San Diego has been covered by almost every travel show imaginable. There have been guides upon guides writing about where to and what to see while vacationers spend a week or two here.

Those are all well and good if you want the stereotypical San Diego experience. But let’s face it, who wants stereotypical anything?

The reality is that there are a lot of hidden gems throughout San Diego that will never see the light of day on any TV show or pamphlet at the airport — from an ironically named location off the beaten path of one of the most romantic spots in Southern California to a homegrown gamers’ paradise filled with video games and consuls ranging from the old school Atari to the previous generation’s PlayStation 3.

San Diego hasn’t always been known as an ideal food and drink destination, but it has some of the best places to grab a bite to eat with some friends at an authentic Mexican food place or grab a drink and wind down at a high class cigar lounge after a long day out exploring America’s finest city.

Sound fun? Next time, instead of listening to some run-of-the-mill Travel Channel host who spends a week here at most, listen to the locals instead. We know the area better than anyone else, after all.