January/February 2008
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San Diego Destination Guide
Text by Emily Haile Photo by Terri Rippee
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The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego offers eclectic exhibitions. |
A Classy City, Inside and Out
 ordered by Mexico just 17 miles (27 kilometers) to the south and by 70 miles (113 kilometers) of beaches on the Pacific Ocean to its west, San Diego offers a wealth of activities and a mild climate year-round. With more than one million residents, it's also the second largest city in California, making it a hub for arts and entertainment. Here are some of our picks of the best blogs, podcasts, and other media to get you started in "America's Finest City."
Blogs
Podcasts
Newspapers
Magazines
Maps
Books
Movies
Blogs
Culture Lust
On this blog for National Public Radio affiliate KPBS, arts producer Angela Carone lusts after all things pop—culture, books, film, and music. Her radio show, These Days, is also worth tuning into.
San Diego Daily Photo
A fun site that posts a new picture every day expressing the character of San Diego's culture and neighborhoods. The diverse collection of shots includes a local with a surfboard rack on his bike, the California fast-food chain Wienerschnitzel, and the San Diego Air & Space Museum.
DiscoverSD
A whole slew of blogs covering hotels, nightlife, restaurants, shopping, beauty, dating, entertainment, and neighborhood scenes.
Live Green
For the eco-conscious traveler wondering where to eat, shop, and meet green-minded San Diegans, this blog offers helpful tips on how to make tracks in the city while minimizing your footprint. Updated sporadically.
SoCal Cabbie
Night-shift cabbie Ted Martin keeps this entertaining blog "from the (not so) mean streets with a laptop and mobile internet connection." Compelling stories of Martin's customers and photos of downtown street scenes.
San Diego Foodstuff
A local guide on where to find the best ethnic delicacies, artisan bakeries, gourmet shops, produce, and more. From flash-fried shrimp quesadillas to a list of area farmers markets, freelance travel writer Caron Golden offers a wealth of information for the curious foodie.
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Podcasts
San Diego Zoo
iZoofari podcasts offer a behind-the-scenes look at the city's nationally known zoo and the creatures that call it home. Audio tours of the Zoo and Wild Animal Park, such as the Gorilla Tropics, Condor Ridge, Lion Camp, and more.
Fast Facts
• The population of metro San Diego is 1.3 million.
• The median age is 35.
• Average temperature in December is 58°F (14°C), in July, 71°F (22°C).
• San Diego's La Jolla Playhouse was founded by actor Gregory Peck. | Tourcaster's Getting to Know San Diego
Familiarize yourself with the history and attractions of San Diego and download separate podcasts on transportation, when to visit, and dining and nightlife.
Insomnia Radio
Host Michael Catanzaro offers nothing but real San Diego music, with tracks from local bands and information about upcoming releases and concerts. A great way to get to know SD's indie music scene. See also SanDiegoPunk.com for reviews, listings of local venues, record stores, and to hear the "MP3 of the week."
Fun in Your City
This video site offers great ideas for activities and day trips in and around San Diego. Husband-and-wife production team Mike and Toni Towe visit places like the San Diego Velodrome, the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, and Big Ernie's Rib Shack.
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Newspapers
San Diego Union-Tribune
The second-oldest newspaper in Southern California, the Union-Tribune offers more than local and national news headlines; it's a great place to start learning about what SD has to offer. Check out the extensive Visitors Guide, highlighting hotels, attractions, restaurants, day trips, and events. There's also an annual Best of San Diego guide to help you plan your trip.
San Diego Metropolitan
Daily business report with city politics, dining reviews, and an arts calendar. Check out the column "San Diego Scene' for local buzz.
CityBeat
Sandie's alternative weekly (Wednesdays) parses the best of local music, arts, and cheap eats. Online, you can read columns such as "Wine on a Dime" and browse special issues.
The Guardian
For a taste of what's on students' minds at University of California at San Diego, pick up this student rag. The "Hiatus" section offers concert previews, theater and film reviews, and news about the local music scene. Go Tritons!
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Magazines
San Diego Magazine
This glossy monthly covers all buzz-worthy events around town. In addition to arts, restaurant, and hotel reviews, "San Diego Covered" is a helpful online resource listing major attractions, important phone numbers, and a guide to downtown.
San Diegan
This online zine offers neighborhood guides (Encinitas, La Jolla, Mission Bay, Carlsbad) with hints on accommodations, attractions, and shopping as well as a guide and map to area wineries.
Surfshot
Surfing is a huge part of SD's culture. To get caught up on the scene, grab this free magazine available at many local surf shops offering daily information about the tides, breaks, and local events. For more general surfing information, try Surfline and search for Web cams and reports in San Diego.
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Maps
San Diego Source Interactive Map
This clickable map allows you to zero in on the attractions particular to a specific area
Neighborhoods Map
The City of San Diego offers regional maps with the neighborhoods listed as subsections.
Map of Top Attractions
Get an eyeful of the major areas around the city, with photos and links to attractions.
San Diego Metro Area Map
Download this color map of major highways, byways, trails, rest areas, and points of interest.
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Books
San Diego Architecture from Mission to Modern, by Dirk Sutro (2002)
Former Los Angeles Times architecture critic Sutro lends his expertise to this color volume detailing the city's great architectural history. Includes maps.
Afoot and Afield in San Diego, by Jerry Schad (1986)
The Los Angeles Times has hailed Southern California hiking guru Schad's guide as "the bible of San Diego hiking." Lists 250 hikes and maps.
Finnegan's Week, by Joseph Wambaugh (1993)
Crime fiction guru and former police detective Wambaugh sets this gritty tale in San Diego as a policeman hunts down a runaway truck of toxic chemicals. In true noir style, he encounters plenty of danger, wrong turns, and romance along the way. Entertainment Weekly writes: "Superbly crafted and paced, deliciously funny, but fundamentally, as always, dead serious."
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Movies
Top Gun (1986)
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar's famed Top Gun pilot training school was immortalized by the adventures of Maverick (Tom Cruise) in this American classic.
Almost Famous (2000)
California native Cameron Crowe nabbed an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for this semi-autobiographical film starring Patrick Fugit as William Miller, a rock-obsessed teen following the fictional band Stillwater (with Billy Crudup as lead guitarist) on assignment for Rolling Stone.
Traffic (2000)
San Diego's proximity to Mexico made it an ideal setting for one of three intertwining plotlines in this Academy Award-winning film by Steven Soderbergh. The lives of San Diego drug lord (Steven Bauer) and his conniving wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) are turned upside down after his arrest in this "coolly scathing overview of the multibillion-dollar drug trade and the largely futile war being waged against it," wrote the New York Times.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
"Stay Classy, San Diego," is Anchorman Ron Burgundy's signature line in this Will Ferrell comedy about a washed-up news personality set downtown. Though most of the movie was filmed in Los Angeles, a few seconds of footage including the establishing shots and a Balboa Park scene, are pure San Diego.
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