Our family trip to San Diego was intentionally a pretty low-key affair, with several half-day rambles to nearby attractions and neighborhoods that offered points of interest to everyone in our party, from our two-year-old granddaughter to we senior citizens. One morning we drove over to Coronado and cruised around a bit, found a fun playground for June and then visited Coronado Brewing Company’s Coronado Brew Pub for some cold ones and a casual, kid-friendly lunch.

Another afternoon we ventured just a few miles up the coast to visit the lovely village of La Jolla. Even on a mid-week afternoon, parking was a bit of a challenge, but we found a spot and then stopped for some delicious and much-lauded icy treats at Bobboi Natural Gelato.   From there we had a lovely view down the hill to our next stop: Scripps Park and La Jolla Cove.   The bay and sea cliffs and caves rimming La Jolla make the area popular with kayakers, snorkelers and scuba divers, while the park and cove provide pleasant spaces to picnic, romp and splash in protected waters. We made our way down a paved path, past a lifeguard station to the cove where seals and sea lions lolled on the rocks and swam in the water not far from human swimmers. It proved a lovely spot to enjoy a warm afternoon and spend time surrounded by nature.

We also visited Belmont Park, an historic Mission Beach amusement park that first opened in 1925. At that time the two main attractions were the Giant Dipper roller coaster and the Natatorium, then the world’s largest salt-water pool. Over the decades the park fell into disrepair and eventually closed, but in the late ’80s developers turned much of the space into a commercial shopping center, and the Big Dipper, named as a National Landmark, was restored and reopened. The original Natatorium underwent major changes as well, and today it houses the popular indoor Plunge pool complex and an athletic club. We first stopped by on a weekday morning, when things were pretty quiet, and June didn’t have to wait at all for a ride on the old-fashioned carousel. When we returned on a late Friday afternoon to swim at the pool, all the rides were buzzing, there was a line at the rock-climbing wall and zip line, and a musical act was warming up on an outdoor stage. The mix of old-school amusement park, modern shopping center and entertainment complex (along with lots of free parking) clearly is a popular combination.

Our first visit to Belmont Park ended with lunch at Cannonball,    an Asian fusion restaurant with an enviable location directly above the sands   and overlooking the Pacific. Most of the seating is outdoors,   and although it was pretty quiet that afternoon,    we got the sense this was a popular spot come evening. I got a kick out of the murals in the restrooms, featuring vintage Jantzen swimwear advertisements (Jantzen was a pioneering swimwear company founded in Portland, Oregon, my hometown.).

Cannonball has more to recommend it than a great location and funky décor, however. We were impressed with their sushi and seafood as well. We shared a few platters of their rolls . . . check out these gorgeous Oishii rolls, featuring soft-shell crab, spicy crab, fresh tuna, avocado, cilantro and red tobiko.   I ordered a very generously portioned bowl of ceviche packed with shrimp, avocado, cucumber and pico de gallo, and Harry raved about his salmon fish tacos.   All the seafood was so fresh, and every dish was bursting with color and bright flavors. At the same time, we were impressed that our server was so helpful in providing the youngest member of our party with child-friendly food, a sippy cup and crayons for entertainment. It really got high marks all the way around.

San Diego offers so much to visitors of every age and interest; our one-week trip only allowed us to skim the surface of its treasures.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor