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50 FREE Map Tours

Instant Access: Tijuana Shopping, park safe at the Border, Historic Old Town Tour, Antique Districts, Eat FREE Birthdays, Kid FREE Meals, Dining, 50% OFF Meds, Sightsee San Diego By Land, Air & Sea

SanDiegan.com 55th year. YES, we’re the Original & Trademarked Annual City Guide used by Millions

Google (circa 1998) was launched 3 years after we established our website, making us an internet pioneer. Millions of newcomers, visitors & residents have used our 55 annual online & print travel guides.

Headings are Hot-Linked & in Alfa Order – after Short Intro

RELOCATING? Checkout Mission Valley

Our city tours are a great way to discover San Diego. Also see Relocation listed in alfa order below.

Sightsee San Diego by Air, Land, & Sea 50 FREE MAPS

50 FREE Essential Walking & Driving Tours Hot-Linked

BARRY KNOWS SAN DIEGO

Since 1969, Millions of Newcomers, Visitors and Residents have used SanDiegan.com/SAN DIEGAN to find 1,000’s of FUN and FREE things to do in, around, and near San Diego, including festive Mexico. ALL Tours include essential information, and visuals. Some have restaurants, stores, and winery videos.

BARRY KNOWS SHOPPING

Discover 2 Antique Districts, 21 Malls, 8 mega Factory Outlets, 11 Farmer’s Markets, you’ll love Bargain Shopping Tijuana, Home & Car Buying. EVERYTHING REVIEWED

BARRY KNOWS TIJUANA

TIJUANA Park SAFE at Border Station Parking; take RT Bus

Your American Insurance is NOT VALID IN MEXICO. If you get into an accident, you and your car will be detained in Mexico until the guilty party pays the damages. Plus, the long waits in crossing the border on your return from Tijuana often takes hours. The recommended tried and true solution is to take a sleek (No Hassle) round-trip-shuttle bus service from the Border Station Parking lot to Tijuana and back to your car. This is a 24-hour-a-day fenced and attended lot. Click on this link for a detailed explanation and map. For info on Tourismo Express RT Shuttle Bus to Tijuana click on this hot-link.

Tijuana’s City Tour & Map to Shops, Restaurants, Attractions

Exploring this international city is fun. Bargain shop Downtown Tijuana, Rio Tijuana and Hidalgo Mercado. Purchase duty-free French perfume. Bring back a bottle of duty-free liquor. Save up to 50% off on meds at Farmacia Gusher. Dine in world-class Tijuana Restaurants. Click on the headline above to view Tijuana chapter.

BARRY KNOWS RESTAURANTS

Dine in 500 Best Restaurants from 10,000 Reviewed by San Diego’s internationally acclaimed restaurant reviewer. Barry goes unannounced, pays for his own meals, eats three meals at one sitting, and inspects the kitchen. Dining out is a MEGA Fun Stuff adventure locals and out-of-towner’s enjoy.

Fun restaurants & party venue favorites– Hot-Linked Below

#1 Ranked Best Burger Joints, #1 Ranked Best 70 Curbside Takeaways, #1 Ranked San Diego Banquets & Catering. + Eat & Play at Dave & Busters & take a Romantic Sunset Dinner & Dancing Cruise on San Diego Bay.

BARRY KNOWS Microbreweries Hot-Linked

This is a great fun stuff tour because it is central to Mission Valley, which is the most central suburb of San Diego. So, getting lost or confused in finding your way is remote. From this central hub you will find it easy to navigate to and from 5 core suburbs where these microbreweries are found.

BARRY KNOWS WINERIES Hot-Linked

This easy to navigate wine region includes visiting the best wineries and dining in gourmet vineyard restaurants and sightseeing.

Dine in Award-Winning Restaurants All Reviewed!

“Enjoy the Best of San Diego” One-Restaurant-at-a-time.

This is the End of the Intro Section remaining Headlines in A–Z Order

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(1) Click here for instant access to 50 suburbs & city walking & driving tours with maps. (2) Click on the Barry Icon at the top left corner of every page to return to the home page. (3) Click on the little box with the arrow in it in the right corner to instantly return to the top of any page. (4) SEE Today’s most visited ages at bottom of the Home page. (5) MEGA 700-pages of content is organized & HOT-LINKED in alphabetical order after the introduction. (6) Information is updated annually.

ADDING TO OUR CREDIBILITY

Google categorizes our MEGA 700-page website as an authority site just like it does The New York Times. thus, we seek to capture the fun stuff adventures every resident of this region cherishes.

