Long post with my experiences having lived in SD for four years. Sorry if this is the wrong format for this kind of post or this information has been given elsewhere. I've been reading the forum for a while but I am new to posting.
I lived in three areas of SD: North County (Carlsbad and Encinitas), PB (Crown Point), and north of Balboa Park (North Park/Normal Heights). By far, North Park/Normal Heights was the best for quality of life and women. Now, I had a girlfriend for most of the time I lived in SD (blue pill days) - I was only single for part of the last year, when I lived by the park - so of course take this breakdown with a huge grain of salt. I am mostly speaking from observation here, although near the end of my time in SD I did eventually get out and game.
North County:
Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach and Del Mar all have a high concentration of beautiful women. They are mostly generic So Cal white girls, but you will see plenty of pretty latinas, too, and occasionally a hot asian. There are very few blacks in North County. I've grouped all of these cities together for the sake of brevity, but the reality is each has a different vibe and attracts/creates a different type of personality (Encinitas, for example, has more pot-smoking hippies, and Carlsbad has more plastic chicks and Crossfit girls). I lived in Encinitas for a year and Carlsbad for a year.
It is common to see 8's and 9's on the beach, shopping, walking downtown, or sipping good craft beer at the trendiest new garage brewery (I read somewhere that North County SD has the highest concentration of craft breweries in the US per capita).
However, there are three main obstacles I see for a guy visiting North County purely for game.
1. There is a "college gap". If you see a pretty girl and she looks young, she is probably still in high school, since most girls move away for school once they hit 18. Many move back home when they can't find a job in SF or LA, and there are plenty of transplants, so young professionals in the 24-30 range are probably going to be your biggest opportunity here. If your target demographic is 18-24, those girls are most likely going to be townies, which brings me to point #2...
2. Everyone knows each other. North County is small. Going to the bars is like going to someone else's high school reunion. So if you're just visiting, it's going to be hard to crack into those homegrown local beauties, since their social circle wall is going to built twenty feet high of tan, jacked surfer dudes with names like Rat and Flea. My point is, social circle game is probably going to yield your best results. I remember one time I went to a bar with my ex, and every single person there was from her apartment complex up the street. Now that I think about it, that apartment complex was pretty much a cult. But it was, like, so close to the wet sand, man.
3. The highest value is being good at surfing. This may not be a problem for you if you surf well. I don't, and I'm guessing most guys who didn't grow up on a surfboard in a place like North County aren't, either. I'm like a goat in the ocean on those foam-and-plastic deathtraps. Which is why I can say if you don't surf, you're going to be massively out of your element in North County, since the entire culture there revolves around surfing. Every person you build rapport with, from cute girls, to bros, old people at the supermarket, and your sushi chef, will ask if you early on if you surf and will offer to paddle out with you. That blonde with the great tan you met last night at 1st Street? She can definitely out-surf you, and going for a session with you is probably the first step in her vetting process.
Pros: beautiful women, good beer, great surf
Cons: "college gap", social circle is king, getting punched in the head because you accidentally dropped in on some bro's wave and ruined his moment of bliss on the sicky gnar gnar
Verdict: Worth it if you can invest the time, probably difficult on a shorter visit.
Pacific Beach:
I lived on Crown Point for one year, about one mile from the main strip in Pacific Beach. To give you an idea of how much the nightlife in PB sucks dick, I went out there exactly four times. While there are a lot of hot girls in Pacific Beach, their hypergamy is to the extreme, the ratios suck ass, competition is heavy and can quickly turn violent, and most of all, it just isn't fun. I'm sure the personality types P.B. appeals to will disagree, but I'll just say, there's a reason SD locals loathe that place.
The only reason I stayed there so long is because Crown Point and Mission Beach are absolutely beautiful, and tons of fun during the day. You can ride your beach cruiser up and down the beach, have a beer and some tacos, go fishing or sailing on the bay, and call it a day. When it came to nightlife, though, my friends and I always just ate the $30 cab fare and went to the Gaslamp. Going out on Garnet got old so fast, three out of the four times I did it were to show my friends from out of town what it was like.
