San Diego/Downtown

History

Downtown San Diego began in 1867, when Alonzo Erastus Horton bought 960 acres of land by the San Diego Bay after he decided that this should be the center of the city rather than Old Town, the site chosen by the Spanish for security reasons. Soon Horton found himself in the midst of an economic boom, resulting in the development of the southern Downtown neighborhoods, site of the present-day Gaslamp Quarter. However, in the late 1880s Horton's fortunes ran out and the Gaslamp Quarter began to deteriorate. At the same time, John D. Spreckels, a wealthy entrepreneur who had created a transportation and real estate empire in San Diego, began to develop land north of present-day Broadway, further contributing to the Gaslamp Quarter's decline.
Over the decades, Downtown fell into a state of disrepair as investment in the suburbs took its toll on the central city. In the 1970s, redevelopment efforts began taking off, and in the 1980s the area began to rebound with the completion of Horton Plaza, the San Diego Convention Center, and the start of revitalization efforts in the Gaslamp Quarter.

Neighborhoods

Downtown is divided into a number of individual neighborhoods, each with its own attractions and personality.
At the heart is Columbia, which runs along Broadway as it approaches the harbor. Columbia is mostly a commercial district and contains most of the city's tallest buildings, the train depot, and a sizable chunk of the waterfront which includes the USS Midway Museum, the Maritime Museum, the cruise ship terminal and the ferry landing. To the east of this lies the commercial and governmental center of Core as well as the shopping district of Horton Plaza, with its splendid namesake mall.
To the north of the main business district are a couple of quieter neighborhoods - Cortez Hill, on the hill at the north side of downtown, is a mostly residential neighborhood bumping up against Interstate 5, named for the historic El Cortez Hotel, the tallest building on the hill. Closer to the waterfront at the northwest end of downtown is Little Italy, originally a home to Italian fishermen, now a very active district of shops, restaurants, and parks, with an Italian theme, and is one of the hippest bar and restaurant areas in the city, with a large young professional crowd.
On the southern side of Downtown, Marina is a highly gentrified waterfront district, containing marinas, highrise condos, hotels, the Convention Center, and the Seaport Village shopping mall. To the north of this is Gaslamp Quarter, a historic district which was not only the birthplace of downtown but also the focal point of the first revitalization efforts in downtown during the 1970s. Today the neighborhood is the center of Downtown's nightlife scene; a thriving district of historic buildings, shops, theaters and restaurants. Capitalizing on Gaslamp's success, the East Village on the southeastern side of Downtown is undergoing a construction and redevelopment boom, spurred in part by the ballpark of the San Diego Padres in the neighborhood.

Visitor information

• International Visitor Information Center

  phone: +1 619-236-1212
  address: 1140 North Harbor Dr

If you're arriving in San Diego by bus, train, or cruise ship you're likely to be getting off in Downtown. Even arriving by plane basically puts you in Downtown, given how close the airport is to the city center. Detailed info on arriving via those modes can be found in the Get in section of the San Diego article.

By car

Downtown is served by three freeways. Be warned though, Southern California is notorious for its confusing interchanges and freeway systems. You may exit off the freeway thinking you're going one direction, when it fact you'll find yourself heading in a completely different direction. So careful examination of a street map is recommended.

• Interstate 5 wraps around downtown to the north and west, providing access from the north and the south. From the north, the Ketner Blvd. exit will provide you with the most direct access into Little Italy, while the Front St. exit will be your best bet for getting right into the thick of downtown. From the south, exiting onto 19th St., which acts as a frontage road to I-5, will get you to a number of east-west streets, including Market St., that upon turning left onto will take you right into downtown.
• SR-163 enters downtown from the north, turning into 10th Avenue/11th Avenue in downtown. SR-163 connects downtown to the northcentral and northeastern areas of San Diego.
• SR-94 connects to areas east, and turns into F Street/G Street upon entering downtown.

Downtown is easily accessible and traversed by automobile, but it is one of the very few areas of San Diego where it makes sense to get around by other means. Parking is expensive and can be very hard to find during special events (like Padres games at Petco Park). You can park at the garage at Westfield Horton Plaza for free for up to 3 hours as long as you validate the ticket at the small validation machines inside of the mall.