Barry Awarded San Diego Day by the City of San Diego

The City of San Diego gave Barry a “Barry Berndes Day” on January 14th, 2018. This prestigious award was in recognition of Barry’s over 50-year devotion to showing millions of newcomers, visitors, and residents his city annually via the SAN DIEGAN, SanDiegan.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, & LinkedIn.

Barry’s MUST SEE 100 Attractions –ALL Hot-Linked

#1 Ranked. Visit Cabrillo National Monument for its Spectacular Skyline views. #1 Ranked Tour the Embarcadero’s Historic Ships and restaurants. #1 Ranked 14 Historic Must-See Museums #2 Ranked Shop the Best Factory Outlet Centers in San Diego! #1 Ranked Must See Museums and Attractions. #7 Ranked Kobey’s Swap Meet. Take Balboa Park map tour to 17 museums, dozens of galleries and the San Diego Zoo. #2 Ranked. San Diego’s Best DIY Micro Brewery Tour.

BARRY’S 100 + Best Restaurants – Hot Linked

These are “Must Dine in” Restaurants and party venues. #1 Ranked. Eat FREE on your Birthday. #1 Ranked Where kids eat FREE #1 Ranked. Best Top 10 Burger Joints Yes, we’re #1 Ranked.Romantic Harbor Dinner Cruise at Sunset. Top Ranked. Dining at the Marine Rooms Restaurant at High Tide. Top Ranked. Dine at the Top of the Market Restaurant #1 Ranked. San Diego Banquets & Catering #1 Ranked. Dining at the Top of the Market Restaurant Downtown. Dine at Truluck’s for a “show stopping seafood & Crab experience” at a world class special occasion restaurant. Have a Bloody Mary at the bar at the La Jolla Shores Hotel. Scroll down the page for a list of the 500 Best San Diego Restaurants in San Diego Personally Reviewed including Best Breakfast & Brunch All Personally Reviewed.

BARRY KNOWS Shopping — ALL Hot-Linked

#2 Ranked. Shop the Best Factory Outlet Centers in San Diego. #2 Ranked. City Lights is Best Year-Round Christmas Collectables Store. #3 Ranked. Baja Duty FREE Shopping at the Tijuana Border. #7 Ranked Kobey’s Swap Meet. La Mesa Antique District. Ocean Beach Antique District.

Barry’s Most Recommended Sights to See — ALL Hot Linked

SIGHTSEE SAN DIEGO by Air, Land, and Sea. See a spectacular San Diego city view from Cabrillo National Monument. SEE A GREEN FLASH at Sunset Cliffs. Explore La Jolla & seeing the view at Mt. Soledad Monument. #1 Ranked. Shop Historic La Mesa for antiques. #1 Ranked. Encinitas is a Historic Hwy. 101 Beach Town. #1 Ranked. Tour the Embarcadero and Historic Ships. Be at the Finish line at the Del Mar Racetrack. Dining at the Top of the Market Restaurant Downtown. Tour Coronado & The World Famous Hotel del Coronado. Wine, Dine & Explore the Temecula Valley Wineries. As for the major attractions they are seasonal or every few years, and you gotta see All of the coastal cities and towns along San Diego’s coastline, because first and foremost San Diego is a Beach Town with miles of beaches and three Harbors.

Barry’s Best of TIJUANA — ALL Hot Linke

#1 Ranked. PARK SAFE at Border Station Parking & take the RT Shuttle. #1 Ranked. Tijuana Restaurants, Shops, Hotels. #1 Ranked. Gusher Drugstore in TJ Save 32%-50! #1 Ranked. Explore and bargain shop Downtown Tijuana, Rio Tijuana and Hidalgo Mercado. Dine in world-class Restaurants. Return safe via a round trip bus shuttle service to your car in a protected lot. Discover two Mega Factory Outlets at the Border on the U.S. side. Live the San Diego Experience.a

Barry’s Best of Baja Tips — ALL Hot Linked

#1 Ranked. Wine Tasting adventure in Valle de Guadalupe. Romantic Escape to Ensenada, Mexico. Dine at the Lobster Capitol of the World. Where to Buy Mexican Insurance.

50 Free Maps & easy-self-guided City Tours

Hot-Linked. INSTANT ACCESS. Color photos. What to see & do, Where to eat.

Best 50 Air, Land & Sea Tours

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED. Spice up your self-guided land tours by clicking on one of these hot-links for a helicopter tour, seaplane tour, sailboat San Diego Bay cruise, Catamaran Boat Cruise, or a Hornblower sunset dinner and dancing harbor cruise.

