how old are the kids?


if i'm concentrating on the del mar area...some faves in no particular order...

1. rimel's restaurant in the del mar highlands shopping center east of the 5 fwy intersection of del mar heights/el camino real. exhibition grill keeps the kids interested.
good food, big menu, some decent local beers on tap. also next to cinepolis which is cushy movie viewing. a little more expensive but without the teenyboppers.

2. the fish market on via del valle/jimmy durante. family friendly. do not miss the smoked fish appetizers. if you like seafood, the fish market is the place.

3. torrey pines state beach and torrey pines reserve. if you do only one thing with the family, walk up the road into the torrey pines state reserve & do the "guy fleming" trail loop
and then take the "beach trail" westward at the top of the hill down to the torrey pines state beach and head right/north back to the car. about 4 miles round trip.
truly magical and possibly the single best thing we have in the whole damn county. even better than all the beer. yes i just said that.

4. del mar plaza at the intersection of 15th st and camino del mar (the coastal hwy). some cool restos. cool ocean view from the top in adirondack chairs.

5. del mar pizza on 15th st just south of del mar plaza towards the ocean. some good ny style pizza.

6. board & brew sandwiches approx 4 blocks south of del mar plaza on camino del mar (west/ocean side of street). awesome sandos. go early or late because the local high school
crushes the place at lunchtime.

7. the aforementioned pizza port in solana beach. family friendly. good, herbaceous pizza. arguably the best local beer selection you'll find in the area. a block from fletcher cove which is
a great place for a family walk, regardless of the kiddos ages.

8. cedros avenue-directly across the street from pizza port and chock full of designer shops, bistros, home furnishings and whatnot. my 2nd favorite street in the entire county for walking
just behind india street in little italy near d-town san diego. cedros ave. is a must-do...just behind the torrey pines excursion.

9. fidel's for mexican food on the corner of valley & genevieve. do it. you won't be disappointed.

10. torrey pines glider port on torrey pines scenic drive just off of torrey pines road. always fun watching the gliders cruise the cliffs!

11. salk institute-directly next to the glider port. if you are a modern architecture fan, it is quite possibly sd county's most important architectural site. the view along the travertine plaza
betwixt the symmetrical buildings along the water channel directly looking towards the pacific does not suck. especially at sunset.

12. university of california-san diego (ucsd)-again...if you like architecture/art, there's the sun god, the balancing house, the snake path, the talking tree, the dr. seuss library, the price plaza
and the eucalyptus forest. there's also an arcade and a round table pizza place (both at price plaza) that serves decent beer. porter's pub (hidden in muir college) has an excellent selection of brewhas.

13. the counter-in del mar highlands shopping center (el camino real/del mar heights) for burgers. anxiety-inducing amount of toppings/potential burger combinations.

if the kiddos are teenagers, you gotta head southeast off miramar road to miramar speed circuit which has indoor go-cart racing. about 10 mins away and is in very close proximity to green flash and alesmith brewing tasting rooms. so dangerous!

damn...never realized how awesome del mar/solana beach is for a little getaway! hope this helps. all of these places are within a 10 minute drive (mostly less) of the del mar marriott.

since you are bringing the bike, you simply must ride the torrey pines grade..one time through the state reserve and one time along the main coastal highway. it is now verboten to descend
the grade inside the state reserve (just sayin). so ride up it inside the state reserve, it's steeper but levels out quicker. along the coast highway, it's a very consistent grade and a fun 1.6 miles...descend the coast highway, then ascend it and descend it again. a blast.