Key things to remember about San Diego: It's not just a city, it's a county. It boasts more than 70 miles of beach, nearly 100 golf courses, the world's largest manmade aquatic park, and the world-famous San Diego Wild Animal Park. The actual city of San Diego is fairly far south—Gaslamp Quarter was where the downtown revitalization effort started and is the hub of nightlife and tourism today. The "business district" and the Embarcadero are within walking distance. Most of the outlying downtown neighborhoods surround Balboa Park. This is a misleading name, as the "park" is actually 1,200 acres encompassing 15 museums, various gardens, a sports complex, landmarks built during two World's Fairs, a golf course, a well-known reflecting pool, and the San Diego Zoo. One attraction that's somewhat out of the way but still numbers in the top ten must-sees is Coronado Island and its landmark Hotel del Coronado.

Though there is a "city proper," San Diego is one of those places where there's no point trying to distinguish where it ends. Likewise, no need to know Pacific Beach from Mission Beach, or National City from Imperial Beach. It's all connected by beaches and boardwalks, highways and bays… and it's all part of the perennially cheery "City with Sol."