One of the best things about living in downtown San Diego is the fact that there are some really great streets and paths with incredible scenery for bike riding. This is one of the most bike-friendly cities I’ve ever had the chance to pedal through, and I’m thankful that I get to ride here every day. One of my favorite urban rides is along the embarcadero that runs from downtown San Diego over to Shelter Island and Point Loma. It’s a 10 mile ride out and back, with hardly any elevation gain. Not much of a challenge for seasoned road riders, but great for anyone looking for an easy and relaxing ride from central San Diego.
This morning I brought my camera along for a early morning ride along the embarcadero on my yellow Trek 7000, and these pictures represent what a typical ride is like:

There are a lot of neat old ships docked here (now tourist attractions). That’s a submarine in the background.

Alllllmost there! Only 1 mile to go. I turned my bike around to take this shot, but I’m headed the other way.

Welcome to Point Loma! These are all the sport fishing charter boats, but fishing season is still a few months away.
As mentioned above, riding along the embarcadero is a super-chill and laid back ride. The amount of pedestrian traffic (especially around the cruise ship terminal) ensures that you’ll be riding at a low average speed for the entire length, but that’s not such a bad thing due to the beautiful scenery of San Diego all around.
I’d also like to point out that a mountain bike or cross bike is the ideal choice for this ride, as there are curbs and patches of grass and sand you’ll need to navigate along the way. Dedicated road bikes will be more difficult to handle in those situations.
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