San Diego: Car or Metro?

What do you recommend for 1st time tourist at San Diego, have a car or use the trolley?

I want to stay within the city, and also be able to check out the most the city has to offer.

any suggestions? thanks!

i would recommend renting a car if you're venturing anywhere but downtown. if you're in downtown, take some kind of public transportation, like the trolly, which i think is a lot of fun and inexpensive. it weaves through almost the entire city too. if you're in downtown there's not many places you can park for free except for meter parking late at night and the zoo. plus, i'm a san diego native and i can honestly say that san diegans are a lot nicer than the ppl in LA or NY. i lived in those cities as well. so if you get lost, don't hesitate to ask for help. it's a big tourist city and when i went to school in downtown a lot ppl would ask me for directions.

for exploring the rest of SD, i'd say to just rent a car because i've experienced a traffic jam before in LA many times, and we san diegans have it fairly easy when it comes to traffic. overall, there's a lot of history behind our city and so many things i could list for you to do. i know you'll love it here!

youll get lost in a car, use the metro they know where they are going.

You can definitely use the trolley. However, if you are going to places like the zoo, wild animal park, balboa park, etc. you are going to need a car or take the bus or a cab. To be honest, I'd really recommend getting a car so that you'll have the freedom to get to wherever you need to go. I've lived in San Diego since 1987 and while the trolley is great, it won't get you everywhere you need to go.

The trolley. Buy a day pass. I use the bus and trolleys everyday and I get around just fine. I grew up in the traffic here and in L.A. so if you are not use to it stick with the trolleys.
Here's a great link
http://www.transit-rider.com/ca.sandiego...

If you stay in down town, you wont even need the bus or trolley, but i recommend a car. There is lots of interesting things to do in San Diego, but you dont want to spend all your time waiting for the trolley.

It depends on what you want to see. If you want to see the zoo, Sea World, and beaches then you need a car because the trolley doesn't go there. If you want to go to TJ, Old Town, the mission, Convention Center, Petco Park, Qualcomm Stadium, and some malls then the trolley is OK.

Don't be too afraid of driving in San Diego. You can rent a GPS at some rental car companies or bring your own if you have a portable one.

CAR