North Park and Balboa Park, San Diego

This area of San Diego served as our home for many years, and we think it's simply the most delightful part of the city. Park Villa sits on a storybook tiny street beside Balboa Park, a walk or a short rideshare from North Park's restaurants, cafes and shops.

Where to eat and drink

• 🐠 Mabel's Gone Fishing (opens in a new tab) is a Michelin-recognized, Spanish-inspired gin-and-seafood restaurant with local ingredients and excellent cooking.
• 🍕 Tribute Pizza (opens in a new tab) slings pies of many styles, each an homage to a famous pizza elsewhere in the world.
• 🇹🇭 Soi on 30th (opens in a new tab), a short walk from the house, serves great Thai food. Try the I-Sann sausage!
• 🍣 SoCal Sushi on Adams Avenue in Normal Heights is our favorite sushi in a city full of great choices.
• 🍷 The Rose (opens in a new tab) is our go-to for low-intervention wine, fresh oysters and South American-inflected bistro cooking, with a well-curated selection of bottles to go.
• 🍞 Secret Sister (opens in a new tab), next to The Rose, bakes marvelous sourdough loaves and pastries. The donuts are a favorite.
• 🥂 Clos in University Heights sells wine and an extensive selection of tinned fish, with more in a special room in the basement. Ask to see it!
• 🧀 Venissimo (opens in a new tab), inside Bottlecraft at 30th and University, sells cheese and cured meats.
• ☕️ Genteel (opens in a new tab), on Villa Terrace and University Avenue, is our favorite coffee and the closest to the house.

Outdoors

• 🎾 Balboa Park (opens in a new tab)'s tennis courts, swimming pool, disc golf course and trails are four blocks away.
• 🛝 With little ones, try the playground on the Sixth Avenue side of Balboa Park, with lunch at Panama 66 (opens in a new tab) among the park's architecture.
• ⛱️ Coronado's beach is popular for a reason: the waves are usually calm enough for little ones, it's accessible, and the historic Hotel del Coronado (opens in a new tab) is right there for a drink and a snack.
• 🦭 La Jolla Shores is wide, with calm waves and a playground, and El Pescador (opens in a new tab) is our lunch spot there for fish tacos.
• 👶 Toddler's Travels (opens in a new tab), a local company, rents every piece of kids' gear imaginable, beach gear included, from a warehouse across from the airport's rental car center. They'll deliver for a fee.

How far it is

• 🎾 Balboa Park (opens in a new tab) and the Balboa Tennis Club (opens in a new tab) → 4 blocks
• 🐼 San Diego Zoo (opens in a new tab) → 1.2 miles
• ⚾️ Petco Park (opens in a new tab) → 3.7 miles
• ⚽️ Snapdragon Stadium (opens in a new tab) → 4.0 miles
• 🦸 San Diego Convention Center (opens in a new tab) (Comic-Con) → 4.4 miles
• 🏖️ Hotel del Coronado (opens in a new tab) and the beach → 7.0 miles
• ⛵️ Mission Bay Park (opens in a new tab) → 9.4 miles

Getting around

• 🚶 You can have a great stay on foot with the occasional rideshare. Restaurants, shops, coffee and all of Balboa Park and Morley Field (opens in a new tab) are a short walk away.
• 🚙 For destinations further afield, you may want a car. There's a space in the driveway and free parking on the street.