Perhaps the BEST B1G Forum anywhere, here at College Football Fan Site, CFB51!!!

We drove my Turkish friend to the airport two days back and the traffic coming back was horrible, on a Sunday.  Something was amiss, I tried to go around and it was horrible too.

Snowbirds are killing I-75 and I-95 now. I've noticed traffic is better around here lately.

I-75/85 southbound was normal, but northbound was stopped, 7 lanes just stopped.

traffic is one of the reasons I avoid large cities

I-75/85 southbound was normal, but northbound was stopped, 7 lanes just stopped.

In Atl? 

Heading to San Diego (in German: A Whale's Vagina) for a conference on Sunday. Any must-eat places? I prefer the ones right on the water if possible. 

Heading to San Diego (in German: A Whale's Vagina) for a conference on Sunday. Any must-eat places? I prefer the ones right on the water if possible.

Are you going to have a car? Will you just be downtown? 

What sort of cuisine are you looking for? High end? Casual? Both?

Obviously you should be looking for Mexican food while you're here. Fish tacos of course, carne asade burritos without a doubt, but also everything else. You tend to get a lot more Baja Mexican than the traditional Tex-Mex that is common throughout the rest of the country. El Indio is one of the most famous places. If you're near Old Town, I've personally been to Cafe Coyote, and it is excellent. 

San Diego also has the Little Italy neighborhood, where you'll find any number of amazing Italian joints. 

I'd say if you're looking for Asian cuisine as well, you'll get better (and more authentic) stuff here than in the Midwest. However I don't know if San Diego (especially downtown) is as well known as certain areas of Orange County or Los Angeles for that fare. But I'm sure you can find good Chinese, Japanese, or Thai without going much distance from your hotel. 

And of course seafood. Sushi would be good if you're into that. (And if you like sushi and Mexican food, there's always sushi burrito.)

Disagree about the Asian vs. that available in the Midwest though. Of course, I'm only referencing Chicago when I say that.

I get that. Especially if you're specifically referring to Chicago's Chinatown. But in general Chicago will have the population to support good authentic ethnic cuisine of nearly every type. It wouldn't surprise me if (outside of Chinatown) you really need to search carefully for the legit joints.  

The same is true here of course. Finding really excellent Chinese food in/around Mission Viejo is hard. Drive 10 miles north to Irvine, and it's easy. Finding decent Thai or pho here is not hard, but if you really want authentic South Asian cuisine, you go 10 mi further north to Westminster / Garden Grove. Those areas are far more dense enclaves of those particular nationalities, and thus the food reflects it. 

The West Coast has a much higher population density of Asian descent than most places eastward. So you'll get more variety of authentic options in LA/OC, SF Bay Area, Seattle, or Vancouver than you'll get in most cities east of the Rockies, with places like Chicago and NY as notable exceptions.