Outwardly, San Diego is a laidback city, but underneath the surface, it is also a Mecca of culture and class. Of course, while not as culturally diversified as other California cities like Los Angeles, or even San Francisco, San Diego offers a large Hispanic culture. Situated near the Mexican border and across from Tijuana, San Diego’s first inhabitants included Spanish Catholic priests who invariably left an impression with the missions they established in the downtown area of the city. The city’s name derives from the Catholic Saint, Didacus, a Spaniard more commonly called San Diego de Alcalá.
In Balboa Park, you can easily spend more than just an afternoon, which is all I had time for during my trip. I suggest that you take a day or even two to visit all the sites, such as the Museum of Man, San Diego Museum of Art, Mingei International Museum, San Diego Natural History Museum, Veterans Museum and Memorial Center, the San Diego Zoo, and a Japanese Friendship Garden. The Spanish and Mexican architecture, called the Spanish Colonial Revival Style, which you see in various neighborhoods, after all, the Hispanic culture in the city is thriving, and the architecture here dates back to the Panama-California Exposition of 1915. The Exposition led to many of the Balboa Park building designs by architect Bertram Goodhue, who received national recognition for creating this particular design.
Walking through the park, I found it amazing that it actually opened in 1868, but at that time, they just called it City Park. Today, Balboa Park is the largest urban cultural park in the United States, but getting lost is not a problem — a fact I found comforting, since I nearly always do. I even found myself enjoying several museums, which I normally would not consider visiting, and my personal favorite, The Museum of Man.
Often referred to as the “Smithsonian of the West” for its concentration 
of cultural institutions, Balboa Park boasts over 15 major museums, 8 gardens, the world famous San Diego Zoo, art galleries, and renowned performing arts venues like the Tony Award®-winning Old Globe Theatre. Heck, I learned early on that you inhale San Diego culture in each breath you take.
Of course, I had to eat, but even that reveals a cultural experience at the SDMA Sculpture Court Café by Giuseppe. Nestled adjacent to the Sculpture Garden of the San Diego Museum of Art, it offers a trip to a European café without the flight, yet still complete with artisan pizzas, Panini, artisanal cheese plates, and even cured salami board on the menu. I didn’t walk away hungry.
Later that night I took in a show at the Old Globe Theatre celebrating its 75th anniversary. Others told me to expect the best, and the show did not disappoint me. Since my trip centered around culture, the pre-Broadway production of Robin and the 7 Hoods, was a must see on my itinerary. A comedic musical taking place in the 1960s, Robin and the 7 Hoods is a spin on the Robin Hood legend and the play is on its way to Broadway. I learned that a lot of the shows hit the Old Globe, for a test run before heading East, including The Full Monty (2000), Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2004) and Chita Rivera: A Dancer’s Life (2006).
Although Balboa Park exudes culture, I soon found an area called the Embarcadero Waterfront where the Maritime Museum and the USS Midway Museum deliver a different type of culture to the city. The USS Midway is a ship that pays tribute to the hundreds of thousands of men who served their country onboard and highlights San Diego’s rich military history.
Even if you don’t have any children, th
e Children’s Museum is a breath of fresh air. Opened in 2008, it’s a great way for kids of all ages, to expand their thinking and playing, and experience the hands-on art activities and exhibitions.
A little north of San Diego is La Jolla, an upscale community that offers a cultural experience of its own. We took the drive since it’s not too far off the beaten path, and visited places like the La Jolla facility of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego. This stop had me turning my head upside down to figure it all out, which is just what the artist wants, and then there was a stop at the LUX Art Institute with its artist-in residence program.
Of course, while in La Jolla, one must consider the experience of a little shopping therapy at the Cedros Design District, which includes a group of niche artist studios, galleries, home furnishing stores, and boutique shops. Although, you can lose hours going through the clothing, and the imported handcrafted items, I had to get back for the symphony.
The San Diego Symphony Pops, located on the San Diego Bay, is now celebrating its 100th anniversary Centennial season. Sometimes you know when a moment feels right and, even though I did not know who Jodi Benson was, “The Little Mermaid” at the beginning of the evening, I won’t forget her now.
A visit to San Diego is not complete without a stroll through the historic Gaslamp Quarter that sits in the downtown historic area, which covers about 16½-blocks on Fourth and Fifth Avenues. I liked the grand Victorian-era buildings and actually stayed in one of the older hotels lo
cated at the foot of the Gaslamp Quarter. Other than the fact that it is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, I also reveled in the fact that the U.S. Grant is supposedly haunted.
Not into ghosts, it also sports one-of-a-kind works by French artist, Yves Clement, and the multi-million dollar renovations.
Our final dinner was great and in the Gaslamp Quarter at Croce’s Restaurants & Bar. I recognized the name and even recited a few song titles to owner Ingrid Croce, who opened the restaurant as a tribute to her late husband, singer-songwriter, Jim Croce. The restaurant décor includes family music memorabilia, with contemporary American fare and live music nightly.
Sources:
www.balboapark.org
www.sdmart.org/visit/sculpture-court-cafe
www.midway.org
www.thinkplaycreate.org
www.mcasd.org
www.luxartinstitute.com
www.sandiegosymphony.com
www.luxurycollection.com/usgrant
www.croces.com
www.theoldglobe.org
www.cedrosdesigndistrict.net