San Diego
Any suggestions as to nice casinos or good tours of the city or waterfront?
Coronado Island is worth a visit
Little Italy has great restaurants
Old Town has good Mexican restaurants
The Padres suck but the stadium is worth a visit for the experience
Pacific Beach is good for bars and people watching on the beach with surfers and a block away for the bar crowd.
Gaslight district is a tourist trap.
Have fun V.
Quote: MrVHeading there this weekend.
Any suggestions as to nice casinos or good tours of the city or waterfront?
PM RS and ask him. He knows a lot about the area.
I think you mean San Francisco (-;Quote: beachbumbabsPM RS and ask him. He knows a lot about the area.
Quote: AxelWolfI think you mean San Francisco (-;
Hey, I’m a well traveled man, what can I say?
There are a few casinos near the area, but nothing really “in” San Diego. Up north there’s Harrahs of Southern California in Valley Center — lots of meth in the area, so if you want that, there you go. Valley view also exists right near Harrahs, well it’s close by. Pauma is a little north of Harrahs, but not worth stopping by.
Down south is Barona, Pala, and Viejas. I think there’s some casino in Jamul, but idk much else about it. All the casinos I’ve listed are Vegas-like casinos where they’re big and have lots of slots, VP, and table games. Last I heard, Barona has the most double deck BJ games of any casino in the world, although the mins are at least $25 and they are basically always crowded.
There’s a San Diego wild animal park and/or zoo, Legoland, Sea World, and it seems like something else but I don’t remember off hand.
Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, etc., and all that crap downtown is gonna be full of college kids partying it up. La Jolla Cove is also nice, but it’s a cove, so mostly stuff like snorkeling and whatnot and no waves for surfing. Up north there are several great beaches, but those are going to be filled with high school kids and families. Some have volleyball courts, just bring a volleyball or join in on someone else’s game (volleyball court usage is free, darn liberals in California!!).
There’s also Del Mar, where the horse racing track is. It’s a fair during the summer and it’s actually super legit. Idk if the fair is open yet, but I know the last day is 4’th of July and they have fireworks which is cool.
Lots of great restaurants and bars, especially if you’re into IPA (beer).
Also check out some of the “local” grocery stores. They’re a total hoot. There are stores that are like 100% cruelty-free meat, environmentally-conscious fruits & vegetables, and other stuff like that. Sort of like a Whole Foods on steroids.
If you have time and you bring your passport, something I used to do with my family a few times a year, is drive down to Tijuana, MX for some tacos.
Oh yeah, good Mexican food in SD. At least better than most other places.
Restaurants I recommend:
Rudy’s
Nacho Libre
Cotixan (that seems to be an SD only thing?)
The Ol’ Trieste
Red Tracton’s
In N’ Out, obviously (if you haven’t been)
Some stuff might be dated a bit since I haven’t really been there and immersed in the culture for a while. It’s amazing how many people are out biking, running, walking their dog, etc. compared to LV and even many other cities I’ve been to.
It's a shame because if I could trust them id probably be living in san diego right now and playing them every day. But when you have a casino that answers to itself with no real enforcement in place idk how you can put your hard earned dollars on the felt. God knows whats in that shoe. Maybe I should just go play their double deck since they do show you the cards, but then id have to worry about 'beastmode' unregulated indian shufflers.
If the Padres are in town, definitely check out Petco Park. Its a great stadium, and yeah they do suck, but theres great foodplaces and so many beer options. All their microbreweries sell in the park.
Quote: RSHey, I’m a well traveled man, what can I say?
There are a few casinos near the area, but nothing really “in” San Diego. Up north there’s Harrahs of Southern California in Valley Center — lots of meth in the area, so if you want that, there you go. Valley view also exists right near Harrahs, well it’s close by. Pauma is a little north of Harrahs, but not worth stopping by.
Down south is Barona, Pala, and Viejas. I think there’s some casino in Jamul, but idk much else about it. All the casinos I’ve listed are Vegas-like casinos where they’re big and have lots of slots, VP, and table games. Last I heard, Barona has the most double deck BJ games of any casino in the world, although the mins are at least $25 and they are basically always crowded.
There’s a San Diego wild animal park and/or zoo, Legoland, Sea World, and it seems like something else but I don’t remember off hand.
Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, etc., and all that crap downtown is gonna be full of college kids partying it up. La Jolla Cove is also nice, but it’s a cove, so mostly stuff like snorkeling and whatnot and no waves for surfing. Up north there are several great beaches, but those are going to be filled with high school kids and families. Some have volleyball courts, just bring a volleyball or join in on someone else’s game (volleyball court usage is free, darn liberals in California!!).
There’s also Del Mar, where the horse racing track is. It’s a fair during the summer and it’s actually super legit. Idk if the fair is open yet, but I know the last day is 4’th of July and they have fireworks which is cool.
Lots of great restaurants and bars, especially if you’re into IPA (beer).
Also check out some of the “local” grocery stores. They’re a total hoot. There are stores that are like 100% cruelty-free meat, environmentally-conscious fruits & vegetables, and other stuff like that. Sort of like a Whole Foods on steroids.
If you have time and you bring your passport, something I used to do with my family a few times a year, is drive down to Tijuana, MX for some tacos.
Oh yeah, good Mexican food in SD. At least better than most other places.
Restaurants I recommend:
Rudy’s
Nacho Libre
Cotixan (that seems to be an SD only thing?)
