The Barking Lot

Romance, music and a dash of history all prove to be the ingredients of the perfect romantic evening when you visit Gaslamp Quarter. Aside from being an obviously hip, lively collection of restaurants, clubs and bars that are part of the district's top-drawer nightlife, it's also a great vantage point to do some fun people-watching.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then get ready for a novel's worth of images at San Diego's Museum of Art and MOPA. Since 1983, MOPA, a shortened form of the museum's moniker, has been devoted to collecting, conserving and exhibiting the largest spectrum possible of various photographic mediums.

If you and your date want to dress up for something a little different, make plans to take your seat among many like-minded music fans and enjoy an evening at the San Diego Symphony. There are several performances on the schedule throughout the year, so there's always something that you can plan ahead to see. Shows that feature current Tony winners, the music of Burt Bacharach and several pops concerts are just a few highlights of what you'll find on the itinerary, so make sure you get your tickets early to not miss a note of any of these stellar presentations.