San Diego or Los Angeles for Touristing?

[simms]

I'm looking at booking a cruise leaving out of San Diego next month and flights back home are overpriced until after the holidays. My cruise gets back on the 22nd, and my flight is out on the 25th, so I have 3 days to bum around in the SD/LA area.

Which area is better to do the tourist thing? Anything that I must-see?
So far the only ideas I have are to attend a show taping (ie: Price is Right).

 

[FoBoT]

getting on a game show and winning a new car sounds nice

 

[zerocool84]

LA area has infinitely more to do than SD. SD is nice but LA is where it's at. There's reason why more people live here and the real estate is expensive.

 

[rockyct]

I think there is more to do in LA, but there is more touristy stuff in San Diego. It really depends on what kind of stuff you are into.

 

[paulney]

LArmpito? No way. I'd go for SD in a heartbeat - more touristy stuff, nicer city all around. LA is a giant urban sprawl with points of interest sprinkled here and there. LA has more social life going, though.

 

[simms]

I think there is more to do in LA, but there is more touristy stuff in San Diego. It really depends on what kind of stuff you are into.

Thing is, I don't even know what there is to do/see in either place. I would love the chance to try surfing though and see a game show. I don't know what else there is that's LA/SD specific!

 

[IronWing]

Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas, north of San Diego
La Brea Tar Pits in LA

 

[HelloWorl]

Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas, north of San Diego
La Brea Tar Pits in LA

I lived a block from the Quail Botanical Gardens for 2.5 years. I never even heard them talked about. Why go ALL the way up north just to see them? Balboa Park.

 

[Parasitic]

You will grow to hate and loathe socal if you picked LA as your first destination. The moment you pick up a rental car and pull out of the Hertz parking lot in LAX and yield onto the I-405 and hit traffic slowing down to a perpetual crawl you will wish that you flew down to beautiful San Diego harbor instead.

 

[zerocool84]

You will grow to hate and loathe socal if you picked LA as your first destination. The moment you pick up a rental car and pull out of the Hertz parking lot in LAX and yield onto the I-405 and hit traffic slowing down to a perpetual crawl you will wish that you flew down to beautiful San Diego harbor instead.

And run out of stuff to do on the first day.

 

[IronWing]

I lived a block from the Quail Botanical Gardens for 2.5 years. I never even heard them talked about. Why go ALL the way up north just to see them? Balboa Park.

If you're a plant nerd, it's better than Sea World. Also, if the OP is running between San Diego and LA, it's on the way. It's even within walking distance of the train station.