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I recently traveled to San Diego for a 2-day business trip. In spite of my daylong meetings I did manage to get out and about for a bit of sightseeing. San Diego is known for it\u2019s warm clear weather and picturesque beaches; all was in effect during my visit.<\/p>\n
It really is a joy being in that city for a few days just to wander about and relax, but after 3 days or so I find myself anxious to leave. I do not recommend it as a travel destination for out-of-state visitors. I will share my biases and perceptions in a moment and perhaps readers will understand why I say head for the highway after a few days.<\/p>\n
San Diego offers the perfect get-away particularly if one is already in Southern California. Amtrak has a regular schedule from Los Angeles to San Diego and it is a scenic ride. The beaches in the nearby city of La Jolla particularly La Jolla cove can be downright seductive at sunset and hiking in San Diego County a fun adventure.<\/p>\n
The city centre is well laid out on a grid, has excellent public art installations, and several blocks of restaurants with alfresco dining in the Gaslamp Quarter. Baseball fans have easy access to Petco Park also located in the Gaslamp Quarter. My favorite area is on the waterfront where the Maritime Museum is located.<\/p>\n
The city is very accessible by public transportation including a trolley system that transverses the city and goes directly to the Mexican border. It is quite common for visitors to take a day trip to Tijuana for touristy fun and frolic. Visitors can take the blue line to the border pass through border control and literally walk across a footbridge into Mexico.
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When I was growing up in Los Angeles in the mid-60\u2019s Tijuana had an aura of carefree and wild abandonment, a party destination. I think over the last few decades it\u2019s viewed now as just a big sweatshop labor conduit for North American Free Trade Association businesses and a playground for drunken tourists.<\/p>\n
I want to caution the uninitiated who may be swayed by all the party hype; and go there to get inebriated on the endless flow of inexpensive tequila, margaritas and perhaps marijuana and then find themselves in dangerous and risky situations. Be forewarned, women are routinely sexually assaulted and\/or robbed in Tijuana. Don\u2019t expect the Tijuana police or local residents to come to your aid.<\/p>\n
Okay what is it about San Diego that makes me want to leave after a few days? \u201cThe Military\u201d. The military presence, military heritage, military facilities and military civic influence are just too damn much for me.<\/p>\n
I visited the University of California San Diego campus, which by the ways spans over 1200 acres\u2014land donated by the military. I took a stroll from my hotel to the harbor and was enjoying viewing the historic boats until I saw a docked submarine as part of the collection. I went to check out the ballpark and to learn a thing or too about the Padres team. Lo and behold the Padres are billed as \u201cThe Team of the Military\u201d.<\/p>\n
I decided to take the 25-30 minute walk back from the Gaslamp Quarter to my hotel so that I could check out side streets. What I observed all up down a particular street for at least a 1\/4-mile were military personnel with erections and local hustlers looking for tricks. I purposely did not visit the popular Balboa Park on this trip because I remember it as a major gay cruise spot with men ducking into bushes barely out of sight engaged in fellatio.
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\nThe disparity between the have and have-nots particularly amongst the immigrant communities is painful to observe. In addition to Mexicans I noticed a visual number of Eritrean, Ethiopians and Somalis on this trip. There are economically poor folks in every American urban center but San Diego works my nerves because of the long history of conservative politics and hostility towards people of color communities. And, all this race and class fuckary and foolishness spills over into queer communities.<\/p>\n
Oh yeah now it\u2019s all coming back. I haven\u2019t visited S.D. in many years and most likely won\u2019t return anytime soon. But hey these are my perceptions and biases. I know of lesbians of African descent who have lived in San Diego County for many years and some who are considering moving there in the near future.<\/p>\n
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Visitors to Southern California may consider taking a side trip just to check it out.<\/p>\n
San Diego Attractions<\/a> | San Diego Visitors Information<\/a><\/p>\n