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Getting Around San Diego
Street System
Central San Diego is laid out in a basic grid pattern. Street numbering commences from north-south 1st Avenue. East-west streets are both lettered and named; they proceed alphabetically northward beginning with Ash Street.
By Car
Generally the most convenient way to get around San Diego is by car. Most major attractions and shopping areas are within easy freeway access. Main thoroughfares, which include Pacific Highway, Harbor and Mission Bay drives, Nimitz and El Cajon boulevards, University Avenue, Friars Road and Market Street, also are easy travel routes.
Speed limits are usually 35 mph on streets and 65 mph on freeways. It is important to maintain freeway speed limits; drivers moving at dangerously slow speeds will be ticketed. Right turns on red and U-turns at intersections are both legal unless otherwise posted. Pedestrians crossing the street at intersections or in crosswalks always have the right-of-way.
Parking
San Diego has metered on-street parking downtown in addition to many lots and garages. Metered parking costs $1 per hour, normally with a 2-hour limit. Garage rates range from $3 to $10 a day. There are large lots along lower Broadway and Market Street, Harbor Drive and Pacific Highway. Some hotels and stores provide free parking for their guests and customers.
Parking in other parts of this spread-out city is rarely a problem. SeaWorld San Diego, the Cabrillo National Monument and Balboa Park all have ample parking areas, although it might be difficult to find a space near Balboa Park on a busy day. If the Balboa lots are full, check for street parking along Sixth Avenue and enter the park via the pedestrian bridge. Old Town's free parking areas also can fill up quickly. A space is harder to come by in La Jolla, where street parking is scarce.
Taxis
Local taxis are metered. Cab companies include Red Cab, (619) 428-1107; San Diego, (619) 232-6566; USA, (619) 231-1144; and Yellow, (619) 234-6161. Base fare is around $4, with a rate of approximately $2 for each additional mile. Limousine service is available throughout the area for about $75 an hour.
Public Transportation
San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) serves the area from Oceanside to the Mexican border. One-way bus fare ranges from $1 to $4. Some transfers may require an upgrade fee.
The San Diego Trolley provides daily service on three lines that operate from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. The Blue Line (also unofficially called the Tijuana Trolley) runs from Old Town south through downtown to San Ysidro, some 100 feet from the border; the Blue Line runs east from Old Town to Hazard Center, Mission Valley Center, Qualcomm Stadium and Mission San Diego. The Orange Line runs from the Santa Fe Depot downtown to Town Center in Santee and is convenient to the convention center and Seaport Village. The Green Line runs from Santee to Old Town. The familiar red trolleys run every 15 minutes from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m., every 30 minutes from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fares range from $1.25 to $3; tickets must be purchased before boarding from machines at the trolley stops. For information phone (619) 685-4900.
Getting There
Interstate 5, originating at the Canadian border and ending at the Mexico border, and I-15, entering California southwest of Las Vegas and extending to San Diego, are the major north-south routes. I-5 comes down through Los Angeles, then heads for the coast; nearing San Diego it bisects the University of California San Diego campus at La Jolla, skirts Mission Bay Park and passes Old Town before entering the city center.
I-15 comes inland through Las Vegas and San Bernardino County, bypasses downtown San Diego and terminates at I-5 just south of the city proper. SR 163 (Cabrillo Freeway) leaves I-15 at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, swings southwestward through Balboa Park, interchanges with I-5 and finally becomes 10th Avenue in the heart of San Diego.
From the south the main route is I-5, which begins at the Mexican border, passes along the east side of San Diego Bay, then heads for the downtown area.
I-805 is the north-south bypass. It leaves I-5 north of La Jolla and rejoins I-5 near San Ysidro, just north of the Mexican border customs stations.
From points east, I-8 funnels traffic across the Colorado River at Yuma, Ariz., and roughly parallels the Mexican border to the town of Boulevard, from which it arcs northwestward through Alpine, interchanges with the major north-south routes just north of downtown San Diego and ends near the mouth of the San Diego River.
San Diego International Airport (Lindbergh Field) off Harbor Drive is served by major domestic and foreign carriers. Traffic exits south of the Terminals One and Two via Harbor Island Drive to Harbor Drive, the main thoroughfare, which funnels traffic east toward downtown and west to Point Loma and the beaches. I-5 (San Diego Freeway/North Island Freeway) is accessible by taking Harbor Drive east about 1.5 miles to Grape Street, and Grape Street another half-mile east. To enter I-5 north--which provides access to Old Town, I-8 (Ocean Beach Freeway), Mission Bay, La Jolla, Oceanside and Camp Pendleton--pass under the interstate and head north on Union Street.
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