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Los Angeles Times
24-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Rising from mudflats to world-class cargo hub, the ports of L.A. and Long Beach face a wave of Trump tariffs
Where the Southern California land meets the Pacific waters, the beaches are the glamour-pusses, but it's the ports that are the workhorses that bring in the heavyweight bucks. Lately, maybe not quite so much. The yo-yoing import tariffs imposed by President Trump have been toying with the massive twin-engine economies of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. They're operated separately by the cities of L.A. and Long Beach, but considered together, they are far and away the busiest container port complex in the U.S., or maybe the Western Hemisphere. It's from here, on San Pedro Bay, that the journeys by trucks and rail and plane begin, ferrying out to the rest of the country the billions of goods, overwhelmingly Chinese-made — all those holiday toys, all that kitchenware and household tools, even all that MAGA gear — that fill store shelves and warehouses and shopping lists. The ports had to invent themselves in the first place, out of muddy marshes and shallows, to become the present-day enterprises doing billions of dollars of business and compete and partner with the massive Asian container ports across the Pacific. Now the tariffs taffy-pulling may spur another moment for reinvention. The ports have many ways to divvy up their numbers, to claim to be first and biggest and most. Together, their operations range more than 15,000 acres on land and water, and two years ago they rang up almost $22 billion in what's called direct revenue to local service providers, ponied up $2.7 billion a year in state and local taxes, and accounted for at least 165,000 paychecks, and many thousands more across the nation's consumer supply chain. Earlier this month, a reporter asked Trump about the slide in cargo traffic at U.S. ports, with the cascading wallop to businesses and workers and customers. To the contrary, said Trump: Such a slowdown 'means we lose less money ... so when you say it's slowed down, that's a good thing, not a bad thing.' It is, in fact, a bad thing. When you so much as tap the brakes on the port operations — and the initial 145% tariffs imposed on China and less elsewhere was more like slamming them on — the pileup effect is a trade SigAlert of immense proportions. In early May, the tariff effect meant that the ports clocked a cargo drop of something between 25% and 30%. The port of L.A. has come far from its unpromising beginnings. Hollywood-fashion, it fudges a bit about its age — to make itself older. The port dates itself from October 1542, when the Spanish seafarer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo spotted the mudflats of the San Pedro coast as he sailed past. The captain of the first European ship to reach the future U.S. West Coast adjudged it 'a port enclosed and very good.' That may have appeared true to a man whose flagship measured about 100 feet long — the same distance the DMV says you should signal an upcoming turn — but in time, the hunger for harbors would convert the shallow San Pedro waters into a bona fide port. San Diego and San Francisco are more natural ports. For a time from the late 1880s, Redondo Beach, with its steep, deep offshore canyon, did a brisk trade as a port for lumber to build L.A. But, as I like to say, L.A. never let nature thwart its self-invention. Richard Henry Dana was a Boston Brahmin and a Harvard man who took to sea on an ordinary merchant ship. In 1835, he came ashore at San Pedro, a port so rudimentary that sugar barrels and other goods the sailors unloaded had to be carried 'California fashion' up to the blufftop, man by laboring man, and the valuable cattle hides nicknamed 'California bank notes' were rolled down the bluff for sailors to hoist onto their heads and carry out onto the waiting ship. When Dana returned to San Pedro just before the Civil War began, he could 'scarce recognize the hill up which we rolled and dragged and pushed our heavy loads.' It was a place transformed, with railroads and wharves running at capacity. Much of this was the work of 'the father of the port,' Phineas Banning, an indefatigable Wilmington, Del., native who bestowed that town's name on the one he founded here. Banning had made the port into a commercial powerhouse. Soon, two of the titans of the age and place — Southern Pacific railroad man Collis P. Huntington and L.A. Times owner Harrison Gray Otis — engaged in a Godzilla-versus-King Kong struggle over where to put L.A.'s official port: Santa Monica or San Pedro? Political money and political muscle came down on the side of San Pedro in 1897. One way or another, Los Angeles pretty much always got what it wanted. And in 