So, why is it so bad? For starters, Garnet is full of drunk fools who watch too much UFC or maybe are aspiring to be fighters. They fuck up the mood beyond saving. Yes, there are plenty of gorgeous, college-aged women due to the proximity with UCSD, but the ratios in the bars and clubs are not good. It is usually three drunk monkeys to one cute girl, and you know what that means: her ego is skyrocketing from all the attention, and her standards reach near-impossible levels. Maybe that isn't a problem most places in the world if you have game, but in P.B., it might be. Guys in P.B. are tall and the majority are tan, lift heavy, and have decent game. They also travel in huge packs, either with their fraternity brothers, MMA gym bros, or Marine buddies if they are in the service. You will see fights in the street on any night. You will see roided-out bros at every bar and club. P.B. is a magnet for this personality type.
Oh yeah, and it's expensive as fuck. A can of PBR will cost you $7.
If I were to go back, which I doubt I ever will, I would focus my gaming 100% during the day on the Mission Beach strip, where there are many tourists and girls in smaller groups, or a niche social circle like Crossfit or mountain biking (which seems to be popular there).
Pros: hot girls, nice scenery
Cons: Everything else
Verdict: Avoid.
North Park/Normal Heights
I lived on the border of North Park and Normal Heights for one year. This is by far my favorite place in SD, and the place I believe is best suitable for a single guy looking to game. I did have some first hand game experience here, since I broke up with my GF and began swallowing the red pill during my time here. But, it also has the best logistics, ratios, and overall nightlife of anywhere in SD. There is a diverse mix of women, with white, hispanic and asian all sharing a fairly equal proportion, most are between the ages of 20-26, and their personalities are easier-going and less frivolous than girls in P.B. or North County. Music, art, and good cocktails are the cultural pillars here; surfing is not such a big deal.
North Park and Normal Heights can be lumped together as one "spot" even though they are two separate neighborhoods with distinct cultures and character. They are about fifteen minutes apart by walking. University Heights is a little bit farther away, but still walkable, and only a short cab ride if you don't feel like walking. North Park is more established and has more traditional bars, with an overflow of students from SDSU, while Normal Heights is still up and coming, with many hipster bars, and a crowd of young professionals, musicians and artists. Both are expensive, but less expensive than other places in SD. My favorite places to go out were Sycamore Den, Bar Pink, Small Bar, Tiger Tiger!, and Polite Provisions. The crowds at these places usually had a good ratio, with a lots of cute girls, guys who were (mostly) not hyper-aggressive roided-up cuntbutts, cool bartenders, and a generally friendly vibe.
For daygame, I would recommend either of the Lestat's Coffee Shops (also a great place to work), Balboa Park, or 30th Avenue.
The best thing about North Park and Normal Heights, and to a less extent University Heights, is that everything is in walking distance. Unless you live way the fuck out next to the 15, your place will probably never be more than a fifteen minute walk from the nightlife, and once you're out in the nightlife, most of the places you will want to go will also be no more than a ten to fifteen minute walk. I've never been anywhere in the US that had better walkability than North Park/Normal Heights.
If you can't tell from my praise, yes, I had good results in this neighborhood, and enjoyed my time there more than my other three years in SD combined... but I do not know whether that was because I was finally single (probably about 25%), or my look fit better with the crowd than other places (probably also 25%) or if it truly was because the demographics are actually better for normal guys than other places in SD (probably 50%). For reference, I'm average-looking, 6'1, with a little bit of muscle, shaggy hair and a trimmed beard, and my style is okay but nothing special... usually just jeans or work pants, brogue shoes, and a button-up or fitted v neck.
Normal Heights is hands down my favorite place in SD, and one of my favorite neighborhoods in the U.S. North Park is a close second. University Heights, while a little bit farther away - you will need to walk a while, ride a bike or take a Lyft or a cab - is also good. My best memories from SD and a few legendary SNLs, all came from this neighborhood.
Pros: Great nightlife, great logistics, cute girls who are open to approaches, overall friendlier vibe than most of SD
Cons: $12 cocktails, traffic, far from the beach, mostly safe but crime can be an issue.
