San Diego welcomes the world’s top sailors as they race for victory in the third stop of the America’s Cup World Series occurring Nov. 12–20, 2011. Spectators can enjoy high-speed adventures on scenic San Diego Bay, considered to be one of the best natural harbors for racing on North America’s west coast.
“San Diego is extremely proud and excited to be a stop for the America’s Cup World Series,” stated Joe Terzi, President & CEO of the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Not only does our city have a rich history with the America’s Cup races, but it’s also a popular destination for sailing enthusiasts from around the world. This exciting new format along beautiful San Diego Bay will also allow thousands of spectators to get up close and personal to this action-filled race in ways never experienced before.”
With the excitement of the America’s Cup races and sunny skies galore, now is the perfect time to plan a getaway to San Diego, where a variety of world-class offerings await.
Beginning Nov. 12, nine state-of-the-art high-speed catamarans representing seven nations will take to San Diego Bay at speeds over 30 miles per hour. The America’s Cup World Series kicks off on opening weekend, Nov. 12–13, with three fleet (exhibition) races, and culminates Nov. 16–20, when teams compete for Series points during the Match and Fleet Racing Championships.
San Diego’s picturesque Embarcadero, Harbor Island, Shelter Island, Coronado Ferry Landing and numerous other locations along San Diego Bay will offer breathtaking views of the action as the vessels catapult from the starting line just off downtown’s Navy and Broadway Piers. A variety of other activities on land will complement the exciting action on water, including food and shopping at the America’s Cup Village, a racing simulator ride, battle of the bands live music event and more.
For a complete schedule of the races and other official America’s Cup events, visit AmericasCup.com/sandiego.
During the America’s Cup World Series, visitors to San Diego can find a variety of hotels offering specials ranging from discounted room nights to exclusive racing-oriented package deals.
- At the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, located along San Diego Bay, guests who book a room from Nov. 12-20 can enjoy an America’s Cup World Series package featuring accommodations in a Deluxe Bay Tower guestroom offering spectacular views of the bay along with a cheese and wine welcome amenity. Rates start at $159 per night, plus tax; book online or call 866-716-8134 and use discount code SIAMCUP.
- At the Holiday Inn on the Bay, located directly across from the Navy and Broadway Piers and featuring spectacular views of the race course, guests can receive a special America’s Cup rate for $109 per night, plus tax, during Nov. 12-16, and $159 per night, plus tax, during Nov. 17-20, based upon availability. Click here to book online.
- Located on Shelter Island, Humphrey’s Half Moon Inn & Suites is offering an “America’s Cup Races” reduced rate for the final weekend of the race, Nov. 18-20. Rates start at $139 per night, plus tax, for accommodations in newly renovated guestrooms; book by calling 800-542-7400 and mention the America’s Cup Races to receive the special rates.
- Located along San Diego Bay, the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina is offering guests an “Escape Your Way” package featuring accommodations in a deluxe guest room, complimentary parking and a $30 food and beverage credit for each day booked. Rates start at $169 per night, plus tax; book online or call 888-236-2427 and use discount code ZJL.
The America’s Cup World Series is partnering with more than 50 San Diego hotels to offer discounted rates in a wide range of properties, from budget-friendly to luxuriously appointed. Visit hotels.americascup.com for a complete list of hotels and availability.
If the high-speed action of the America’s Cup World Series races has spectators hungry to discover more of San Diego, visitors can give their taste buds a thrill at two delicious local culinary festivals occurring this November.
- Home to more than three dozen microbreweries, San Diego celebrates its love for beer during San Diego Beer Week, Nov. 4 – 13. Hundreds of beer-centric events take place throughout the county during this 10-day festival highlighting San Diego’s award-winning craft beer, breweries and pubs.
- During Nov. 16 – 20, the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, the region’s largest wine and culinary event, features 170 wine and spirit purveyors and 70 of San Diego’s top chefs. Held at venues throughout downtown San Diego, the festival includes gourmet food, celebrity chefs, wine tasting, an elegant Reserve & New Release Tasting event and more.