1897, the harbor towns of San Pedro and Wilmington weren't within Los Angeles' civic embrace, and L.A. was eager to get the jump on Long Beach. So in 1909, voters in both towns agreed to be annexed by L.A., tethered by a 'shoestring strip' of land about 16 miles long and a half-mile wide, a legal but comically gerrymandered umbilicus between the bulk of the city and the singularly different seafront and harbor neighborhoods. The work of running a port is a constant maintenance of channels, breakwaters, bridges, and the machinery of seagoing commerce. Importers and exporters opened offices at the port, and pleasure cruise companies sent their passenger ships up and down the Pacific coast, and then to Hawaii and across the Pacific. In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt sent the U.S. Navy's white-painted fleet on a round-the-world voyage to show the nation's naval might and reach. In 1908, it steamed memorably past crowds waving along San Pedro Bay, just as Long Beach was planning to turn its own marshes and mudflats into a port, and soon dredging a channel connecting Long Beach with the L.A. port. The Long Beach port was dedicated in 1911, and like Southern California itself, went like gangbusters. The Panama Canal opened in 1914, giving U.S. shipping a big flex in seagoing nimbleness at a moment when Europe was going to war. In the 1950s, the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis — soon to be familiar on American shores as the second husband of Jacqueline Kennedy — supposedly declared that Long Beach was 'the world's most modern shipping port.' Shipyards in both ports sent their new vessels from their cradles out into the world. Beginning in the 1920s, oil burst cinematically out of the ground at wells across the coastal South Bay and even into the Long Beach harbor. So much oil got sucked out of the port and its neighborhoods that the ground started to subside, in some places yards deep. The infrastructure damage has run into the billions, and in the 1960s, 'Operation Big Squirt' started injecting water underground to restabilize the land. In 1930, both Ford and Procter & Gamble had set up plants near the water's edge, the better and faster to move products. For P&G's debut, Harriet Hauge, the Long Beach mayor's white-gloved daughter, christened a four-foot-long 'boat' made entirely out of cakes of Ivory soap, whose motto was, 'It floats!' Back in 1908, the Great White Fleet had sailed right past the ports. Within a dozen years, the ports became central to U.S. Navy operations, building ships through World War II, and making Long Beach a sailors' town, the home port for the Pacific Fleet. And then, just like the wartime industries of L.A., the peacetime ports swiveled to more commercial operations. The Navy moved many of its operations to San Diego after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. The shipbuilding pretty much came to an end, and the commercial fishing trade of some thousand vessels that once kept canneries working in high gear has moved elsewhere. In its stead came a cargo trade of astounding scale. In the late 1950s, shipments started being standardized in cargo containers that made it easier and faster to unload a ship and hasten its cargo on its way. About 20 years later, free-trade agreements began moving mass-produced goods in thousands of enormous containers from factories in South Korea, in Vietnam, and most of all from China, into the hands of American consumers — via the ports of L.A. and Long Beach. All of this changed port jobs, and lost port jobs, and created other jobs all along the cargo chain. Los Angeles was a town hostile to organized labor, but labor forces in the harbor had the backing of national longshore unions, including the radical-leaning International Workers of the World, the so-called 'Wobblies,' and the city resisted their strength with formidable anti-union organizing laws. The Southern California chapter of the ACLU was born out of an incident during a strike in the L.A. harbor in May 1923. Police had arrested about 30 leaders at the port workers' strike and walkout. Then several hundred men who had called for the work stoppage were rounded up and held without bail in a specially built 'stockade.' Several days later, author Upton Sinclair stood on a hilltop above the harbor, and began reading from the Bill of Rights. He was arrested. So was the man who took his place, and the man after that and the man after that. L.A. was now engaged in the movement of the moment: rising organized labor and civil rights versus government and private industry joining forces to suppress them. [At one point, the KKK was helping L.A. police in a show of force to break the strike.] Then, in 1934, a nearly three-month strike by port workers up and down the West Coast ended in the creation of the longshore and