By public transit

The hub for rail services in San Diego is the at Broadway and Kettner, which serves as the southern terminus of the COASTER commuter rail service, which runs north along the coast of San Diego County to Oceanside, and the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner to Los Angeles. The Mission-style Santa Fe depot is an architectural gem and worth having a look at even if you don't need to catch a train. The name "Santa Fe" is a reference to the Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railroad, now part of BNSF corp., which built the station.
Downtown is served by all three lines of the San Diego Trolley light rail system, operated by the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS). The Blue Line comes up from the US-Mexico border at San Ysidro to the south and travels up Park Blvd. in the East Village neighborhood before turning west onto C Street, where it runs through the Core to America Plaza, across from Santa Fe Depot. The Orange Line connects the eastern cities of El Cajon and La Mesa with Downtown and follows the same route as the Blue Line (Park Blvd and C Street). The Green Line comes south from Mission Valley and Old Town, passing through Little Italy and stopping at Santa Fe Depot; then it runs along Harbor Drive, stopping at the convention center and Petco Park.
The MTS also operates bus service throughout the city and in southern portions of the county, and downtown is the hub of the system, so bus service is pretty good in these parts. Nearly all bus routes that serve Downtown intersect with Broadway Street at some point. You can purchase passes, find schedules, and get information about the bus system at the in southeast Downtown, which also serves as the Greyhound station and is served by all three trolley lines.

Downtown is dense enough that it can usually be easily walked. Certain intersections (basically anything along Harbor Drive) can feel a little risky with the high volume of cars, but for the most part walking is quite safe, even at night. Downtown is fairly large: it's a long walk from Little Italy to Petco Park.
Taxis are readily available just about anywhere in downtown at night until very late; just flag one down. A slightly more novel ride is the Water Taxi, +1 619-235-8294, an on-call service that can pick up from most waterfront hotels, shopping centers, and restaurants along the bay in Downtown and Coronado. They run Fridays through Sundays from noon-10PM and cost $8 each way.
A vintage trolley service, the Silver Line runs in a clockwise direction around the San Diego Trolley loop within Downtown every half-hour from 10AM-2PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 11AM-3:30PM on Saturdays and Sundays. The fare is $2.50 ($1.25 seniors/disabled; MTS/trolley passes accepted). This is really only worthwhile if you're interested in riding the old streetcar; otherwise just use the regular San Diego Trolley service.
Avoid the pedicabs (bike taxis) as a form of regular transportation, as they are one of the most expensive options available. Each of the 250 licensed pedicabs in the city can set its own prices, so you won't know the price unless you ask the driver (who may be reluctant to tell you until it's too late) or can spot the small sign on the cab (which some drivers have claimed don't apply, if they think they can trick you into paying more at the end of the ride). If you decide to take a tour this way, expect to pay a minimum of $20 per person for even a one-minute trip, and at least $1 per minute per person for a longer trip. All pedicabs must have a permit from the San Diego police department, so complaints about price gouging, fraud, unsafe driving, an aggressive insistence upon a tip in addition to the agreed-upon price, and other problems should be reported to the city's police department compliance team at +1 619-615-1539 as soon as possible.

• Gaslamp Quarter

  phone: +1 619-233-4692
  Home to a number of historic Victorian-era buildings, such as the Louis Bank of Commerce, the Backesto Building, the Old City Hall, the Yuma Building, and a whole bunch of other beautiful old structures.

• Gaslamp Museum at the Davis Horton House

  phone: +1 619-233-4692
  address: 410 Island Ave
  Previously called the William Heath Davis House, this museum is the headquarters of the Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation. The visitor center here offers information for self-guided tours of the district as well as a guided walking tour of the district that leaves every Saturday at 11AM, and Thursday at 1PM. Hosts a festival every St. Patrick's Day.

• Maritime Museum of San Diego

  phone: +1 619-234-9153
  address: 1492 North Harbor Dr
  Home to a number of historic sea vessels, including the Star of India, the world's oldest active sailing ship, the Berkeley, an 1898 steam ferryboat, the Californian, a replica sailing ship, the Medea, a 1904 steam yacht, the HMS Surprise, another replica sailing ship, and a B-39 Soviet Attack Submarine.

• Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

  phone: +1 858-454-3541
  address: 1001 Kettner
  Just north of Santa Fe Depot, this museum holds a part of the museum's collection over 4,000 works.

• New Children's Museum

  phone: +1 619-233-8792
  address: 200 West Island Ave

• San Diego Chinese Historical Museum

  phone: +1 619-338-9888
  address: 404 Third Ave
  A museum dedicated to Chinese history, culture and art. Includes exhibits on the Chinese experience in America.

• San Diego Firehouse Museum

  phone: +1 619-232-3473
  address: 1572 Columbia St.
  Dedicated to the history of firefighting in San Diego.

• USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum

  phone: +1 619-544-9600
  address: 910 N. Harbor Dr
  Take a self-guided tour of the USS Midway (CV-41), a former aircraft carrier of the US Navy. The Midway is home to a collection of former naval aircraft housed on her expansive flight deck. Guided tours and displays offer a unique look into the life aboard and of a powerful old warhorse.

• San Diego Padres

  address: Petco Park
  See the Major League Baseball Padres play at Petco Park. The stadium, modeled after other "retro" ballparks, has many unique elements, such as the Western Metal Supply Co. building, a historic warehouse which is incorporated into the left-field seats. Price range for tickets varies widely, from $15-20 for a spot on the grassy lawn beyond the outfield wall (the "Park at the Park") to over $50 for a seat behind home plate. Ballpark tours are available off-season daily at 10:30AM and 12:30PM, with an extra 3PM tour on Saturdays; tours are also available during the season, but times vary depending on whether there's a game that day or not.

• San Diego Repertory Theatre

  phone: +1 619-544-1000
  address: 79 Horton Plaza

• San Diego Symphony

  phone: +1 619-235-0804
  address: 750 B St
  Somewhat in the shadow of the mighty Los Angeles Philharmonic, but still a top notch symphony orchestra. See website for the current season.

Parks

• Amici Park

  address: at corner of Date and State Streets
  A small park in Little Italy, notable for its bocce (a popular sport in Italy) courts. You can also find Italian recipes engraved onto the sidewalk plaques and tables around the park.

• Children's Park

  address: south of Island Avenue between Front St. and First Avenue
  An unusual park with lots of grassy hills, shade trees, and a large water feature. Unfortunately, this park is usually occupied by homeless, so it wouldn't be a safe destination for children.

• Embarcadero Park

  address: south of Seaport Village behind the convention center
  Also known as the Marina Park, Embarcadero Park is split into two parts, north and south, which shelter the marina. Very pleasant, with lots of trees, grass, and good views of the harbor. You can access the north park by walking through the Seaport Village shopping center, and you can reach the south park by going around the back side of the convention center.

• Gaslamp Quarter Park

  address: at Fifth Avenue and L Street
  A small square next to the Gaslamp Quarter trolley station with a small water fountain. Good views of the convention center.

• Horton Plaza Park

  address: south of Broadway between Fourth and Third Avenue
  A historic square just north of the shopping center of the same name. A large fountain marks the center of the park.

• Martin Luther King Jr. Promenade

  address: along the north side of Harbor Drive between First Avenue and Fifth Avenue
  A linear park honoring the late civil rights activist.

• Pantoja ParkA small park surrounded by a residential area.

• Park at the Park

  address: south of J Street between Seventh and Tenth Avenue
  For the 81 Padres home game days, this grassy berm overlooking Petco Park is closed to the general public, open as a place to view the game for the price of a ticket. But for the other 284 days of the year, the park is open to the public. The park has a small baseball diamond, a playground, and there are various monuments to the achievements of the Padres, such as a statue of star player Tony Gwynn nearby.

