This last weekend I played tourist in my own town and rode bike trails completely around the town of Coronado. The streets and restaurants were packed with visitors, especially around the Hotel Del Coronado, but most interesting were the quieter neighborhoods. We rolled past classic Craftsman homes, beach bungalows, faux Italian remodels and a few angular, modernist homes – all charming. We passed sand dunes near the Naval station gate and rode on through parks filled with barbecuing families – all with breath-taking views of the Coronado bridge, like an airborne snake flexing over the channel.
While you have to walk your bike on most of the beach walks in town, the calmer neighborhoods invite cycling. Best find: pizza and the local brew in a ferry terminal restaurant where we parked long enough to enjoy a Tex-Mex band playing under the trees. Between buildings and bodies were gorgeous views of downtown, the sailboats and ferries scooting between island and skyscrapers.
It’s very relaxing to escape freeways and everyday cares just a few miles from home and it’s becoming a trend worth following as MSN reported on America’s coolest suburbs worth visiting.
If you want to have an backyard adventure in San Diego, head over to Coronado Island. You step off the ferry landing and into the Marketplace, with restaurants and shops. Rent a bike at Bikes and Beyond to explore the flat island easily. Pick up a picnic lunch in one of the many restaurants and slake your thirst at one of the bars.
Copyright 2010, August 23, Elaine Masters, RYT, speaker and author of Drivetime and Flytime Yoga.
I enjoyed my few visits to San Diego. It is different from LA and I love that. Next time I will have to hop on this ferry.
Glad you’ve loved visiting San Diego. Very different than most of LA and lots more than sun and sand.
Being a tourist in your own hometown I want to try someday, too 😀
I keep discovering things around San Diego and cities always morph.
I lived in San Diego for several years before I started to travel full-time. Coronado was always a place I enjoyed visiting. Thanks for bringing back some great memories.
I hope you can visit us again!
LOVE Coronado! Having lived in San Diego for 8 years, I visited quite frequently. It’s a great island to explore, rent bikes, and enjoy the views. Walking around the Hotel Del, especially at Christmas time, is a MUST!
That’s on my Christmas list every year. I hope you’ve had a chance to ice skate at the beach.
It’s truly a special place cool history too.
I’ve only driven through San Diego. When we move back to the US, we want to rent an RV and plan on hitting the coast pretty good, we’ll have to consider San Diego!
Traveling the U.S. by car, RV, however is the best way to get a handle on things. There’s just so much to see. I hope you get to San Diego. Let me know when you do!
I love playing tourist. With San Diego as your own city though, I’m sure it was a magical time as always.
I live in gratitude to call San Diego home.
Love me a good pizza! Sounds like a very laid back place 🙂
It’s a great hang-out for a sunny day.
Its a great idea to b a tourist in your own town. WIll do it for myself. Thanks.
Big yes on that, being a tourist in your own town. Helps when you can’t get away enough to travel too.
Thanks. I’m always discovering new, fun aspects of San Diego.