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.
     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.

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.
     The Transit Store, downtown on Broadway at 1st Avenue, sells money-saving passes and multi-ride tickets for buses and trolleys and provides maps, schedules and brochures Mon.-Fri. 9-5. For further information phone (619) 234-1060.
     The Regional Transit Information Office, (619) 233-3004, can provide additional assistance, or for recorded trolley information phone (619) 685-4900 or (800) 266-6883 in northern San Diego County. For the hearing-impaired phone (619) 234-5005 or (888) 722-4889 in northern San Diego County.

By Car
     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.

By Air
     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.
     The entrance ramp for I-5 south is beyond State Street, before reaching the overpass. I-5 south affords access to Balboa Park, SR 94 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Freeway), Coronado and the U.S. Naval Air Station (via the San Diego-Coronado Bridge), and National City, Chula Vista and San Ysidro.
     If you hail a cab, expect to pay approximately $10 (including tip) for the 10-minute ride to the downtown area. The San Diego Transit Corporation's bus #992 provides frequent service to downtown for $2.25; phone (619) 233-3004 or (619) 685-4900. Airport shuttles charge around $10 for a ride to the downtown hotels.
     San Diego County is served by major rental car agencies. Arrangements should be made before you leave on your trip; your local AAA club can provide this assistance or additional information. Hertz, at the airport, offers discounts to AAA members; phone (619) 220-5222 or (800) 654-3080. For listings of other agencies check the telephone directory.

Rail Service
     Amtrak, (800) 872-7245, rolls from the historic Santa Fe Depot at C Street and Kettner Boulevard, north of Seaport Village in downtown San Diego. Amtrak provides daily service, including several departures to Los Angeles. The Coaster is a commuter rail service from Oceanside to downtown San Diego; phone (800) 262-7837.

Buses
     Greyhound Lines Inc., (619) 239-3266 or (800) 231-2222, has a depot at 1st Avenue and Broadway. Greyhound buses and Five Star Tours' eight-passenger shuttles, (619) 232-5040, offer service to downtown Tijuana, Mexico; reservations are required 24 hours in advance.