warehouse workers' union, which represents harbor workers to this day. The present battle is over robot automation and the risks of job losses in those changeovers. Workers have not been alone in their grievances against the harbor. The harbor neighborhoods are probably the most polluted part of a very polluted city, owing to the filth that the port generates. Every day, as my colleague Thomas Curwen described it a few years ago, the big rigs take a shortcut through a small Wilmington neighborhood, sending out dirt and noise and diesel fumes. It isn't just one street. Port roads jammed with diesel trucks, oil refineries processing fuel, ships idling to be unloaded, make for some of the worst air in the state. Residents of that Wilmington street petitioned and pleaded and then resorted to blocking off the street briefly to the trucks that shook the ground and spewed the filth through their neighborhood. Wilmington has been told that solutions are around the corner, yet just the plans for a remedy don't have to be completed for another two years. In the city of Los Angeles, there are three 'proprietary' departments, operations that pay for themselves, pretty much without tax money and with their own commissions, independent of the City Council, powerful entities unto themselves. The airports and the Department of Water and Power are two; the third is the port. In 1967, The Times investigated the doings of harbor commissioners, and a grand jury, following up on that, called for indictments of past and present commissioners for perjury and criminal conflicts of interest. Two of the four were convicted of accepting bribes. The name of the president of the harbor commission, Pietro Di Carlo, a leading citizen of San Pedro, had come up in the investigation in connection with a contract with a troubled development company that Di Carlo had had associations with. And one morning in early November 1967, about six weeks before the indictments were issued, and a few hours after he went to 6 a.m. Mass, he was found dead in a channel in the harbor, face down, his hat floating nearby. The coroner found that no foul play was involved, and that his death was accidental. His widow said that he had gone to the harbor to reserve a boat, and had been taking medicine that sometimes made him dizzy. This scandal was a stain on Mayor Sam Yorty, who had appointed the harbor commissioners. A few years later, Times political columnist Bill Boyarsky wrote about the political clout of big donors sponsoring a Yorty fundraiser. Annoyed, Yorty confronted Boyarsky at the fundraiser. 'Boyarsky, I don't know what I'm going to do with you.' Boyarsky, remembering the dead man in the water, put up his hands in comic defense. 'Oh no, mayor,' he said. 'Not the harbor!' Yorty was not amused.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Yahoo
We planned the perfect day in San Diego for 3 types of travelers
While Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo failed to find an all-water route—the mythical 'Strait of Anian'—across North America in 1542, he did discover San Diego Bay, which he remarked was 'a very good port.' The Indigenous Kumeyaay people had already lived there for thousands of years. Cabrillo still claimed the land for Spain, beginning a tumultuous period where San Diego would be under Spanish, then Mexican, and ultimately U.S. rule. Just 20 minutes from the border, Mexico has helped shape the city's culture and cuisine. Other events and movements have impacted San Diego, too, including the city's strategic importance as a naval base and the surf culture that exploded in the '60s. With 70 miles of coastline, surfers, stand-up paddle boarders, kayakers, and boaters can find a place to play every day of the year. 'San Diego is a city on an edge. There's this distinct energy,' says San Diego-based architect Jennifer Luce, who has been behind many transformational civic projects in San Diego including the renovation of the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park. Explore San Diego's diverse neighborhoods, and you'll find historic architecture and thought-provoking art galleries, family-friendly activities, and multiple ways to get outside and enjoy the city's fine weather. Here's how to have a perfect day in San Diego. (Related: The essential guide to visiting San Diego.) MorningEarly city leaders had the foresight to set aside around 1,200 acres for a public park. Horticulturist Kate Sessions began planting trees throughout Balboa Park in the late 1800s, turning the arid site into a fragrant oasis of green with eucalyptus and acacia trees, flower gardens, and wide lawns. Join the active locals running and walking through the park in the morning and saunter through the Alcázar Garden on your way to the Mingei International Museum's Craft Café. It serves San Diego and Hawaii-roasted Dark