BudgetTravel

13. Big Kahuna breakfasts
By mid-morning, there are lines out the door at Pipes Cafe, a surf-themed breakfast spot by the ocean in low-key Cardiff-by-the-Sea (just Cardiff to locals). Inside, surf posters line the walls and boards hang from the ceiling, and there's always a video playing of an epic surfing session at some exotic locale. Surfer girls and guys of all ages, yoga types, and sunbaked retirees gather on the wooden deck for fresh muffins, Hawaiian coffee, pancakes, and breakfast burritos. Cute touch: The sign on the door says "Gone Surfing" when Pipes is closed. 121 Liverpool Dr., Cardiff-by-the-Sea, pipescafe.com, egg burrito $4.

14. Old Town's old inn
Within Old Town, up the hill from the restored mid-1800s village, Heritage Park B&B Inn is itself a renovated 1889 mansion with 12 antique-filled rooms. Besides enjoying afternoon tea and cookies on the veranda, guests can relax while watching the old movies shown nightly. 2470 Heritage Park Row, 800/995-2470, heritageparkinn.com, from $140.

Sunset Cliffs Natural Park (Dave Lauridsen) INTERACTIVE MAP! Explore these San Diego locations • Launch the map

15. Free brew with Shamu
After chasing the kids around at SeaWorld, even the most patient guardian will be ready for a refreshing drink. Luckily, the theme park's corporate owner, Anheuser-Busch, uses the venue to showcase merchandise. At the Hospitality Center, located between the main entrance and Polar Bear Plaza, visitors 21 and up are welcome to two complimentary seven-ounce samples of whatever beers are fresh on tap, including Bud, Rolling Rock, and a changing roster of seasonal (and less familiar) ales and stouts. 800/257-4268, seaworld.com.

16. Empanadahhhhhs!
The local Mexican-bakery delicacy is a flaky empanada filled with sweet gooey jelly in flavors like pumpkin, apricot, guava, and strawberry. One of the best such spots, Panchita's Bakery, in a strip mall a few minutes' drive east of downtown, sells the treats for 75¢ apiece. Each patron grabs a circular metal tray from the counter and uses tongs to load up at the shelves brimming with all sorts of pastries and breads. 2519 C St., 619/232-6662.

17. The freshest thing in town
That's the motto at Point Loma Seafoods, a no-frills market and restaurant where the dining area consists of concrete outdoor tables overlooking the marina. The inside has the appearance of a New York deli, but the guys in splattered aprons serve fish tacos, sushi, and squid instead of pastrami and corned beef. The food is delicious--and cheap, since you're not paying extra for atmosphere. 2805 Emerson St., Point Loma, 619/223-1109, plsf.com, fish sandwich $6.50.

18. Peaceful sunsets
For a world-class sunset, go to the place named for it, Sunset Cliffs Natural Park. From high atop craggy rocks, the ocean and sky seem endless, and the light is extra dramatic. Don't leave without walking along Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and checking out the five-foot-high peace sign, 40 feet above the sea on a rock, near Froude Street. The artwork appeared mysteriously last spring, and while it's illegal, people like it so much that no one has taken it down. "The goal was to make the piece 'organic' to the surroundings, as if it had sprung from the ocean," the anonymous artist says at peacerocks.info. "Mostly, it was intended to reflect whatever peaceful insights and wishes each viewer projected upon it."

19. Watch for signs
San Diego is a sprawling city of neighborhoods, most of which have prominent signs arched over the main street that make it clear whether you're in Little Italy, North Park, the Gaslamp Quarter, Hillcrest, or elsewhere.

20. Bridges from the past
West of Balboa Park, in Hillcrest, two pedestrian bridges provide lovely treetop views. The bridges--a 236-foot wooden trestle at Quince Street and Third Avenue, and this wiggly, 375-foot suspension bridge at Spruce Street near First Avenue--opened in 1905 and 1912, respectively, to connect isolated, hilly neighborhoods to trolley lines.

21. Suite park-front lodging
After a 2006, $3 million renovation, Park Manor Suites hotel should be on visitors' radar. Small groups in particular like the simple, spacious rooms, which range from 525-square-foot studios to 1,100-square-foot two-bedroom units. (None have air-conditioning, however.) Breakfast in the 1926 building--named a historic site by San Diego in 1991--is served on the top floor, with views of downtown, the bay, and, right across the street, Balboa Park. 525 Spruce St., 800/874-2649, parkmanorsuites.com, from $109.

22. Flights of Fanta
Cecil Ogles has been making model airplanes for more than 60 years and flying real ones for almost as long. Two decades ago, he began crafting airplanes, helicopters, and blimps out of aluminum cans and created a business: RecycleFlyers. Like many Navy veterans, Ogles lives in Coronado. On holiday weekends, he's a fixture on main thoroughfare Orange Avenue, near Sixth Street; he can also sometimes be found at Balboa Park, on Presidents Way. (Call or e-mail him to find out his schedule.) Sporting a stiff baseball cap and skin that's absorbed too much sun, Ogles sits behind a dozen or so Dr. Pepper, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Tecate, and Mug Root Beer planes with propellers spinning in the breeze to attract business. "Some of the planes are harder to plan and build than others," says Ogles. "The trick is to get the labels to line up just right." 619/435-0849, recycleflyers.com, $34-$200.

23. Even commuting is a pleasure
The Coaster, San Diego's commuter train line, is a surprising treat. Departing the north county town of Oceanside, the extraordinarily clean double-deckers chug south toward downtown San Diego, and at times they run close enough to the Pacific Ocean that passengers can spot surfers in wet suits squinting into the sun. More than a few commuters have been known to get off the train and call in sick after being tempted by the waves rolling in at Del Mar or Solana Beach. 760/966-6500, gonctd.com.

24. Its worst 'hood is now red-hot
Back in the late 1800s, San Diego's Stingaree district was a wild place--even the legendary gunslinger Wyatt Earp lived there. Later, it went through a seedy, urban-jungle phase. In recent years, the Gaslamp Quarter, as it's been renamed, has taken a swift turn upscale, with an influx of cigar bars, swanky nightclubs, upscale hotels, and fine restaurants. Weekdays after work and all day on weekends, locals and tourists pack the main drag, Fifth Avenue, to eat, imbibe, shop, and socialize. The neighborhood isn't only a place to carouse: The downtown population has nearly doubled since 2000, and cranes and new condos around every corner reveal a hot real estate market. We like the revitalized Gaslamp Quarter so much, we dedicated an entire story to the neighborhood in February 2007. You can find it at our website, BudgetTravelOnline.com.

25. Ray at Night
On the second Saturday of every month, the stores and restaurants located along narrow Ray Street in North Park keep their doors open late into the evening for what's known as the Ray at Night art walk. Galleries participate, of course, but so do many coffee shops, bars, and yoga studios, which stage artists' exhibits in a friendly atmosphere. Impromptu jazz sessions, buskers' performances, and poetry slams draw crowds of spectators to a parking lot on Ray.rayatnightartwalk.com.