Visitor Information--There are staffed information booths at airport terminals, the train station, and the cruise-ship terminal.
In downtown San Diego, the Convention & Visitors Bureau's International Visitor Information Center (tel. 619/236-1212; www.sandiego.org) is downtown at 11 Horton Plaza, at First Avenue and F Street. The glossy Official Visitors Pocket Guide includes information on accommodations, dining, activities, attractions, tours, and transportation, and be sure to ask for the San Diego Travel Values pamphlet, which is full of money-saving coupons for hotels, restaurants, and attractions. The center is open Monday through Saturday from 8:30am to 5pm year-round and Sunday from 11am to 5pm, June through August; it is closed major holidays. There is also a walk-up only facility at the La Jolla Visitor Center, 7966 Herschel Ave., near the corner of Prospect St. This office is open daily in summer, from 10am to 7pm; from mid-September to mid-June the center is open daily except Wednesday, from 10am to 5pm.
If you're driving into town, the Mission Bay Visitor Information Center, 2688 Mission Bay Dr. (tel. 619/276-8200; www.infosandiego.com), is conveniently located next to the I-5, at the Clairemont Drive exit. This private facility books hotels and sells discounted admission tickets to a variety of attractions. There's plenty of parking; stop in between 9am and dusk.
The Coronado Visitors Center, 1100 Orange Ave. (tel. 619/437-8788; www.coronadovisitors.com), dispenses maps, newsletters, and information-packed brochures. Located inside the Coronado Museum, they're open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, Saturday from 10am to 5pm, and Sunday from 11am to 4pm.
San Diego has two major print publications. The daily San Diego Union-Tribune is a rah-rah booster of all things local, especially when it involves spectator sports or pouring cement for the local teams. The leading "alternative" publication, the San Diego Weekly Reader, is alternative only in the sense that it rains on most any parade, especially if it involves the Union-Tribune. But for local nightlife and entertainment, comprehensive listings are found in the Reader, free and published on Thursdays and available all over the city at bookstores, cafes, liquor stores, and other outlets. The Union-Tribune publishes a weekly entertainment supplement called "Night and Day," also on Thursdays.
Street Maps--The International Visitor Information Center, at First Avenue and F Street (tel. 619/236-1212), provides an illustrated pocket map, as well as the San Diego Visitors Pocket Guide, which includes map inserts. Also available are maps of the 59-mile scenic drive around San Diego, the Gaslamp Quarter, Tijuana, San Diego's public transportation, and a "Campgrounds and Recreation" map for the county.
The Automobile Club of Southern California has 10 San Diego offices (tel. 619/233-1000). It distributes great maps, which are free to AAA members and to members of many international auto clubs, and sells auto insurance for those driving within Mexico.
Car-rental outfits usually offer maps of the city that show the freeways and major streets, and hotels often provide complimentary maps of the downtown area. You can buy maps of the city and vicinity at Le Travel Store at 745 Fourth Ave., downtown (tel. 619/544-0005). The Transit Store, 102 Broadway, at First Avenue (tel. 619/233-3004), is a storehouse of bus and trolley maps, with a friendly staff on duty to answer specific questions.
If you're moving to San Diego or plan to spend an extended period here, I recommend the Thomas Bros. Guide, available at bookstores, drugstores, and large supermarkets for $27, or by calling (tel. 800/899-6277). This all-encompassing book of maps deciphers San Diego County street by street, and includes a CD-ROM version.