Events

• Mardi Gras is celebrated in San Diego with a huge party in Gaslamp Quarter on Fat Tuesday (by some claims the largest Mardi Gras event on the West Coast) that features a parade, live music, and (of course) plenty of drinking and revelry at the neighborhood's many bars. This is a ticketed event open only to those 21 and older; see the event website for details.
• ArtWalk takes place every April in Little Italy and has grown into the largest art event in the city, with numerous artists set up along India Street to showcase and sell their work. Music, dance, and interactive art exhibits are also on show for visitors to enjoy.
• Fourth of July brings huge crowds to the waterfront to witness the city's biggest pyrotechnics display, with fireworks launched from several points in the bay all at once, making for a spectacular show.

• San Diego Comic-Con International

  address: San Diego Convention Center
  For four days every July, one of the world's largest fan conventions descends on Downtown San Diego, flooding the convention center with over 100,000 attendees. Since its comic book origins, the convention has expanded into virtually every genre of pop culture, drawing Hollywood celebrities, major television producers, toy manufacturers, video game designers, and top-name anime and manga creators, offering sneak peeks at their future works. Expect massive crowds and all manner of celebration of geek culture. It takes some planning to attend Comic-con; tickets sell out almost as soon as they go on sale, and lodging in San Diego becomes expensive and scarce. For this reason, if you're not interested in Comic-con, it's probably best to avoid visiting San Diego during this period.
• Labor Day Weekend brings the Festival of Sail to the Downtown waterfront. Hosted by the Maritime Museum, this event draws tall ships from around the world to take part in parades, mock cannon battles, and open their vessels for tours. Plenty of vendors, entertainers, and food are also on hand; if you have kids, this is a pretty exciting one to bring them to.
• Little Italy Festa is a huge celebration of Italian culture that takes place in Little Italy every October. Visitors can expect to find plenty of delicious food, cooking demonstrations, traditional art and music, Gesso Italiano (Italian chalk art) painting, and stickball and bocce ball games.
• Each December, the Parade of Lights sails past Downtown to celebrate the holiday season, with dozens of boats decked out in elaborate light displays.

• Seaport Village

  phone: +1 619-235-4014
  address: 849 West Harbor Dr
  A shopping and dining complex overlooking the bay, with a recreated historic "seaside village" look. Nearly 70 shops and restaurants and an antique carousel.

• Seaport Fudge Factory

  phone: +1 619-239-3100
  address: 859 West Harbor Dr
  Gorgeous shop with very well priced and excellent chocolates. All candies are made fresh daily on premises.

• Basic

  phone: +1 619-531-8869
  address: 410 10th Ave
  Outstanding thin crust pizza in a renovated warehouse space. Open late. Features both red (with tomato sauce) and white (cheese only) pies.

• Bencotto Italian Kitchen

  phone: +1 619-450-4786
  address: 750 W Fir St
  Modern and classic hand-made pasta dishes. Multi-year winner of critics and readers choice for Best Italian in San Diego Magazine.

• Kansas City Barbeque

  phone: +1 619-231-9680
  address: 600 W Harbor Dr
  Unpretentious barbeque on paper plates. Unique interior with friendly staff and customers. Bar on premises.

• Knotty Barrel

  phone: +1 619-269-7156
  address: 844 Market St (between 8th Ave & 9th Ave)
  Cool gastropub with a great menu and wonderful selection of draft beers. Try a sample of four beers for $7 to see what you like. If none of the draft beers suit your taste, there's a multitude of other beers from all over the world listed on the chalkboard.

• The Mission

  phone: +1 619-232-7662
  address: 1250 J St
  Third and newest of the popular locally owned breakfast restaurant. Avoid the lines at the North Park and Mission Beach locations by coming here. Vegetarian offerings for the diet conscious. Only open for breakfast and lunch from 8AM - 3PM.

• Mona Lisa Restaurant & Deli

  phone: +1 619-239-5367
  address: 2061 India St
  Enjoy Sicilian style favorites and some of the best pizza in town at this family-oriented restaurant. Deli has large selection of Italian imports and is a great place to grab a sandwich.

• The Oceanaire

  address: 400 J St
  Great seafood. Can be a little pricey. Food is fresh and flavorful. The Australian rock lobster is fantastic. Also, try the oysters.

• Underbelly

  phone: +1 619-269 4626
  address: 750 W. Fir St.
  Serves tonkotsu (pork broth) and vegetarian ramen. Gets crowded, expect to wait for seating if you arrive during the lunch or dinner rush. There is also a North Park location with a slightly different menu.

