WELCOME TO SAN DIEGO!
LOCAL GUIDE PREPARED BY:
Cory Charles Gooding, University of San Diego
Timothy Wyman McCarty, University of San Diego
Local Arrangements Co-chairs
GENERAL INFORMATION
Transportation Information
Car Rental: The Manchester Grand Hyatt has a Hertz Car Rental service
on-site. Other car rental services are available at San Diego International
Airport. Note: if you have traveled by air to San Diego before, note that
the airport has constructed a new, consolidated rental car facility.
Taxi: Taxi service is available from the lower level curb of all terminals
at San Diego International Airport and is also available from the hotel.
The largest taxi company in San Diego is Yellow Cab, which can be accessed
through their RideYellow App or called at 619.444.4444.
Rideshare Services: There are a variety of rideshare services that operate in San Diego, including Uber and Lyft. To use them, you will need to download the requisite app and register.
Metro Transit System: San Diego has a good trolley and bus system. The
nearest trolley station is the Seaport Village Station, located right
across the street from the hotel. For more information on trolley and
bus schedules, visit the San Diego Metro Transit System webpage at: http://www.sdmts.com.
Airport Shuttles: The Manchester Grand Hyatt does not provide shuttle
service from the airport. Several San Diego shuttle companies are available
at the Airport.
Parking
Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego offers parking for guests and visitors.
The parking options include valet or self-parking: Valet Parking: Overnight
Guest, $49; Daily, $10/hour, Max $55. Self-Parking: Overnight Guest, $35;
Daily, $8/hour, Max: $40.
There are many other parking options available for attendees who are not staying in the hotel. Options available near the hotel include Seaport Village Parking (http://www.seaportvillage.com/entertainment/busker-festival/directions-parking) and a variety of ACE parking lots (http://www.aceparking.com/find-parking/). For general information, visit the City of San Diego Parking website at: http://www.sandiego.gov/parking/.
Hotel Concierge Services
The Manchester Grand Hyatt does not have a concierge on staff, but it
does contract with ELM Concierge Service and offers an e-concierge service
on its website. If you would like assistance locating or planning your
visit, you can call ELM at (619) 693-7776, or visit the ELM desk in the
hotel lobby.
FOOD & DRINK
Restaurants
There are a wealth of excellent dining and nightlife options in San Diego,
both nearby the conference hotel, and throughout the city for those interested
in venturing out. The Department of Political Science and International
Relations at the University of San Diego has prepared a list of recommended
local restaurants, all a walk or short cab ride from the hotel. The list
is constructed alphabetically by neighborhood and is available on the
conference website.
The nearest neighborhoods to the conference hotel are Downtown/Gaslight (a tourist-centric area with lots of dining and nightlife) and Little Italy (which has great food, fewer tourists, and much less nightlife). For those willing to venture out further, San Diego has hundreds of other great restaurants in nearby neighborhoods, including La Jolla, Hillcrest, South Park, North Park, and Barrio Logan—do not hesitate to explore the city on your own.
Pub Crawl
There are more than one hundred small craft breweries and independent
brewpubs in San Diego county. San Diego was a pioneer of craft brewing,
and is probably most famous for developing what most people now call Double
IPA or West Coast IPA. Among the most highly regarded are AleSmith, Ballast
Point, Coronado Brewing, Green Flash, Modern Times, Pizza Port, Stone,
and Societe. The San Diego Brewers Guild (https://www.sdbeer.com/)
is a great resource for navigating the beer scene, including its very
helpful SD Beer App.
ENTERTAINMENT
Walking & Trolley Tours
Explore San Diego’s eight districts on foot with Walkabout International,
a non-profit educational organization that offers more than 100 free guided
walking tours of San Diego’s neighborhoods every month (http://www.walkabout-int.org/wcal.html),
or check out Old Town Trolley Tours, which takes visitors through areas
including Old Town, Gaslamp Quarter, Embarcadero, Balboa Park, Coronado
and more. You can stay on the trolley for the full two-hour tour get off
at any one of the 11 stops, strike out on your own, and just return to
the stop when you’re ready to hop back on. http://www.trolleytours.com/
Museums
San Diego has a wealth of museums and other enriching attractions. In
particular, Balboa Park, often referred to as, “The Jewel of San
Diego” is home to 17+ museums, 19+gardens, and 1200 acres to explore--this
is a must see. The USS Midway Museum at the Navy Pier is a favorite for
families and anyone interested in Military History. Also highly recommended
is the the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, either its La Jolla location
or the Downtown location, just half a mile from the conference hotel.
If you are in for some travel, you might want to check out the California
Surf Museum up in Oceanside to learn about how the special interest sport
transformed the Southern California lifestyle, and continues to shape
and influence the region's culture today.