Nautical and historical buffs alike can step back into San Diego’s past and trace the steps of Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who discovered California in 1542, or glimpse into the life of a lighthouse keeper and his family who worked to keep ships safe in San Diego Bay during the 1800s. There is also naval history on display, from the Maritime Museum of San Diego’s many ships moored along the Embarcadero to the nearby USS Midway Museum.
- Located along Coronado's Naval Air Station North Island, Carrier Row is homeport to aircraft carriers currently under commission for the Pacific Fleet. Although all military bases are closed to the public, guests touring the San Diego Bay aboard harbor cruises can catch sight of one or more of these magnificent ships in their berths or passing to or from port.
- Point Loma’s Cabrillo National Monument is graced with a statue of the European discoverer of California, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. From its cliffs, guests enjoy bird’s-eye views of the America’s Cup World Series races, the bustling harbor and magnificent downtown skyline. Mounted telescopes help visitors identify bayside landmarks. Information about Cabrillo’s voyage is provided by a multi-lingual recorded message at a lookout spot above Ballast Point, as well as in the displays and a video dramatization available in the monument's museum.
- In the historic Old Point Loma Lighthouse, now restored into a museum, tiny rooms preserve the furnishings, toys and other possessions of the lighthouse’s former keeper and his family, while the herb and vegetable gardens around the whitewashed structure attest to their self-sufficiency. Few places in San Diego afford better views of San Diego Bay and the harbor, as well as the mating rituals of California gray whales passing through on their southward migration every year.
- The Maritime Museum of San Diego, located along the Embarcadero on Harbor Drive, has one of the world’s finest collections of historic vessels on which visitors can relive the early days of seafaring. These ships include the Star of India, built in 1863 and today the world’s oldest merchant sailing vessel still in operation, and the California, the official tall ship of the State of California.
- Set along San Diego Bay, the USS Midway Museum pays tribute to the hundreds of thousands of men who served their country aboard the vessel and highlights San Diego’s rich military history. The USS Midway, part of the Navy fleet for 47 years, was home to more than 200,000 sailors during the Vietnam and Persian Gulf Wars, as well as other conflicts and crises around the world.
If the America’s Cup races inspire visitors to take to the water, San Diego’s maritime adventures are sure to excite them with harbor tours, dinner cruises, private charters and whale-watching excursions. Sights that can be viewed from the waters of San Diego Bay include Navy submarines, towering aircraft carriers, Naval Air Station North Island, the soaring arc of the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, the Maritime Museum of San Diego, USS Midway Museum and picturesque communities along the shore.
- Hornblower welcomes guests with the largest fleet of charter yachts in Southern California. Hornblower offers three-hour nightly dinner-dance cruises, Sunday champagne brunch cruises, one- and two-hour narrated harbor tours daily and seasonal whale watching adventures.
- Narrated San Diego Bay tours are also offered on Flagships Cruises & Events fleet of vessels. In addition to one- and two-hour narrated harbor tours daily and seasonal whale watching adventures, dinner-dance and Sunday brunch cruises with live entertainment are also available.
- Old Town Trolley Tours’ SEAL – Sea and Land Adventures tour provides a 90-minute land and water adventure aboard a 40-foot long vessel, providing guests with magnificent views of downtown San Diego and narrated excursions of the San Diego Bay and nearby Mission Bay.
- San Diego Speed Boat Adventures offers high-speed thrills for action-seeking visitors. Their daily guided tours give guests the chance to drive their own 13 ft. mini speed boat through the sites of San Diego Bay.
Back on dry land, San Diego’s picturesque waterfront guarantees that there is something for everyone, whether you’re hunting for the perfect gift for a loved one back home or simply communing with nature during a quiet evening stroll.
- San Diego Bay boasts 16 beautiful parks covering 250 acres along the shoreline. Most parks are edged by landscaped walkways, perfect for a variety of recreational activities. Playgrounds, bike trails, picnic and inline skating areas are also among the park's popular offerings. Popular parks are found on downtown’s Embarcadero, Shelter and Harbor Islands, Coronado and Imperial Beach.