Horse Coffee, pastries, and heartier fare like toasted focaccia with shakshuka with poblano peppers and labneh. The entry-level of the airy and modern Mingei—which is devoted to folk art, handcrafts, and design—is always free to the public, while the second-floor exhibitions level requires a ticket. Visitors admire permanent art installations like the Dale Chihuly chandelier dangling from the historic bell tower and rotating exhibitions showcasing the beauty of everyday items like American quilts to wooden African butterfly masks. AfternoonHead south of the park to Barrio Logan, San Diego's epicenter for Mexican American culture. One of 14 designated California Cultural Districts, it's filled with art galleries, coffee shops, and authentic Mexican eateries like Las Quatro Milpas. Founded in 1933, the restaurant serves a simple menu of border classics like pork and cheese burritos wrapped in house-made flour tortillas. Many of the neighborhood's vacant warehouses have been turned into funky, creative spaces. Bread & Salt, a former commercial bakery building, hosts art exhibitions and concerts. Massive concrete pylons that support the San Diego-Coronado Bridge are covered with colorful murals with pre-Colombian, colonial, and modern motifs in Chicano Park, a National Historic Landmark. EveningIf you still have an appetite for more art, you can make a slight detour to Jaume Plensa's 25-foot-tall Pacific Soul sculpture near the waterfront before dinner at the downtown hotspot Callie. Chef Travis Swikard worked with chefs like Daniel Boulud in New York for a decade before opening this buzzy Mediterranean restaurant. Standout dishes include uni toast with jamón Ibérico de bellota and lemon saffron linguine. (Related: The best restaurants to experience the San Diego's diverse culinary scene.) MorningOrder a black sesame kumquat cream bun or strawberry pistachio croissant and feel the sea breeze from the Wayfarer Bread & Pastry patio in Bird Rock. Many of San Diego's best waves are nearby. Walk just a few doors to the family-owned Bird Rock Surf Shop, which rents everything from beginner soft tops to premium surfboards. Tourmaline Surfing Park is just a mile drive south on La Jolla Boulevard and is known for mellow, consistent waves. More advanced surfers may want to head 10 minutes northwest to Windansea in La Jolla and its powerful reef break. The beach, with sandstone rocks for sunbathing and a historic surf shack, is one of San Diego's most photogenic. AfternoonOscars Mexican Seafood on Turquoise Street serves the fresh casual fare San Diego surfers love, like Baja-style battered fish tacos and bluefin tuna ceviche. Upscale La Jolla is one of the best places in San Diego to embark on a watery adventure. Surrounding the coastline, the 6,000-acre La Jolla Underwater Park is a thriving underwater ecosystem with one of California's highest concentrations of sea life. The ocean adventure company Everyday California operates out of La Jolla Shores and offers action-filled tours of the marine reserve, including guided visits to sandstone sea caves. The outfitter donates a portion of every purchase to environmental nonprofits and uses only human-powered kayaks and paddleboards to minimize pollution and disturbances to wildlife. Kayakers are almost guaranteed wildlife sightings like sea lions sunbathing on rocks, leopard sharks swimming below, and bright orange Garibaldi in La Jolla Cove. Kayak tours can also include snorkeling and whale watching. EveningA flurry of new La Jolla and Bird Rock restaurants have reinvigorated San Diego's dining scene. In the midcentury Piano Building, the menu at Paradisaea, is elevated California coastal cuisine, like Hokkaido scallops with parsnip purée and a pork chop for two with tomatillo relish. The historic Whaling Bar at La Jolla's La Valencia Hotel reopened in 2024. Belly up to the bar as famous La Jolla residents like Gregory Peck and Theodore Geisel once did for a dirty martini or old-fashioned. (Related: Don't leave San Diego without trying these 9 experiences.) MorningFueling up before visiting the renowned San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park is wise. The breakfast and brunch-only Morning Glory in Little Italy, initially established in the early 1900s as an Italian and Portuguese fishing neighborhood, serves dishes kids and adults will love. Try the German pancakes with extra butter and ginger fried rice with pork belly, bok choy, and an egg sunny side-up. It would be easy to spend the entire day at the zoo, home to 3,500 rare animals and more than 700,000 exotic plants. To avoid burnout, prioritize must-visit exhibits. Africa Rocks showcases six different African habitats and animals like green-eyed leopards and social Hamadryas baboons. The Wildlife Explorers Basecamp keeps kids engaged with natural play areas built around