Drink the Craft’s Beer Week Transportation Guide
You have your agenda. You’ve bought your tickets. Now, unless you have a designated driver (which hopefully many of you do), the only tricky part is getting from point a to point beer. That’s why we’ve got loads of suggestions for arriving safely at your craft beer destinations…all week long.
Bus it. San Diego isn’t known for its public transportation, and the transit system is indeed spotty in a few areas. But some of the most efficient bus routes happen to run right by many of the key beer week locations. If you’re heading to events at Blind Lady, Toronado, Small Bar, Hamiltons, and even O’Briens, try hopping on one of these bus routes:
The 2 line. San Diego’s hippest bus line (it even has it’s own blog), the 2 line runs up and down 30th Street, aka the “Nation’s best beer boulevard.” The route runs through four neighborhoods: Downtown, South Park, North Park, and Normal Heights, and has stops within feet of Hamilton’s, Whistle Stop, the Linkery, True North, Toronado, Ritual Tavern, and Jaynes Gastropub. Heck, beer week doesn’t even seem complete without a ride on the 2 line.
The 7. This is the key bus to keep in mind for the SD Brewer’s Guild festival, as it is the only bus that runs past the World Beat Center in Balboa Park. Pick it up downtown and take it to Hillcrest, North Park, or City Heights.
The 11. The 11 is like the 2-line’s hipster-aspiring younger brother. The route runs from east of downtown, through downtown, up Banker’s Hill, through Hillcrest, and over to Normal Heights along Adams Avenue. It swings by several key beer week locations, including Neighborhood, Downtown Johnny Brown’s, Small Bar, and Blind Lady. Give it a whirl this week!
The 27. The 27 is O’Brien’s magic number. This route drops you off within a block of the Kearny Mesa bar, and is a pretty key resource if you’re trying to visit without driving. The 27 runs to and from PB to the Kearny Mesa transit center, which means you can transfer to it if you are taking the 120 from downtown. We use it often–it’s not the fastest ride but it is handy now and again.
If you’re heading to other locations, don’t give up on public transit without at least looking to see if the bus or coaster can take you close by. The trip planner on sdcommute.com is pretty reliable, and google maps offers public transit directions for San Diego — which is especially handy with a mobile phone.
Cab it. The locations participating in beer week are pretty spread out, so why chance driving after a few beers? Here are just a few cab companies and their numbers to print and keep in your wallet this week:
Yellow Cab — If you’re calling from a 619, 858, or 760 area code. just dial 444-4444. In a loud bar? You don’t even have to go outside to call – Yellow Cab has a texting service. Simply text your address and city to 777222. You can also arrange a cab 24 hours ahead of time through their website.
Johnny Cab. The blogging cab company… that also guarantees a cab in half an hour or less from when you call. Make online reservations 24 hours in advance or call them at 619-275-5500.
Orange Cab accepts plastic, which is a huge plus if you’ve spent all your cash on beer or merch at the bar. They also allow you to call for van cabs–key if you are with more than four. Call them at 619-223-5555 or 619-291-3333.
Shuttle It. If you’re with a large party and know your agenda for the day, arrange your transportation ahead of time through these shuttle companies:
Wherever Shuttle. Wherever Shuttle is a biofuel-powered shuttle company, with all of their vehicles (including a hummer limo) running on vegetable oil. Veggie oil-powered beer week transportation? Yes please. Call them at 619-599-3225.
Brewery Tours of San Diego. Specializing in, well, brewery tours, this company is a must-call if you are thinking of heading out to some of the breweries during the week.
EZ Ride Shuttle EZ Ride Shuttle runs charter shuttle services that can be arranged ahead of time. Call them at 800-777-0585 or 619-297-7463 to set things up.
Buy a designated driver. “The Drunk Driver” is a company that specializes in driving you and your friends to and from bars. Advance reservations required, but somehow you get to BYOBÂ in the van… call em’ at 619.847.0102.
Lastly, get a limo. Seriously. When’s the last time you called a limo? With enough people splitting the bill, they are more reasonable than you think. And they’re often available at the last minute–as long as it’s not prom season. Not that you need another reason to make beer week memorable, but we guarantee this will make beer week memorable.
Ok kids, that’s lots of options for getting to and fro your beer destinations safely. So go forth and enjoy your craft beer…responsibly!










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