homesbyjoeandgrace

DWIGHT HOME GUIDE

Place to see

Thank you for staying with us – we wanted to give you some tips on the best things that San Diego has to offer. We’re not going to include the obvious things like Sea World and Balboa Park Zoo, but rather things you may not know to look for.

Mount Soledad:

This is the “mountain” between Pacific Beach and La Jolla – once you arrive at the top,

you’ll have 360 views of La Jolla Beach, Mission Bay/Pacific Beach, Downtown,

Central San Diego, and the mountains to the east of San Diego.

Coronado Island:

This one might not be a secret, but if you’ve never been to Coronado Island, it’s worth

the trip. The biggest attraction on Coronado is the Hotel Del. You can rent a bike to explore

the great beaches, restaurants, and bars this has to offer.

Sunset Cliffs:

Want to catch the beautiful San Diego sunset? Sunset Cliffs are appropriately named for

being one of the best spots to watch the memorable San Diego sunsets. (Another great

place to check out the sunset is Torrey Pines state park – more on this later)

La Jolla Cove:

See the waves crash against the rocks and watch the seals just relax on the cliffs of

La Jolla. A must see for adults and children alike.

Kayaking La Jolla Cove:

The Kayaking tour of La Jolla Cove is a great easy guided tour where you kayak out

to the La Jolla Caves and if the Ocean is calm enough, they will bring you into the

caves for a thrilling experience.

Bike around Mission Bay:

There are many places to rent a bike where you can ride around Mission Bay

providing up-close views of the Bay’s Beauty.

Cabrillo National Park:

This park sits at the very tip of Point Loma and provides great views of

Coronado Island and downtown – definitely worth a visit.

Kate Sessions Park:

This is a great park for a picnic with friends and family while enjoying the great view of Mission Bay.

If you’re into hiking, you’ll love these next recommendations

Dog Friendly Activities

Potato Chip Rock:

Aptly named for its ledge that resembles a potato chip, you’ll be able to get epic

photos on top of this this well-known hike. There are 2 routes, the longer &

less steep route that most people take and the service road that is a much

steeper but shorter hike.

Iron Mountain:

This is a moderate hike that takes about 2.5 – 3 hours to complete with nice

views of Poway and the surrounding mountains of Ramona.

Los Penasquitos Canyon Trail:

This is an easy hike through a canyon that leads to a stream with a small “waterfall.”

No Dogs Allowed Hikes:

Torrey Pines State Park:

This is an easy hike that provides incredible views looking down at the ocean

from atop the cliffs of Torrey Pines. You can even hike a trail down to the beach 😊

Other Dog-Friendly Activities:

Dog Beaches:

Fiesta Island

Del Mar Dog Beach – We prefer this one, but it is farther away than the other two

Ocean Beach Dog Beach

Dog Parks:

Nate’s Point Dog Park

Morely Field Dog Park

Grape Street Dog Park

Grocery

Target: Only 5 minutes away.

3424 College Ave

San Diego, CA 92115

Northgate: This is an authentic Mexican market that has a great assortment of fruits & veggies and an amazing Meat Department. And it’s only 5 minutes away!

5403 University Ave

San Diego, CA 92105

Trader Joe’s: The nearest Trader Joe’s is right next to the SDSU campus and is located about 10 minutes away.

5140 College Ave Ste 119

San Diego, CA 92115

Von’s: If you want a more traditional big-box grocery store, then Von’s is where you’ll find what you need. It’s also about 10 minutes away.

The Fruit Stand: This vegetable and fruit store is about a 25-minute drive and this hidden gem is worth the drive. They have some of the tastiest fruits and vegetables of any place in San Diego because they source all their produce from local farmers in Southern California and Baja California.

Restaurants

San Diego is known for having many great restaurants – some of the best restaurants are located in North Park, Little Italy, and the Gaslamp area. Here are some of the recommendations that we really like. You can look at them and see which one seems perfect for you 😊

Locally, there are a few restaurants we love - most are casual, but very good food:

Pho Ca Dao: This is our favorite Pho restaurant - It is always extremely busy, especially on a cold, gloomy San Diego day (extremely rare).

Woodstock's: This is a local Pizza place that is known for its signature crust. What's even better is that you can order just the raw pizza dough, which they will roll out for you and you can make your own pizza at home! Our favorite pizza to make is Fig, prosciutto, arugula, parmesan, and a drizzle of honey. This is best when our fig tree in the back has fully ripe figs on it anywhere from late August until early November.

Side Chick: This is a small little place connected to a small local grocery store that makes great fried chicken sandwiches and french fries.

Kensington

Cucina Sorella
Bleu Boheme
Kensington Cafe for Brunch

North Park

Pizza

Tribute
Urbn

Italian

Alexander's North Park
Siamo Napoli Restaurant
Cori Pastificio Trattoria

Mexican

Taco Stand
City Tacos
Lucha Libre

Ramen

Underbelly

Sushi

Aburi Sushi
Riki Sushi

Brunch

Great Maple (Hillcrest) - Famous for their

bacon doughnuts

Breakfast Republic
Parkhouse Eatery

Other Good Options

Pete's Seafood and Sandwich
Canadian Steak Burger

Little Italy/Gaslamp

Ironside Fish and Oyster (Our Favorite)
Crudo Cevicheria & Oyster Bar
King & Queen Cantina (Mexican/Asian Fusion)
Born & Raised (Upscale Steak House)
Butcher's Cut (Upscale Steak House)
Herb & Wood (American New)
Juniper & Ivy (American New)
Crack Shack (Fried Chicken - Quick)

Harbor Island

C level (Good Food, Great Views)
Coasterra (Good Food, Great Views)

Pacific Beach

PB Fish Shop
JRDN - Brunch on the boardwalk

Night Life

San Diego has many great cocktail bars and breweries. Here are 2 incredible hidden gems that we think everyone should check out. False Idol is a hidden Tiki Bar inside Craft & Commerce. If you want to check out these masterful tiki drinks on a Friday/Saturday, you’ll usually need to make a reservation. The other great spot to check out is Altitude – this is a rooftop bar on top of the Marriot right next to Petco Park. It’s located on the 22nd floor and has a rooftop deck on either side of the hotel, giving you 360 views of the city and the bay. It’s truly a must-experience.

Cocktail Bars & Breweries

North Park

Polite Provisions (Normal Heights)
Seven Grand (Speak Easy)
North Park Beer Company
Coin-Op (Great Cocktails, Arcade Games)

Little Italy

Kettner Exchange
Craft & Commerce
False Idol (Hidden Tiki Bar inside Craft & Commerce)
King & Queen Cantina
Cloak & Petal

Gaslamp

Noble Experiment (Speak Easy)
Vin de Syrah
The Guild Hotel Bar (Upscale)
Altitude (Rooftop Bar - Great 360 view of City & Bay)

Breweries

Stone Brewing (Point Loma)
North Park Beer Company
Mike Hess Brewing
Modern Times Brewing
Ballast Point
Bivouac Ciderworks - All about ciders
Karl Straus

If you have any questions or need any recommendations, please reach out and we’d be happy to help out!