Touring * Scene *

In San Diego, take Interstate 5 and follow the signs to Interstate 8 west. Exit immediately onto Ingraham Street and cross the San Diego River Floodway. Take the Sea World Drive exit and follow it east and then north to cross Fiesta Island Road, where it becomes East Mission Bay Drive. Park in the first public lot you see on the left. The path runs through the grassy parks lining the bay next to East Mission Bay Drive. Map: The San Diego County Bike Map is available free by calling (619) 231-2453.

The sidewalks of Playa Pacifica on East Mission Bay Drive have become one of the most popular San Diego in-line scenes. The long, grassy bayside beach is dotted with palm trees and cooled by ocean breezes, attracting families from miles around for picnicking, sunbathing, Jet Skiing, and of course, skating. If mingling with hundreds of tanned in-liners, joggers, bicyclists, and pedestrians makes you happy, be sure to plan your visit for a sunny weekend when sidewalk traffic is at its highest. A word of caution, though: in order to control the crowds, the city has set an eight-mile-per-hour speed limit that is sporadically enforced. Tickets for exceeding the limit are $27, and people cited for "reckless behavior" are fined $127. The East Mission Bay sidewalks get so crowded during peak times that skating is often reduced to slow-and-go. In this type of situation, it is very important to have impeccable trail etiquette: stay on the right side of the path and notify folks up ahead when you are about to pass on the left. Skate defensively and be especially careful around older pedestrians and little kids. You don't want to give our favorite sport a dose of bad press by getting into the news as the big, bad skater who knocked down a helpless victim. The most dedicated in-line enthusiasts can still manage a relatively unhindered skate on these walkways by arriving early in the morning and/or skating in the fog. Start this tour by skating north to follow the sidewalk up to the San Diego Hilton, where an elongated outdoor patio with a smooth concrete deck is the one place you will want to visit during peak Sunday hours. A local DJ brings an assortment of music to accompany professional and amateur skaters (on both quads and in-lines) who practice spins, stops, and dance steps. The best performers are from the "Skate This" dance crew, and they enjoy showing off the results of hours of hard work. Because the Hilton patio is simply a wide spot in the trail, traffic continues to parade by, making for a pretty stimulating scene for the spectators sitting on the wall near the beach. The Playa Pacifica sidewalk continues north past Leisure Lagoon and some boat launch ramps, passing wide lawns serving happy sunbathers and picnickers. The sidewalk finally ends at De Anza Cove, a swimming and volleyball area. From the end of the sidewalk at De Anza Road, intermediate-level skaters can continue north to complete the full 9.5-mile East Mission Bay loop. To do so, skate up De Anza Road to North Mission Bay Drive and turn left to follow very rough pavement to the west. A proposed bridge across the Rose Inlet is shown on maps, but if it doesn't yet exist, turn right to follow the old bike route between the chain-link fences (watch for raised roots). A blind left curve at the end brings you to a steep climb up to Grand Avenue. Turn left on Grand and follow the sidewalk on the south side of the street past the high school. Turn left onto Olney Street and follow Olney to Pacific Beach Drive. Turn right and go one block, then head south on either the sidewalks or the street of Crown Point Drive past the wildlife refuge. Bike lanes, sidewalks along the street, and a concrete park sidewalk pass through Crown Point Shores; take your pick and make your way down to the Ingraham Street bridge to Vacation Island. Skate on the sidewalk next to Ingraham, across the island and over the second bridge. (See the Vacation Island description on page 417.) Branch off Ingraham and proceed east along Sea World Drive (you must skate without bike lanes for about 500 feet) until it curves north past the Fiesta Island intersection, where it becomes East Mission Bay Drive. You are now a few blocks south of where you parked your car. Got all that? If not, take along your favorite San Diego/Mission Bay map.