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.
12 tips
5 best places to watch the sunset in San Diego
Sunset Cliffs in Point Loma, Coronado Central Beach, Mount Soledad above La Jolla, the Torrey Pines Gliderport and the Oceanside Pier. Skip Cabrillo (gate shuts at 5 p.m.) and the closed OB Pier.
Mt. Soledad822 ft
San Diego farmers markets, day by day
There's a certified farmers market somewhere in the county every day of the week — about 44 in all — with the biggest choice on Saturdays (Little Italy Mercato, 8 a.m.–2 p.m.) and Sundays (Hillcrest, La Jolla, Broadway Pier); weeknight favorites are Pacific Beach on Tuesday, Ocean Beach on Wednesday and North Park on Thursday.
Certified markets countywide44
San Diego's MICHELIN-starred restaurants
Five in San Diego County after the June 2026 guide: Addison in Del Mar with three stars, and one star each for Soichi, Lucien, Jeune et Jolie and Lilo.
Starred restaurants5
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
Where can you borrow a free beach wheelchair in San Diego?
At lifeguard stations around the county. The City lends manual and power beach chairs free at Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla Shores, Ocean Beach and Mission Bay; Coronado, Imperial Beach, Del Mar and Oceanside have them too.
CostFree
COASTER vs. Amtrak: which train to take up the San Diego coast
For trips inside San Diego County, take the COASTER — it stops at eight stations from downtown to Oceanside for a flat $6.50 from October 1, 2026; take the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner if you're going beyond Oceanside or want a café car, and note that COASTER day and monthly passes work on the Surfliner between Oceanside and downtown.
COASTER one-way (from Oct 1)$6.50 flat
Do you need a fishing license to fish off a San Diego pier?
No. California doesn't require a license on public piers, and San Diego County has about a dozen, from Shelter Island to Oceanside. Size and bag limits still apply, you get two rods, and the OB Pier is closed.
License on public piersNone
Living near Camp Pendleton: which gate, which town, and what rent costs in 2026
Oceanside and Carlsbad are closest to the Main Gate, Vista and Fallbrook sit inland, San Clemente uses the north gates, and Temecula and Murrieta rent for less but sit about 32 to 37 miles from the Main Gate.
Main Gate24/7
Military housing in San Diego: on base vs off base, who runs it and how to get on the waitlist
Liberty Military Housing runs most privatized family housing for the Navy and Marines in San Diego (Hunt runs DeLuz at Camp Pendleton). Rent equals your BAH with utilities included, but waits run from none to about 24 months.
Main operatorLiberty
PCS to San Diego checklist: what California actually requires
Keep your home-state plates and license if you stay a nonresident, file DMV form REG 5045 if you register here, get family base access sorted, bring your dog's rabies certificate, and enroll kids using the military compact.
VLF exemption formREG 5045
San Diego BAH rates for 2026, and what they actually rent
2026 San Diego BAH (MHA CA038): $3,666 for E-1 to E-4 with dependents, $3,975 for E-5, $4,518 for O-3. Rates barely moved from 2025. An E-5 with dependents covers HUD's 3-bedroom benchmark, not Zillow's.
E-5 with dependents$3,975/mo
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
