Weekend in San Diego

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One of my favorite places to travel to is San Diego. A weekend in San Diego is the perfect getaway. The flight is less than an hour from the San Jose Airport. The weather is nice, pretty much all throughout the year. There are multiple areas to stay between Downtown, Gas Lamp District, La Jolla, Del Mar, Mission Valley, and Coronado. It has a diverse amount of activities, places to eat and things to see. I mean, what’s not to like about a fun weekend in San Diego?

The Hilton San Diego Gas Lamp Quarter

The Hilton San Diego Gas Lamp Quarter is a nice hotel with a spacious lobby. It has a couple of arcade games, big-screen televisions and work areas. During the day it isn’t too loud which is perfect for those there on business. It’s the perfect environment to get work done outside of the hotel room. I wrote the majority of this blog in the lobby lounge area.

The Hilton Gas Lamp has a restaurant and bar called New Leaf. It’s a modest restaurant, that’s not fancy but clean. The menu options are very limited. There is a daily breakfast buffet along with lunch and dinner. Being that the hotel is literally in the heart of the Gas Lamp District; there are far better options for the price within a few hundred feet outside of the hotel.

The in-room dining menu is the same as The New Leaf menu. It’s convenient if you are working in your room, having conference calls, etc. But my recommendation is to go up Fourth or Fifth Street as there are a ton of places to eat. You don’t even have to open up Yelp or Google as they are all there.

Restaurants and Bars

Toscana Cafe and Wine Bar

For breakfast, I decided on Toscana Cafe and Wine Bar right on the corner of K & Fifth street. The restaurant has a nice classic feel to it and the menu and drink options are pretty creative.

I opted for Spinach Benedict which isn’t like the traditional benny. This benny is prepared on ciabatta bread, with basil and spinach, goat cheese, prosciutto, and hollandaise sauce. With a side of potatoes and fruit, I’d say this one is a winner. I am was satisfied and my peach mimosa was the icing on the cake.

The Owl

For lunch, a friend recommended that I visit The Owl while in San Diego. It’s a short walk up the street located on the corner of Broadway and Sixth street. This place is really nice. In addition to the look, it just has a nice vibe. When you walk in, you feel welcomed.

I had a seat at the bar so that I could get a good view of the Texans vs. Chiefs game. For food, I decided on Tito’s and Club Soda with the Classic Margherita Flatbread. There are so many tempting menu items but I decided to keep it light. I had to make sure that I have an appetite for dinner. The bartender Jasmine kept the drinks coming and was navigating both sides of the bar like a maverick. She kept the drinks flowing and even suggested a few places to check out; so that I can bring it to my readers. If you’re spending a weekend in San Diego in the Gas Lamp District you should stop by.

Cafe Sevilla

For live music and great tapas food Cafe Sevilla is a great place to eat. I love paella and this place has some of the best seafood paellas that you’ll ever have. I usually get the black seafood paella, which is the paella with black rice. However, on this particular night, they were all out of it. So I settled on the regular seafood paella instead. Dinner, drinks and live music, no better way to spend a Sunday evening.

Activities

Flagship 5th Ave. Ferry to Coronado

Jasmine told me about the Flagship 5th Avenue ferry located on the other side of the San Diego Convention Center. It’s only ten dollars round trip and goes to Coronado Ferry Landing.

The Coronado Ferry Landing

The Coronado Ferry Landing is definitely a great option for a weekend in San Diego. Filled with shops, restaurants, bike, and kayak rentals, parks, etc. It’s a feel-good vibe as you arrive.

Gas Lamp District Artisan Market

Luminous Views Gallery

Michael Slattery’s Luminous Views fine art is one of the highlights of the Sunday Gaslamp Artisan Market. His work is amazing. He sets his camera on a tripod and takes landscape photography throughout the day similar to a time-lapse. However, he takes it a step further and layers multiple elements of the photos throughout the day and combines them into a single photo.

Check out Michael’s website to view his fine art at https://luminous-views.com/

The Sunday Artisan Market has all types of vendors selling jewelry, art, CDB oils, clothing, etc.

MLK Promenade

The Martin Luther King Promenade is a 12-acre linear park and memorial promenade. I walked it every morning to Vitality Tap to get my green smoothie for breakfast.

Conclusion

There is still plenty more to do in and around the Gas Lamp District. Balboa Park is nearby. There are a ton of family-oriented activities to do there between the museum, performing arts, gardens, shopping, tours, and dining.

Petco Park is also nearby for San Diego Padres games or events.

There is also plenty of basement dive bars and rooftop restaurants to check out as well. If you’re looking for a weekend getaway, then you may want to give San Diego and the Gas Lamp District a try. I try to go at least a couple of times per year.

If you’ve traveled to the Gas Lamp DIstrict in San Diego, what activities or areas to visit do you recommend? Drop a comment below to share with our readers!

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