animal habitats. AfternoonMilitary history is an integral part of San Diego's identity. Liberty Station in Point Loma was a training center for U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve officers until the '90s. Today, the Spanish Colonial Revival buildings are filled with art galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and a lively food hall, Liberty Public Market. It's one of the most family-friendly places to eat in San Diego. Everyone can choose what they want, from empanadas with chimichurri to Maine lobster rolls. The upper walls of the center's former mess hall, a space that houses several vendors, including Landini's Pizzeria and a seating area, are lined with original naval murals from the 1950s. Pop into shops like Moniker General and the artsy design store Pigment, which stocks everything from modern furniture to stylish children's clothing. EveningIf your brood still has energy, do an early evening round of mini golf at the Loma Club originally part of the historic San Diego Country Club. Point Loma has many great options for dinner, but Cesarina is a standout for its lush patio and open-air pasta factory where guests can see chefs make strips of bucatini and gnocchi. (Related: 10 experiences families shouldn't miss in San Diego.) San Diego is a convenient destination with daily non-stop flights from major hubs like Dallas, Seattle, and New York. There is public transportation to and from San Diego International Airport, located three miles northwest of downtown. Metropolitan Transit System Route 992 takes travelers from the airport to the Santa Fe train depot, where they can connect with Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner and the local commuter rail, COASTER. If you want the freedom to explore the city's diverse neighborhoods, which are spread through the city's 372.4 square miles, renting a car is a good idea. All airport rental pick-ups and drop-offs happen at the Consolidated Rental Car Center. San Diego has mild and pleasant year-round weather, but it can be cloudy in May and June when cool ocean water and a strong marine layer create gloomy skies. Summer is the peak travel season. The best time to visit San Diego is the fall shoulder season (September through November) when the weather is warm, but there are fewer tourists and better deals. San Diego has many hotels, from upscale resorts to funky boutique hotels. Hotel Del Coronado, a beachfront mainstay on Coronado Island since 1888, has undergone a $550 million restoration project over six years that restored its historic Victorian façade and 19th-century lobby details. Architects have added more contemporary guest rooms in 'neighborhoods' throughout the vast resort with calming colors, and balconies or patios. Across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego La Jolla Campus, Orli La Jolla is a boutique hotel with the convenience and privacy of a homestay. The hotel in an Irving Gill-designed treasure has 13 rooms and suites. Service is mainly contactless. Guests enjoy perks like kombucha and coffee in the lobby and complimentary guest activities like yoga and Pilates. (Related: The best San Diego hotels for every kind of traveler.) Casey Hatfield-Chiotti is a West Coast-based writer and editor who covers outdoor adventure, design, and family travel. Follow her on Instagram.
National Geographic
21-04-2025
- National Geographic
We planned the perfect day in San Diego for 3 types of travelers
While Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo failed to find an all-water route—the mythical 'Strait of Anian'—across North America in 1542, he did discover San Diego Bay, which he remarked was 'a very good port.' The Indigenous Kumeyaay people had already lived there for thousands of years. Cabrillo still claimed the land for Spain, beginning a tumultuous period where San Diego would be under Spanish, then Mexican, and ultimately U.S. rule. Just 20 minutes from the border, Mexico has helped shape the city's culture and cuisine. Other events and movements have impacted San Diego, too, including the city's strategic importance as a naval base and the surf culture that exploded in the '60s. With 70 miles of coastline, surfers, stand-up paddle boarders, kayakers, and boaters can find a place to play every day of the year. 