Car conversation

Hello,

I am taking my 12 year old son to San Diego early June for 5 days. We are staying at the Blue Sea Best Western and our itinerary includes the SD Zoo, USS Midway, Harbor tour, possibly Sea World and hopefully paragliding at Torrey Pines Gliderport. I was hoping not to get a car, due to being in a new city that I%26#39;m not used to. I was hoping to use either shuttle buses or taxis.

I have read many other forums debating car vs. no car but can%26#39;t seem to make up my mind. Does anyone have an opinion - Would it be less of a hassle just to get a car and park it as much as possible?

Thanks much!

Car conversation

I would get a car.Taxi fare between those places would cost more than a rental car.And a bus would take forever.You would have way more freedom to choose places to see with your own set of wheels.

Torrey Pines is great.

Car conversation

San Diego is an easy city to drive in - traffic isn%26#39;t that bad, signage is good, etc. It is also designed more for car travel than public transportation.

The car will make life easier for you here.

We have very good signs on the roads and you do not have to get into busy traffic.

On the other hand, Sea World is very close to where you are staying so either a bus or a taxi will be a short 10-15min. ride.

You can also take a bus to get downtown or take a bus to our lightrail(electric train) which goes downtown.

I%26#39;d say by car it would be a 15 or so min. ride.The bus will take longer.

There is free parking at the zoo and at the Gliderport.

Downtown you can park for free for 3 hours at the Horton Plaza Mall otherwise you%26#39;d pay for a parking lot.

Only you can decide which would be more hassle for YOU.

We depend on our cars a lot here so most of us would choose the car.

It is easy to visit San Diego without a car, but in your particular situation, I encourage you to rent a car. Why? (1) Your hotel is not downtown, and (2) reaching your particular destination in Torrey Pines by bus may require more walking than you wish to endure before/after such an activity.

If you do decide to visit without renting a car, take comfort in knowing your hotel is a short walk from MTS Routes 8, 9, and 30, all of which will get you to where you need to go. Even with the car, you may find it more cost effective to visit Sea World by bus, as it is directly off the 8/9 routes. Also, it may be cheaper for you to park at the Old Town Trolley Station and ride the Trolley to Santa Fe Depot in order to visit the USS Midway and take the Harbor Cruise. (Or from your hotel, Routes 8, 9, and 30 all stop at Old Town.) See http://www.sdmts.com for details.

One word: Car

Thank you so much for the responses! I have decided to rent a car while in San Diego - I will print out directions to every destination prior to the trip... maybe just get a car with a Navigational System.

Don%26#39;t worry too much about it, the streets in San Diego are very well marked most of the time! I wish the same could be said about them here in the Bay Area! (I have no trouble navigating, but giving directions to others can be a real chore sometimes...) Enjoy your trip. :)