Padres season is in full swing and there is no better time to hop on one of the Petco Park behind the scenes tours. Petco Park is located in Downtown San Diego in East Village and has been named one of the 10 best ballparks in America according to Trip Advisor! Besides having some of the best sight lines in baseball, Petco Park also offers incredible views of San Diego.
I’ve always had a fascination with stadiums. I love everything about them! So when I heard about the Petco Park tour I knew I had to jump on the chance to take it. I truly enjoyed the tour and was very impressed with the quality and content of it all. I learned some great things about the stadium, the Padres and San Diego! The whole thing was definitely… dare I say it… a home run!
Quick Facts:
Availability: Sunday – Friday: 10:30am and 12:30pm; Saturday 10:30am, 12:30pm and 2:30pm
Cost: Adults: $11; Seniors (60 & over): $8; Kids (12 & under): $7; Military with active duty ID: $9; Season Ticket Holder Adult: $8
Duration: Tours run approximately 80 minutes and include 1.5 miles of walking
Highlights:
Some highlights include going in the visitors locker room, sitting in the press box and getting to go in the Padres dugout!
* Please note that tour destinations and times are subject to change at any time without notice.
Whether you are a local or visitor, you don’t want to miss this tour! It’s the perfect thing to do in San Diego. Tour tickets are available online at padres.com or at the Advance Ticket Windows at Petco Park. For more information, please call the Tour Hotline at (619) 795-5011 or email a request to tours@padres.com. Also, of you’re looking for a place to grab a drink for happy hour, check out the So Diego Tours list of some of the best happy hours in the Gaslamp Quarter HERE.
Although I have a weakness for, well, pretty much anything with sugar, the doughy-sweet goodness of donuts has always topped my list. When I first heard about the new Donut Bar that opened in March 2013 in downtown San Diego I knew it wouldn’t be long before I convinced someone else to give into temptation and indulge with me! Just a few days after bringing up my donut proposition, I had succeeded in finding company for my adventure. We decided to have an early morning field trip from our office to the Donut Bar! After all breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right?
tribute, a few of the chocolate bars, and a maple bar! We thanked the lovely staff, grabbed some napkins, and hurried out the door to open our box of donuts right there! We didn’t see the point in waiting until we got back to the office to enjoy our donuts so we began sampling them as we walked. Our walk went something like this: take a bite, pass it to the next person, then bite the next one, pass, and repeat! I thoroughly enjoyed the Starbucks tribute; it had the perfect hint of coffee flavored frosting on top of the moist doughy base. For those of you who like filled donuts, we highly recommend the crème brulee and raspberry round for some burst in your mouth flavor! My only regret this time was not trying the lemon pistachio donut, but I guess this only means another field trip in the near future is a MUST!
As the birthplace of San Diego, Old Town is rich in history combining a beautiful park setting and historical buildings with tasty restaurants, some of the best 
Old Town is home to over 25 restaurants including the popular Mexican eateries 
scenery is gorgeous, the shops tempting, and the mix of ridiculously-fit housewives, college students, business people, tourists, and those with enough time on their hands to spend hours of their the day at a coffee shop makes for amusing people watching. (One of my favorite spots is Pannikin, but also check out The Living Room for not only coffee, but tea, hookah, beer, wine and tasty desserts) My 10-month old Golden Retriever Sampson, however, cares little for people watching if he is not allowed to sniff them profusely—and would prefer to jump all over them if he had his way.
The Golden One demands multiple daily walks and highly prefers there to be a water element involved. La Jolla’s coastline offers him a piece of doggy heaven. (I’m pretty sure he’d pay more than a few Scooby snacks for the privilege—as do the human residents.) Luckily for me La Jolla is about as heavenly as you can get in human terms as well. The coastline is dramatically beautiful: More rock than sand, with a view of the stunning cliffs of Torrey Pines. You’re sure to catch a glimpse of seals, sea lions, pelicans, and cormorants at almost any time of day if you make your way to La Jolla Cove. (Occasionally you can even see a whale off the coastline, as I was lucky enough to do a few weeks ago as one frolicked much closer to shore than usual.) The people are friendly and you’ll share the view with tourists, locals, and swimmers brave/foolhardy enough to make their daily forays out into the cold waters of the Pacific to really get in touch with the protected sea life in the cove.
Sampson and I like to make our way south from Casa de la Manana (the perhaps strangely named House of Tomorrow) a retirement home for those lucky enough to afford it. We make our way further away from the cove and towards Wind and Sea Beach. The lack of lifeguards and rocky terrain makes dogs a more common occurrence in this area and Sampson always makes a few canine friends along the way. At low tide, he plays on the rocks and dives into the natural pools that form in the reef as the tide goes out.
The Gaslamp Quarter has much to offer: nightlife, fine dining mixed right in with fabulous places to satisfy the late night munchies, and more watering holes than you can count! But what about the Gaslamp Quarter during the day?
The biggest full moon of 2012 took place on May 5th. (The full moon coincided with the moon’s closest approach to earth: You can read about it 
I Want to Ride My Bicycle! – My sidekick for my low budget Sunday is my bike. Once it is geared up with portable speakers and a pinwheel I am off for a tasty and affordable brunch. It is unbelievable how many 
Serve, Set, Spike – Most of San Diego’s sandy beaches are lined with 
Flashing Lights – As the day dies down it is time to hop back on the bike and head back to Ocean Beach. As the sun sets, it offers completely different views as it did on the bike ride over. The cherry on top of the ‘Sunday’ is the firework show from Sea World that I get to enjoy from my roof. For those who can’t see the fireworks from their roof, you also have the choice to view the whole show for free and up close and personal at the bay. You can park at the park off of Perez Cove Way and sit back and enjoy the show! It’s a true delight!
It was a Sunday night and my craving for the Nut-Crusted Brie at World Famous was calling my name. If you have not tried the Nut-Crusted Brie at 
Balboa Park App
San Diego Walking Tours
San Diego Essential Guide
San Diego Way
Tap Hunter
San Diego Parking
It’s Saturday night and your plans are set. It’s time for an exciting night out in Downtown San Diego. Reservations have been made and you will make it just in time… oh wait, what about PARKING?!?! One drawback of going to Downtown San Diego is definitely the parking. We all have trouble finding parking; especially parking that won’t force us to dip into our 401K. Here is a guide to help all who are in search of a parking and transportation in downtown San Diego.
Meter Parking:When it comes to meter parking, Downtown SD has three options: 1) Coin meters 2) Meter parking pay stations, which accept coins and debit/credit cards, and 3) Pre-paid Meter Cards, which are accepted at both the coin meters and meter parking stations. When it comes to the pay parking stations, you need to look out for the parking time limit. Most have a 2 hour parking limit, but some allow you to park for 9 hrs (Downtown parking jackpot!). Meter parking runs from 8am-6pm. Make sure to check for street sweeping signs.
Things to look out for: Most of the parking downtown is 2hr parking from 8am-6pm, Monday through Saturday. Sunday’s are typically exempt; however watch out for special event no parking signs, which is a common occurrence.
Here is a list of local taxi companies:
The trail is located in the city of Poway, right near Poway Lake. The
Gang Kitchen
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Flemings