Students tired of
expensive secluded blandness should consider moving to Mira Mesa, a quiet
suburban hamlet comfortably nestled between I-15,
Located about 20 minutes away from UCSD and lined with
cookie-cutter housing tracks and numerous strategically placed shopping plazas,
Mira Mesa is the perfect place for any college student on a tight budget. From
a huge Asian market to Target to an IMAX movie theater to almost every
fast-food joint imaginable (including the down-home Cajun cookin’ of Popeyes),
Mira Mesa has it all.
And if you get tired of grease-soaked takeout bags, never
fear — Mira Mesa is loaded with delicious ethnic restaurants. Whether you
choose to indulge in spicy, cheap, authentic Indian food at Punjabi Tandoor or
the huge portions offered at Vietnamese eateries like Pho Hoa Cali, Mira Mesa’s
diverse array of restaurants is sure to please any palate. Throw in a 24-hour
Roberto’s smack dab in the middle of the neighborhood, and even the most
finicky eaters are covered. (Seriously, who doesn’t like
burritos at
Instead of dealing with the horrendous parking and
paper-thin walls associated with almost every apartment complex, in Mira Mesa
you can easily find a spacious house (many have pools!) where you can have your
own room for under $500, complete with a driveway, backyard and washer and
dryer.
Although Mira Mesa lacks the bar scenes of Hillcrest and
Pacific Beach and the commute to UCSD can at times be exasperating (get ready
to leave at least 40 minutes before class), there are plenty of fun things to
do in the area: Epicentre plays host to year-round concerts and the 44-alley
Mira Mesa Lanes offers cheap bowling and beer. Try the Wacky Wednesday special
for unlimited games for up to six people per lane from
for only $25, and you’re guaranteed to have a rollin’ good time.
