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Suggest a Feature →San Diego
The Top Gun base. The best city assignment in the Marine Corps.
MCAS Miramar sits in the mesa country of inland San Diego — just 15 miles north of downtown, accessible to everything the city has to offer. The base is home to Marine aviation (F-35Bs, MV-22 Ospreys) and the famous MCAS Miramar Air Show, one of the largest in the US. It was the former site of TOPGUN (now in Fallon, NV), but the name still carries.
San Diego is legitimately one of the finest cities in America for quality of life — 70°F weather year-round, the best Mexican food outside Mexico, world-class craft beer, beaches in every direction, the Balboa Park museum complex, and a military community large enough to feel supported. The cost of living is the challenge.
Must Eat
The spots worth eating at before you PCS out.
Galaxy Taco (La Jolla)
"San Diego's most creative Mexican restaurant."
Galaxy Taco in La Jolla does traditional Mexican food with outstanding sourcing — house-made blue corn tortillas, heritage breed meats, wood-fire preparations. The barbacoa and carnitas tacos are exceptional.
Carnitas' Snack Shack (Embarcadero)
"Everything pork. The Triple Threat sandwich will end you pleasantly."
A San Diego institution that does exactly one thing — pork — in every form. The Triple Threat sandwich (pulled pork, pork belly, pork schnitzel on a bun) is the definitive order.
Outdoor
Get outside. The land around military installations is usually the best reason to be there.
Mission Bay / Pacific Beach
"The recreation bay. Kayaking, paddleboarding, and beach volleyball."
Mission Bay is a 4,600-acre aquatic park — calm water surrounded by beaches, perfect for paddleboarding, kayaking, sailing lessons, and beach volleyball. Pacific Beach adjacent to Mission Bay is San Diego's most active beach scene.
Culture & History
Places with stories. Most military towns sit on deep history — dig in.
Balboa Park
"17 museums, botanical gardens, and the San Diego Zoo. One park."
Balboa Park is the greatest public park in the American West — 17 museums (including the San Diego Natural History Museum, Museum of Man, and San Diego Museum of Art), a botanical building, the House of Pacific Relations, and the main entrance to the San Diego Zoo. Free Tuesday admission rotates through the museums.
Family
Stuff to do with the kids. Rated by people who have brought actual children.
San Diego Zoo
"One of the best zoos in the world. 3,000+ animals. Free parking."
The San Diego Zoo is consistently in the world's top 5 — the giant panda program, the Africa Rocks exhibit, the Polar Bear Plunge, and over 100 acres of naturalistic habitat. The Safari Park (Escondido, 35 miles north) is separately ticketed and equally world-class.
Day Trips
When you need to remember there's a world outside the gate.
"Cross the border. The food, the street life, and the real Mexico."
Tijuana is 20 miles south — the world's busiest land border crossing. The Avenida Revolución tourist zone is the entry point, but the Zona Gastronómica (Calle Sánchez Taboada) and the Mercado Hidalgo are the real destinations. Bring passport. Walk across (San Ysidro pedestrian crossing) for simplicity.
The Pacific Beach Fish Shop has the best fish tacos in the city at the most reasonable prices.
San Diego craft beer is world-class — Stone Brewing (in Escondido), Ballast Point, Modern Times, and AleSmith are the anchors.
The Coronado Ferry ($4.25 each way) from Broadway Pier crosses to Coronado Island — Hotel del Coronado, Coronado Beach, and the best views of downtown SD.
Mission Trails Regional Park (5 miles from Miramar) has 65 miles of trails in a granite landscape that feels remote despite being within the city.
The MCAS Miramar Air Show (October) is one of the largest in the US — attend. The Blue Angels or Thunderbirds perform annually.
San Diego is extraordinarily desirable and the housing market reflects it. I-15 north of downtown is the commute corridor — traffic is predictable and bad at rush hour. Budget for the lifestyle: San Diego is a city that will extract money from you for the privilege of being there.
This guide is built by people who've been stationed here. If there's a spot we got wrong or a gem we missed, tell us.