Welcome to San Diego, aka America’s finest cities. Haven’t seen the word “cities” showing up in the glossy advertisements? That’s because they’re only talking about the city of San Diego. As Insiders know, San Diego is much more than one location or destination.
We’re inviting you to explore all of the enticing locales that form San Diego County. Stretching south from Camp Pendleton to our international border with Mexico, this is one of the best places in America to visit or to live. On the west you’ll find the Pacific Ocean, and lining its shores, interesting communities, each with its own flavor and style. To the east rise several beautiful mountain ranges, and beyond, the Anza-Borrego Desert—stark and eerie and flat—with a beauty all its own.
Like many first-time visitors, you might be a bit surprised by the diversity. You can rough it on a weekend camping trip to unmarked tracts of desert or treat yourself like a queen at a high-end spa. Hang glide above the beach, spot native or migratory birds in the estuaries, or just lie back amid the tall grasses in a riparian forest. Gallop through the mountains on a well-fed horse or dine at a classic country eatery. There’s just nothing like San Diego for diversity of scenery and choices of outdoor activities.
Here in San Diego we take recreation seriously. However, it’s not all about sweat and sinew, blading and surfing. San Diego County also has boatloads of cultural activities. Our reputation is for being laid-back rather than high-energy like Los Angeles or cutting-edge like New York. But our easygoing spirit doesn’t keep us from being ambitious. In San Diego you’ll find biotech and telecommunications firms sharing economic indicator statistics with the military, tourism, and agriculture. Together with a substantial artistic community, these San Diego players contribute to one of the country’s most eclectic lifestyles and cultures. And we work, play, study, and create under a cerulean blue sky in a perfect climate.
On any given day, San Diego offers a smorgasbord of possibilities. You might start your day with a sunrise walk along a wide sandy beach, with a stop at a surfer hangout for a kicked-back breakfast. Your biggest problem? Whether to order a spicy breakfast burrito or yogurt with fresh fruit and granola—not to mention which beautiful beach to walk on and at which patio restaurant to cool your heels.
We can offer a choice of weather, too. For those folks who actually like to shovel snow (or at least play in it), San Diego County encompasses towns that experience the four seasons. That’s right. Every winter our mountain communities get at least a dusting—if not more—of winter white. If you prefer wearing cool cotton clothing and sandals year-round, that’s just the uniform some folks have adopted. You might have to dress up a bit for your boss or clients, but then it’s back to the shorts and sandals. In general, clothing here is casual, except for the few occasions when grown-up clothes are required. Weddings, funerals, and the opera spring to mind, but even at the opera you’ll see the range of tastes and fashion statements that mark San Diego as unique.
So you’re coming to San Diego, or you live here, and you want to explore. The Day Trips chapter offers great getaways, including sunny Palm Springs and Temecula’s wine country. If you want to just relax, the Spas and Resorts chapter can direct you to a place where you can tune up your body and unburden your mind. And if you’re bringing along your sweetie, the Bed-and-Breakfast Inns chapter can help you find the perfect romantic getaway.
Welcome to San Diego. It’s a great place to visit and the best place to call home. But maybe we should just keep that to ourselves.
While driving around our easygoing communities from Pacific Beach and Alpine to Bonita and Fallbrook, it might seem that Insiders are too laid-back to care about spiritual beliefs and values. If you’ve already read the Attractions, Shopping, and Balboa Park chapters, you might be asking yourself: “How do they have time when there’s so much to do?”
The answers are simple: Yes, we care, and yes, we make time.
San Diegans are diverse and run the gamut from conservative and orthodox to outrageous and unconventional. So you won’t be surprised to learn that our places of worship also reflect a variety of spiritual preferences.
Whether we attend a nontraditional service or one that’s steeped in ancient customs, religious beliefs are alive and active throughout the county.
But while our beliefs are both strong and diverse, we all still live the San Diego lifestyle, and so we hope you won’t be shocked to learn that even at the most conservative services, the faithful may walk in with bare knees and toes. People in San Diego are comfortable in their breezy wardrobes as they mix with congregation members who might prefer to be dressed to the nines.