Sunny SoCal: Great Beaches, Great Food, Great Weather . . . Get Going!

San Diego [1] elicits two reactions in polar opposition: undiluted adoration and simmering resentment. Those who live there can't imagine why the rest of America doesn't (though they're quite glad the population stays around 1.2 million coddled locals). Those who don't, which includes me and hundreds of millions of others, look at the city's many amenities -- the nation's most perfect climate, glorious beaches, dozens of fine restaurants, and world-class shopping for everything from fashion to Ferraris -- and get positively bitter about how one city's citizens got so lucky. A friend who lives in Santa Barbara, California, one of the most delightful small cities in the United States, recently told me she dreams of moving to San Diego, where life is really good.

Life can be good for those in town for a few days, if you use your time well -- even if it's only spare time between meetings. What follows is an entirely arbitrary Edutopia visitors' guide for the place that bills itself as America's Finest City.

No teacher can hope to cling to the admiration of students without being able to report a visit to Balboa Park's San Diego Zoo [2], generally acknowledged to be one of the finest, and most advanced, in the world. Also in the animal kingdom is the 1,800-acre Wild Animal Park, where you can ride the Wgasa Bush Line Railway through habitats to see elephants, rhinos, Center giraffes, zebras, lions, and tigers (oh, my!). If you're tired of your hotel room, you can even spend the night there in Hemingway-esque style. And while you're in Balboa Park, you can satisfy both sides of your inner Leonardo at the Reuben H. Fleet Museum Science Center [3] and the San Diego Museum of Art [4].

If you're interested in elegant homes of the lavish, Left Coast variety, take an early-evening after-dinner walk along El Prado for a sunset-lit, architectural digestif. And for sheer, over-the-top Victoriana, don't miss the Hotel Del Coronado, a short ferry trip from the Broadway Pier. Some Like It Hot was filmed there, so, after a cocktail on the deck, don't miss the photos of Marilyn Monroe inside.

If there's no active-duty aircraft carrier in port to gawk at, you can stop by the San Diego Aircraft Carrier Museum [5], located on the USS Midway at Navy Pier downtown. The flattop saw action from World War II until the first Gulf War, and with luck you may have a Midway veteran as your guide to the big ship.

The U.S. Navy has been kind enough to scuttle a number of other ships about a mile off the coast in Mission Bay to create an artificial reef known as Wreck Alley. The San Diego Oceans Foundation [6] maintains buoys and descent/ascent lines for divers who want to see (but not catch) the groupers, eels, and other fish who live in the submerged hulks. Lois Ann Dive Charters [7] is one of several operators that run trips out to the alley.

Though the Symbolic Motorcars [8] showroom, in nearby La Jolla, is not an official tourist destination, for lovers of great autos, it's a must-visit. One of the prime dealers in classic Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Formula One racers, and other rare gems, Symbolic is like a great concours d'elegance that's open to car freaks every day of the week.

San Diego has too many good restaurants to mention in a short list of attractions, but for fast food in the absolutely best sense of the word, try the fish tacos at Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill [9] in any one of the many locations in the city, where the restaurants have been satisfying lucky locals and envious outsiders since Ralph Rubio opened his first place in 1983.

Owen Edwards is a contributing editor for Edutopia and Smithsonian magazines.