Best 500 Restaurants from 10,000 Reviewed

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED! I have literally dined in 10,000 restaurants over the past 54 years. I go unannounced, I pay for my own meals, and I inspect the kitchen. Unlike a Yelp reviewer, I am a professional reviewer. So, I always eat three meals at one sitting, and I NEVER ORDER MY OWN MEALS. I just say, “bring me the best entree on the menu along with at least one appetizer and two desserts”. I add, “Do NOT tell me what the entree is until it’s served”. I add that “I don’t care what it costs. Just bring me the best entree. If you are in doubt, consult the chef”.

Best Asian Cuisine

#2 RANKED. HOT-LINKED! The Kearney Mesa Convoy District is home to the Best Asian Restaurant Row in America. It’s 1.5 miles long and filled with over 100 restaurants, which are literally next door to one another. For Dim Sum served by cart by dozens of ladies at lunch in a bustling atmosphere, you’re looking for the 20,000 sq. ft. Hong Kong-style award-winner Jasmine Seafood Restaurant. Everything is showcased within SanDiegan.com with maps, photos, and reviews. This is an awesome way to seriously get to know a city via dining in its best restaurants suburb by suburb.

Best Banquets & Catering

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED! If there is a wedding or special event in your future, then do what thousands of locals do, visit this page. The SanDiegan.com reviewed recommendations include impressive wineries, elite golf course clubhouses, classy yacht clubs, prestigious hotels, and awesome restaurants with breathtaking ocean views.

Best Breakfast & Brunch 75-Personally Reviewed

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED! All 75 SanDiegan.com recommended breakfast and brunch restaurants have been personally reviewed by me. I went unannounced, pay for my own meals, and inspected their kitchen. Expect a delicious dining experience while discovering the Best of San Diego, Reviewed.

Best Burger Joints–Top 10 #1 Ranked

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED! An American passion is a constant search for the best hamburger. Here at SanDiegan.com, you’ll find my Top 10 Best Burger Joints in San Diego. Plus, I’ve added 20 more honorable mentions with a useful map. I dined in each burger joint, and I sampled multiple burgers at one sitting to find their Best burger!

Best Lunch & Dinner Restaurants 175-Reviewed

#1 RANKED. HOT LINKED  As San Diego’s Dean of Restaurant Reviewers, I only recommend the best reviewed restaurants. I go unannounced, paying for my own meals and insect the kitchen. San Diego is an awesome restaurant town.

Best 70 Curbside Takeaways

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED for quick access is the SanDiegan.com recommended BEST Curbside Takeaways places. I only recommend personally reviewed restaurants vs. a list of unknown places. I have always been a big supporter of curbside takeaway dining. Now that dining at home or in your hotel room has become the new NORMAL make it your own by adding candlelight, champagne, and music via Pandora. So, why not see if you can also recall some long-forgotten dance steps?

Best Eat FREE On Your Birthday in San Diego

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED. You may not live to be 100, but everyone should have 100 birthdays. Eating in multiple restaurants for FREE during your birthday month is what local restaurant owners are encouraging you to do. Eat FREE on your Birthday in San Diego is FUN and Highly Recommended. Highly recommended is the GRAND SLAMM BREAKFAST at any Denny’s Restaurant. Just show up on your birthday with your driver’s license to prove that it’s your birthday. It’s that simple! Other restaurants want you to go online and to get their FREE meal offer. Better yet, since you can’t get to all of these 75 restaurants on your birthday, most restaurant offers are month-long for a FREE meal. Even Rubio’s and Jack-in-the-Box restaurants are offering FREE tacos!

Best Embarcadero tour of ships, museums, dining

The SanDiegan.com #3 RANKED HOT-LINKED Tour of the historic maritime museum is a must. It’s fun to climb aboard its fleet of ships. Then visit the USS Midway aircraft carrier, dine in fabulous bay front seafood restaurants, wander through fascinating shops at Seaport Village as you stroll the historic Embarcadero. This is a #1 family attraction.

Best Farmer’s Markets & Outdoor Bazaars

Best FREE 1,000 Activities & Fun Things to Do

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED. The best 1,000 FREE activities and things to do in San Diego are a click away. For example, the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Safari Park offer FREE admission for children up to age 11 when accompanied by a paying adult each October to celebrate founder’s day. Balboa Park museums offer FREE admission to residents on rotating Tuesdays. Admission to the Old Town’s State Historic Park is FREE and parking is FREE. The Military gets FREE admission to most attractions. So do a little preplanning and you’ll discover that most things to do in San Diego are FREE!

