[quote name='Mariah' timestamp='1301030928' post='1299I'M FROM VEGAS WHAT ABOUT OLD TOWN !!!!!!!!!!!! LOVE IT .
I live in San Diego, and I can tell you that any nice hotel (Marriott, Hard Rock, Hilton, Solamar, the W) near downtown or near Lindbergh Field airport will be expensive. But there are plenty of cheap-er hotels around (like your Motel 8s and such).
I would suggest visiting Balboa Park (it's right next to the San Diego Zoo) as well as the Zoo. SeaWorld is fun, too (I have an annual pass!) and, if you can get to it, I'd highly recommend visiting the Gaslamp (near downtown). Great, totally San Diego atmosphere. Point Loma or La Jolla are beautiful places to visit (the beach), and if you love dogs, you can visit DOG BEACH! My favorite place. Tons of dogs running off-leash on the beach and in the ocean.
We have a pretty good public transit system here in SD (the trolley) and you can get pretty much anywhere using the trolley. It generally runs every 15 minutes during the day and it's an experience in and of itself