• Brian's 24

  phone: +1 619-702-8410
  address: 828 6th Ave
  As its name suggests, it's open 24/7. Tasty but fairly standard American food.

• Hodad's

  phone: +1 619-234-6323
  address: 945 Broadway
  Local favorite with great burgers, milkshakes, and not a lot else. Lively little spot with funky decor. There is also a location in Ocean Beach.

• Sol e Luna Cafe

  phone: +1 619-232-0436
  address: 702 Ash St
  Neighborhood trattoria. Excellent lasagna, lots of vegetarian options. Various daily specials and discounts for ticket holders on symphony nights.

Downtown San Diego offers a tremendous amount of drinking locations in a rather small area, making it an excellent nightlife area. Nearly any type of bar can be found in or near downtown, with dive bars, live music, wine bars, craft beer bars, and even several high-end multi-level dance clubs offering bottle service. Unfortunately, much of downtown San Diego is also among the most expensive nightlife in the city.

• Princess Pub

  phone: +1 619-702-3021
  address: 1665 India St
  Traditional British pub.

• Sogno Divino

  phone: +1 619-531-8887
  address: 1607 India St
  Wine bar and appetizers, relaxing environment.

• Waterfront

  phone: +1 619-232-9656
  address: 2044 Kettner Blvd
  One of San Diego's oldest drinking establishments and best dive bars.

• El Dorado

  address: 1030 Broadway
  Western-themed hipster hangout with good cocktails, rotating DJs, and a fun dance floor. A world away from the usual bottleservice & bouncers experience at many downtown SD clubs.

• Bootlegger

  address: 804 Market St
  Popular sports bar with good bar food and DJs at night.

• Fluxx

  address: 500 Fourth Ave
  Wallet weighing you down? Do you want a Vegas style VIP club experience with bottle service, gogo dancers and top DJs? This is your spot. Dress to impress.

• Ballast Point

  phone: +1 619-255-7213
  address: 2215 India St
  Little Italy tasting room and gastropub for one of San Diego's best known craft brewers. Several other locations around the city.

• The Field

  address: 544 Fifth Avenue
  Irish pub literally shipped over piece by piece from Ireland and reassembled. Good food and drinks, and frequent live Irish music.

Budget

• 500 West Hotel

  address: 500 West Broadway
  YMCA-affiliated Hostel in downtown San Diego, right next to Amtrak railway station. Free Wi-Fi.

• Hostel on 3rd

  phone: +1 619-595-1440
  address: 542 3rd Ave
  Hostel with easy access to the historic Gaslamp District. They have 2 bed private rooms, 4 bed mixed, 4 bed female and 6 bed mixed dorms. Most of them with a sink and a closet. Amenities include free wifi, free luggage storage, and free breakfast.

• Hostelling International San Diego-Downtown

  phone: +1 619-525-1531
  address: 521 Market St
  It's in Gaslamp Quarter, clean, friendly, and offers 24-hour desk service, free breakfast, laundry facilities, lockers, and Wi-Fi. This hostel is part of a non-profit organization, HI-USA. The only hostel in this area to offer air conditioned rooms with iPod dock alarm clocks. Also offers free activities including: Walking tours, pub crawls, a screen printing workshop and bicycle tours. In addition there are three donation based dinners offered per week.

• ITH Adventure Hostel

  phone: +1 619-228-9234
  address: 1658 Front St
  A friendly and cozy hostel that offers free breakfast and free dinner daily. Also they provide free adventure activities that guests can go on to enjoy San Diego.

• Lucky D's Hostel

  phone: +1 619-595-0000
  address: 615 8th Ave
  Fun hostel in San Diego's trendy East Village. The hostel offers free breakfast, free dinners, free internet, free house phone, free pub crawl and free use of linens and towels. They also run a weekly tour to Tijuana.

• La Pensione Hotel

  phone: +1 619-236-8000
  address: 606 West Date St
  In Little Italy, this lovely hotel has 75 small rooms with views of the bustling neighborhood. Parking is quite tight here, but the place is quite affordable at around $80/night.

