Weekend Guides for the Curious Traveler
San Diego

As far as tide pools go, these aren’t as large and packed with sea life as the massive pools down the road at Cabrillo National Monument. But they’re not as packed with tourists, either. Follow the winding road along the park that leads to the stairway down to the pools. There’s something about getting to the bottom of that staircase and suddenly being surrounded by ocean cliffs, sea water, surfers, and nothing else—there’s little sign of the city or even the road above to be seen. Take your time and marvel at the fact that Southern California’s coastline still offers tucked-away spaces like this one.

If you want maximum exposure to the pools’ sea anemone, hermit crabs, and tiny fish, check when low tide is likeliest to happen.

Pacific Rim Park was designed as a celebration of the United States' relationship with three Pacific Rim countries: Mexico, Russia, and China. Its centerpiece is the Pearl of the Pacific, a large art installation that is a mosaic, fountain, and compass all in one. It features a spherical “pearl” fountain in the center, with a brightly tiled compass rose (the “Pacific”) surrounding it. The piece further incorporates symbols from each country: an American shorebird, a Chinese dragon, a Mexican Quetzalcoatl, and a Russian Siberian tiger. 

Located at the southwestern end of Shelter Island, the park also offers fabulous views of the ocean and San Diego Bay. It’s an ideal spot for a stroll and a picnic.

There’s perhaps nothing more unusual and disorienting than the feeling of two worlds colliding. That’s the sensation you get when exploring Fallen Star, a little blue cottage perched seven stories above ground, teetering on the edge of the University of California, San Diego's engineering building. The inside is fully furnished, and even includes framed “family” photos of some of the school’s faculty. It’s a nod toward one of the main goals of Fallen Star as a public art installation—its exploration of what makes a home.

Fallen Star is free and open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. But even if you're there on a different day, it's worth the trip up the coast just to see it from the outside. 

While you're on campus, stroll over to one of the country’s most impressive icons of brutalist architecture. The concrete and glass structure manages to look both human—viewed one way it looks like two hands, open toward the skies—and otherworldly, like a UFO hovering just above the ground. 

Geisel Library is named for longtime San Diego-area resident Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, and is home to the Dr. Seuss Collection. The majority of those pieces are available only to researchers or those who’ve secured advanced permission, but the library does display special pieces from the collection often, usually during the summer, and in March, Geisel’s birth month.

It’s hard to be a standout taco shop in San Diego, but Tacos Libertad found a way: it’s the city’s first nonprofit taco shop. The restaurant group behind the eatery donates proceeds to a different local charity each month. The menu features a good mix of traditional and modern tacos—grilled fish or steak, as well as duck confit with a mix of Oaxaca cheese and blue cheese. Vegetarians can try tacos stuffed with grilled or tempura-fried avocados.

Toward the back, near the bathrooms, there’s a large steel door that looks like a walk-in freezer. It may seem strange that there’s a bouncer there, but he or she is the tip-off that there’s something more beyond the freezer door. That would be Caché, a swanky and hidden speakeasy made to look like a 1920s Parisian salon. The inside is breathtaking, with low lighting, vintage chandeliers, living trees, and a Toulouse-Lautrec-era mural. The cocktail menu features both Caribbean-inspired concoctions in pineapple-shaped glasses, plus drinks with fresh and unexpected ingredients such as fresh sage or pistachio milk.

The best part: You can bring your tacos in with you.

Nestled under the San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge, Chicano Park has always been a place marked by both tension and healing. Community members fought tenaciously in the 1970s to protect this space from becoming a California Highway Patrol station. They won, and got a park instead.

Today the park is home to one of the largest outdoor mural collections in the world. The bridge, though a San Diego icon in its own right, was a massive intrusion and disruption to the community, and art became a way to reclaim that space. The pylons of the bridge serve as a canvass for murals celebrating Chicano heritage and honoring its heroes. The vibrant, colorful murals stand in stark contrast to the murky concrete that forms the rest of the bridge.

Nate’s Garden Grill is hidden within the City Farmers Nursery in City Heights, so it’s easy to miss. It also pulls off a unique feat: it’s an eatery tucked inside the heart of San Diego’s urban core, yet manages to feel quiet and sparse. Once you’re inside, it’s like you’ve been transported to a small town in the Old West. The restaurant smokes its own meats, and uses fresh vegetables and other ingredients grown steps away at the nursery. Nate’s is also the perfect place to relish San Diego’s obsession with craft beer. There are typically 20 handles on tap, with one local brew highlighted at a discount each month.

For many couples, yard work is a chore to be pawned off on the other person. That’s not exactly how things work for the couple behind Harper’s Topiary Garden, a private home in the affluent Mission Hills neighborhood that displays dozens of life-sized living sculptures trimmed from trees and bushes. Shapes include a wide variety of people and animals—surfers, tigers, a man in a sombrero taking a nap—all smooshed and stacked closely together in an otherwise unremarkable residential space. The Harpers welcome all visitors to their outdoor display, but while there, remember that this is also their home and act accordingly. 

While you're in the neighborhood, head over to the nearby Spruce Street Suspension Bridge, a charming and hidden pedestrian span over one of the many urban canyons that dot San Diego’s streetscape. The bridge is one of several in the area that criss-cross canyons and wind through slices of Balboa Park. If you’re feeling very ambitious, you can take part in a local tradition and do the full Seven Bridges Walk to see them all.

One of the best-kept secrets about San Diego cuisine is a mystery even to many locals. Yes, San Diego is famous for its taco shops. But only the most devoted fans know that many of the city's taco purveyors also serve a unique take on a hamburger. The chefs behind ¡Salud!, one of the most treasured taco shops in town, are in on the secret and have quietly added a “taco shop burger” to the menu. It’s topped with avocado, bacon, and pico de gallo, which packs a little extra acidity and sweetness into each bite. The "secret" burger is only available on the weekends, so if you go during the week, you’ll be stuck with the regular menu, condemned to eat the best tacos in the city.