Each of San Diego’s neighborhoods has a distinct character. All have a casual lifestyle and a connection to the outdoors that is reflected in everything – in the architecture: terraced balconies, patios for dining, picture windows opening to the view; in the stunning natural landscape: people-friendly parks, sidewalk-lined harbors made for walking, varied terrain for cycling, challenging waves for surfing; miles of beaches for swimming, tide pools for viewing; in the leisure venues: sidewalk cafes, dinner cruises, bandstands, boardwalks, outdoor theater, golf courses, trails, parks and wineries.
Downtown San Diego is a cosmopolitan city tucked into a compact space. Beneath a skyline of soaring contemporary office buildings, a white sail topped convention center, and thoroughly modern residential loft apartments are harbor-side parks and tree-lined promenades. There is great shopping, street level or in showy Horton Plaza. Upscale restaurants, comfortable cafes, hot jazz and dance clubs, and rooftop lounges are housed in restored Victorian-era commercial buildings along bricked sidewalks lined with period street lamps in the busy Gaslamp Quarter, the place to be seen.
The harbor along the Embarcadero is active with the comings and goings of vessels of all vintages, shapes and sizes. Visit the historic ships of the Maritime Museum of San Diego, spend time in charming Seaport Village, go whale watching off shore, admire the “Urban Trees” and other outdoor sculpture, sample fresh seafood, and check out the tuna fleet. The up and coming artsy East Village, location of PETCO Stadium, home of the Padres, is an exciting post-modern rejuvenation of a former industrial area. Equally hip and undergoing similar revitalization is Little Italy, with sidewalk cafes, eclectic art galleries and funky boutiques.
Balboa Park feels like a fantasy city. Richly ornament buildings, in Spanish Revival architecture embellished with touches of baroque, fountains, manicured gardens with meticulously placed plants, flowers and trees create a storybook ambience. In addition to wonderful architecture and gardens, America’s largest urban cultural park offers the visitor incredible museums, appealing to every interest, theaters, restaurants, an outdoor organ pavilion, and even San Diego Zoo. Exhibitions, programs, plays, events and fairs take place year-round in the many venues within the 1200 acre park.
Old Town. On a hilltop overlooking the bay is the historic, quaint, original San Diego. Some of the adobe and frame buildings from the early Spanish and American settlements of the first half of the 1800s have been restored in Old Town San Diego State Park. There are re-enactments and tours, and the shops and restaurants in the Park add colorful activity to the setting. The adjacent Old Town neighborhood is a great place to walk. Visit the historic and haunted Whaley House, the El Campo Santo cemetery and Victorian Heritage Park. Browse fun shops and enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine while sipping giant margaritas in garden patios
Coronado, a charming village community with small, locally-owned stores and an open-air grandstand, has the nostalgic look and feel of small town USA. Visitors stream over high-rise Coronado Bridge, dazzled by the spectacular view below, then descend into a small town atmosphere to shop and dine along Orange Avenue, the main thoroughfare, spend time at the 2nd best beach in America, visit the grand Hotel Del Coronado, the historic, regal centerpiece of the island, or enjoy a round of golf at the pleasant Municipal Golf Course, nicely laid out along the bay front.
Mission Beach and Pacific Beach are beach communities epitomizing the California beach culture. Year-round residential communities, both are crowded, ageless, tolerant, laid back, and retro. Beach crowds pack in every day - a parade of surfers, sunbathers, and cruisers. There are boardwalks, roller coasters and beach volleyball; night spots, beachfront bars, burger shacks, taco stands; stores with trinkets, souvenirs, beachwear, surfboards, boogie boards, beach bikes and blades.
La Jolla, “The Village,” is an upscale coastal enclave, and it is a jewel. With the look and feel of the Riviera, it is both quaint and spectacular. Its drama comes from buildings perched along a landscape of cliffs, coves and caves plunging into the sea; its charm lies in narrow streets lined with buildings in a mix of Mediterranean and contemporary architecture, outdoor patios and cascading flowers. Chic boutiques and fine restaurants line Prospect Street and Girard Avenue. The pink stucco La Valencia Hotel, “La V,” and other boutique hotels overlook dramatic coves and village streets. La Jolla is more than just a place for the rich and famous. Art galleries, the La Jolla Playhouse at UC-San Diego, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Scripps Institute of Oceanography and the Birch Aquarium make it a research, education and cultural center as well.