SD convention center nearby vicinities (San Diego, Kensington: vacation home, neighborhood, buy)

[mini_cute]

Hi San Diegans,

I have been to this cancer conference held at SD convention center for almost a week, and I see building cranes left and right. I asked my colleague who is a native and he said the area used to be really bad until 5-10 years ago. And now because of the convention center, the neighborhood has grown really fast, with a baseball stadium nearby.

And the convention center is booked all year round, which means it will attract alot of tourists to the area, bringing money to the local economy. This is really good news to me. I also hear alot of Arizonians buy vacation homes in downtown SD.

What do you guys think of that area? I would like to know more about the history of downtown area. Any info from the natives would help?

Thanks!

[LoneStarJerry]

You can thank the Convention Center for a lot of the improvements and development down there, but my personal opinion is that Petco Park is what truly solidified the East Village and turned it into one of the better downtowns in America.

And the upgrades, developments, and beautification of that area is not done yet, which is one reason why you see cranes everywhere still.

I'll put it to you this way, at one time the East Village was not somewhere you wanted to be, especially at night. It's a totally different place now, it's made a huge turn for the better. If someone was fond of downtown living I think it would be a great place to live, not everyone could live downtown though. I really like the area and it's great to see everything that has happened down there in recent years.

[sdurbanite]

Horton Plaza actually started the downtown renaissance over 20 years ago. The convention center was built in the late 80's, I believe, and that's about the time the Gaslamp started gentrifying. j760 is right in saying that it wasn't until the ballpark began construction that downtown really started to take off.

It's great having friends that live downtown because it's such a different vibe there, unlike other areas of the city. Who would ever think that suburban-minded San Diego could have a real downtown neighborhood. The cool places downtown are actually outside of the Gaslamp, like Basic, Neighborhood, Cafe Chloe, Honey Beehive, Pokez/Rosary Room, etc. Little Italy is another area worth mentioning.

Downtown residents seem to be either empty nesters, retired or yuppies. We've contemplated selling our house and moving downtown to get in the action, but Kensington is hard to leave. I love that San Diego has a strong beach culture, while increasingly urbanizing at the same time. We'll never be NYC or SF, but being like Vancouver, BC wouldn't be bad at all.

[jksouthbay88]

Originally Posted by j760

You can thank the Convention Center for a lot of the improvements and development down there, but my personal opinion is that Petco Park is what truly solidified the East Village and turned it into one of the better downtowns in America.

And the upgrades, developments, and beautification of that area is not done yet, which is one reason why you see cranes everywhere still.

I'll put it to you this way, at one time the East Village was not somewhere you wanted to be, especially at night. It's a totally different place now, it's made a huge turn for the better. If someone was fond of downtown living I think it would be a great place to live, not everyone could live downtown though. I really like the area and it's great to see everything that has happened down there in recent years.

Ahhhhhhhh,to an extent.There is still a lot of work to be done to get up to say Little Itly standards.I still wouldn't want to be there at night til this day unless the Padres are playing.Even still I watch my surroundings.

[LoneStarJerry]

Originally Posted by jksouthbay88

Ahhhhhhhh,to an extent.There is still a lot of work to be done to get up to say Little Itly standards.I still wouldn't want to be there at night til this day unless the Padres are playing.Even still I watch my surroundings.

Of course it's not perfect, but I've walked down in that area when it wasn't baseball season at night and felt completely safe. I couldn't have said that prior to 2004. I know what your talking about though, but it will get even better as the years go by.

[ubringliten]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

We'll never be NYC or SF, but being like Vancouver, BC wouldn't be bad at all.

I think if downtown SD becomes vibrant like a major metro, SD will be the best place to live. With the beaches, nice weather, citylife, suburbs, etc., a city that has almost everything.

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by jksouthbay88

I still wouldn't want to be there at night til this day unless the Padres are playing.Even still I watch my surroundings.

Well, if East Village at night scares you now, be prepared to be absolutely terrified in SF after dark since there many more homeless roaming the streets up there.

Originally Posted by ubringliten

I think if downtown SD becomes vibrant like a major metro, SD will be the best place to live. With the beaches, nice weather, citylife, suburbs, etc., a city that has almost everything.

I totally agree with you. I wish SD could become more like Sydney (love that place), which is more cosmopolitan and sophisticated with a vibrant surf/beach culture, as well. Although I've never been there, I've also heard the comparison between SD and Capetown, South Africa.

We've got a long way to go, but it's not out of reach.

[jksouthbay88]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

Well, if East Village at night scares you now, be prepared to be absolutely terrified in SF after dark since there many more homeless roaming the streets up there.



I totally agree with you. I wish SD could become more like Sydney (love that place), which is more cosmopolitan and sophisticated with a vibrant surf/beach culture, as well. Although I've never been there, I've also heard the comparison between SD and Capetown, South Africa.

We've got a long way to go, but it's not out of reach.

It doesn't really scare me but I'm just not totally comfortable at night.I've been to places where I am terrified and East Vlge isn't one of them.It's in the middle.