San Diego is just 90 minutes from Palm Desert, across the mountains. But a world away. Whereas the Coachella Valley is a string of small cities, with national, state, and regional parks, BLM land, and agricultural areas, San Diego County is densely populated and typical Southern California sprawl. We spent a week amidst the crowded freeways, based first near “Old Town” and then north in Carlsbad. The first location gave ready access to the famed zoo, and the many attractions of Balboa Park – the Science Museum, the Museum of Man, two art museums, a Japanese garden, the Botantical Society building, and the park itself. Carlsbad put us close to the Pacific beaches, Scripps Aquarium, Torrey Pines and, of course, Legoland.