The Ol’ Trieste
Red Tracton’s
In N’ Out, obviously (if you haven’t been)
Some stuff might be dated a bit since I haven’t really been there and immersed in the culture for a while. It’s amazing how many people are out biking, running, walking their dog, etc. compared to LV and even many other cities I’ve been to.
It appears you left out Sycuan. I didn't notice it mentioned in your post. Worth a look imo.
When I was a 20-30 year old, all those places you mentioned had a card room or two. Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach, even La Jolla had a big game at the Neptune Club. There were literally 50-60 card rooms in the area, it was paradise. Back then you could rent a 1-bedroom for like $300 or so. I would hop over the border and catch a cab to Agua Caliente Race Track. If you are familiar with that dump, it may surprise one to know that there was once first class racing there. Of course, there was dog racing, and a Jai Alai fronton too. All parimutuel wagering. I would not go to TJ now if you paid me. Too scary. (and I mean the police, not even talking about the bad guys yet)
Quote: GlenGZenKinG must be fun at parties.
If the Padres are in town, definitely check out Petco Park. Its a great stadium, and yeah they do suck, but theres great foodplaces and so many beer options. All their microbreweries sell in the park.
I second this recommendation.
Tijuana, MX isn't far and a good place to get cheap dentistry among other things.
Also forgot going to Tijuana isn't super safe now a days.
Only been to Petco park a time or two, as well. IIRC, you can pay something like $5 just to get into the stadium, but no seat. You just stand or walk around and stuff. If that's what you're in to, at least.
My favorite part of San Diego is Mission Beach. It feels like more of an attraction than Pacific Beach. You could always rent a bike and take in both as they are next to each other. The gas lamp quarter, Italian quarter, and Old Town are all good too.
Be advised that La Jolla is about 20 miles north of San Diego and doesn't offer a whole lot to do other than the beach. I think California's most famous nude beach, known as Blacks Beach, is there. Never actually been. There is also a famous spot for hang gliding.
As for Tijuana, I haven't been in at least ten years, but if you go during the day and stick to the touristy Avendia Revolution area you should be fine. There is a path that leads there directly from the passenger border crossing. Do not drive into Mexico as there is always a huge line, that takes hours, to get back into the US by car.
About the dentistry, I was just speaking to an American dentist who did a charity thing in a remote part of Mexico to provide dental surgery. He remarked that many Americans pay more to fix up the mistakes made in Mexico than they would have paid to get it done right in the first place the US. His words, not mine.
Quote: WizardMy favorite casino in the area is the Barona. However, all of them are tribal casinos and thus located way out in the sticks. The Sycuan is the best located casino to downtown San Diego.
My favorite part of San Diego is Mission Beach. It feels like more of an attraction than Pacific Beach. You could always rent a bike and take in both as they are next to each other. The gas lamp quarter, Italian quarter, and Old Town are all good too.
Be advised that La Jolla is about 20 miles north of San Diego and doesn't offer a whole lot to do other than the beach. I think California's most famous nude beach, known as Blacks Beach, is there. Never actually been. There is also a famous spot for hang gliding.
As for Tijuana, I haven't been in at least ten years, but if you go during the day and stick to the touristy Avendia Revolution area you should be fine. There is a path that leads there directly from the passenger border crossing. Do not drive into Mexico as there is always a huge line, that takes hours, to get back into the US by car.
About the dentistry, I was just speaking to an American dentist who did a charity thing in a remote part of Mexico to provide dental surgery. He remarked that many Americans pay more to fix up the mistakes made in Mexico than they would have paid to get it done right in the first place the US. His words, not mine.
The biggest question is can tribal casinos be trusted to carry out a fair game? Has anyone played blackjack there for a significant amount of hours with a good sample size and made money or hit their EV?
When tribal casinos have no legitimate oversight, it's pretty hard to convince myself that out of all the industries, the casino industry, the industry that keeps its lights on by taking your money will police itself legitimately when they dont have to.
Also note that there are cardrooms in San Diego that offer poker and “California” games, but no slots/VP as the tribal compact reserves those for the Native American properties.
Valley View has an “All you can eat” Maine Lobster option at their buffet. You will need to drive quite a ways out of San Diego/Mission Bay to get there, but it is an easier drive than negotiating Wildcat Canyon to get to Barona.
Quote: ZenKinGThe biggest question is can tribal casinos be trusted to carry out a fair game? Has anyone played blackjack there for a significant amount of hours with a good sample size and made money or hit their EV?
When tribal casinos have no legitimate oversight, it's pretty hard to convince myself that out of all the industries, the casino industry, the industry that keeps its lights on by taking your money will police itself legitimately when they dont have to.
Warning issued for thread hijacking. If you want to discuss this, make another thread for it.
Quote: AyecarumbaAlso note that there are cardrooms in San Diego that offer poker and “California” games, but no slots/VP as the tribal compact reserves those for the Native American properties.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but these are the kind where you have to pay a 1% house fee to play, rounded up to the nearest dollar.
San Diego proper I think there is actually only one card room left and maybe two others within an hour, there is a city ordinance that restricts transfer of ownership of card rooms they basically just don’t want them, more in LA region.
Yes, they are in town playing at Petco. All weekend, playing a series with some little midwestern bird-themed outfit calling themselves "Cardinals."Quote: GlenGZenKinG must be fun at parties.
If the Padres are in town, definitely check out Petco Park. Its a great stadium, and yeah they do suck, but theres great foodplaces and so many beer options. All their microbreweries sell in the park.
Shame on you.