- Seaport Village, a 14-acre waterfront shopping, dining and entertainment complex, recreates a California harbor setting of a century ago. With four miles of meandering cobblestone pathways, ponds, fountains and lush landscaping, Seaport Village offers 55 theme shops, 4 bayfront restaurants and 13 theme cafes. After shopping and dining, guests can watch live entertainment, walk along the bayfront or sit in the grass and watch passing ships along the water.
- Across the bay on Coronado, the popular Coronado Ferry Landing is a retail and entertainment complex featuring waterfront dining and one-of-a-kind shops surrounded by tree-lined walkways, swaying palms and sparkling ponds.
Spirit-lifting sculptures and graceful memorials set along San Diego Bay evoke San Diego’s international ties, cultural diversity, military significance and unique oceanfront environment.
- First installed in 2004, Urban Trees is an annual exhibit that features 30 new, original sculptural works of public art, each designed and fabricated by a different artist, which are installed along the North Embarcadero waterfront.
- The late Niki de St. Phalle adorned San Diego with many of her outstanding sculptures during her years spent in the area. San Diego Bay is the setting for her striking "Coming Together," which is set against the architecturally striking San Diego Convention Center.
- Near the former site of the old Fleet Landing, between Navy Pier and the G Street Mole, is the striking, nine-foot black granite obelisk of the "Aircraft Carrier Memorial,” which commemorates the U.S. Navy’s aircraft carriers and all who have served on them.
- Also located near the G Street Mole, the "Military Tribute to Bob Hope" is dedicated to the Hollywood legend's 50 years of entertaining the troupes during various international conflicts.
Dining around San Diego Bay is a feast for both the eyes and the stomach as spectacular panoramic views pair perfectly with the freshest catches of the harbor’s abundant seafood. Whether diners are looking for a casual fish sandwich, farm-to-table French fare or a festive island cuisine, the restaurants of San Diego Bay offer something for every palette.
- Situated at the hub of Point Loma’s sport fishing docks, Point Loma Seafoods has been family-owned and -operated since 1963. This full-service fish market serves fresh-from-the-ocean plates and smoked fish at a great value. Guests can sit at picnic tables outdoors on the patio and munch on seafood delights while watching sport fishermen haul in their daily catch.
- Located on Harbor Island, Island Prime offers guests spectacular views across the blue waters of San Diego Bay toward the sparkling downtown San Diego skyline. Chef Deborah Scott’s menu of steak and seafood classics with imaginative, modern twists is served both in the retro chic dining room, and more casually on the outdoor patio of the adjacent C-Level Lounge that juts out over the water.
- With floor-to-ceiling views of San Diego Bay and the striking the San Diego-Coronado Bridge, Mistral at Loews Coronado Bay Resort offers an idyllic backdrop for the modern French delicacies prepared by chefs Marc Erhler and Patrick Ponsaty.
- When opened in 1953, the landmark Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island was a paragon of mid-century American tiki culture where the exotic atmosphere drew a swinging crowd. Today, Bali Hai offers a chic modern take on 21st century tiki culture that draws classic tiki lovers as well as a new generation of visitors to its fun, festive island style.
- Perched along the water’s edge at the Coronado Ferry Landing, Candelas on the Bay offers upscale Mexico City-style cuisine and creative modern cocktails with unparalleled views of San Diego Bay and the downtown San Diego skyline.
- The Fish Market juts out over San Diego Bay and offers unparalleled views of passing sailboats, Navy ships and the Coronado peninsula. The Fish Market’s own fishery, oyster farm and fishing fleet supply this flagship restaurant with premium seafood found on its classic menu like mesquite grilled fish, seafood cocktails and chowders.
Happiness is calling in San Diego. For more information on San Diego offerings, including exciting vacation packages and valuable coupons for attractions, restaurants and more, visit the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau's Web site, www.sandiego.org, or call (619) 236-1212. In San Diego, visit the International Visitor Information Center, located along the Embarcadero at the corner of West Broadway and Harbor Drive in downtown; the La Jolla Visitor Center, located at the corner of Herschel Avenue and Prospect Street in La Jolla; or the California Welcome Center, located at the Viejas Outlet Center in Alpine.
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