California - San Diego 4th of July 09

4 adults going to San Diego over 4th of July--2 newbies + 2 'been there before but haven't done everything yet'. 1 in a wheelchair.

Suggestions/thoughts on any of the following?
--SeaWorld/Zoo
--dinner/stroll through La Jolla (suggestions welcome)
--lunch (outside, preferably) at Hotel Del
--any water-based activities (we need a fairly large boat because of the wheelchair--no small sailboat)?

We're staying at the new Marriott CY at Liberty Station, which looks like it should be a great location for seeing fireworks around the region--any thoughts on that?

Tx

For the LaJolla dinner, consider Geroges California Modern, the "re-done" fine dining room at the venerable Georges at the Cove.

The dining room can be booked on OpenTable, and is wheelchair-accessible (the upstairs outdoor terrace is not, AFAIK).

http://www.sandiegorestaurants.com/review.cfm/restaurant/889/GeorgesCaliforniaModern

La Jolla should be nice around that time of the year, just be aware that it is pretty hilly once you are off the Prospect St. level and can be difficult with a wheelchair.

Similarly, the zoo is also situated on some hilly ground. There is still a lot you can see (plus IIRC the busses are now accessible) and it should be a good time though the only time I have been there around the 4th it was absolutely and completely swamped with people.

Some digging around may be required but there are generally beach wheelchairs (I have seen both power and manual) that are available that could also add a nice day at the beach to your plans.

Something to consider is renting a transportable electric scooter for the wheelchair-bound person, if they are in a physical shape to be able to operate it... There are several firms in San Diego that specialize in short-term rentals for vacations & conventions. The transportable sort quickly disassemble down into pieces that fit in a full size car's trunk.

Sea World would probably be less strenuous for a wheelchair than SD Zoo. La Jolla, as stated, is very hilly except on the main village street, Prospect. However the plus there is that there are some great restaurants on Prospect Street. Suggest you check out the restaurants on Trip Advisor. An outside lunch at the Hotel Del would be great - they have a great outside patio on the lower level that is very nice. Regarding the boat - suggest Hornblower Cruises - they have daily bay cruises and dinner cruises from Harbor Drive and Broadway - downtown San Diego. The Liberty Station Mariott, in my opinion, will not be the best for fire works viewing - unless they have a rooftop patio. You might want to try the Embarcadero area in front of the downtown Hyatt or Mariott - there are also some great restaurants down there (Roy's, Sally's, etc.) where you can combine dinner with the fireworks display - usually starting around 9:00 PM. Good Luck.