Coronado, CA (without a car)

Is it out of the question for you to rent a car, or would you prefer not to rent a car?

Because the easy answer is to rent a car if this is at all possible. In the long run, this is going to be the cheapest way as taking other transit will quickly outstrip whatever you will spend on a rental.

A second solution is to find a BA in SD and bring some delicious Oregon beverages in exchange for a guided auto tour of SD's finest craft beer spots. I'm sure someone here would be down for that.

 

My ex lived on the fake island... and its pretty bland compared to the rest of SD. Favorite place for best taps, cocktails, and food is Leroy's Kitchen. I would probably go there every night in Coronado if it were up to me. Also truly enjoy the food, wine, and service at Sapori (Italian). I have no reason to go to Coronado much anymore but those were the only places that ever stood out. Take the ferry downtown for anything more exciting.

 

You get free trolley passes with the Amtrack ticket so that helps. Krisp is a great bottle shop to load up on goods for the hotel. From the Santa Fe Depot you can hop on the orange line (double check that) and get off at the Fifth Avenue stop. That's about two blocks from Krisp. Loews is way the hell out there. I'd take the ferry across and do dinner at Neighborhood.

 

Also, Bottlecraft in Little Italy is relatively close to Santa Fe Depot. Maybe someone knows if there's a trolley station near little Italy.

 

^^ There sure is! The Green Line runs through Little Italy ^^

 

LA and San Diego, both without a car? You, sir, are a glutton for punishment, or in the least you like a challenge.

Some good advice here. Leroy's is within a 5 minute walk of your hotel, so that definitely will be your go to place w/o a car. Coronado Brewing is on the other side of the "island" and is a long trek by foot, but the shuttle might run you there and do pickups.

The neighborhood around Krisp is *not* that sketchy. Sure, there are a few unsavory characters and plenty of homeless, but it is busy enough that you aren't taking a risk walking around there in the early evening. After bar time, I *might* be a bit concerned, but they close before that anyway. I'd take a cab back from Krisp if I had too many bottles, though - just too big of a potential for a bottle accident walking around.

 

They always have some really solid stuff. The place has really cool atmosphere as well. I prefer it at lunch when they open the windows, but it's fun at night too. I've always had awesome food there too.

 

Now, I am stabbing in the dark here, but could you street park a rental car near your hotel? Like others have said, a car would be really helpful.

 

You are correct, though if that photo were taken on a weekend day in the summer, it will look extra bad. I'm pretty sure one can not park overnight in Coronado unless you have a local permit.

I got confused - mixed up Loews with Hotel Del. Leroy's is not entirely walkable from Loews; in fact nothing probably is. It is a short car/shuttle ride, though.

One thing to consider - if you want to do a day rental of a car, there are a handful of local offices just up in Coronado. This might make sense if you had an entire day free to yourself. Or you could do, GASP, one of those brewhop type of tours.

 

The Hotel Del is awesome in all ways except beer.

 

Marina Kitchen inside the Marriott, just take ferry over.

 

You can take the #2 bus from downtown to Hamilton's or Toronado. I think zipcar and car2go operate car rental by the hour.

 

We take the train down to Diego once or twice a year and hitting up worthy spots without a car is not a problem.

Coronado Brewing Co on the island makes some good beer, and tasty food.

The ferry, the trolley, and the #2 bus are your friends. Ferry rides at night with the downtown lights reflecting off the water are particularly enjoyable. The 3 trolleys form a circle around the downtown area, so there is always one to hop on. #2 bus goes directly from the Ferry landing to Hamiltons (20 mins) and Toronado (30 mins).

In the downtown/Gaslamp area, Neighborhood is a good suggestion. Also, Downtown Johnny Browns often has some great stuff on tap. DTJBs can be hard to find - walk into the Civic Center complex and it is between all the big buildings.

There's a Yardhouse @ Broadway and 4th. Haven't been to this place yet, but looks like a decent taplist.

There's a ton of stuff I'm missing - lots of places to eat and drink down there. Have fun!

 

Just go to McP's Pub on Coronado, hang out with Navy SEALs and get hhhnnnggggggg

 

There is a chance the new Ballast Point tap room in little Italy might be open in the next 3 weeks. That's walkable from Downtown. Lots of really tasty food in little Italy too!

 

If you are looking to get around while on Coronado and down town you could always rent a bike. You can bike around the whole Coronado Island in just a couple hours, so getting to specific areas is not hard. Downtown is easy to bike too, plus you can take bikes across on the ferry from Coronado.

I second the recommendation of Neighborhood for lunch and Best Damn (Krisp) for bottles. I would also throw in Downtown Johnny Brown's for drinks and food.

and to add some more info, here is a map