TIPS
Local know-how for San Diego — where to go, what it costs, what trips people up — checked against the agency, the dataset or the law that decides it, and dated so you can see how fresh it is.
6 tips
Do I need a car in San Diego?
For downtown, Old Town and the border, no. For the beaches, Balboa Park or Coronado, the Trolley does not go there — every one of those is a bus, usually with a transfer at Old Town.
Airport to downtownRoute 992, $3.00
Mount Helix: the hilltop amphitheater with a 360-degree view most San Diegans skip
A 1925 stone amphitheater and 35-foot cross sit on top of Mount Helix in La Mesa, free to visit from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. You can drive almost to the top, but parking is tiny, so come at sunrise or on a weekday.
CostFree
The best sports bars in San Diego, by type: big-screen bars, dives, upscale lounges and the ones with good food
Novo Brazil and The Bullpen for giant screens, Bub's and Tom's Watch Bar by Petco, Harbor Town and Time Out for a neighborhood feel, Nason's for a nicer room, and Dirty Birds or Sandbar when the food matters.
Venues20
Living near Naval Base San Diego (32nd Street): 6 neighborhoods compared
National City is closest and cheapest, Chula Vista and Bonita trade distance for space, Barrio Logan and downtown are close but costly or industrial, La Mesa and Spring Valley go inland, Imperial Beach is coastal.
Main gateGate 6
Where military families live in San Diego, base by base
Near 32nd Street: National City and Chula Vista. North Island: Coronado, Imperial Beach. Miramar: Mira Mesa, Scripps Ranch. Pendleton: Oceanside. Coastal ZIPs cost more; inland trades rent for drive time.
Major sites8
Why is it 20 degrees hotter at my hotel than at the beach?
The marine layer — a shallow deck of cool, damp ocean air that sits on the coast and burns off inland first. The gap between a coastal and an inland neighborhood on the same afternoon regularly runs 10–20°F.
