Wine tasting in the Santa Ynez Valley
Balboa Park
San Diego Mission Bay Resort
INSIDER
TIP
W I N E G L ASS : CO U RT E SY O F T H E A L I SA L G U E ST R A N C H & R E S O RT; B A L B OA PA R K CO LO R F U L E X T E R I O R : CO U RT E SY O F B A L B OA PA R K C U LT U R A L PA RTN E R S H I P ; R E S O RT P O O L : CO U RT E SY O F SA N D I E G O M I SS I O N B AY R E S O RT; F L A M I N G O : CO U RT E SY O F SA N D I E G O ZO O
February is San Diego Museum Month (sandiegomuseumcouncil .org). Grab a discount pass good for half-off admissions at over 40 institutions from participating public libraries and Macy’s stores.
CITY
SAN DIEGO With many of the same selling points as Los Angeles—year-round warm weather, a vibrant restaurant scene, diverse museums, and uncrowded beaches—but fewer crowds and less traffic, our cousin to the south makes for a relaxing retreat.
STAY The Guild Hotel (500 W. Broadway, theguildhotel.com, from $145) opened last year with 162 minimalist-chic—think sleek wood furniture, leather headboards—rooms in the former Army-Navy YMCA downtown. The 1924 Italianate façade is outshone only by the leafy interior garden that’s perfect for sipping coffee in the morning or cocktails from the Guild Bar in the evening. Beachy but still just minutes from downtown, the 357-room San Diego Mission Bay Resort (1775 E. Mission Bay Dr., missionbayresort.com, from $205) recently underwent a $21-million renovation. Guests can relax around the pool or indulge in water activities like sailing and Jet Skiing, then roast marshmallows over the hotel’s beach firepits at night.
DO Sprawling across 1,200 acres, Balboa Park (balboapark.org) is a great spot to picnic and
µ PRETTY AND PINK
The San Diego Zoo raises birdies from four of the six flamingo species. It's one of the only zoos in the world to do so.
features 17 museums. Some, like the San Diego Museum of Art (1450 El Prado, sdmart.org, $8-10) are currently open. The San Diego Natural History Museum (1788 El Prado, sdnhm.org, $11.95-19.95), meanwhile, is set to reopen in early 2021 with a new exhibition, California Blooming, examining climate change and the state’s unique wildflowers. Forget driving and take the oldest working wooden ferry in the U.S. (flagshipsd.com, tickets from $5) across the bay to Coronado Island to browse quaint shops and galleries.
EAT Over a dozen restaurants in Little Italy have staked out a stretch of India Street for outdoor dining. Among them, Civico 1845 (1845 India St., civico1845.com) skews southern Italian with specialties like paccheri with a slow-braised pork shoulder ragù. Down the street, Ironside Fish & Oyster (1654 India St., ironsidefishandoyster.com) serves L A M AG . C O M 89