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..coming from NYC for work and I'd hate to live in a Times Square environment (ie dodging tourists every day), but would love to live an area with a lot of pedestrain traffic..
My assumption is I should avoid Gaslamp? There are good deals at Golden Hill & Marina, however these seem to be further away from the Core downtown so I don't think they are as walkable? are they relatively dead compared to say Horton plaza or western part of East Village?
I'm single/gay so thought of Hillcrest, but it seems "out there" compared to the rest of downtown, where I'd prefer to stay due to assumed walkability factors..please correct me if I'm wrong here.
My goal is to be as walkable as possible in a high pedestrian traffic area.. in my Chelsea apt in NYC, my gym/bank/bar/friends are mostly n a 4 block radius though I know Downtown SD is obviously more spread out, so my I'm adjusting expectations.
I like Banker Hill's position as it's tucked right in between downtown and Hillcrest.. is this 'nabe as walkable as the other aforementioned downtown hoods? I won't mind the plane noise, i find it soothing, but does it have as much pedestrain traffic as downtown proper?
I would prefer to be around other singles in 20's/30s versus families, so please let me know if I should pick one downtown 'nabe over the other.. or if most of the 'nabes are homogeneous compared to back east.
I'll be working from home, would prefer people to visit me.. Last time I was in your beautiful/fine city, I found parking in downtown a breeze.. Has that changed with all the new downtown SD projects? Will people be reluctant to visit me downtown due to parking issues? Re: pedestrian traffic, should I look elsewhere for this, ie beach 'nabes? Thanks!
Last edited by hellomindy; 01-28-2018 at 08:13 PM..
I'm really jaded and disappointed with downtown right now. I would not live there if someone paid me. At my age, running the risk of Hepatitis A could wipe me out for good. Homeless are out of control and becoming more aggressive every day. Gone are the days of the passive homeless guys with a sign. A lot of it is in your face. Downtown is walkable if you like walking in human feces and urine. This coupled with the wanna-be goombahs and party girls vomiting after a night of drinking on your doorstep, its wonderful.
On the other hand, Hillcrest is very walkable and not "out there" by any means. The homeless are not as prevalent. Very tight nit community. Nice trendy original restaurants. Cool bars and nightclubs. I'm not gay, but if I were a single young gay guy, I would live in Hillcrest.
If you're coming from New York, I would first of all mention that there is no area of San Diego that would even come close to the mania of Times Square, so don't worry too much about that. This time of year, with tourism being less than during the summer, even the Gaslamp is manageable, but in the summer time, it can be a zoo with a mix of conventioneers, out of town tourists, and locals. Also, the Gaslamp is walkable but primarily filled with bars and restaurants, compared to the day-to-day amenities you might be looking for. But it sounds like you don't want to be in that part of town anyway.
I would say that most of San Diego's Urban neighborhoods are going to be gay friendly, so it's just going to be a matter of finding the right fit. Bankers Hill is in a great location, right next to Balboa Park, and it's totally walkable, but I would not say there's a lot of pedestrian traffic. There are little pockets of cool restaurants and coffee shops, plus the park, and it's still walkable to Hillcrest, so it could be a nice quiet respite from the greater bustle if you like being maybe 10 blocks away from all the excitement.
If you want more pedestrian bustle day to day, I would probably concentrate on either Hillcrest, North Park, or Little Italy. If Hillcrest is the closest to Chelsea in New York, then I'd say North Park is the closest to the East Village. Little Italy is part tourist area and part locals area, and it's got a great location adjacent to downtown and the Waterfront, plus there are a million great places to eat and hang out. It's maybe a little less of an authentic established neighborhood than the other two, but it has lots of appeal. North Park is where a lot of 20 something and 30 something gay people also choose to live, as Hillcrest is a little bit more old-school gayborhood, and North Park is a bit more trendy, hipster, alternative. Both are super walkable, accessible to public transit, close to other Urban neighborhoods, Etc.
