Local San Diego II: Community Spirit & Neighborhood Charm
There are few cities in North America that take such pride in their local neighborhoods as San Diego. While most US cities consist of office space downtown and bland suburban sprawl, almost all neighborhoods in San Diego are alive, unique and offer dining, nightlife and recreational options that are based in the local economy rather than big corporate franchises. For that reason, a walk around the various parts of Southern California's favorite city offers a valuable glimpse of local San Diego and a true visitor experience away from the mainstream. Local authorities have also been promoting the various communities that make up greater San Diego by supporting local businesses and erecting neighborhood signs on main streets everywhere.
By far the most up-and-coming area of San Diego is NORTH PARK, as it is still moderately affordable and thus attracts local businesses, artists and visionaries. Here on UNIVERSITY AVENUE and 30th Street we find numerous outstanding yet affordable eateries, such as the famous RANCHO Mexican Restaurant on 30th Street. Many local cafes also beckon for visitors, including the popular CLAIRE DE LUNE cafe on University Ave. Strolling through North Park in the evening reveals the true magic of this booming San Diego community, with Art Galleries offering Painting Classes, Dance Academies featuring ballroom dancing as well as a plethora of other recreational and artistic activities for locals to pursue.
Nearby HILLCREST has always been traditionally the alternative part of town, but has undergone urban renewal in recent years. Rents went up and many family businesses left, leaving the once booming alternative area around University & 5th Avenue in the hands of developers for both business and residential property. So while high-end condominiums and insurance buildings are becoming more frequent, some long-time favorite lower-end coffee & dining venues still attract visitors. They include FILTER coffeeshop as well as URBAN GRIND on Park Boulevard, BREAD AND CIE on University & 4th as a welcome alternative to corporate PANERA, ICHIBANS on University Avenue for Japanese Food, as well as our Vietnamese favorite Pho 5th Avenue in the very heart of Hillcrest. Here we also find the highest concentration of alternative venues in San Diego, including Rich's nightclub, and other popular venues such as FLICKS, MOE's and the newly developed Club EDEN.
North of Hillcrest and North Park we find yet another booming and attractive neighborhood, UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS with a huge community sign on Park Boulevard and great nightlife venues such as alternative BOURBON STREET and the cozy alternative MYSTIC MOCHA, among our favorite breakfast venues in town. Considerably less developed and more affordable than nearby Hillcrest, many alternative businesses and handcraft shops relocated here to UH when rents became too high elsewhere. TWIGGS cafe and bakery on Park Boulevard ranks among another one of our favorites here.
Further afield the seaside communities of PACIFIC BEACH and OCEAN BEACH beckon with attractive boardwalks and beach areas. While Ocean beach has become a trendy and rather bohemian neighborhood in recent years featuring many cafes, local eateries and boutiques, Pacific Beach still thrives mostly on beach visitors with sun worshipers, skateboarders and beachball junkies frequenting the area along its attractive boardwalk and beach itself. Architecturally, Pacific Beach is also slightly more built up and less homogenous than its counterpart further south, due in part to PB's unique geographical location including a promontory Northwest of Sea World and Downtown San Diego separated by SAIL Bay and FIESTA Bay. Ocean Beach by contrast is less developed featuring more low-level housing and an overall more residential environment. Both feature popular Piers with great views of the beaches and surfers nearby. In addition, OB's pier boasts an attractive cafe & restaurant at its tip, a perfect venue for brunch on a sunny Sunday morning.
Finally there is always Downtown San Diego - yet even here we find true community spirit in the form of the historic GASLAMP QUARTER. Leaving behind modern & busy HORTON PLAZA mall, we pass numerous restored historic buildings along MARKET STREET such as the BALBOA & READING theaters or the PENN HOTEL as well as neatly developed inner city residential properties. Here near the Convention Center and the famous San Diego trolley to San Ysidro at the Mexican border, some of the best city redevelopment was carried out on HARBOR DRIVE with an eye on urban renewal and reviving downtown. Countless nightlife and dining options beckon here in the Gaslamp Quarter among them the HARD ROCK Cafe San Diego as well as CROCE's Restaurant named after late singer JIM CROCE. The Gaslamp Quarter and central San Diego are thus the place of choice for weekend entertainment for locals and visitors alike.
Beautiful photos and a great summation of the essence of each neighborhood. Those local businesses and distinctive nightlife are very important in making San Diego a brand worth a resident's loyalty. That bodes well for the long-term stability of neighborhoods and continued economic growth.
ReplyDeleteWith your climate and culture, good locally-owned and therefore unique hangouts and even good employment opportunities in those boring office buildings, San Diego will do fine in the global economy.