Beaches
San Diego has remarkable beaches, popular among people of all ages for
the available activities, parks, and sheer beauty. Nearby beaches include
Mission Beach, Pacific Beach, Coronado Beach, Moonlight Beach, Ocean Beach,
and La Jolla Shores. Note: Winter storms sometimes bring “high surf
warnings.” Do take heed, as strong, high surf and rip currents can
be dangerous on the beach or in the water. Also, after high surf or rain,
beaches sometimes experience bacterial contamination. Before going in
the water, it is best to check the website maintained by San Diego Coastkeeper,
or their app, the “Waterkeeper Swim Guide”.
Family Activities
San Diego is a wonderful place for family fun. In addition to the beaches,
parks, and other assorted outdoor marvels, there are activities and theme
parks aplenty.
To satisfy the inveterate pedagogue within each of us, there are plenty of options for enriching activities. The marvelous Birch Aquarium at Scripps strives to provide ocean science education in addition to the displays of aquatic life (http://aquarium.ucsd.edu) The New Children’s Museum near the Gaslamp Quarter and across from the San Diego Convention Center offers a hands-on experience for kids from toddler-aged to elementary school (http://www.thinkplaycreate.org/). And the Fleet Center science museum in Balboa Park offers science exhibitions aimed at upper-elementary aged children. Upstairs, there is also an interactive playroom especially for kids five and under (http://www.rhfleet.org)
For more traditional tourist fare, the San Diego Zoo is a world-famous 100 Acre, 3,500+ animal zoo, which is also a non-profit with a mission statement of saving species world wide. The hidden, fantastic partner to the zoo is San Diego Safari Park, which boasts of elephants, giraffes, and cheetahs who roam in large enclosures on a simulated savannah on hundreds of acres in northeastern San Diego. Sea World San Diego is the first and still largest of the three Sea World Parks in the U.S..To the north is Legoland, a 128 Acre park meant to inspire creativity and play (& the purchase of many plastic bricks). And yes, there is also Disneyland.
Shopping
In addition to local shops and markets throughout the city, you may want
to check out: the Gaslamp Garage to find all the perfect souvenirs; Seaport
Village, with 50 unique (touristy) shops and 17 dining opportunities;
the Westfield Horton Plaza, a large 5 floor, 6 and a half block indoor
shopping center in downtown; or Kobey's Swap Meet, which is the largest
outdoor market in San Diego since 1976 (the first meet had 13 vendors
and now has over 800).
Shows
There are over 150 performing arts venues in San Diego County. Some of
the “destination venues” famous in San Diego include the Old
Globe, Balboa Theatre, San Diego Civic Theatre, National Comedy Theatre,
Spreckles Theatre, the House of Blues and The Casbah.
Special Events & Attractions
Check out http://www.sandiego.org/what-to-do/
if you’re looking for guided kayak, hiking, biking, and other outdoor
recreational activities.
If you like boats, there are plenty of opportunities to satisfy the Ishmael within. Hornblower Cruises & Events offers Dinner Cruises, Whale & Dolphin Watching, Harbor Cruises, & Sea Lion Adventures; San Diego Sailing Tours offers Morning Sail on the San Diego Bay; and there is the always popular Sunday Champagne Brunch Cruise by Flagship Cruises & Events.
For those more committed to staying on dry land, you can try the Gaslamp
Architectural Tour
by the Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House; those who prefer not
to take the term “bar crawl” too literally may enjoy the Beer
Train Trolley Tour; and fans of libations who aren’t into beer might
enjoy the San Diego Wine Country Chauffeured Vineyard Tour or Winery Train
Tour.
Day Trips
Traveling to Los Angeles & points north: The LA area is about a 1
½ hour drive at the best of times, however, travel time can vary
greatly by day and time. Southern California traffic has a bad reputation
for a reason. The train ride takes just under 3 hours and prices range
from $35-$70. Visit https://tickets.amtrak.com/itd/amtrak
to plan your trip.
Traveling to Tijuana: Downtown San Diego is just a short drive from Tijuana (about 20-30 minutes), the largest and most dynamic Mexican city on the border. Home to over 1.3 million inhabitants, and reputed to be the "world's most visited city," Tijuana has much to offer tourists interested in shopping, traditional and innovative cuisine, and nightlife. For those with more than a day to spare, Tijuana also provides a convenient point of access to the incredible beaches, deserts, and natural areas throughout the rest of Baja California.
CHILD CARE
The hotel contracts with Sitterwise (formerly Marion’s Childcare),
a licensed, bonded, and highly reviewed local nanny agency. You can visit
their website https://www.sitterwise.com/, or contact them at 619-303-4379.
There are also a variety of sitter services operating in San Diego, including
sittercity.com, care.com, and urbansitter.com. Each offers a variety of
services as detailed on each site.