Another small pocket neighborhood you may like is University Heights, which is just outside of Hillcrest and a bit smaller but cute. There are about 2 or 3 blocks of bars, restaurants, and shops. There are other neighborhoods in urban San Diego that are also great but probably won't meet your criteria, so I would recommend starting with these ones. Let me know if you have more questions!
Quote:
Originally Posted by hellomindy
..coming from NYC for work and I'd hate to live in a Times Square environment (ie dodging tourists every day), but would love to live an area with a lot of pedestrain traffic..
My assumption is I should avoid Gaslamp? There are good deals at Golden Hill & Marina, however these seem to be further away from the Core downtown so I don't think they are as walkable? are they relatively dead compared to say Horton plaza or western part of East Village?
I'm single/gay so thought of Hillcrest, but it seems "out there" compared to the rest of downtown, where I'd prefer to stay due to assumed walkability factors..please correct me if I'm wrong here.
My goal is to be as walkable as possible in a high pedestrian traffic area.. in my Chelsea apt in NYC, my gym/bank/bar/friends are mostly n a 4 block radius though I know Downtown SD is obviously more spread out, so my I'm adjusting expectations.
I like Banker Hill's position as it's tucked right in between downtown and Hillcrest.. is this 'nabe as walkable as the other aforementioned downtown hoods? I won't mind the plane noise, i find it soothing, but does it have as much pedestrain traffic as downtown proper?
I would prefer to be around other singles in 20's/30s versus families, so please let me know if I should pick one downtown 'nabe over the other.. or if most of the 'nabes are homogeneous compared to back east.
I'll be working from home, would prefer people to visit me.. Last time I was in your beautiful/fine city, I found parking in downtown a breeze.. Has that changed with all the new downtown SD projects? Will people be reluctant to visit me downtown due to parking issues? Re: pedestrian traffic, should I look elsewhere for this, ie beach 'nabes? Thanks!
If you want more pedestrian bustle day to day, I would probably concentrate on either Hillcrest, North Park, or Little Italy. If Hillcrest is the closest to Chelsea in New York, then I'd say North Park is the closest to the East Village.
omg thank you, so weird.. i assumed most of high pedestrain areas would be downtown.. regarding North Park, it seems massive.. can I assume most of the pedestrian traffic is on University ave & 30th (total guess based on Google Maps)? I'd like to be able to walk to shops/etc no car as much as possible though I know I'll need it for big box stores, etc
I'm really jaded and disappointed with downtown right now. I would not live there if someone paid me. At my age, running the risk of Hepatitis A could wipe me out for good. Homeless are out of control and becoming more aggressive every day. Gone are the days of the passive homeless guys with a sign. A lot of it is in your face. Downtown is walkable if you like walking in human feces and urine. This coupled with the wanna-be goombahs and party girls vomiting after a night of drinking on your doorstep, its wonderful.
On the other hand, Hillcrest is very walkable and not "out there" by any means. The homeless are not as prevalent. Very tight nit community. Nice trendy original restaurants. Cool bars and nightclubs. I'm not gay, but if I were a single young gay guy, I would live in Hillcrest.
thank you, unfortunate to hear that about downtown.. is it a certain neighborhood downtown or downtown overall?.. ill look further into Hillcrest.. it seems I should live off University Ave if i want to be walkable up there
I second the Hillcrest area but the out skirts are better IMHO. I hope you do not mind planes and jets and military fighter jets etc...lots of that not all day every day, except for the airlines I think 6th and Laurel is an intersection you might like because you are next door to downtown but on the outskirts, and Balboa Park and is right there and Hillcrest is up the street you could walk if you are a walker. There are more taxis in that area because of proximity to SAN
I lived above Rich's nite club on University Av in Hillcrest. It is as rowdy there as Pacific Beach. Just that type of vibe.
..coming from NYC for work and I'd hate to live in a Times Square environment (ie dodging tourists every day), but would love to live an area with a lot of pedestrain traffic..
Nothing in SD is going to be like Manhattan.
Quote:
My assumption is I should avoid Gaslamp? There are good deals at Golden Hill & Marina, however these seem to be further away from the Core downtown so I don't think they are as walkable? are they relatively dead compared to say Horton plaza or western part of East Village?
Personally I'd avoid living in Gaslamp due to noise but some of the stuff on the edges may be fine or in a very high condo like Alta. It's really the tourist center and they constantly have loud events going on. Golden hill is not really downtown, is a bit run down, and not as walkable. Marina is nice but not much in it except condos, hotels and seaport village.
Quote:
My goal is to be as walkable as possible in a high pedestrian traffic area.. in my Chelsea apt in NYC, my gym/bank/bar/friends are mostly n a 4 block radius though I know Downtown SD is obviously more spread out, so my I'm adjusting expectations.
No area in San Diego is as high pedestrian traffic as Manhattan. But here are the top ten neighborhoods by walk score
1 Core-Columbia 98 81 65 5,338
2 Horton Plaza 97 81 82 1,474
3 Little Italy 97 77 66 3,169
4 Gaslamp 97 80 77 976
5 Harborview 97 75 74 525
6 Cortez 94 78 54 3,447
7 Marina 94 79 84 5,600
8 East Village 93 78 64 10,148
9 La Jolla Village 88 33 52 4,491
10 Sherman Heights 87 68 59 3,340
columns are walk score, transit score, bike score, population
I think your best bets are Little italy, the ballpark area in east village, and the areas in Marina closer to Gaslamp. Hillcrest around University & 5th is ok and same with North Park at University & 30th. Hillcrest and North Park are a bit lower walkability and highway access can be a pain.
Quote:
I like Banker Hill's position as it's tucked right in between downtown and Hillcrest.. is this 'nabe as walkable as the other aforementioned downtown hoods? I won't mind the plane noise, i find it soothing, but does it have as much pedestrain traffic as downtown proper?
Airplanes come down over bankers hill. They fly really low and are pretty loud (i.e. would disrupt conversation). Worst is at hawthorn and grape streets. I don't see many people walking in banker's hill except near Balboa park. There isn't a full size grocery store in banker hill. You can walk to little italy from bankers hill but have to go under some sketchy underpasses and the walk uphill on the way back.
Quote:
I'll be working from home, would prefer people to visit me.. Last time I was in your beautiful/fine city, I found parking in downtown a breeze.. Has that changed with all the new downtown SD projects? Will people be reluctant to visit me downtown due to parking issues? Re: pedestrian traffic, should I look elsewhere for this, ie beach 'nabes? Thanks!
Finding free parking spots downtown is a bit of pain. If you are willing to pay metered, it's fine. North park can be brutal too for finding parking and is even worse especially anywhere near the apt buildings after 5pm (at least downtown you have the option of paying). I'd assume Hillcrest is the same as NP but haven't needed to park there personally.
Also most places downtown have access to webpass (owned by google fiber).
I'm really jaded and disappointed with downtown right now. I would not live there if someone paid me. At my age, running the risk of Hepatitis A could wipe me out for good. Homeless are out of control and becoming more aggressive every day. Gone are the days of the passive homeless guys with a sign. A lot of it is in your face.
You should consider getting the hep-A vaccine. It's also useful for general travel.
In my opinion the homeless/panhandlers in San Diego are not very aggressive. Have experienced much worse in other cities. They are however very visible in certain areas.
I'm really jaded and disappointed with downtown right now. I would not live there if someone paid me. At my age, running the risk of Hepatitis A could wipe me out for good. Homeless are out of control and becoming more aggressive every day. Gone are the days of the passive homeless guys with a sign. A lot of it is in your face. Downtown is walkable if you like walking in human feces and urine. This coupled with the wanna-be goombahs and party girls vomiting after a night of drinking on your doorstep, its wonderful.
On the other hand, Hillcrest is very walkable and not "out there" by any means. The homeless are not as prevalent. Very tight nit community. Nice trendy original restaurants. Cool bars and nightclubs. I'm not gay, but if I were a single young gay guy, I would live in Hillcrest.
Is really that bad? I can't believe it. Why this? Many years ago the situation was not like that.
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