America's Favorite Cities 2008 | San Diego | Travel + Leisure

San Diego

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Ideal weather (No. 2), attractive people (No. 2), and access to the outdoors (No. 3) make for a perfect family vacation (No. 2) and relaxing retreat (No. 4).

Best Feature

Spring Break (#1)

Worst Feature

Affordability (#19)
Culture
Category Score (out of 5) Rank (out of 25)
Classical music 3.71 12
Historical sites/monuments 4.02 14
Live music/bands 4.21 16
Museums/galleries 4.11 12
Theater 3.83 16
Food/dining
Category Score (out of 5) Rank (out of 25)
Cafés/coffee bars 4.27 10
Destination restaurants 4.39 12
Ethnic food/cheap eats 4.31 12
Farmers’ and specialty food markets 4.01 11
Holiday travel
Category Score (out of 5) Rank (out of 25)
Spring Break 4.50 1
Summer Vacation 4.61 2
Thanksgiving 4.26 3
Winter/Christmas 4.40 4
Nightlife
Category Score (out of 5) Rank (out of 25)
Cocktail hour/lounge scene 4.41 9
Late-night/club scene 4.27 10
Singles/bar scene 4.37 8
People
Category Score (out of 5) Rank (out of 25)
Athletic/active 4.51 4
Attractive 4.42 2
Diverse 4.34 9
Friendly 4.16 12
Intelligent 4.04 13
Stylish 4.08 7
Quality of life & visitor experience
Category Score (out of 5) Rank (out of 25)
Affordability 2.79 19
Cleanliness 4.32 4
Environmental awareness 4.19 9
Noteworthy neighborhoods 4.21 10
Peace and quiet 4.17 5
People-watching 4.33 10
Public parks and access to the outdoors 4.66 3
Public transportation and pedestrian friendliness 3.86 12
Safety 3.86 8
Skyline/views 4.43 7
Traffic 3.12 10
Weather 4.85 2
Shopping
Category Score (out of 5) Rank (out of 25)
Antique stores 3.80 17
Art galleries 4.05 16
Local boutiques 4.27 14
Luxury boutiques 4.23 10
Vintage stores/flea markets 3.85 14
Type of trip
Category Score (out of 5) Rank (out of 25)
Active/adventure vacation 4.37 5
Cultural getaway 3.87 16
Family vacation 4.63 2
Relaxing retreat 4.51 4
Romantic escape 4.52 5
Wild weekend 4.16 9

+ See T+L's San Diego guide