It may feel hot outside, but the ocean won’t warm up for
another few months. So unless you’re ready to don a wet suit
with the surfers, spring break in San Diego shouldn’t include
endless days at the beach. Instead, head to Balboa Park, San
Diego’s answer to Manhattan’s Central Park ““ only
with Spanish architecture.
While aspects of the park, like the San Diego Zoo, are pretty
famous and pretty expensive, a lot of the smaller, quirkier aspects
of the park can be a lot more entertaining and a lot cheaper. Catch
a free afternoon concert while you have a picnic at the outdoor
Spreckels Organ Pavilion, wander through the Botanical Building
(also free) and then try your luck museum-hopping along the Prado,
the park’s main drag. Sandwiched next to (and frequently on
top of) each other are museums ranging from the general: San Diego
Museum of Art and the Museum of Photographic Arts; to the
specialized: San Diego Aerospace Museum and the San Diego Model
Railroad Museum.
When you’re done, head a few short miles into downtown San
Diego and find Pokez on 947 E St., perhaps the only Mexican
restaurant on the planet to offer an incredible vegan menu. To call
Pokez a local treasure doesn’t do it any sort of justice:
It’s hip and cheap, but above all it’s just darn good,
whether you’re a carnivore or herbivore.
Compiled by Erin Glass, Andrew Lee, Sommer Mathis and Jake
Tracer, dB Magazine senior staff.