San Diego Trolley Tour

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; Old Town Trolley Tours are the best way to see a new city in America. This certainly rings true for San Diego, and I’m glad I chose to jump on a tour on my first day in the city. Out of the three locations I’d already done a trolley tour in (Washington DC, Boston, and Savannah), the San Diego trolley tour was significantly different in terms of distance covered. Usually I’d seek out the first stop on the route to get the ‘complete experience’, but this turned out to be a 90 minute walk from my hostel, so I headed to Stop E to board the trolley at Horton Plaza Park.

My first driver/guide was Watson, and he started the trip with a quick safety guide to ensure we all made the most of the tour (arms/heads inside the trolley, no smoking etc., I’m a trolley tour veteran by now). First point of interest (and Stop F in the Gaslamp Quarter) was the San Diego Convention Center, which is most notable for hosting Comic-Con every year, bringing 130,000 people and approximately $150 million in economic revenue to the city. As Watson noted, it’s like a week-long Halloween party in the middle of July. Sounds fun!

This brought us round to Stop G; Petco Park, San Diego’s baseball stadium, which hosted its first game in March of 2004. There’s a lot of interesting art around this area, including the Coming Together Statue by artist Niki de St. Phalle, representing “the light and dark facets of a human personality”. Behind this stands the impressive Coronado Bridge, opened in 1969 to connect San Diego with Coronado. This is the first time I’d been on a trolley tour that had driven along a State Route, and the first time the driver had to stop commentating because it was impossible to hear over the noise!

Coronado (Stop H) is truly a sight to behold. The majestic Hotel del Coronado, Coronado Beach, Centennial Park, and real estate prices that reach up to $25 million make this peninsula one of the most fabulous in the world. Apparently it’s impossible to get gas for less than $4 a gallon though – whatever that means. As we drove around the resort Watson told us a bit about the history of San Diego, and the famous John D. Spreckels who is credited with making San Diego what it is today.

Back across the bridge, we drove amongst the freeway traffic towards Balboa Park, Stop I. Here we saw the stunning Spreckels Organ Pavilion, the San Diego Museum of Man, and learnt about Kate Seesions, the “Mother of Balboa Park”, who planted nearly all of the trees that can be seen there today. Running parallel to the ‘Top Gun Street’, the trolley headed towards Little Italy, which also happened to feature the Mexican Consulate and a British Pub on India Street (go figure).

Past San Diego International Airport, we drove through Old Town where there are a number of interesting museums that you can get in to free with the trolley ticket – as if you needed another reason to get a ticket! The first stop on the tour (if you’re doing it chronologically), is Stop A at Old Town State Historic Park, the most visited State Historic Park in the country. I decided to get off here and have a wander around, discovering that you can do beer, wine, chocolate and olive oil tastings within the park, as well as dining at a number of authentic Mexican restaurants and shopping at countless establishments for gifts and trinkets. There was also a pan-flutist playing such classics as My Heart Will Go On and The Sound Of Silence, if the former wasn’t enough to convince you to pay the park a visit.

Back on the trolley, my next driver was Scotty, who took us back past the airport and the huge Rental Car Center; holding 5,400 cars, trucks and vans. Stop B, the San Diego Embarcadero, was closed due to roadworks on the trolley stop, but here you could get to the USS Midway; a huge aircraft carrier that is now a maritime museum. Stop C was the quaint Seaport Village, where you can catch the San Diego SEAL Tours using a handy $10 discount with your trolley tour ticket, and wander through the many shops and restaurants on the waterfront.

Scotty regaled us with stories of famous films that have been filmed in San Diego (mainly Top Gun) as we cruised towards Stop D; Marriott Marquis and Marina. Here we learned about Alonzo Horton, who developed a great deal of downtown San Diego, and has a statue to commemorate him on Broadway near Horton Plaza Park (Stop D). Back through the Gaslamp Quarter, we just had time to learn why it’s called the Gaslamp Quarter (look for the five-bulb gas lamps on street corners), before we reached Stop E again, meaning I’d done a full loop of the tour.

For me, the best part of Old Town Trolley Tours is that they’re not only a great way to get around the city, they’re also a great way of learning what is worth visiting; something that’s incredibly useful when you have no idea where you are or what to do. The free map provided with the tour is also packed with coupons and discounts, so I finished the day with a half-price glass of wine at Top of the Hyatt, over-looking the entire city from 40-storeys up. The entire tour only lasts two hours, but I now have enough recommendations and ideas to occupy the next three days I’m spending in San Diego!