the proximity of the Mexican border, there's a rich Hispanic heritage, particularly in the Old Town. Buzzing nightlife and trendy hotels set the tone in the Gaslamp Quarter, where the streets are lined with electric versions of Victorian lamps. In the beach communities, there's an infectious, laid-back Surfin' USA lifestyle. Sophisticated restaurants championing seafood and Californian produce are commonplace. In short, San Diego is much more likeable and manageable than that other big southern Californian metropolis, LA.
Below, I suggest how to get the most out of the city, whether you are going there for a grown-up break or taking children. According to the tourist board, it's where "happy happens" – a slogan, I suspect, that is too cheesy even for the most admiring of residents.
by: Fred Mawer / courtesy of: http://www.telegraph.co.uk
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