Shannon L.

King's Inn Hotel

This is a good place to suggest to out of town guests. Prices are cheap, rooms are small but clean and comfortable, and they have a pool and jacuzzi. The Hotel Circle location is fairly convenient for tourist attractions like the Balboa Park and Sea World. It's also not far from Old Town or downtown.

John Stewart Studios

Anyone interested in art should take a stroll down Ray St. in North Park. This is a nice gallery at the end of the street. It is open somewhat inconsistently, but when closed there is generally a sign in the window with a phone number so you can call and arrange to get inside. Their current exhibtion, Wet, has a variety of pieces around the theme of the ocean. Pieces on display vary dramatically in price, but there are affordable pieces available for the average person.

Rancho Coastal Humane Society

This humane society has lots of adorable animals ready to go home with you. The staff is friendly, helpful, and dedicated to matching the right animal with the right people. I can't adopt a dog just yet, but this will be the place to go when I'm ready.

North Park Thursday Night Market

This is a small farmer's market, but there's lots of diffferent stufff available for sale: produce, flowers, t-shirts, jewlery, homemade tamales, empanadas, falafel, hummus, pita bread, etc. Make sure you have cash!

Bridge Personnel Services

I worked for Bridge for about three months and was very pleased with the temp assignments they found for me. The staff at Bridge is courteous and professional, and they do a great job at screening candidates so that businesses get what they need.

Shepstone Ralph F Dds

Ralph Shepstone was my dentist for many years, and it was only because I moved out of state that I stopped seeing him. He's wonderful with both adults and children, and he is not just an outstanding professional, but also a nice guy that you can feel comfortable with. I would absolutely recommend him to anyone looking for a fantastic dentist.

John G Shedd Aquarium

This is a good place for families, and also for people who are just really interested in fish and marine mammals. Some of the older exhibits are not as interesting as the new exhibits, which boasts beluga whales, sting rays, etc. The belugas are not to be missed--they're cute and fun to watch and not many aquariums in the US have them.

Vv2 Geneva Commons Lp

Geneva Commons is a fun place to shop, and it has lots of different stores. It can get fairly crowded, especially around Christmas, but the crowds are worse at lots of other malls, so this is still a good bet. There's ample parking, too.

PROS: Good stores, fun place to shop, some deals to be had
CONS:

Kate Spade

I know it's an outlet store, but I was sort of disappointed with the selection, which was really limited. Obviously Kate Spade bags are expensive, and they are still expensive even with the outlet store markdowns, so don't expect to get a huge bargain.

FLORASTYLE

This flower shop has gorgeous flowers as well as other items, like beautiful and unusual glass bowls, vases, and other decorative goodies. There's no question that their stuff is beautiful, but some of it is a little expensive. Still, it's worth checking out if you're looking for an exceptional gift.