San Diego Offers Beautiful Sights and Plenty of Activities for AAOS 2025 Annual Meeting Attendees

The Academy returns to “America’s finest city” for the fifth time in the past 17 years. Many will remember that the last event in San Diego in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, was delayed for 6 months from its usual March date to August, and it was a much smaller meeting. It is great to return to a full-sized educational experience and to be able to enjoy all that San Diego has to offer. There is much to see and know about the city.

The San Diego Convention Center was built in 1989 and expanded in 2001. Perhaps the most notable feature of the center is the Sails Pavilion, featuring Teflon-coated fiberglass “sails” that remind visitors of the sea. Step outside the Sails Pavilion and look across the San Diego Bay to Coronado Island, with a view of the Coronado Bridge. Naval Base San Diego is home of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and is the city’s largest employer. There are more than 50 ships, and the facility takes up a land area of 1,600 acres and 326 acres of water.

For those who want to take a break from the meeting, there are lots of things to do outdoors in San Diego, many of which are within walking distance from the meeting. From the convention center, one can walk to the naval carrier Midway, now a floating museum in San Diego Bay. Next to the Midway in Tuna Harbor Park is the Unconditional Surrender statue, also known as the “kissing” statue, a 25-foot recreation of Life magazine’s famous 1945 V-J Day in Times Square photograph of an unknown sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square to celebrate the Japanese surrender during World War II.

Across Harbor Drive from the convention center is Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. Petco Park was built in 2004 and can seat more than 42,000 fans for baseball. This year, Petco Park was named the best baseball stadium in the United States by USA Today, in part because of its views of the downtown skyline.

San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter is a short walk from Petco Park. The area was first developed by Alonzo Horton, who purchased land near the waterfront in 1867 and wanted to build a new downtown. By the 1880s, the area had become known as the “Stingaree” after the sting rays in San Diego Bay. The Stingaree was filled with saloons, gambling, and a red-light district populated by wild characters such as Western legend Wyatt Earp and Madame Ida Bailey. Earp was known to run four saloons and gambling halls. Redevelopment of the area as a historic district began in the 1970s.

San Diego County is notable for having more than 70 miles of coastline. Although most people live in a narrow belt along the coast, the entire area of San Diego County is more than 4,200 square miles, almost the size of Connecticut. Besides coastline, there are 258 named mountains in San Diego County, including Hot Springs Mountain, which rises to 6,535 feet above sea level. With 3,300,000 people, San Diego is the fifth most populous county in the United States.

North of downtown San Diego is La Jolla, Spanish for “the jewel.” La Jolla sits on a bluff, surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean, but it is also known for its views of La Jolla Cove, its many shops, and California seals who can often be seen on the shores along the coast. Many landmarks around La Jolla reflect the interest and generosity of Ellen Browning Scripps, part of the Scripps family publishing empire. She was instrumental in the founding of Scripps College (originally Scripps College for Women), Scripps Memorial Hospital (now Scripps Health), the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, and Children’s Pool Beach (famous as a resting place for California seals).

Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve is farther up along the coast and named for the famous tree that grows naturally only in this area and on an island off Santa Barbara. The trees were named after botanist John Torrey, whose friend described the unique species. Torrey pines have an extensive root system that helps the trees survive in the local climate. Spanish explorers visiting the coast name the area “Punto de Los Arboles,” Point of Trees. There are only 2,000 Torrey pines in existence.

Torrey Pines is also the name of the area’s famous golf venue, which hugs the coast and holds PGA events. The two courses are public, so Annual Meeting attendees can reserve a tee time and play.

The long coastline and mild climate have made San Diego one of the surfing capitals of the world, made famous by the Beach Boys’ 1960s hit “Surfin’ USA” and by Andy Warhol’s 1968 film “San Diego Surf,” which was filmed at La Jolla. Besides big waves and surfing, San Diego is also known for skateboarding. There are 35 skateboard parks in San Diego.

At the southern end of the coastline is the Mexican border city of Tijuana, just 16 miles south of San Diego. Now a popular tourist destination, Tijuana was a small town near the border that became popular with American tourists during the Prohibition Era. The governor of Baja, California, anxious to bring business to the city, allowed saloons and casinos to open in Tijuana so Americans could cross the border for a quick evening or day trip to drink and gamble. Today with more than 5 million residents combined, San Diego and Tijuana make up one of the largest bi-national metropolitan areas in the world.

At the San Diego Zoo, there are more than 12,000 animals and more than 600 species. This year, two giant pandas—Yun Chuan and Xin Bao—arrived from China. The zoo is one of many offerings in Balboa Park. The park was named after explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the first European to cross Panama and see the Pacific Ocean. The park was the site of the Panama–California World Exposition held in San Diego from 1915 through 1917, celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal and showcasing San Diego as the closest port on the Pacific coast. Visitors can easily spend a full day at the park visiting its many museums, Old Globe theater, as well as architectural landmarks such as the California Tower and the Prado.

If you get thirsty along the way, San Diego is considered the Craft Beer Capital of America. Brewing in San Diego dates back to 1896 with the founding of the San Diego Brewing Company. The original brewery was shut down during World War II to make way for naval facilities. But since 1982, when California legalized brewpubs, the number of craft brewers in San Diego has grown to more than 150.

It is always great to have the AAOS Annual Meeting in San Diego. Enjoy the experience but take time to see and do the many things San Diego has to offer.

Stuart J. Fischer, MD, FAAOS, is an orthopaedic surgeon in private practice in Watchung, New Jersey. He also serves on the AAOS Membership Council, Board of Councilors, and Committee on Evidence-Based Quality and Value.