Verdict: I am far from an expert player by any means, but I think a guy with good game could absolutely kill it here.
I lived in three areas of SD: North County (Carlsbad and Encinitas), PB (Crown Point), and north of Balboa Park (North Park/Normal Heights). By far, North Park/Normal Heights was the best for quality of life and women. Now, I had a girlfriend for most of the time I lived in SD (blue pill days) - I was only single for part of the last year, when I lived by the park - so of course take this breakdown with a huge grain of salt. I am mostly speaking from observation here, although near the end of my time in SD I did eventually get out and game.
North County:
Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach and Del Mar all have a high concentration of beautiful women. They are mostly generic So Cal white girls, but you will see plenty of pretty latinas, too, and occasionally a hot asian. There are very few blacks in North County. I've grouped all of these cities together for the sake of brevity, but the reality is each has a different vibe and attracts/creates a different type of personality (Encinitas, for example, has more pot-smoking hippies, and Carlsbad has more plastic chicks and Crossfit girls). I lived in Encinitas for a year and Carlsbad for a year.
It is common to see 8's and 9's on the beach, shopping, walking downtown, or sipping good craft beer at the trendiest new garage brewery (I read somewhere that North County SD has the highest concentration of craft breweries in the US per capita).
However, there are three main obstacles I see for a guy visiting North County purely for game.
1. There is a "college gap". If you see a pretty girl and she looks young, she is probably still in high school, since most girls move away for school once they hit 18. Many move back home when they can't find a job in SF or LA, and there are plenty of transplants, so young professionals in the 24-30 range are probably going to be your biggest opportunity here. If your target demographic is 18-24, those girls are most likely going to be townies, which brings me to point #2...
2. Everyone knows each other. North County is small. Going to the bars is like going to someone else's high school reunion. So if you're just visiting, it's going to be hard to crack into those homegrown local beauties, since their social circle wall is going to built twenty feet high of tan, jacked surfer dudes with names like Rat and Flea. My point is, social circle game is probably going to yield your best results. I remember one time I went to a bar with my ex, and every single person there was from her apartment complex up the street. Now that I think about it, that apartment complex was pretty much a cult. But it was, like, so close to the wet sand, man.
3. The highest value is being good at surfing. This may not be a problem for you if you surf well. I don't, and I'm guessing most guys who didn't grow up on a surfboard in a place like North County aren't, either. I'm like a goat in the ocean on those foam-and-plastic deathtraps. Which is why I can say if you don't surf, you're going to be massively out of your element in North County, since the entire culture there revolves around surfing. Every person you build rapport with, from cute girls, to bros, old people at the supermarket, and your sushi chef, will ask if you early on if you surf and will offer to paddle out with you. That blonde with the great tan you met last night at 1st Street? She can definitely out-surf you, and going for a session with you is probably the first step in her vetting process.
Pros: beautiful women, good beer, great surf
Cons: "college gap", social circle is king, getting punched in the head because you accidentally dropped in on some bro's wave and ruined his moment of bliss on the sicky gnar gnar
Verdict: Worth it if you can invest the time, probably difficult on a shorter visit.
Pacific Beach:
I lived on Crown Point for one year, about one mile from the main strip in Pacific Beach. To give you an idea of how much the nightlife in PB sucks dick, I went out there exactly four times. While there are a lot of hot girls in Pacific Beach, their hypergamy is to the extreme, the ratios suck ass, competition is heavy and can quickly turn violent, and most of all, it just isn't fun. I'm sure the personality types P.B. appeals to will disagree, but I'll just say, there's a reason SD locals loathe that place.
The only reason I stayed there so long is because Crown Point and Mission Beach are absolutely beautiful, and tons of fun during the day. You can ride your beach cruiser up and down the beach, have a beer and some tacos, go fishing or sailing on the bay, and call it a day. When it came to nightlife, though, my friends and I always just ate the $30 cab fare and went to the Gaslamp. Going out on Garnet got old so fast, three out of the four times I did it were to show my friends from out of town what it was like.
