College Area is the name for the area surrounding SDSU's campus. Almost anything you need can be found on El Cajon Blvd, including two grocery stores (Ralph's and Von's) within one mile of campus. To get to El Cajon, go west on Montezuma Rd. or south on College Ave.
Favorite places to go around campus include:
As for the necessities:
Mission Valley is not as much as place to go as it is a place where things are. In addition to several popular chains and department stores, Mission Valley is also home to two malls -- Mission Valley and Fashion Valley. Everything from Target to Best Buy to Cheesecake Factory can be found in the Mission Valley area.
Some of the places to go in Mission Valley:
Downtown is sometimes referred to as the Gaslamp Quarter because of the historic gaslamps that line the streets. The quickest way to get there from campus is to take the 8 West to the 163 South, the 163 ends in Downtown.
Downtown has been recently revitalized by the construction of Horton Plaza and Petco Park. The restaurants and bars and popular on weekend nights. The crowds are exclusively tourists and young professionals; no need to worry about the under 21 crowd here.
Some more info on downtown:
Hillcrest is an eclectic neighborhood near downtown. There are plenty of good unique places to eat and shop. From campus, take the 8 West to the 163 South and get off on Washington Ave West. On Sunday mornings from 9am - 1pm there is a Farmer's Market at the corner of Normal and Cleveland streets.
More info on Hillcrest:
There are actually quite a few beaches in and around San Diego. For a good map of all of them go to PlaySanDiego.com. Ocean Beach ("OB"), Mission Beach ("Mission") and Pacific Beach ("PB") are simply the most popular and the closest to SDSU.
OB is self-proclaimed as "San Diego's Beach Town." People who live in OB pride themselves on having a local flavor and very few franchises. At the northern end of OB there is a Dog Beach that is extremely popular. There is also a pier where you can fish or grab a bite to eat at the cafe.
Mission is home to Belmont Park and the Giant Dipper. There is also the Wave House where you can practice surfing on a simulated wave. Mission is also a popular place to learn to surf and has a nice boardwalk lined with shops and restaurants.
PB is San Diego's trendy hot spot. If you saw the Real World San Diego you saw a few of the PB bars. This is a fun place to go, but if you don't want to hang out with SDSU students stay away. A lot of college students live and party in PB.
Mission Bay is a man-made bay located next to Mission, Ocean and Pacific Beach. From campus take the 8 West to the 5 North or simply take the 8 West until it ends. Fiesta Island, located in the middle of the bay, can be reached by from the 5 North by taking the Sea World Drive exit and turning left at the light.
The bay is also well-known by SDSU students because of the Mission Bay Aquatic Center. SDSU and UCSD have an agreement with MBAC that allows students to take courses in anything from surfing to sailing for college credit. Staff and faculty also get a discount on classes.
More info on the bay:
Coronado is sometimes referred to as Coronado Island, but it is actually a penisula that comes up from the south. Take the 5 South, go past downtown and take the bridge over the bay. The long stretch of beaches on Coronado is called Silver Strand. It is ideal for a quiet day of laying out and is also good for beginning surfers. There are several good places to grab a bite to eat along Orange Ave.
Coronado is also known for the famous Hotel del Coronado. The hotel is a major tourist attraction in San Diego. Tourists with money to burn can stay at one of the Hotel Del's (as locals call it) $300+ rooms or you can enjoy the incredible Sunday brunch buffet spread for $50/person (reservations needed at least one week in advance).
For more info on Coronado and what there is to do, click on the following links:
Old Town was the original downtown for San Diego. From campus, you can either take the 8 West to the 5 South and get off at the Old Town exit or you can take the 8 West to the Hotel Circle Exit and stay to the left, drive over the 8 and then turn right onto Taylor Street. Follow Taylor Street until you get to Old Town or continue on Taylor Street and turn on Pacific Hwy to get to the Trolley Station Parking Lot.
Old Town fell into disrepair in the mid-1900's but has since been revitalized as an historic district and popular tourist attraction. Old Town is the place to go for good Mexican food, though the most popular restaurant, Casa de Pico has recently moved to Grossmont Center.
More info on Old Town:
La Jolla is located north of San Diego. From campus, take the 8 West to the 5 North and get off on La Jolla Parkway. Just north of La Jolla is the Torrey Pines area and the University of California-San Diego's campus.
La Jolla is popular for several reasons. Many locals as well as tourists enjoy the upscale shopping and dining. For those who love the outdoors there is the protected La Jolla Cove, which is perfect for snorkeling and kayaking. A walk along the cliffs makes for great sight-seeing as well as the La Jolla Children's Pool, which has been overtaken by seals who love to lounge on the beach. Bring your camera if you go because you can sometimes get as close as fifteen feet from more than a dozen seals.
Some more info on what to do and where to go in La Jolla:
