A lot of people in North county don't want to go to Downtown San Diego (Brea: neighborhood, live)

[bloom]

Swap in Burger Lounge, Berkeley Pizza, and Seasons 52 (expensive but one in UTC was very good), Harney Sushi (also $), instead of corporate chain Spag Factory (though the spag & meatballs were tasty enough) and C. Milpas. I still have not tried Cafe Chloe.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by malcorub16

Thanks bloomingdales, I personally don't like Cuatro Milpas, but locals from outside of DT still seem to flock to it as there is usually a line out the door.

I also forgot about the Sprekels Theatre. I can't think of another single area in SD hat has this much to offer, sure La Jolla and Coronado are clean, very nice and tranquil but the attractions are limited.

Balboa Park > DTSD

[djxpress]

I can agree with the OP. Growing up in La Costa in the 80s and 90s, we used to think of "San Diego" as UTC Mall/La Jolla area. We never really strayed south of that. And it wasn't until I returned from college in 1999 that I realized there was an entire part of San Diego that was south of the 8. Chula Vista, Bonita, National City!! We used to just assume that area down there was pretty much located in Mexico.

[eastcoastbias]

Big issue building in east village has drawn homeless throughout the city. You have camps and urine and the smell of weed throughout the city. Yes it is Becoming less of place to dine shop and walk around

[Czechsix]

About the only reason you'll find me downtown is for court. There's literally nothing else down there that's worth the trouble. Especially since San Diego Hardware disappeared.

[jkoz]

Originally Posted by malcorub16

This is a list I personally have come up with in 15 mins of why locals will still go downtown (outside of work and school) despite its issues.

Baseball, the Padres play there several times a week when at home, a ticket to a game is still affordable for families and groups of co-workers.

Petco Park for concerts, fairs and other types of shows/sports.

Watch concerts of performances at Symphony Hall, Balboa Theater, SD Civic Center or House of Blues.

Young people still FLOOD The Gaslamp seemingly almost any night of the week.

Art Walk in Little Italy .

The Farmers Market in Little Italy.

People will go downtown to take their out of town guests to Sea Port Village and go for a boat tour on the Seal or the Harbor Excursions/Hornblower.

People still go downtown for the airport.

Couples will go out on dates in Little Italy.

People still go downtown to go to court or jury duty.

Families will come downtown to visit the Central Library or Children's Museum, especially when there is an event happening at either.

Comic Con attract thousands of locals downtown.

Bayside concerts at Embarcadero Park South and Sea Port Village.

Local families still come downtown to eat at the Spaghetti Factory.

Cuatro Milpas in Barrio Logan.

Convention Center, there is always something going on here.

There are frequently festivals on 5th Street.

Concerts, events and the finish of the Rock and Roll Marathon at the Water Front Park.

Families will visit the Water Front Park just to visit it during the summer time.

People will go downtown to bail loved ones out of jail.

I am sure there are many other reasons I've not listed, but to my point, LOCALS WILL STILL VISIT AND SPEND MONEY DOWNTOWN FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER. MY guess is that many SD locals visit downtown at least once per year.

I'd add the "Summer Pops" concerts on the bay. . . .Lots of North County people come down for those too. . . . Well worth it

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by malcorub16

This is a list I personally have come up with in 15 mins of why locals will still go downtown (outside of work and school) despite its issues.

Baseball, the Padres play there several times a week when at home, a ticket to a game is still affordable for families and groups of co-workers.

Petco Park for concerts, fairs and other types of shows/sports.

Watch concerts of performances at Symphony Hall, Balboa Theater, SD Civic Center or House of Blues.

Young people still FLOOD The Gaslamp seemingly almost any night of the week.

Art Walk in Little Italy .

The Farmers Market in Little Italy.

People will go downtown to take their out of town guests to Sea Port Village and go for a boat tour on the Seal or the Harbor Excursions/Hornblower.

People still go downtown for the airport.

Couples will go out on dates in Little Italy.

People still go downtown to go to court or jury duty.

Families will come downtown to visit the Central Library or Children's Museum, especially when there is an event happening at either.

Comic Con attract thousands of locals downtown.

Bayside concerts at Embarcadero Park South and Sea Port Village.

Local families still come downtown to eat at the Spaghetti Factory.

Cuatro Milpas in Barrio Logan.

Convention Center, there is always something going on here.

There are frequently festivals on 5th Street.

Concerts, events and the finish of the Rock and Roll Marathon at the Water Front Park.

Families will visit the Water Front Park just to visit it during the summer time.

People will go downtown to bail loved ones out of jail.

I am sure there are many other reasons I've not listed, but to my point, LOCALS WILL STILL VISIT AND SPEND MONEY DOWNTOWN FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER. MY guess is that many SD locals visit downtown at least once per year.

Good list here. I like to bike downtown from home and just cruise around.

I'm more curious to know what downtowns in other cities are people from the suburbs flocking to? People in Jersey going to Times Square every weekend? Bostonians walking the Freedom Trail or shopping in Faneuil Hall regularly? Folks in Northern Virginia heading to the Washington Mall to take photos in front of the Lincoln Memorial? Help a brother out here!

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by the topper

This comments came from people I know in Carlsbad/Del Mar and Vista. Not making this up. I'm fine with Downtown SD. They pointed out that the streets of Downtown SD, other than the Gaslamp District, need improvements. They feel it's not cozy and just dated overall. It needs complete revitalization, not just building some high rises with no detail to street level. C Street is horrible, they pointed out. East Village is homeless mecca despite Petco Park, several high rise residential/offices and new balpark village high rise rising. Horton Plaza is tired and outdated, so not much reason to come downtown.

We all know you're the biggest San Jose booster of them all. So tell us, what's going on in the center of your city? I counted 13 cranes in the air in downtown San Diego last weekend. Educate us please.

[elchevere]

The examples/suggestions you cited below (Washington Mall, Times Square) for the other cities are touristy things, which many locals in those cities avoid. That was one reason why I disliked downtown SD--seemed as much or more geared towards tourists than it was locals.

When I lived on Long Island I would go into Manhattan (relatively quick 37 minute LIRR ride) at least 3-4 times/month not to go to Times Square or the Empire State Building but to MSG to catch a hockey or basketball game, concert with top acts in their prime (at MSG, Radio City Music Hall, Beacon Theatre, Lincoln Center) summer concerts at Central Park, and second tier places such as CBGB, Bitter End, etc etc), great restaurants, plays, museums, lectures, parks, nightclubs, festivals, etc. etc. along with different and distinct neighborhoods with different and distinct people from all over the USA and world....and that's just Manhattan.

Granted, NYC is an entity and in a class all by itself but when I lived in Marin County (suburban) I would go into SF (but not to Fisherman's Wharf) at least once a week for many similar reasons cited above. Chicago has a great and rather accessible downtown (with many neighborhoods) that is a great city that attracts and keeps locals and those living in the burbs there on weekends and at night. LA has great options, though considerably more spread out and completely car dependent, that I frequented on a weekly basis (from Long Beach to Manhattan Beach to Santa Monica to Beverly Hills to Pasadena to Sunset Strip) for more excitement and diversity when I lived in OC.

There are only a handful of cities in the USA with vibrant, central downtowns that attract locals, or those living in nearby suburbs, on a regular basis. If you grew up and/or lived in these few cities or seek the pace/excitement/proximity/lifestyle/mass transit or walkable that these centralized cities offer then the vast majority of remaining US cities will not compare and feel like suburbia to you--or, at least they do to me. Granted, living in a downtown area in one of these handful of vibrant US cities is also considerably expensive, which forces some who enjoy such lifestyle to live in the suburbs or move elsewhere. This is also probably why when I vacation I get much more out of visiting European or Latin America cities--some with beaches immediately part of or within 20 minutes--than I would from a week vacation in Vegas, Cabo, Kauai or Tahiti.

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

Good list here. I like to bike downtown from home and just cruise around.

I'm more curious to know what downtowns in other cities are people from the suburbs flocking to? People in Jersey going to Times Square every weekend? Bostonians walking the Freedom Trail or shopping in Faneuil Hall regularly? Folks in Northern Virginia heading to the Washington Mall to take photos in front of the Lincoln Memorial? Help a brother out here!

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by sdurbanite

Good list here. I like to bike downtown from home and just cruise around.

I'm more curious to know what downtowns in other cities are people from the suburbs flocking to? People in Jersey going to Times Square every weekend? Bostonians walking the Freedom Trail or shopping in Faneuil Hall regularly? Folks in Northern Virginia heading to the Washington Mall to take photos in front of the Lincoln Memorial? Help a brother out here!

Those are tourist attractions, they don't attract locals. When we lived in NY we never went to Times Square but would go all over NY to museums, shows, bars, restaurants. SD's downtown is missing all of the stuff that would attract locals, the only thing there is restaurants and the ballpark, it's been configured essentially as tourist attraction. The part that frustrates me is that all the public investment goes into Downtown SD amenities for tourists instead of neighborhoods or places that locals actually care about like Balboa Park.

True story, my friends were visiting from NYC last week, they have been to SD many times. They stay in Normal Heights, hit the beaches in the AM and the bars in greater North Park at night. At dinner (Jaynes Gastropub) they said "we've been coming here for 10 years and we've never been to downtown SD, is it worth going to?" The whole table of locals said "nope".