My wife, Charisma, and I recently moved to Los Angeles chasing opportunity. We quickly fell in love with SoCal and, all of a sudden, we found ourselves planning a life and future here. We come from a quiet, suburban town, however, so L.A. oftentimes is overwhelming; not quite our vision for a forever home. We’ve got some looking around to do …
High on our list is San Diego! Often we hear how chill the vibes are here, how delicious the food is, and how welcoming and lively the people are. We just had to check it out for ourselves! Outside of a quick day trip to the San Diego Zoo (which was awesome, by the way), we’ve never been, and so there’s a ton we wanted to check out, especially in terms of how accessible the city is.
Because I use a wheelchair, accessibility is a huge, huge part of our experience, wherever we may be. We’ve been pleasantly surprised by cities in the past. Washington, D.C., for example, we’ve found to be quite accessible and enjoy thoroughly.
That being said, we tailored our San Diego trip around accessible activities. We wanted to get a taste of the city’s offerings, transportation, atmosphere, food, everything! If we’re going to find our forever home, we’ve got a lot of boxes to check. Here’s a rundown of our accessible experience in San Diego!
Discovering Old Town by trolley
We were excited to learn more about San Diego’s rich history, so first thing on our docket: the Old Town Trolley Tour! We had to get to Old Town from where we were staying, the San Diego Mission Bay Resort, giving us our first opportunity to test out the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). I’m usually quite nervous to try any public transit for the first time. It can be really hit or miss, and the pressure of boarding and deboarding quickly most certainly adds to the stress of it all.
Arriving at the platform (which was super clean), we used our phones to scan our transit fee. For someone like me with limited hand function, this is already a better experience than using a physical card. The maps were easy to read, and it wasn’t long before our trolley arrived.
To board the trolley, we had to find a door marked for disabled access (it appeared as though each car had at least one accessible door, so plenty of options) and use a button to deploy its ramp. It only took a moment to fully deploy, and I easily boarded without any assistance or the need to overcome a gap or threshold. There were designated sections for disabled seating, as well, where the seats could be folded to make space for my wheelchair.
Not only was getting on and off seamless, I was impressed by the kindness of our fellow riders. It was obvious we were figuring out the MTS for the first time, and people were quick to offer help, push the ramp button for us, and fold the seats away so I had room. This general kindness from the locals remained a theme throughout our trip.
We quickly grabbed lunch at the Old Town Urban Market before heading off on our trolley tour. Each Old Town Trolley Tours trolley is outfitted with a lift at the rear. The employees operated it without a hitch, loading me comfortably on the back of the trolley and strapping me in. And with each trolley being accessible, we had the option to get off at any of the tour’s stops, explore a bit, and then hop back on a different trolley! We enjoyed our guide so much, though, that we decided to stay on with him for the full two-hour tour. It was super informational and gave a great feel for all the different places to hang out in San Diego, each with its own atmosphere.
Exploring San Diego Bay, Balboa Park and Little Italy
After a quick break at the resort, where we had fun capturing some beautiful shots of the bay and property, we headed to Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island for dinner. At this Polynesian-inspired spot, we enjoyed incredible views of the San Diego skyline from across the water. The dining room was on the second floor, and I easily accessed the floor via a lift I could operate independently (oftentimes these lifts require a key, creating a hassle). The food hit the spot, though I’d advise caution before ordering their World Famous Mai Tai. There’s a reason it has a two-drink maximum!
Our second day was equally packed, starting with a short drive to Balboa Park (tons of free accessible parking), where we soaked in the beautiful weather at the Japanese Friendship Garden of San Diego. The gardens were immaculately kept and simply stunning to roll through. At times it could feel crowded on the paths, which are on the narrower side for me and my service dog, especially when navigating past other visitors. It was rather hilly, as well, so be prepared for some exercise. Overall, however, we loved our time there and would certainly recommend visiting. Balboa Park in general is a must-see spot for anyone visiting San Diego.
We felt we deserved a tasty treat after our long walk through the gardens, so we hit up Bobboi, a gelato shop in Little Italy (highly recommended by our Trolley Tours driver). It was scrumptious. Did you know San Diego’s Little Italy is the largest in the U.S., and it’s not even close? You would know it after an Old Town Trolley Tour!
A cruise with beautiful views
To close out our adventures in San Diego, that evening we went on a Premier Dinner Cruise with City Cruises. The staff were especially attentive, helping me push up the long, steep ramp to board the cruise. Our table was spacious, and a chair had already been removed for me to seamlessly pull under our table.
The views of the skyline from the cruise were unmatched. Simply beautiful. While I could enjoy those views from our table through the window, unfortunately the upper deck had no wheelchair access, which was a bit of a bummer. Our food and drinks were decent and the service was great; you could really tell the staff wanted you to have a special experience. By scanning the crowd, though, it was apparent that the cruise targets a more “golden” demographic. Not that we cared; we had ourselves a wonderful evening that we’ll remember for a long time.
Leaving San Diego the next morning was harder than we expected. We had such a blast exploring, eating, and learning. And though we had packed in so much in our two days, it felt like we had only scratched the surface of all the city has to offer. Plus, the accessibility is top-tier; an easy way to pull on this quadriplegic’s heartstrings. Rest assured, regardless of your age, interests, or abilities, there is something for you here.
Whether San Diego fits as our forever home … well, let’s just say we’re already planning our next trip.
About the AuthorCole Sydnor is an L.A.-based, Virginia-born, Disabled actor, content creator and speaker. He runs “Roll with Cole & Charisma” on YouTube with his wife, Charisma, where they showcase their lives as an interabled and interracial couple. Cole has been featured in campaigns with Discovery+, Paypal, American Express and more. He recently worked with Google and Chevy, and was a Brand Ambassador for Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods and CVS. Cole was also featured in a short film, UNDECIDED, that premiered in two festivals in 2023.
With his acting and content creation, Cole’s goal is to destigmatize disability and interabled relationships, and demonstrate that contrary to what many people might think, life with a disability can be exciting and filled with love, laughter and adventure.
