Wanderlust UK – September 2019

wanderlust.co.uk September 2019 155

With its abundance of wildlife, laid-back attitude and distinctive neighbourhoods, it’s

no wonder this California city has been going strong for 250 years, says Phoebe Smith

Before you arrive
Heavy metal music reverberated
around the bar as a man served
up avocado toast with a side
of barbecued jackfruit topped
with Tabasco. The walls – strewn
with photos of a topless male
goth clutching his cat – were
decked in chintzy wallpaper
and the sta busied around
a clientele of boardshort-wearing
surfers and well-dressed families.
If ever a scene summed up San
Diego, this was it.
Unashamedly di erent from
the other cities in The Golden
State, San Diego is where beach
meets business meets diversity.
First settled by the Kumeyaay
Nation, Europeans arrived later
to use it as a base, establishing
a mission in 1769 on what is the

birthplace of California. Yet San

Diego has escaped much of the

tourist spotlight. Most know the

city for its controversial SeaWorld

and San Diego Zoo, but it is home

to far more wildlife than that

con‚ined by man-made walls.

Away from the noise of the bar,

I soon saw its wild side ‚irst hand.

As the sound of growling sea

lions, breaching whales and the

call of circling peregrine falcons

took over, I realised that these

were the real rhythms of the city.

At the airport

San Diego International Airport

is around 5km from Downtown.

Unusually, on arrival you pick up

your hold luggage before passing

immigration. You’ll then ‚ind the

usual ATMs, exchange counters

Pocket

Your cut-out and keep travel companion

FIRST 24 HOURS IN...

SAN DIEGO,

CALIFORNIA, USA

Bay watch

A full moon rises

over the boats of

San Diego Harbour

• a glorious end to
  a day in the wild city

ASK A LOCAL

“San Diego is a beautiful

city – whether you see it

from a kayak, by bike or by

walking the trails of Torrey

Pines. But there’s no better

view than from the air – as

the birds see it. All it takes

is the willingness to strap

yourself to someone like

me (andaparaglider) and

runoˆa liˆ .”

Marien,

uctor at Torrey

s Gliderport

and tourist information booths,

as well as helpful ‘ambassadors’

(look for the blue polo shirts),

who can also answer questions.

Getting into town

The MTS buses (route 992)

run every 15 minutes and cost

US$2.25 (£1.75) for one-way

tickets and link to Santa Fe Depot

Trolley Station and Downtown,

the latter taking around 20

minutes. Taxis cost from around

US$20 to $25 (£16“20).

Other ways to arrive

Amtrak’s Paciic Surliner train

(amtrak.com) links San Luis

Obispo to San Diego, passing

through Santa Barbara and Los

Angeles en route. It’s a gloriously

sedate and scenic way to arrive. ⊲