California Dreamin' # 1: Laid Back in Carlsbad

If there's one thing my current trip proves, it's the importance of keeping an eye on air fares, especially on air fares to, from, and within the USA.  I'd been thinking for some time of a holiday in California, and had been scoping out air fares just to get a feel for the range of costs.  The return fares from Toronto to San Diego were ranging from $700 to $1000 or more depending on dates of travel.

Then, just a couple of weeks ago, I ran a search on Air Canada's website and spotted a flight down on Feb. 21 and back on Feb. 27 for $360, including all taxes and fees.  Okay, I'm booking that one fast before it changes its mind!  Air fares have a way of bouncing up and down like a yo-yo where travel in the USA is concerned.  

The cheap flight meant I had to connect through San Francisco both ways, but the connecting times were good -- well over an hour each way.  Good thing too, because the flight down from Toronto was delayed leaving while bags for a couple of no-show passengers were found and off-loaded.

And here I am -- relaxing in sunny, but cool, Carlsbad, California.

Carlsbad is a quiet, laid-back city of about 100,000 people, sitting on the Pacific coast about 50 minutes drive north of San Diego.  It's main claim to fame is the presence of the Legoland USA theme park.  The last time I came here, you could fly into Carlsbad-Palomar airport on a small commuter aircraft, but that's no longer possible as the major airlines have been ditching those little prop-job routes at top speed.  Pity.  So now you fly into San Diego and rent a car.

I like Carlsbad because it is much more relaxing than the major cities of the state.  The centre of town is actually called the "Carlsbad Village."  Here you find an assortment of older buildings, and a fantastic collection of diverse restaurants that would do credit to many much larger cities I know.

The main intersection of the Village is flanked by a couple of historic hotels, and is busy enough to have a four-way crosswalk setting on the traffic signal. One of the old hotels now houses a restaurant, a café, and a couple of shops.

The back of this historic building is attached to the modern Village Faire shopping centre.

Best of all, the Village district has a half dozen free parking lots of various sizes.  All you have to do is get there early enough in the day, say, by 11:00am on weekends, and then you can park for as long as you want.  It's great because, like many smaller cities, Carlsbad is very pedestrian-friendly.

I like this singular mosaic pattern in the corner sidewalk at the main intersection.

From that main corner, walk downhill one block to the ocean.  Carlsbad has a lengthy ocean-front promenade along the top of the bluffs overlooking the beach, and another promenade at the foot of the bluffs.  The view is spectacular from the upper walkway in clear weather.

This is also a great place to watch the pelican air force on manoeuvres.

When Saturday morning rolled around, traditional weekend activities were underway on and off the beach, despite the cool temperatures and stiff breezes which deterred most sunbathers.

There are a number of hotels in and around Carlsbad.  Beachfront resorts near downtown are among the most expensive.  A few budget hotels stand alongside Interstate 5, a dozen blocks from the ocean.  The mid-range chain hotels are grouped out along the airport road, and farther south along the Interstate.

The best thing about Carlsbad?  It's a holiday destination where you don't have to do incessantly, you just have to be.  That works for me.

And if you need things to do, the manifold attractions of San Diego are less than an hour away.  I'll be looking at a few of those in the next post.