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Britt Scripps Inn (Map; 619-230-1991, 888-881-1991; www.brittscripps.com; 406 Maple St; r incl breakfast from $200; wi-fi) This nine-room Victorian belle just off Balboa Park offers a rare alchemy of high-tech and tradition. Vintage fixtures and furnishings seamlessly pair with flat-screen TVs and high-speed internet. Rates (which can rise steeply in peak season) include a wine-and-cheese reception in the cozy parlor.

Camping

KOA (Map; 619-427-3601, 800-562-9877; www.koa.com; 111 N 2nd Ave; campsites $41-53, RV sites $51-76, cabins $75-95; wi-fi) In Chula Vista, about 8 miles southeast of downtown San Diego, the KOA has good camping facilities for families like a pool and bike rental, plus a Jacuzzi for mom and dad.

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EATING

Despite its border location, San Diego’s food scene doesn’t have the ethnic breadth of LA’s. Still, you’ll find some of America’s top tables from Downtown to La Jolla and beyond. And some of the less expensive options are fun and satisfying. Make reservations whenever possible, especially on weekends.

Gaslamp Quarter

There are some 100 restaurants in the Gaslamp, many of them very good. Some have bar scenes that run well into the night.

BUDGET

Cafe Lulu (Map; 619-238-0114; 419 F St; light meals $4-8; 9am-1am Sun-Thu, to 2:30am Fri & Sat) Linger over lattes or muse over merlot at this hip café, and refuel on sandwiches, cheeseboards and cakes. Outside seating.

Cheese Shop (Map; 619-232-2303; 627 4th Ave; mains breakfast $3-9, lunch $6-9; breakfast & lunch; ) Less actual cheese shop than old-fashioned luncheonette, with long wooden counter, cozy booths and brick walls. Breakfasts are classics (have the corned-beef hash and you won’t eat until dinner), or try the overstuffed sandwiches or house-roasted pork loin at lunch – never mind the apathetic service we received here.

Café 222 (Map; 619-236-9902; 222 Island Ave; mains $6-12; 7am-1:45pm; ) Downtown’s favorite breakfast place serves renowned pumpkin waffles, buttermilk, orange-pecan or granola pancakes, and eggs in scrambles or benedicts. They also sell lunchtime sandwiches and salads, but we always go for breakfast (available until closing).

Dick’s Last Resort (Map; 619-231-9100; 345 4th Ave; mains $7-16; 11am-1:30am) At Dick’s, a legendary indoor-outdoor place with a riotously fun atmosphere, you can carry on in full voice while guzzling beer and chowing down on pork ribs, fried chicken and fish. None of the other revelers will care a whit.

Ghirardelli Soda Fountain & Chocolate Shop (Map; 619-234-2449; 643 5th Ave; ice cream $3-7; 11am-11pm Sun-Thu, 11am-midnight Fri-Sun; ) Get jacked on sugar at this old-fashioned ice-cream parlor.

MIDRANGE & TOP END

Red Pearl Kitchen (Map; 619-231-1100; 440 J St; small dishes $7-19; 5pm-2am) Orange County’s restaurateurs of record, Tim and Liza Goodell, have opened this slick and chic Pan-Asian tapas bar, from dim sum to dessert: chicken-ginger pot stickers, miso-glazed salmon, shaking Kobe beef with papaya and mint… Late-night menu too.

Gaslamp Strip Club (Map; 619-231-3140; 340 5th Ave; mains $14-24; dinner) Pull your own bottle from the wine vault, then char your own favorite cut of steak, chicken or fish on the open grills in the retro-Vegas dining room at Downtown’s best bargain for steak. No bottle costs more than $36, no steak more than $24. Fab, creative martinis, and ‘pin-up’ art by Alberto Vargas. Tons of fun. No one under 21 allowed.

Bandar (Map; 619-238-0101; 825 4th Ave; mains lunch $8-14, dinner $14-26) Exotic spices and fragrant cooking make this white-tablecloth Persian–Middle Eastern a favorite for giant kebabs and salads that zing with flavor. Come hungry: portions are huge.

Bondi (Map; 619-342-0212; 333 5th Ave; mains breakfast $4-12, lunch $10-16, dinner $14-34; 8am-2am) Iron ore, Australian rosewood and a steel baobab tree are your backdrop for inventive cooking inspired by Down Under. Try the ricotta hotcakes for breakfast (with grilled banana, honeycomb and more), or, later, barbecued jumbo prawns, chargrilled rack of