Newport Ave, the main
drag, runs perpendicular
to the beach through a
downtown district of
bars, street-food eateries,
surf and music shops,
and vintage-clothing
and antiques boutiques.
Half-mile-long Ocean
Beach Pier has all the
architectural allure of
a freeway ramp, but at
its end you’ll get a great
perspective on the coast.
A bait-and-tackle shop
rents fishing poles if you
want to try your luck.
Further north on Dog
Beach, pups chase birds
around the marshy area
where the river meets the
sea, or you could walk
a few blocks south of
the pier to Sunset Cliffs
Park for surfing and yes,
brilliant sunsets.54 p290
The Drive » Follow stop-
and-go Sunset Cliffs Blvd north.
Merge onto W Mission Bay Dr,
which crosses over the water
twice and curves past SeaWorld.
Less than 4 miles from Ocean
Beach, you’ll intersect Mission
Blvd; turn left to reach the main
beach and Belmont Park.5 Mission Beach
& Pacific Beach
This is the SoCal of
the movies: buffed
surfers and bronzedsun worshippers pack
the 3-mile-long stretch
of beach from South
Mission Jetty north to
Pacific Beach Point. San
Diego’s best people-
watching is along
Ocean Front Walk, the
boardwalk that connects
the two beaches. For old-
fashioned carnival fun in
Mission Beach, Belmont
Park (www.belmontpark.
com; unlimited rides adult/child
$27/16; hfrom 11am daily,
closing times vary; c) has
been giving kids a thrill
with its Giant Dipper
wooden roller coaster
since 1925. There’s also
a large indoor pool
and wave machines forTRIP HIGHLIGHTSan Diego Orangutan