1. 30 Parades including 3 boat parades
2. 30 Art Galleries + Spanish Village
3. 50 Maps for Walking & Driving Tours
4. 54 Miles of Beaches (La Jolla Shores is #1)
5. 75 kids eat FREE restaurants
6. 75 FREE meal on your birthday places
7. 140 San Diego Festivals
8. 200 Farmer’s Markets
9. 250 Hiking Trails & Campgrounds
10. 340 City Parks for picnics & family outings

BARRY KNOWS SAN DIEGO

Best 14 Historical Museums

Best Kids Eat FREE Places in San Diego 7 Days a week

#2 RANKED. HOT-LINKED.

Best Las Vegas-Style Casinos are 15 min. from Downtown

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED! Two casinos are only 15 freeway minutes from downtown San Diego. They are JAMUL CASINO & Sycuan Casino. Our SanDiegan.com Las Vegas-style casinos offer top-notch gaming venues along with nationally acclaimed entertainment, and dining alternatives galore 24 hours a day. Five casinos even boast luxurious hotel accommodations. Thus, you no longer have to travel to Las Vegas to enjoy gaming at its best. One casino even has a BIG factory outlet.

BARRY KNOWS SAN DIEGO

Best Micro-Breweries easy–self–guided–city-tour

#3 RANKED. HOT-LINKED. San Diego is the Microbrewery Capital of the World. It can boast such a claim because they have won more blue ribbons at world competitions than any other city. The SanDiegan.com tour includes three of the top microbreweries in the U.S.A. They are Stone Brewery, Ballast Point Brewing Company & Coronado Brewery. Plus, my self-guided tour shows you four popular neighborhoods with maps and great places to eat.

Best Tijuana Parking at U.S. Border & RT Bus Shuttle

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED. Border Station Parking is the best place to park your car on the U.S.A. side of the U.S./Mexican Border. Border Station Parking (428-9477) is at 4570 Camino de la Plaza. in San Ysidro. Parking is ($9) for 10 hours Monday through Thursday. On the weekends it jumps to ($18) a day and on holidays it’s even higher. Exit the last exit before entering Mexico from the I-5 Freeway and take an immediate right into their tall 24-hour attended, fenced, parking lot. From here you can board a round trip Tourismo Express Shuttle Bus that will bring you back to this same parking lot after a day of fun in Tijuana, Mexico. You’ll board the bus in the parking lot. Nothing could be easier. The last departure from Tijuana is 7 p.m. Tourismo Express Shuttle Bus (619-428-0011) charges ($10) per person round trip and ($6) one way. Taking the shuttle is 1,000% better than walking to the border, and then taking a cab to downtown TJ. Also, within SanDiegan.com read my extensive Tijuana Chapter and study the maps.

Churches

Click on Churchfinder.com for an extensive and informative list of over 100 places of worship. Since San Diego is often referred to as Paradise on Earth, it should come as no surprise that locals love to worship their God.

Coupons and Deals

HOT-LINKED. You’ll enjoy the many SanDiegan.com discount coupons for fun things to do, like a sunset champagne dinner cruise aboard a Hornblower yacht on San Diego Bay. A tour of the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier and the awesome high-end factory outlet shops are absolute musts. Be sure to visit the information center at each mall for their many discount coupons. Due to the Virus, many offers have changed.

Eat FREE On Your Birthday in San Diego

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED. You may not live to be 100, but everyone should have 100 birthdays. Eating in multiple restaurants for FREE during your birthday month is what local restaurant owners are encouraging you to do. Eat FREE on your Birthday in San Diego is FUN and Highly Recommended. Highly recommended is the GRAND SLAMM BREAKFAST at any Denny’s Restaurant. Just show up on your birthday with your driver’s license to prove that it’s your birthday. It’s that simple! Other restaurants want you to go online and to get their FREE meal offer. Better yet! Since you can’t get to all of these 75 restaurants on your birthday, most restaurant offers are month-long for a FREE meal. Even Rubio’s and Jack-in-the-Box restaurants are offering FREE tacos!

Free San Diego Relocation Assistance

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED. Also, refer to the SanDiegan.com  home buying, renting, condos, apartments and office space. Click on this tab Commercial.com for assistance in finding office space. I’ve used Pacific Coast Commercial for office space with great success.

