Sights—Endangered species at San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park; multitudes of sea creatures at Birch Aquarium; the Spanish influence and historical parks in Old Town; Cabrillo National Monument; the historic Hotel del Coronado.

Museums—San Diego Museum of Art; San Diego Maritime Museum; San Diego Air and Space Museum; Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center; Museum of Contemporary Art; Museum of Photographic Arts; California Surf Museum; San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum.

Memorable Meals—A sunset dinner at Coronado's Azzura Point in Loews Resort (followed by a romantic gondola ride); French Mediterranean dishes at Mille Fleurs in affluent Rancho Santa Fe; Asian tapas at Roppongi in La Jolla; alfresco dining in the Gaslamp Quarter.

Late Night—Live jazz at Croce's; spectacular views at the Marine Room in La Jolla (especially at high tide); country-western dancing at In Cahoots; socializing at Beach, a rooftop bar downtown complete with a sand floor.

Walks—Easy hiking on the bluffs at Torrey Pines State Reserve (don't miss the Guy Fleming Trail for its incomparable Pacific Ocean views) or enjoying wide open spaces and riparian landscape at Los Penasquitos Canyon; casual strolling through Balboa Park; a walking tour through the historic Gaslamp Quarter; a trek up Cowles Mountain; sunset ambles on the beach at Coronado or La Jolla Shores.

Sports/Recreation—Bay and ocean sailing; surfing; golfing at any of the more than 90 courses in the area; Del Mar racetrack on opening day; snorkeling and diving at La Jolla Cove; learning to surf in La Jolla; mountain biking at Los Penasquitos Open Space Preserve or in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (but not in the summer, when the heat is stifling).

Especially for Kids—Sand-castle construction and other beach play; the San Diego Zoo; Legoland California theme park; SeaWorld—home of Orca whales; San Diego Model Railroad Museum (for kids of any age); Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater for its interactive exhibits; watching a movie during the summer on the deck of the Star of India at the Maritime Museum on family night; and for pure old-fashioned fun, the merry-go-rounds at Seaport Village and Balboa Park.

The heart of downtown San Diego lies 16 mi/26 km north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 16-block historic Gaslamp Quarter and the multilevel, multicolored Horton Plaza shopping complex mark the city center, with the San Diego Convention Center, PETCO Park, Embarcadero and Seaport Village all within walking distance. San Diego Bay, Coronado and the Pacific Ocean stretch to the west. North of downtown are Old Town, gay-friendly Hillcrest, the recreational paradise of Mission Bay and the upscale seaside community of La Jolla (actually a part of the city of San Diego). Farther north are Del Mar (home of the county's race track and fairgrounds), low-key villages, and the Marine Corps' sprawling Camp Pendleton. To the south is San Ysidro, the southernmost neighborhood of San Diego, and immediately south of that the U.S. border and Tijuana.

Interstates 5 and 15, running north and south, and Interstate 8, running east and west, are the city's major arteries. Highway 163, connecting with both I-5 and I-8 and running from downtown to the northeast, makes Balboa Park and Mission Valley easily accessible. East-west Highway 52 serves as a connector route from Santee to La Jolla. Highway 125 runs north and south, relieving traffic from South Bay to the east county. Highway 56 is the east-west connector between I-5 and I-15, providing convenient access between the inland communities and the coast.

As the site of California's first Spanish mission, San Diego played an important role in the state's history. In 1769, Father Junipero Serra built a mission at the top of Presidio Hill, overlooking San Diego Bay, to convert the Kumeyaay people, a small hunting and gathering society, to Christianity. Some of the adobe and wood buildings at the bottom of Presidio Hill, in what is called Old Town, date from the 1800s. As Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, the area now houses restaurants, museums and shops.

The city grew at a snail's pace for almost two centuries (notwithstanding a minor gold boom 1872-74) until World War II. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Pacific Fleet moved its headquarters to San Diego. Military bases began to sprout like mushrooms, and industry and research centers followed. Today, San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the U.S. and the second largest in California.

In an area susceptible to wildfires, parts of San Diego County experienced three major wildfires in late 2003, devastating more than 380,000 acres/153,780 hectares and billions of dollars' worth of homes and structures. Neighbor helping neighbor was a common sight when it came to cleanup and financial assistance—proving that San Diego may be a sprawling city, but its inhabitants are never too busy to care.

L. Frank Baum spent several winters in Coronado—often staying at the Hotel del Coronado—writing sequels to The Wizard of Oz.

The movie classic Some Like It Hot—starring Marilyn Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis—was filmed at "The Del"—the Hotel del Coronado—in 1959.

The Spirit of St. Louis was built in San Diego for Lindbergh's 1927 trans-Atlantic flight. The San Diego airport is now named Lindbergh Field.

Letters from influential American writer Raymond Chandler can be seen at the La Jolla Library, along with some of his pipes. He lived in La Jolla at 6005 Camino de la Costa from 1946 until just before his death in 1959.

The late U.S. President Ronald Reagan was the first person to drive over the Coronado Bridge when it opened in 1969, as he was then governor of California. Reagan also held a summit for Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid at the Hotel del Coronado in 1982.

Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known to his readers and fans as Dr. Seuss, lived in La Jolla from 1948 until his death at age 87 in 1991. He used to sit at his desk and watch the whales swim by.

The late Gregory Peck was born in La Jolla in 1916. The actor was one of the founders of the La Jolla Playhouse, which in recent years has been the world premiere site of such Broadway-bound musicals as Tommy and Big River.

San Diego is the site of the first mission in California. Mission San Diego de Alcala was founded by the Spanish friar Junipero Serra in 1769.

The world's largest outdoor pipe organ is set in the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. The organ, with its ornate architecture and extraordinary sound, was played at the opening of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition and became the first great outdoor organ of its kind in the U.S.

The San Diego Yacht Club has defended the prestigious America's Cup three times.