Districts

Education

Universities in the area:
 • University of California, San Diego (State public university)
 • San Diego State University (State public university)
 • University of San Diego (private, Catholic university)
 • Point Loma Nazarene (private, Protestant Christian university)
 • California Western School of Law (Private university)

Dining

San Diego offers a variety of styles and flavors for any diners tastes. Food styles include Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino, Chinese, Korean, Greek, Irish, Indian, Mongolian, Mexican, Italian, French and classic American. The number one destination for tourists and locals is the downtown historic district known as the Gaslamp Quarter.

Dozens of restaurants, bistros, pubs, bars and nightclubs are centralized in the southeastern part of the downtown area. It is not uncommon to find large crowds gathered here on weekends to enjoy a night of dining, dancing and the sounds of local musicians. Dining is marked by a number of choices one can make from enjoying stereotypical American fast food, such as McDonald's, to exquisite sunset meals at Georges on the Cove or the Fish Market. A fine point of any trip to San Diego is enjoying a spectacular sunset while enjoying a delicious meal with a few friends.

Get out

San Diego is probably the best city in America for making a quick trip to Mexico. Tijuana, San Diego's twin city across the border, is only a few minutes away by car. There is also a trolley from downtown San Diego to the US-Mexico border. Avoid driving hassles and long waits when returning by parking in pay lots near the border and walking across. Or, for a delightful, low-key alternative, drive 60 minutes on the American side to the small border crossing of Tecate (home of the Tecate brewery). It's a short walk to the town square, and nobody tries to sell you chiclets here. Coming back, there are typically only a couple of people in line at the pedestrian crossing. You can easily combine a trip to the train museum in nearby Campo with a quick trip across the border for lunch! The greater San Diego County has a lot of smaller, more private beaches, and some great small towns to stay in and explore. Further east, the Inland Empire and California Desert give a change of scenery. It's also relatively easy to get up to Los Angeles and other points in Southern California. Highway 5 stretches up to the Oregon border. Although slower, Highways 1 and 101, through the Central Coast, Monterey Bay, and the San Francisco Bay Area, make for more of a pleasant and fruitful trip.

• Get In
• Activities
• Attractions
• Get Around
• Lodging
• Work
• Sports
• Safety and Health

Shopping

San Diego is dotted with major shopping centers and upscale boutiques catering to nearly every style of dress and expression. The following is a list of a few of the major shopping centers in the San Diego area:

 • University Town Center  
 • Horton Plaza  
 • North County Fair  
 • Plaza Bonita  
 • Mission Valley Shopping Center  
 • Fashion Valley Mall  
 • Carlsbad Premium Outlets  
 • Fashion Valley Mall  
 • El Cajon Mall

Internet

In the area of the Westin Hotel there is free WiFi. The SSID is "turbonet".