Hotels with Good City Access

If you’re NOT staying in a spectacular oceanfront hotel like La Jolla Shores Hotel or a romantic San Diego Harbor view hotel like Kona Kai Resort & Spa on Shelter Island, then staying in a good Sandiegan.com recommended hotel with excellent access to the rest of the city for a lot less money makes good sense. Stay in centrally located Mission Valley. Back-in-the-day, Mission Valley’s Hotel Circle was where everyone stayed. That was before the downtown convention center was built. Two locally-owned hotels with restaurants on their property are The Kings Inn ($77) night and the recently upgraded Town & Country Resort ($149) a night. If you are in the military, rates are even lower. Mission Valley is home to two major shopping centers, great restaurants, two golf courses, dozens of good hotels, and offers easy access to all attractions. Check rates before booking.

Kids Eat FREE Places in San Diego 7-Days a Week

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED. There are dozens of restaurants in San Diego that want to offer your kids a free meal on specific days a week when an adult purchases a meal. This is a win-win offer you should not pass up for enjoying Kids Eat FREE Places in San Diego 7-Days a Week.

Kid-Friendly 40 Things to Do

HOT-LINKED. You are one click away from instant access to 30 fun activities just for kids. Plus, kid-friendly restaurants, where kids eat FREE every day, and where kids eat FREE on their Birthday.

Mexico: Shop at Tijuana’s #1 Drugstore Up to 50% Off

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED Gusher Farmacia (#10) on the Tijuana map is at 9550-27B at Av. Paseo de Los Heros in the Plaza Rio Tijuana Shopping Center (664-684-0235) is open 24 hours a day. English is spoken. This modern superstore, with 5 locations, has the biggest and widest selection of medical drugs from throughout the world at reduced prices. They offer an everyday 32% discount on all drugs and up to 50% off on some drugs. These drugs are manufactured in the U.S. as well as in foreign countries. Be sure to ask for Corona Virus fighting drugs that are hard to get in the U.S. If you have taken the shuttle from Border Station Parking, it stops here at this mega Shopping Center on a regular schedule for a return trip back to where you parked your car. Nothing could be simpler. Plus, there is plenty to see and do in the Rio Tijuana shopping district including great dining. See and use the SanDiegan.com Self-Guided map and tour. A block away is the Hidalgo Mercado, which is the native market. Check with customs, if in doubt, for what you can bring back to the U.S. by calling the FDA before going to Mexico.

Mexico: Tijuana Shopping Self-guided map tour

#3 RANKED. HOT-LINKED. For SanDiegan.com, this is our 54th year providing a do-it-yourself day trip with a map to Tijuana. You’ll need to bring your passport to cross the international border. My first recommendation is to park on the U.S. side of the border at the Border Station Parking lot. Then take a round trip shuttle to and from Tijuana back to where you parked your car in a 24-hour attended lot with a tall wire fence around it. Taking your car to Tijuana is not recommended because your insurance is not valid in Mexico. Secondarily, the wait time in line to return to the U.S. can be up to 10 hours. Instead, I highly recommend taking a round-trip shuttle (buses cross quickly both ways via a special border crossing lane). Everything is thoroughly covered in my self-guided tour of Tijuana including where to shop for French perfume and dine like royalty while being served by tuxedo-clad waiters.

Mexico: U.S. Parking at Border & RT Bus Shuttle

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED. Border Station Parking is the best place to park your car on the U.S.A. side of the U.S./Mexican Border. Border Station Parking (428-9477) is at 4570 Camino de la Plaza. in San Ysidro. Parking is ($9) for 10 hours Monday through Thursday. On the weekends it jumps to ($18) a day and on holidays it’s even higher. Exit the last exit before entering Mexico from the I-5 Freeway and take an immediate right into their tall 24-hour attended, fenced, parking lot. From here you can board a round trip Tourismo Express Shuttle Bus that will bring you back to this same parking lot after a day of fun in Tijuana, Mexico. You’ll board the bus in the parking lot. Nothing could be easier. The last departure from Tijuana is 7 p.m. Tourismo Express Shuttle Bus (619-428-0011) charges ($10) per person round trip and ($6) one way. Taking the shuttle is 1,000% better than walking to the border, and then taking a cab to downtown TJ. Also, within SanDiegan.com read my extensive Tijuana Chapter and study the maps.

