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Find the Best Things to Do in Pacific Beach
By Katie Dillon
San Diego Local Expert
About Pacific Beach
Just south of La Jolla is a beach community inhabited mostly by college students and young professionals. Uber-casual bars and shops line the west end of Garnet. Bikes, surfers, and residents donning bathing suits year-round cruise the streets and the beach boardwalk.
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See & Do
The neighborhood of Pacific Beach skews to college students and young professionals, so these are the folks you'll see sunbathing, surfing and frolicking on the beach. Tourmaline is a popular surfing spot where in other areas you can just ride your bike to the boardwalk and pick a spot to lay your towel.
Eat
One thing Pacific Beach restaurants excel at is filling, reasonably-priced breakfast. World Famous makes a mean eggs Benedict and Bloody Mary combo only made better by dining on the patio next to the Pacific Beach boardwalk. Or, head to Kono's for a Hawaiian-themed breakfast, served all day long. Don't worry, the lines at Kono's move fast.
Party
A number of bars line Garnet Avenue and Mission Boulevard, but they also tend to skew toward young professionals and college students, like Pacific Beach Bar and Grill. A handful of microbreweries and the upscale JRDN call Pacific Beach home, but nightlife is casual and cheap, for the most part.
Stay
Pacific Beach accommodations include mostly inns and motels, however, Tower 23 Hotel is the exception. Fall asleep with ocean breezes in a room bordering the Pacific Beach boardwalk. Sunsets can be enjoyed in the minimalistic, ocean view rooms that offer everything from in-room massages to Tempur-pedic beds. Hotel WiFi is supposedly accessible from the beach, should you dare risk sand in your keyboard.
Shop
The shopping reflects the personality of this eclectic beach town. Casual beachwear is everywhere in Pacific Beach, however, other finds from thrift shops to water pipes can be bought on Garnet Avenue. A handful of brand name stores such as Sketchers and American Apparel are mixed in, but a popular favorite is Pangaea Outpost where 70 different local artisans are housed under one roof.