Different Personalities of the San Diego Beaches

When wondering what beaches you should head to in San Diego, keep in mind each beach has a different personality and different things to offer. Below is a little guide to which of one of San Diego's best beaches will best suit your needs.

• Ocean Beach: Low key, eclectic, hippie, dog beach, "little town feel." OB is popular for its unique stores and laid back personality. Home to the famous Hodad's (see my earlier post). This beach is definitely more of a locals spot because it is a little but further travel for tourists. Many of the local surfers and residents at the nearby hostel makes it feel like everyone here knows each other. However, it is definitely not as clean as some of the other beaches in SD.
  
• Pacific Beach: The younger crowd's favorite hangout. PB has the most popular bar scene than any of the other San Diego beaches. It is a very popular party spot for many of the college students and young professionals. PB is also known to have great, and usually cheap, shopping. The beach is popular with the surfers. Parking is usually tough since PB is such a happening spot.
  
• Mission Bay: Perfect for a picnic or family gathering with beautiful sights. There are miles of sand and grass available to play and enjoy the Bay. This should not be the spot you choose to swim and surf. The water is definitely more stagnant than ocean water since it is the bay. You will find children splashing in the Bay, but if swimming is what you want to do, don't pick the Bay.
  
• Mission Beach: Definitely a tourist hot spot. There is a boardwalk to stroll along, miles of beach, tourist along with unique shops, and of course home to Belmont Park. Belmont Park is an amusement park with typical attractions and most famously their wooden roller coaster, the Giant Dipper. Mission Beach offers many things to do and a beautiful beach to enjoy. Some say this beach is the closet thing to something you would see on the East Coast.
  
• La Jolla: Probably one of the most gorgeous places in San Diego. This is a very upscale and affluent city but also home to the most beautiful beaches. Whether you go to the Cove, the Cliffs (see earlier post), or the Shores, the sights will be amazing. La Jolla Shores is known to be a romantic spot and the Cove has tidepools and caves to explore. Windansea is close by and known as one of the best surfing beaches in San Diego. And if you are in the mood for a nude beach, try out Black's.
  
• Coronado: Perfect for a weekend getaway. Coronado is a fantastic island full of restaurants, shops, and upscale hotels--like the Hotel Del. The beaches are perfect for everyone with their calm waves and clean sand. Coronado is known as one of America's finest beaches.  This is definitely a beach to make a day out of.
  

Links

• For more information on San Diego's Best Beaches
  

Read more >>

Barkers & Burgers: Ocean Beach Date

There is nothing better than having some of your favorite things combine to make the perfect day, or date, in this case. Dogs, the beach, and great food all work together to form another one of my Go-To Girl Designed Date Nights.

Ocean Beach itself is a spectacular place to visit. I feel like it has a little bit of a different personality than the other popular beaches in San Diego. It doesn't have the party scene like Pacific Beach or the upscale beauty of La Jolla, but it sure has character. Unique shops, such as The Black feature Rastafarian knick-knacks, candles and incense, clothes, posters and unique books. The streets are usually filled with locals or visitors from the hostel nearby. The beaches are nice as most San Diego beaches are. But the one that we are going to visit today is Dog Beach.

Dog Beach is one of my favorite places because it just so happens--dogs and the beach rate pretty high on my favorite things. This beach not only has the beauty of San Diego and the character of Ocean Beach, but also the sight of miles of dogs frolicking to and from the ocean with their owners. The reason I think Dog Beach would be a perfect place for a date, (whether you have a pooch of your own or not,) is because it is a such a great sight to see. Being a dog-lover, there is nothing better than watching so many dogs playing and enjoying the sun just like their owners. Families and their dogs roam the beach, playing ball and exploring the water. Dog Beach provides a comfortable setting and plenty of things to talk about. (see below for directions)

After you fill your dog quota, it is time for dinner. Get ready for the best burger of your life. Hodad's. I guarantee that there will be a line outside. Once you finally get inside, take your big yellow menus and seat yourself where you can. License plates fill up the walls and loud music is always on. The servers are to the point and when they are busy (which they usually are) don't expect any special treatment. Hodad's has the best and biggest burgers, amazing onion rings, and delicious vanilla shakes. I am not one to order a burger at a restaurant but Hodad's is simply amazing.

Dog Beach and Hodad's is perfect for a comfortable and casual date. Both places are unique and fun settings that you or your date will not be disappointed with.

Directions to Dog Beach:

8 West to the end. Turn left and follow the signs for Sunset Cliffs. Turn right at W Point Loma Blvd. and follow it as it curves around until you can turn right at the second stop sign into the beach parking lot

Directions to Hodad's from the Dog Beach parking lot:

Head southeast on Brighton Ave toward Abbott St. Turn right at Abbott St. Continue on Newport Ave.

Links

• Hodads http://www.hodadies.com/

Read more >>

OB Summerfest... More of a Picnic than "Fest"

So today I decided to venture into Ocean Beach for a "Summerfest" I had heard about. Being in love with street festivals, I was excited to see what OB had in store. On my exit off the 8 freeway, I looked over to my left and saw several canopies set up at the park. I thought to myself, "hmm, well I guess that is it. I'll check it out." Hoping for the best, I rolled into the parking lot and saw a row of maybe 15 canopies. Now I was apprehensive. Getting out of my car, I was immediately drawn to the 4 canopies set up with food. The first one was three kids yelling in attempts to sell snow cones, the second was Mexican food, then there were gyros, and lastly funnel cake. After a very sad and somewhat pathetic food display, I made my way to the "craft fair" part of the Summerfest. There I found a few more canopies filled with little trinkets and hand-made crafts for sale. Usually I am a sucker for things I don't need to buy but seem cool at the time, but this smorgasbord of little crafts and jewelry did not lure me to pull out my wallet.

The carnival part of the "fest" included very few rides and out of all things, 3 llamas, which surprisingly were probably the highlight of this event.

After I had explored the canopies and the llamas, entertainment had set up on the stage. I think it was country? I did actually not stay around long enough to hear it because overall I was really disappointed. Ocean Beach is one of my favorite beach towns but unfortunately I do not think they can put on a Summerfest just yet.

Read more >>