Mexico Travel Beyond the Border Buy Car Insurance

For south-of-the-border for trips into the interior of Mexico DEFINITELY BUY CAR INSURANCE. Be one of the thousands of followers that use SanDiegan.com to discover the Best of Baja California, Mexico. A weekend excursion, worth taking, is to visit the romantic seaport village of Ensenada and the nearby Valle de Guadalupe Wineries via a sleek highway that clings to the coast offering 67 miles of breathtaking ocean views. My personally researched information will enable you to stay in the best hotels, dine in gourmet restaurants, and discover the Best of Baja California, Mexico! My many chapters with maps and text include Tijuana, Puerto Nuevo, Guadalupe Valley, Ensenada, San Felipe, and Mexicali.

Mexico Travel Car Insurance

Be sure to purchase a Mexican insurance policy online from Baja Bound, before you cross into Mexico for the day or longer. If you have a serious accident in Mexico, you (and your car) will be detained until it is determined who is the guilty party and damages are paid on demand. Mexican authorities do not accept an American insurance policy as proof of financial responsibility. It only costs ($12.05) a day and ($42.94) a year. Pricing is subject to change. Just get a Mexican insurance policy online, for your safety and peace of mind.

Museums (94) & Attractions

HOT-LINKED! Balboa Park is San Diego’s Cultural Center and is home to 17 museums, live theatre, a merry-go-round, and more that you can still enjoy via Balboa TV during the pandemic. The San Diego Museum of Art has a great app as well. Plus, SanDiegan.com offers a wonderful walking tour with three easy-to-follow maps. Yet, Balboa Park is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to museums. There are dozens of historical museums including the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier and historic Old Town San Diego, where California’s history began. Admission to Old Town including parking is FREE. My SanDiegan.com walking tours include easy-to-use maps and include where to enjoy a delicious meal with a frosty margarita, and you’ll dine to the sounds of strolling mariachi bands. Ole!

RELOCATION SanDiegan.com Repairs & Remodeling

If you’re NOT a fix-it man, the next best thing is knowing where to find the help you need, especially if you’re a newcomer.  These recommendations are the result of actually using each one of these journeyman craftsmen. So saying YES TO RECOMMENDING THEM IS EASY.

Home Depot is unquestionably the best hardware store with multi-locations countywide.

Jack-of-All-Trades and Master-of-All. Chepy Flores is an excellent journeyman master carpenter with 45 years of experience and the skill and know-how to fix or build whatever you want. Skills include: cutting and laying saltillo tile, stucco, especially fogging, spray painting, & carpentery. Call Chepy Flores (707-298-0930). He’s born and raised in San Diego and knows what quality is and isn’t. He is a hard worker & easy-to-work with. Reasonable rates. He can’t be overly recommended

Electrician Consider yourself Lucky when you when you can get the services of Bill Watt (1-619-398-7628). He’s an electrician with over 40 years of experience. His knowledge ranges from a standard fix it job to trouble shooting Solar. Of course, he’s easy to work and offers reasonable rates. He cannot be overly recommended!

Roof Repair, it’s Shake, Shingle & Roll Roofing. He’s the best! For low-priced

Junk Removal contact junkbustersinc.com or toll-FREE 1-844-464-586) Ask for the ($99) SPECIAL. 

Tree Care Lucas Lemcke Tree Service (619-316-5242) [Lemckelucas@hotmail.com]. They are licensed and bonded and low priced for excellent professional service. It’s not uncommon for entire neighborhoods to use this same tree service.

Saltillo Tile Installer No less spectacular is the beautiful artistic tile work by Steve Cumper (858-292-0651) a 30 + year seasoned professional. With a business slogan that “No Job is Too Small” you can finally beautify your bathroom, kitchen and floors the way you have always wanted them to be. Steve is your guy! He is a great guy to work with, and his prices are fair and reasonable.

Garage Doors East County Garage Doors to the rescue (619-599-6866) [eastcogaragedoors@gmail.com]. Toby has 30 + years of experience and can spot the problem almost the minute he walks into your garage. Working with the owner of any business makes a big difference with the service you get.

Upholstery Call Sabino Galvan (619-864-3374). Sabino came highly recommended to me, and I couldn’t be happier. Get a low price for the highest quality. All you need do is go online and purchase the fabric you love, and take your desired furniture along with the fabric to him. Why not get what you want vs. buying something almost as good and paying more?

RELOCATION Real Estate: Home Buying, Apartments, Condos, Retirement, Where to live

HOT-LINKED! For 54-years Sandiegan.com has been everyone’s choice for the insider information of what each suburb has to offer. I also review the top builders and mega apartment complexes. My hands-on experience includes having actually lived in nine different suburbs in San Diego County while growing up in San Diego. Reading the over 20 neighborhood chapters with walking and driving tours is a must for getting to know the lay of the land. A great source of San Diego stats is realestateusnews.com

Relocation JOBS

HOT-LINKED! Jobs, jobs, and more jobs, San Diego is a great place to live, work, and play.