'San Diego is a city on an edge. There's this distinct energy,' says San Diego-based architect Jennifer Luce, who has been behind many transformational civic projects in San Diego including the renovation of the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park. Explore San Diego's diverse neighborhoods, and you'll find historic architecture and thought-provoking art galleries, family-friendly activities, and multiple ways to get outside and enjoy the city's fine weather. Here's how to have a perfect day in San Diego. (Related: The essential guide to visiting San Diego.) Visitors to San Diego can't miss a trip to Balboa Park, home to 18 museums, including the Museum of Us, devoted to anthropology. So, it's no surprise that the park's Plaza de Panama is a popular spot for tourists. Photograph by Michael George, Nat Geo Image Collection For culture hounds Morning Early city leaders had the foresight to set aside around 1,200 acres for a public park. Horticulturist Kate Sessions began planting trees throughout Balboa Park in the late 1800s, turning the arid site into a fragrant oasis of green with eucalyptus and acacia trees, flower gardens, and wide lawns. Join the active locals running and walking through the park in the morning and saunter through the Alcázar Garden on your way to the Mingei International Museum's Craft Café. It serves San Diego and Hawaii-roasted Dark Horse Coffee, pastries, and heartier fare like toasted focaccia with shakshuka with poblano peppers and labneh. The entry-level of the airy and modern Mingei—which is devoted to folk art, handcrafts, and design—is always free to the public, while the second-floor exhibitions level requires a ticket. Visitors admire permanent art installations like the Dale Chihuly chandelier dangling from the historic bell tower and rotating exhibitions showcasing the beauty of everyday items like American quilts to wooden African butterfly masks. Afternoon Head south of the park to Barrio Logan, San Diego's epicenter for Mexican American culture. One of 14 designated California Cultural Districts, it's filled with art galleries, coffee shops, and authentic Mexican eateries like Las Quatro Milpas. Founded in 1933, the restaurant serves a simple menu of border classics like pork and cheese burritos wrapped in house-made flour tortillas. Many of the neighborhood's vacant warehouses have been turned into funky, creative spaces. Bread & Salt, a former commercial bakery building, hosts art exhibitions and concerts. Massive concrete pylons that support the San Diego-Coronado Bridge are covered with colorful murals with pre-Colombian, colonial, and modern motifs in Chicano Park, a National Historic Landmark. Evening If you still have an appetite for more art, you can make a slight detour to Jaume Plensa's 25-foot-tall Pacific Soul sculpture near the waterfront before dinner at the downtown hotspot Callie. Chef Travis Swikard worked with chefs like Daniel Boulud in New York for a decade before opening this buzzy Mediterranean restaurant. Standout dishes include uni toast with jamón Ibérico de bellota and lemon saffron linguine. (Related: The best restaurants to experience the San Diego's diverse culinary scene.) A surfer paddles out off the coast of San Diego's La Jolla neighborhood. Photograph by Rachel Dowd, Alamy Stock Photo Helmut Igel is among a small subculture of surfers who ride waves along coastlines, from San Diego to Sydney, after sunset. Igel prepares to paddle out into the surf near San Diego. Photograph by Donald Miralle, The New York Times/Redux For adventure seekers Morning Order a black sesame kumquat cream bun or strawberry pistachio croissant and feel the sea breeze from the Wayfarer Bread & Pastry patio in Bird Rock. Many of San Diego's best waves are nearby. Walk just a few doors to the family-owned Bird Rock Surf Shop, which rents everything from beginner soft tops to premium surfboards. Tourmaline Surfing Park is just a mile drive south on La Jolla Boulevard and is known for mellow, consistent waves. More advanced surfers may want to head 10 minutes northwest to Windansea in La Jolla and its powerful reef break. The beach, with sandstone rocks for sunbathing and a historic surf shack, is one of San Diego's most photogenic. Afternoon Oscars Mexican Seafood on Turquoise Street serves the fresh casual fare San Diego surfers love, like Baja-style battered fish tacos and bluefin tuna ceviche. Upscale La Jolla is one of the best places in San Diego to embark on a watery adventure. Surrounding the coastline, the 6,000-acre La Jolla Underwater Park is a thriving underwater ecosystem with one of California's highest concentrations of sea life. The ocean adventure company Everyday California operates out of La Jolla Shores and offers action-filled tours of the marine reserve, including guided visits to sandstone sea caves. The outfitter donates a portion of every purchase to environmental nonprofits and uses only human-powered kayaks and paddleboards to minimize pollution and disturbances to wildlife. Kayakers are almost guaranteed wildlife sightings like sea lions sunbathing on rocks, leopard sharks swimming below, and bright orange Garibaldi in La Jolla Cove. Kayak tours can also include snorkeling and whale watching. Evening A flurry of new La Jolla and Bird Rock restaurants have reinvigorated San Diego's dining scene. In the midcentury Piano Building, the