San Diego questions

[OceanFantasys]

We will be staying at the Best Western Bayside and I am wondering if we can walk to the pier or will we need a cab? Also I have a scooter to get around on and I would like to know how far we are from Anthony's and I think its called the Old Mexican Cafe? Can I ride my scooter to these restaurants and my husband just walk with me or will we need a cab? Also is the shuttle around town handicapped accessible? In other words,, whats the easiest way for me to get around in your town.

 

Thanks,

Rhonda

[Splinter]

You can walk to the pier if you want...it is about 6-7 blocks. If you have a lot of luggage you may want to see if they will shuttle your bags for you, or take a cab.

 

Since Anthony's is right next to the pier, you can get there on your scooter without any trouble as well. It is fully wheelchair accessible. Be prepared to wait to get in for up to an hour....they do not take reservations, and on weekends especially it can be quite crowded at both lunch and dinner.

 

To get to the Old Town Mexican Cafe you will need to either take a cab or take the San Diego Trolley light rail (accessible with a lift) to the Old Town stop and then go about 4 blocks from there to the restaurant. It is accessible.

 

I am not sure what shuttle you are talking about. You can get an airport shuttle that is fully accessible through Cloud 9 Shuttle (reserve 24 hours in advance for the best service).

 

To tour the rest of the city, you can take the Old Town Trolley Tours (a commercial tour) that will let you on/off at various sights. They try to discourage you from getting on/off if you are in a wheelchair, but if you paid for a ticket, you are entitled to do this just as any other passenger. They also require 24 hours notice for wheelchair access, and not all the shuttles have this, so you will have to coordinate any on/off services with them due to this. You can catch this at the cruise ship pier. You can save money purchasing tickets with them on-line.

[Splinter]

I forgot to say that most of our city buses are also wheelchair accessible, which might be an option for the Zoo and Balboa Park if you don't want to do the whole Trolley Tour thing.

[OceanFantasys]

Thank you so much for all of this information.. It is so helpful and good to know that I will be able to get around town. I never knew if those trolleys were accessibe. I am going to go check out the links you sent and start planning. Thanks again.

[pzler147]

I agree that you can easily get to the pier from your hotel. Do not waste your time at the OldtownMex Cafe. It has changed owners in the last year and when we went there this summer it was just terrible!!!

In downtown you might try Candelas instead,for an upscale Mexican experience .See:http://www.candelas-sd.com/

[malefevre]

I will be in San Diego on 3-6-7 and would like to do the trolley tour with the MidWay tour and am not sure how to get to the trolley. Do they stop at the port to pick people up? Do I need to buy my ticket in advance?

[Splinter]

Buy your Trolley tour ticket on-line (you save a couple dollars this way) and they will pick you up at the shore side of the cruise ship pier (or at Seaport Village, your preference). You can get on at any of their stops (see their website above for locations).

 

The Midway tour is not part of the Trolley tour...you can just walk to the Midway. It is about 100 yds south of the cruise ship pier. You can't miss it (it's an aircraft carrier, after all!!!).

 

You can see both the cruise ship pier and the Midway here:

 

http://live6.truelook.com:80/face/newface.jsp?func=live&name=/ecodb/sandiego/oneamerica2&pan=-137.95338&tilt=-8.886608&panfov=12.458864&tiltfov=9.710978&overlay=default&skin=default&useapplet=true&time=1167605819044&width=640&height=480&quality=65&catalogname=catalog&imagemap.x=-635&imagemap.y=-476&imagemap.w=1910&imagemap.h=1433

[iamirish]

Do not waste your time at the OldtownMex Cafe. It has changed owners in the last year and when we went there this summer it was just terrible!!!

 

I live in Old Town and the Old Town Mexican Cafe has NOT changed owners - it still has the same ORIGINAL owners. Whether you like their food or not, is a matter of personal taste.

 

Tom

[LornaT]

The Best Western Bayside Inn has free shuttle service to both the airport and the pier, when dealing with luggage this is the best way to go, the driver drives right onto the pier and hands off your luggage directly to the porters (stayed their twice already and will be there again this coming October). Plus if the shuttle driver isn't doing a pier or airport run, he might be willing to shuttle you to Anthony's and back again once your done .... doesn't cost anything (besides maybe a tip) to ask.

 

The Bayside isn't fancy but it is clean and comfortable, try to get a Bayview room (suggest floors 11 & 12) and you can watch the ship dock in the morning ..... awesome site! Looks like it's about to come right up and over Harbor Drive and take out part of the Holiday Inn.