Relocation Newcomer Military Assistance

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED! Many locals served in the military in San Diego. So, I’ve been on every military base. I know the San Diego you want to know! Be sure to make full use of the Housing Referral Office for your branch of service. They are staffed with military wives, who are committed to your family having a smooth transfer. The Housing Referral Office is a big help.

BARRY KNOWS SAN DIEGO:

SanDiegan.com: 50 FREE San Diego City Tours

Relocation Newcomer Guide to San Diego

#1 RANKED. Access this page via the Navigational Bar on the laptop version at Sandiegan.com because as a newcomer you will be visiting this website an average of 11 to 48 times your first year of residency. Thus, getting to know all SanDiegan.com has to offer will be a great asset in getting you up to speed in your relocation. Be sure to review Sandiegan.com Real Estate, Neighborhoods, Jobs, and Shopping chapters. If you’re in the military read the extensive Military chapter accessing it via the Navigational Bar in the laptop version. Your research should include using the suburb maps with walking and driving tours to give you the lay of the land to discover the uniqueness of each suburb.

Relocation Newcomer Car Buying Guide

#4 RANKED. San Diego’s big car dealerships are grouped together regionally from the South to the North. The Mile of Cars mileofcars.com in the South Bay boasts of having 5,000 cars and 18 dealerships. They cater to the military at the Naval Bay at 32nd Street and Latinos south of the border in Mexico. The next concentration of dealerships is in Mission Valley along Highway 8. East of Mission Valley is the city of El Cajon, which is home to a host of dealerships along El Cajon Blvd. The remaining three multi dealerships are in Poway, Escondido, and Carlsbad. They cater to soldiers stationed at Camp Pendleton. The biggest single dealership with multi-locations and an excellent reputation is the Mossy Automotive Group with 7 locations offering Nissan, Toyota, Ford, Volkswagon, Honda, Mitsubishi, Infiniti, and El Cajon Ford. I have bought and leased several cars from Mossy. So, I can attest to their high quality.

Relocation Online Universities/Colleges

HOT-LINKED! Click on the headline for a list of the Best Online Schools in San Diego. San Diego is a college town with over a dozen colleges and universities. Plus, being a military town as well there are a lot of perks for military families to take full advantage of the extensive online alternatives available to get their degree while in San Diego.

RELOCATION Suburb, City, & Neighborhood Search

San Diego is paradise on earth. Just ask a local. Yet, no two suburbs are the same. Aspire to live in the coastal zone as near to the ocean as possible, especially if you are single. I have spent the past 54 years creating chapters with a map of all of the great places to live. A review of the many cities and suburbs listed in the Neighborhood tab is essential. Read each suburb chapter before you tour them. San Diego is also home to awesome new home builders including Shea Homes, McMillin.com, and Pardee Homes offer extras like solar. See the Real Estate Chapter within SanDiegan.com.

Shopping Antique Districts

There are multiple antique districts to choose from. One is in the beach town of Ocean Beach and steps from the ocean. Another is in east county’s Historic La Mesa, which is associated with many major events including antique car shows and their popular annual Octoberfest. Then there is Adams Avenue Antiques, which runs along Adams Avenue and is centered around 30th St. in North Park. All are fun SanDiegan.com laces to explore.

Shopping 5 Factory Outlets 21 Malls, Biggest Swap Meet

#2 RANKED. HOT–LINKED! San Diego has three awesome factory outlet centers, where you can literally shop till you drop! SanDiegan.com also showcases the major shopping centers, as they are glamorous destinations within Sandiegan.com for the Best of everything. See the coupon page.

Shopping Online Bargains & Deals via Sandiegan.com

At the forefront of online shopping is the one and only City Lights Collectibles offering 40,000 sq. ft. of collectibles for every holiday you can imagine. Christmas is their specialty, but they also do a rousing business for Halloween. They offer FREE shipping & visitors pay no tax! Online shopping is their specialty as this store has local, national, and international clientele. However, if you can visit in person, you will be blown away by the quality and magnitude of their offering. Seeing is believing!

Sports and Recreation

HOT-LINKED Everything from Sky Diving to Sailing or just Basking in the Sun is what makes discovering my San Diego Best of San Diego, Ca. is a 365 days a year playground.

Travel Getaways for Locals 

HOT-LINKED! Virtually every year online travel magazines rank San Diego as the top Travel destination worldwide beckoning 36 million visitors here to relax and enjoy the moment. Here is a local and regional travel SanDiegan.com bucket list of must-experience travel destinations in your own backyard to take the edge off during the coronavirus, especially if you have cabin fever.

Travel Getaway to Catalina

HOT-LINKED. A super romantic SanDiegan.com getaway 26 miles off of the California coast from Dana Point via a sleek ferry is a romantic getaway almost incomparable. The island was once owned by Wrigley chewing gum millionaire William Wrigley.

Travel Our Major Airport is only 2 min. from downtown

HOT-LINKED! San Diego is a happy 10 airport county with the San Diego International Airport at Lindbergh Field being the busiest air travel destination. It’s just 2 miles from downtown San Diego. The second busiest airline destination is North County’s McClellan–Palomar Airport. The third major airport (while technically not in the U.S.A) is Mexico’s Tijuana International Airport. Travelers can actually get to the airport from the U.S. to Mexico and back via a short walking bridge. Not reviewed are two large military airports.

Travel to San Diego By Car

YOU DEFINITELY NEED A CAR. Preplan getting a car (if you didn’t arrive by car) at the airport or train station. A cheaper way is via Dirt Cheap Car Rental. They rent slightly used cars mostly to foreign exchange students and savvy visitors, who don’t need a brand new car to impress people they don’t even know. My 50 city and suburb self-guided map tours will quickly introduce you to the best of everything.

Travel via Cruise Ship

Dozens of cruise ships make scheduled stops in San Diego at the beautiful downtown San Diego Cruise Ship Terminal. Their stopovers enable you to discover a great deal of the Downtown area.

Travel to San Diego By Train NO TRAIN TRAVEL

Rail travel to San Diego is on hold due to railroad construction. But it will fast become in vogue again. One reason is that the fares are so reasonable. For example, the one-way fare from Los Angeles to San Diego is a mere ($36). California’s picturesque coastline when seen by train is incredible.

Wedding Venues, Rehearsal Dinners, Wedding Receptions

#1 RANKED. HOT-LINKED! for San Diego Banquets and Catering. #2 RANKED Wedding, Rehearsal, and Reception venues. #1 RANKED. Military weddings, rehearsal dinners, and receptions venues. If there is a wedding or special event in your future, then do what thousands of locals do, visit this page. My personally reviewed recommendations include impressive wineries, elite golf course clubhouses, classy yacht clubs, prestigious hotels, and awesome restaurants with breathtaking venues and ocean views.

San Diegan.com Wine Tours: San Diego

#3 RANKED. HOT- LINKED! There are literally 115 wineries in San Diego County. Many wineries are freeway close. San Diego wines have also been served at the White House. Also impressive is the fact that there are two viticultural areas (AVAs) in San Diego County. The oldest wine-growing region is the freeway close to San Pasqual Valley near Escondido. It’s home to the Orfila Vineyards and Winery, with more blue ribbon awards. than any other winery. Here too is the promising Rancho Guejito Vineyard. The other wine-growing region is in Ramona, boasting 30 wineries.

San Diegan.com 40 Temecula Wineries & Vineyard Dining

HOT-LINKED! Freeway close to Temecula is a famous wine-growing region. It’s also one of my highly recommended things to do in my San Diego Best of San Diego, Ca. There are 40 wineries you can visit 4 are must-visit wineries. I have also chosen two excellent restaurants to dine in. Plus, two excellent vineyard hotels I have personally stayed in and one is a French chateau. The map is excellent and includes a tour of Old Town Temecula and new Temecula

SanDiegan.com Tour: Near Ensenada Mexico are the 200 Valle de Guadalupe Wineries 

HOT-LINKED! Sixty-eight miles south of the U.S. border near the small romantic seaport town of Ensenada. Ensenada is also home to El Rey Sol Restaurant, which is one of the top 5 French Restaurants in the world. Wine tasting in Mexico means dining in gourmet restaurants while sampling their’s wines against the backdrop of sweeping vineyard views. It’s an amazing experience and well worth the journey. Be sure to read the Ensenada chapter and study the map. Definitely buy Mexican auto insurance.

Sandiegan.com 54th year

SanDiegan.com is the ultimate restaurant, shopping, coupons, things to do, relocation, and regional travel resource everyone uses. This is our 54th yr. showcasing Absolutely the Best reviewed places to eat, shop, play, live, work; stay in San Diego. SanDiegan.com is relentless in its pursuit of the Best. Our research is based on an unbiased, personally, experienced approach.

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