One thing about San Marcos, dharmagirl – it might be a good compromise as far as location between Temecula and downtown, but there is very little to do there, and cultured it is NOT. It’s a 30-40 minute drive downtown depending on traffic. When you think about going there, you may end up saying “it’s not worth it” more often than not.
I spent many years living and working in San Marcos (grew up in Esc) and was VERY happy to finally be out of inland north county. You might want to look into the Temecula scene more carefully and see what it has to offer.