menu at Paradisaea, is elevated California coastal cuisine, like Hokkaido scallops with parsnip purée and a pork chop for two with tomatillo relish. The historic Whaling Bar at La Jolla's La Valencia Hotel reopened in 2024. Belly up to the bar as famous La Jolla residents like Gregory Peck and Theodore Geisel once did for a dirty martini or old-fashioned. (Related: Don't leave San Diego without trying these 9 experiences.) Families with children should not miss a ride on the Skyfari Aerial Tram at the San Diego Zoo for incredible views of the zoo and Balboa Park. Photograph by Littleny, Alamy Stock Photo For family fun Morning Fueling up before visiting the renowned San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park is wise. The breakfast and brunch-only Morning Glory in Little Italy, initially established in the early 1900s as an Italian and Portuguese fishing neighborhood, serves dishes kids and adults will love. Try the German pancakes with extra butter and ginger fried rice with pork belly, bok choy, and an egg sunny side-up. It would be easy to spend the entire day at the zoo, home to 3,500 rare animals and more than 700,000 exotic plants. To avoid burnout, prioritize must-visit exhibits. Africa Rocks showcases six different African habitats and animals like green-eyed leopards and social Hamadryas baboons. The Wildlife Explorers Basecamp keeps kids engaged with natural play areas built around animal habitats. Afternoon Military history is an integral part of San Diego's identity. Liberty Station in Point Loma was a training center for U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve officers until the '90s. Today, the Spanish Colonial Revival buildings are filled with art galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and a lively food hall, Liberty Public Market. It's one of the most family-friendly places to eat in San Diego. Everyone can choose what they want, from empanadas with chimichurri to Maine lobster rolls. The upper walls of the center's former mess hall, a space that houses several vendors, including Landini's Pizzeria and a seating area, are lined with original naval murals from the 1950s. Pop into shops like Moniker General and the artsy design store Pigment, which stocks everything from modern furniture to stylish children's clothing. Evening If your brood still has energy, do an early evening round of mini golf at the Loma Club originally part of the historic San Diego Country Club. Point Loma has many great options for dinner, but Cesarina is a standout for its lush patio and open-air pasta factory where guests can see chefs make strips of bucatini and gnocchi. (Related: 10 experiences families shouldn't miss in San Diego.) Getting to San Diego and getting around San Diego is a convenient destination with daily non-stop flights from major hubs like Dallas, Seattle, and New York. There is public transportation to and from San Diego International Airport, located three miles northwest of downtown. Metropolitan Transit System Route 992 takes travelers from the airport to the Santa Fe train depot, where they can connect with Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner and the local commuter rail, COASTER. If you want the freedom to explore the city's diverse neighborhoods, which are spread through the city's 372.4 square miles, renting a car is a good idea. All airport rental pick-ups and drop-offs happen at the Consolidated Rental Car Center. San Diego has mild and pleasant year-round weather, but it can be cloudy in May and June when cool ocean water and a strong marine layer create gloomy skies. Summer is the peak travel season. The best time to visit San Diego is the fall shoulder season (September through November) when the weather is warm, but there are fewer tourists and better deals. Where to stay San Diego has many hotels, from upscale resorts to funky boutique hotels. Hotel Del Coronado, a beachfront mainstay on Coronado Island since 1888, has undergone a $550 million restoration project over six years that restored its historic Victorian façade and 19th-century lobby details. Architects have added more contemporary guest rooms in 'neighborhoods' throughout the vast resort with calming colors, and balconies or patios. Across the street from the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego La Jolla Campus, Orli La Jolla is a boutique hotel with the convenience and privacy of a homestay. The hotel in an Irving Gill-designed treasure has 13 rooms and suites. Service is mainly contactless. Guests enjoy perks like kombucha and coffee in the lobby and complimentary guest activities like yoga and Pilates. (Related: The best San Diego hotels for every kind of traveler.) Casey Hatfield-Chiotti is a West Coast-based writer and editor who covers outdoor adventure, design, and family travel. Follow her on Instagram.
