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San Diego is a vibrant, metropolitan city with a laid-back, small-town feel, and no other San Diego neighborhood embraces this best-of-both-worlds spirit like downtown. Neatly packed into a single square-mile grid between the 5 freeway and the Harbor, downtown San Diego has it all: soaring skyscrapers bustling with big business, old turn-of-the-century buildings housing trendy new nightclubs, and peaceful parks perfect for a short stroll or a relaxing rest. California's second largest city and the United States' seventh largest, boasts a citywide population of nearly 1.3 million residents.
Charming neighborhoods exist within the boundaries of the city, including the historic Gaslamp Quarter. Here you'll find some of the city's best restaurants, bars and nightclubs. An equally exotic mix of shopping opportunities are located in the area. Urban adventurers will want to make a night of it in the Gaslamp Quarter, dining and shopping, dancing and barhopping. The outlying areas of downtown have been revitalized in the last few years, as upscale high-rise condominiums and town-house developments support a growing community of cosmopolitan residents in downtown San Diego. The East Village area south of Market Street, once a run-down industrial zone, has recently become home to the San Diego Padres newly-opened Petco Park. Similarly, Little Italy, once a small community of ethnic food markets and family-style restaurants, has evolved into the city's creative epi-center with ad agencies, art galleries, artist studios and coveted residential lofts. The Marina District, Cortez Hill and Balboa Park are a few of the other wonderful neighborhoods within San Diego.
San Diego is renowned for its idyllic climate and miles of pristine beaches. The 70 miles of Pacific Ocean coastline not only supports year-round outdoor recreation, such as surfing, boating, sailing and swimming, but also important scientific research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. To the south of the city, it's a whole different country, Mexico, featuring its own cultural offerings in various towns along the border and coastline, including Tijuana, Rosarito and Ensenada.
San Diego's arts and culture and culinary arts are booming. The hottest, new culinary arts talents prepare award-winning meals throughout the regions 6,400 eating establishments. Wine growers are also making a mark by growing and harvesting quality grapes that become excellent wines, which are served at some of the most elegant restaurants and resorts in the region. Balboa Park, the largest urban cultural park in the U.S., is home to 15 museums, numerous art galleries, beautiful gardens, the Tony Award-winning The Globe Theatres and the world-famous San Diego Zoo.
With all this to enjoy, the only thing to consider now, is what charming neighborhood is perfect for you? |