So, why is it so bad? For starters, Garnet is full of drunk fools who watch too much UFC or maybe are aspiring to be fighters. They fuck up the mood beyond saving. Yes, there are plenty of gorgeous, college-aged women due to the proximity with UCSD, but the ratios in the bars and clubs are not good. It is usually three drunk monkeys to one cute girl, and you know what that means: her ego is skyrocketing from all the attention, and her standards reach near-impossible levels. Maybe that isn't a problem most places in the world if you have game, but in P.B., it might be. Guys in P.B. are tall and the majority are tan, lift heavy, and have decent game. They also travel in huge packs, either with their fraternity brothers, MMA gym bros, or Marine buddies if they are in the service. You will see fights in the street on any night. You will see roided-out bros at every bar and club. P.B. is a magnet for this personality type.
Oh yeah, and it's expensive as fuck. A can of PBR will cost you $7.
If I were to go back, which I doubt I ever will, I would focus my gaming 100% during the day on the Mission Beach strip, where there are many tourists and girls in smaller groups, or a niche social circle like Crossfit or mountain biking (which seems to be popular there).
Pros: hot girls, nice scenery
Cons: Everything else
Verdict: Avoid.
North Park/Normal Heights
I lived on the border of North Park and Normal Heights for one year. This is by far my favorite place in SD, and the place I believe is best suitable for a single guy looking to game. I did have some first hand game experience here, since I broke up with my GF and began swallowing the red pill during my time here. But, it also has the best logistics, ratios, and overall nightlife of anywhere in SD. There is a diverse mix of women, with white, hispanic and asian all sharing a fairly equal proportion, most are between the ages of 20-26, and their personalities are easier-going and less frivolous than girls in P.B. or North County. Music, art, and good cocktails are the cultural pillars here; surfing is not such a big deal.
North Park and Normal Heights can be lumped together as one "spot" even though they are two separate neighborhoods with distinct cultures and character. They are about fifteen minutes apart by walking. University Heights is a little bit farther away, but still walkable, and only a short cab ride if you don't feel like walking. North Park is more established and has more traditional bars, with an overflow of students from SDSU, while Normal Heights is still up and coming, with many hipster bars, and a crowd of young professionals, musicians and artists. Both are expensive, but less expensive than other places in SD. My favorite places to go out were Sycamore Den, Bar Pink, Small Bar, Tiger Tiger!, and Polite Provisions. The crowds at these places usually had a good ratio, with a lots of cute girls, guys who were (mostly) not hyper-aggressive roided-up cuntbutts, cool bartenders, and a generally friendly vibe.
For daygame, I would recommend either of the Lestat's Coffee Shops (also a great place to work), Balboa Park, or 30th Avenue.
The best thing about North Park and Normal Heights, and to a less extent University Heights, is that everything is in walking distance. Unless you live way the fuck out next to the 15, your place will probably never be more than a fifteen minute walk from the nightlife, and once you're out in the nightlife, most of the places you will want to go will also be no more than a ten to fifteen minute walk. I've never been anywhere in the US that had better walkability than North Park/Normal Heights.
If you can't tell from my praise, yes, I had good results in this neighborhood, and enjoyed my time there more than my other three years in SD combined... but I do not know whether that was because I was finally single (probably about 25%), or my look fit better with the crowd than other places (probably also 25%) or if it truly was because the demographics are actually better for normal guys than other places in SD (probably 50%). For reference, I'm average-looking, 6'1, with a little bit of muscle, shaggy hair and a trimmed beard, and my style is okay but nothing special... usually just jeans or work pants, brogue shoes, and a button-up or fitted v neck.
Normal Heights is hands down my favorite place in SD, and one of my favorite neighborhoods in the U.S. North Park is a close second. University Heights, while a little bit farther away - you will need to walk a while, ride a bike or take a Lyft or a cab - is also good. My best memories from SD and a few legendary SNLs, all came from this neighborhood.
Pros: Great nightlife, great logistics, cute girls who are open to approaches, overall friendlier vibe than most of SD
Cons: $12 cocktails, traffic, far from the beach, mostly safe but crime can be an issue.
Verdict: I am far from an expert player by any means, but I think a guy with good game could absolutely kill it here.