SAN DIEGO — There are two kinds of seals in San Diego Bay: the wobbly gray kind that honk at passing boats from their floating dock, and the human kind, Navy SEALs in training, who surface in scuba gear next to military watercraft patrolling the bay. You can see both on the city's scenic harbor tour.

Wildlife and the Navy — linchpins of San Diego — always will draw visitors, but downtown, just a shout from the carrier USS Midway, it's a different vibe. Less glamorous than San Francisco, more compact than Los Angeles, San Diego's decade-long building boom is transforming the city. And nowhere is it more visible than the Gaslamp Quarter, an area that first boomed in the 1800s, fell into disrepair and today bustles with high-end condominiums, office towers, rooftop nightclubs and big-name hotels. The once-seedy area buzzes with construction by day and throbs with music at night.

Joining the fray, a Hard Rock Hotel opens this month with the city's first Nobu restaurant, next to the Padres home turf Petco Park. The new kid on the downtown block faces San Diego's Convention Center, elegantly stretching along the waterfront like a cruise ship.

Attractions were unscathed by last month's wildfires, with no impact at all on tourism, said Joe Timko, spokesman at San Diego's Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Hotels, restaurants, shopping areas and cultural venues are open for business and welcoming guests with open arms."

This sunny city — the average temperature is a comfortable 70 degrees — is America's seventh- biggest, and a booming tourism hub. Next month's "Balboa Park December Nights," a highlight of the holiday season, expects to draw more than 300,000 visitors.

For Hawai'i residents, it's a (relatively) short flight. There are food and wine festivals, ocean events, major-league sports, fine arts and an opera season. La Jolla's Summerfest classical music festival in August attracts thousands to the city each year.

THE GREAT THINGS YOU CAN DO IN SAN DIEGO

Cultural attractions, major-league sports, lots of fine restaurants

If you're heading to San Diego, here's our pick of things to do ... on and off the bay.

See art. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego has two locations: in La Jolla and Downtown. Proving that a Downtown transport depot can transform into a stunning art gallery, the museum last month opened an extension space to its Downtown gallery in the renovated 1915 Santa Fe Depot baggage building. As trolleys glide by outside, check out "Primaries and Secondaries," a 50-year retrospective of works and installations by Robert Irwin, which runs through Feb. 22. Outside, Richard Serra's giant steel blocks on the patio were specially commissioned for the museum.

In La Jolla, museum galleries overlook the ocean from a house designed by California architect Irving Gill. Combine a museum visit with exploring this pretty seaside enclave and its craggy coastline. On show: "Soundwaves: A Sampling," by various artists, explores where visual art and sound waves meet, through Dec. 30. 700 Prospect St., La Jolla. The museum's collections include more than 3,000 works in all media with a strong representation by California artists. Free tours with admission are available at both locations. Tickets are $10 and good for seven days at both locations. www.mcasd.org.

The Embarcadero. At the foot of Broadway, San Diego's military history is on display, highlighted by the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum, the Maritime Museum and a square-rigger, the Star of India. Also docked at the Navy Pier is HMS Surprise, a replica of a 24-gun frigate of Britan's Nelson-era Royal Navy, built for the Academy Award winning "Master & Commander." Even if you're not a naval buff, the aircraft carrier dwarfing the dock is impossible to pass by. The USS Midway self-guided audio tour gets you into 60 exhibits including 24 restored aircraft. Audio is from storytelling docents — many of them Midway veterans who lived or worked in the spaces visited. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. The ticket booth closes at 4 p.m. For history and naval enthusiasts, the Embarcadero promises a full day, especially if you take a harbor cruise, which leaves twice a day from here. www.thebigbay.com.

Stroll in Balboa Park. The cultural heart of San Diego is a vast woodland area filled with more than two dozen museums and attractions that can't all be seen in one day. Choose two or three and soak up the beautiful Spanish colonial architecture, gardens and lily ponds as you stroll around.