Who can beat late summer in southern California? Cool, cloudy mornings with perfect sunny afternoons. The weather is nearly like clockwork this time of the year. Almost on cue, the clouds part and the sun burns off the last few wisps of haze by 11 am. The afternoon turns perfectly lazy and warm.
What kind of a So Cal weekend are you looking for? We have had the pure pleasure of two weekends out of three late the summer weekends and have enjoyed both although very different locations and plans.
The first weekend we stayed on Harbor Island. We quite literally walked from the airport terminal to the “island” and to our Airbnb in the Marina Cortez. It is an easy 20-minute walk with a bit of traffic but only one traffic light on the route.
During this visit we decided to use public transportation for our 4 days to see how efficient or convenient we found it to be. In the past, we have driven or rented cars and found parking to rarely be easy or free in San Diego.
Unfortunately, the buses did not run on the weekends along North Harbor Drive to easily catch the bus into the Downtown, Marina and Gaslamp areas. We were able to walk back to the airport to find the frequent buses (Route #992) to connect you to the Santa Fe station. This will open up the city with the 3 Trolley lines, two Rapid lines, Amtrak and Coaster, etc.
The Compass card is a re-loadable fare card that makes traveling on the bus and trolley lines swift and convenient. Once you pay the $2.00 fee for the card itself you reload it at designated kiosk or online.
https://compasscard.511sd.com/webtix/
As you enter the bus or trolley there is a well-marked panel that will allow you to swipe the card and determine the available balance on the card. Keep this card for all future trips to San Diego as they are re-loadable for 5 years. The cost of each ride is $2.50 on the MTS Trolley and $2.25 on the MTS Bus.
Although we found the card easy to use and the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) system easy to navigate, it can be a wide reaching system and does have as many routes although the bus stops or trolley stops seem far from each other and require a walk.
On this sunny warm and low paced weekend, we appreciated the use of the MTS system. With the added use of ride share options, San Diego could be easily navigated without a car.