San Diego/North



North San Diego is the northern region of San Diego, consisting mostly of hilly terrain and suburbs. For the purposes of this travel guide, "North San Diego" contains just about everything north of Mission Valley and east of I-5.

North San Diego contains the communities of:
 * Carmel Mountain Ranch, a northeastern suburban neighborhood with some natural areas. West of Poway, south of Rancho Bernardo, north of Sabre Springs.
 * Clairemont, a large suburban area east of Pacific Beach, west of Kearny Mesa, and south of SR-52.
 * Kearny Mesa, a mainly commercial district known for its concentration of Asian businesses.
 * Miramar, home to the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station.
 * Mira Mesa, a heavily Asian suburb just north of Miramar.
 * Rancho Bernardo, a master-planned community in the northern part of the region, near Escondido.
 * Rancho Penasquitos, a large suburban community west of Poway.
 * Rancho Santa Fe, a bedroom community in the hills north of SR-56.
 * San Pasqual Valley, the northernmost part of the city and the site of the bloodiest battle of the Mexican-American War. Home to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park as well as a number of vineyards.
 * Sabre Springs, an upscale, northeastern neighborhood, with Poway to the east, I-15 to the west, and Scripps Ranch to the south.
 * Scripps Ranch, a northeastern neighborhood, east of I-15 and south of Poway.
 * Sorrento Valley, a commercial neighborhood popular with high-tech companies. Near the I-5/I-805 intersection.
 * Tierrasanta, a neighborhood immedietly north of Mission Valley, north of interstate 8, east of interstate 15
 * University City (UTC), a neighborhood just east of the University of California, San Diego in La Jolla and closely associated with it. Contains numerous shopping centers and apartment complexes.

Communities closely associated with North San Diego but outside the city limits include:
 * 4S Ranch, an unincorporated area west of Rancho Bernardo.
 * Poway, a city located east of I-15 and north of Scripps Ranch.

By car
Interstate 5 and Interstate 15 are the main north-south interstates through the area, with I-5 marking the western boundary of the area and I-15 running through the central and eastern parts of the area. Additionally, SR-163 and I-805 connect the area to the south, with SR-163 continuing through Mission Valley to Downtown and I-805 heading through Mission Valley and the Mid-City area down to I-5 near the US-Mexico border. SR-52 is a main east-west highway, running from near La Jolla past Clairemont and Kearny Mesa out to Santee. Further north, SR-56 runs between I-5 near Del Mar and I-15 near Poway.

By bus
The Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) runs buses throughout San Diego, but bus service in these parts is often infrequent. As of February 2020, a one-way bus ticket is $2.50; a basic day pass is $6.

The North County Transit District (NCTD) operates bus routes through northern San Diego County and a couple of those routes serve parts of North San Diego, including Flex Routes 371 and 372 which connect the San Pasqual Valley and the Safari Park to the transit center in Escondido, where you can transfer to the Sprinter rail service to Oceanside or express bus service to Downtown San Diego, although Flex service is infrequent.

By train
Sorrento Valley is a stop on the Coaster, a regional rail line that runs along the coast between Downtown San Diego and Oceanside, as well as limited Amtrak Pacific Surfliner service (3 trains northbound, 3 trains southbound daily). From there, a number of shuttle routes connect the station to the immediate area.

By plane
The primary commercial airport of San Diego is San Diego International Airport which is in Point Loma-Ocean Beach.

Eat


A surprise find is Convoy Street in Kearny Mesa, home to dozens of excellent Asian restaurants that cater primarily to the lunch crowd from the surrounding commercial areas. Having a job in the Kearny Mesa area can be a joy just for the ability to eat oneself from one end of Convoy to the other, and not hit the same spot twice in a month.

Boba
The boba scene in San DIego is thriving, especially up in the Convoy, Kearny Mesa, and Mira Mesa areas, where popular Asian restaurants thrive.


 * Kung Fu Tea, 4869 Convoy St. Their winter melon green milk tea is one of their signature drinks. Inside is kung-fu themed decor, including a television set showing kung fu movies.

Vegan/Vegetarian
San Diego is blessed with excellent vegan/vegetarian restaurants.


 * Loving Hut - Locations in North Park and Mira Mesa neighborhoods. Vegan. They serve mostly Asian food with mock meats and tofu options but also offer a few Cali-Mex dishes. Their drunken noodles are delicious. They also serve vegan boba milk tea.
 * Sipz - Locations in Clairemont/Kearny Mesa and North Park. Vegetarian, with lots of vegan dishes available. They serve mostly Asian cuisine with mock meats and tofu options, and during the evenings, they have vegan sushi. They also serve boba drinks - make sure to choose a plant-based milk option if you are vegan.
 * Veggie Grill - Vegan. Californian food, including burgers, sandwiches, pastas, salads, and fusion-style bowls.

Connect
Most people in this area of San Diego use the area code 858, with some using 760 and 619. The area code must be dialed with the phone number in all areas.

AT&T and Verizon are the two main providers, but some use Sprint and Cricket.

Many Wi-Fi hotspots are available in coffeeshops.