The Sofia Hotel: Ideal Home Base for the 12th Annual “Bike the Bay” Ride

If you’ll be in town this weekend for the annual “Bike the Bay” ride, we invite you to enjoy our boutique Downtown San Diego accommodations at the Sofia Hotel—just a few blocks from the start/finish line—for this fabulous occasion!

The Bike the Bay Experience

Bike the Bay marks its 12th running (or 12th pedaling, perhaps we should say) on August 25th. It’s the sort of organized bike ride that emphasizes the scenery and the pleasure of the route and the overall experience more than any bragging rights per say: Its 25-mile course isn’t timed and isn’t competitive. 

The ride provides a fantastic excuse to explore the Bayshore Bikeway, a year-round recreational resource for Sofia Hotel guests that encircles the postcard-perfect natural harbor of San Diego Bay and threads together its fringing cities: besides San Diego itself, also Coronado, Imperial Beach, Chula Vista, and National City.

What’s unique about Bike the Bay is the opportunity to pedal your way across the historic and iconic San Diego-Coronado Bridge, built in 1969 to coincide with the bicentennial of America’s Finest City and featuring one of the lengthiest continuous box girders (about 1800 feet) in the world. (You can read more about the history of that fabled span in this previous “Check In” post.) While the Coronado Bridge funnels loads of drivers each day, Bike the Bay offers the rare chance to make the crossing by bicycle: one of the clear highlights of the day. 

The Route

Bike the Bay kicks off at the Embarcadero Marina Park South. It crosses the famous bridge to Coronado, then heads down the Silver Strand between the Bay and the open Pacific to wrap around the south side and head back north to the Embarcadero.

Those are the bare route details, but needless to say the ride encompasses a lot of stunning views: of the San Diego skyline, of the glinting and boat-plied waters of the Bay, and so much else. There are official (and optional) rest stops at Coronado’s Glorietta Bay Park, Bikeway Village, and the Living Coast Discovery Center in Chula Vista.

Afterwards, there’s a post-ride festival with plenty of food and entertainment, plus a beer garden: ample reward for making the sunshiny waterfront loop. Plus, of course, you can retire to the Sofia just a stone’s throw from the Embarcadero and enjoy a well-earned meal and libation at our very own Currant American Brasserie…

Call the Sofia Hotel Your Cycling-Friendly Home Base for the 2019 Bike the Bay

We’re the perfect home base for Bike the Bay here at the Sofia Hotel: a short stroll from the ride’s start and finish, for one thing, and near at hand to many of the top attractions in Downtown San Diego, including the historical architecture and jampacked lineup of shops, restaurants, and bars in the Gaslamp Quarter.

Whether you’re here for Bike the Bay or not, furthermore, we’re always a great launch pad for a bike ride: Our guests have access to hotel bikes free of charge for pedaling their way around town, including the topnotch route of the Bayshore Bikeway. With some of the best weather in the world to call our own, it’s rarely a bad day for a bike ride on a San Diego getaway at the Sofia!