• USA Hostels San Diego

  phone: +1 619-232-3100
  address: 726 5th Ave
  Small hostel in the Gaslamp Quarter. The hostel offers free breakfasts, wireless access, lockers, a laundry room, and bike rentals. They run a tour to Tijuana on Saturdays.

Mid-range

• Bristol Hotel

  phone: +1 619-232-6141
  address: 1055 1st Ave
  A contemporary and casual hotel, the Bristol features an unusually large pop art collection.

• Comfort Inn Gaslamp Convention Center

  phone: +1 619-238-4100
  address: 660 G St
  A 100% non-smoking hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter.

• Courtyard by Marriott San Diego Downtown

  phone: +1 619-446-3000
  address: 530 Broadway
  A unique 245-room hotel where timeless charm is blended seamlessly with sophisticated comfort of modern guest accommodations. Ideal location in the Gaslamp Quarter.

• Gaslamp Plaza Suites

  phone: +1 619-232-9500
  address: 520 E St
  Housed in a beautiful historic building, this hotel offers lovely rooms and complimentary breakfast - served on the rooftop terrace (weather permitting).

• Horton Grand Hotel

  phone: +1 619-544-1886
  address: 311 Island Ave
  A luxurious Victorian-era hotel in the Gaslamp Quarter.

• Marriott Gaslamp Quarter

  phone: +1 619-696-0234
  address: 6060 K St
  22-floor hotel in the Gaslamp neighborhood with most of the services and features typical of Marriotts (sadly, no pool or jacuzzi). Rooftop bar, on-site restaurant.

Splurge

• Doubletree San Diego Downtown

  phone: +1 619-239-6800
  address: 1646 Front St
  Complimentary airport shuttle, extensive amenities and friendly staff.

• The Keating Hotel

  phone: +1 619-814-5700
  address: 432 F St
  A modern luxury hotel with an on site bar, spa services, and Italian designed rooms.

• Hotel Palomar

  phone: +1 619-515-3000
  address: 1047 5th Ave
  Formerly the Se Sean Diego, now a Kimpton Hotel. This boutique hotel is near Horton Square and a few blocks from the Gaslamp District. Rates start at $159 a night.

• Manchester Grand Hyatt

  phone: +1 619-232-1234
  address: 1 Market Pl
  This hotel has over 1600 rooms, making it the largest hotel in San Diego. It's next to the Convention Center, and consists of two towers that are connected on the bottom four floors.

• Omni Hotel

  phone: +1 619-231-6664
  address: 675 L St
  A modern luxury hotel connected to Petco Park via a skybridge across the street, the Omni was built along the new ballpark and has a few baseball relics inside, such as Joe DiMaggio's cleats in the lobby, Babe Ruth's 1932 contract with the Yankees in the Presidential Suite, and a broken bat autographed by Willie Mays in the fifth-floor hallway.

• U.S. Grant Hotel

  phone: +1 619-232-3121
  address: 326 Broadway
  A luxurious and historic hotel across the street from the Horton Plaza Square. It was built by Ulysses S. Grant's son, who later became a real estate developer in San Diego.

• San Diego Public Library

  phone: +1 619-236-5800
  address: 330 Park Blvd
  San Diego's impressive central library offers free WiFi to the public; just connect to the network 'sdpl'. Desktop computers are available only to library card holders. Library cards are free only to California residents; non-residents have to pay $32 for an annual card.

• Drive northeast on Park Boulevard to get to the beautiful Balboa Park, one of San Diego's greatest attractions and home to lovely gardens, numerous museums, and the world-famous San Diego Zoo.
• Head due north on 5th or 6th Avenue to get to the western entrance to Balboa Park, or continue to the hip urban neighborhood of Hillcrest.
• To the northwest of Downtown and easily accessed via I-5 or the San Diego Trolley is Old Town, the original site of the center of San Diego.
• Coronado is a lovely little city that lies on a peninsula just across the bay, accessible from downtown by a ferry ride (departs from the Broadway Pier and the Convention Center) or by driving just a bit south of Downtown to get to the Bay Bridge.