Please school me on SD's DOWNTOWN neighborhoods? (San Diego, San Jose: condo, hotel)

[tstieber]

Originally Posted by moved

The rumor about a Whole Foods downtown was in 2015, and nothing has happened since then, so at this point in time, I don't see one opening up.

The Whole Foods project downtown was held up by a union lawsuit against the developer, but they lost that lawsuit. However, they are appealing. Realistically, they will lose again, so as long as financing remains available, then that project with the Whole Foods and the Ritz-Carlton will eventually be built, but it is years away.

To the original poster, yes, the area around University and 30th in North Park would generally be your central part of North Park, and you could go in any of those directions and be pretty happy with walkability. Someone else mentioned walk scores, which are a decent indication of walkability, but not necessarily the amount of pedestrian traffic. For example, the marina and East Village at very high walk scores but generally don't have a ton of pedestrians. Even if Hillcrest in North Park had slightly lower walk scores, they are much more bustling and active. So a good thing to do might be to take a look at Google Maps street view and see what you think of each area and take note of the amount of people walking around.

I apologize if there are any grammatical errors or auto correct in my post, as I am dictating into a mobile device. :-)

[Kendra85]

As a fellow New Yorker, I will tell you 100% avoid the Gaslamp. It is no Times Square, but the craziness/crowdedness there is almost as annoying. Also, you will not find really any area in SD that is 100% walkable. SD is no NYC, and public trans here pales in comparison to back home.

That being said, I think your needs could be met in Hillcrest, North Park (lots of Brooklyn-like vibes here), the East Village, or Bankers Hill! All are great neighborhoods!!

[kettlepot]

I concur with the locations others have offered: Little Italy, Hillcrest, North Park, and University Heights. I'm less supportive of Bankers Hill because the pedestrian traffic is not there unless you are in Balboa Park rather than the streets of Bankers Hill.

If these don't work for you, or perhaps you want pedestrian traffic, but with a stronger neighborhood flair, I would suggest South Park and Normal Heights. Both of these neighborhoods have a strong local business scene with restaurants and bars. On the other hand, neither are known for being strongly gay neighborhoods.

(And yet again, as a group we recommend the neighborhoods surrounding Balboa Park :-)

[tstieber]

Hopefully, the original poster is noticing consistent recommendations for the same few neighborhoods. I also happen to love South Park, normal Heights, University Heights, and Kensington, and while South Park in normal Heights may not be hugely gay neighborhoods, they are absolutely gay-friendly!

[sdurbanite]

Lots of good posts here. Like others have already said, don't go looking for NYC in SD because it doesn't exist. Instead, focus on outdoor yoga classes, urban hiking trails and trying to catch your first green flash.

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by spoonman1

OK, so the guy that was hating on DTSD was wrong by a factor of 6X. There isn't 1 grocery store but at least 5.

Albertson's
Jimbo's
Ralph's
Smart & Final
Grocery Outlet
Northgate Market

Plus, specialty stores (Mona Lisa, Krisp Market, Brazil by the Bay, Assenti's, Cash & Carry, etc), fish market, farmer's market, future Whole Foods, etc.

Well said

[Albert Street]

Originally Posted by moved

The rumor about a Whole Foods downtown was in 2015, and nothing has happened since then, so at this point in time, I don't see one opening up.

I (quite selfishly) hope it doesn't. I live across the street and if that building goes up it will obliterate my view.

This in the website for the project. Last I heard it was tied up in litigation, but that was over a year ago. No idea what the current status is.

7th & Market - Cisterra Development

[spoonman1]

Yes, a union was holding up development. Pretty sure it will move forward in the next year or so.




Images from Cisterra's website.

[hellomindy]

wow at those renderings... just wanted to say thank you to all, especially tstieber (it's like you know my mind loll) for such insightful commentary.. it's been immensely helpful, it seems hillcrest/north park & even the beach are more vibrant than downtown, at least for now...

...and just to clarify i hope SD never turns into Manhattan so it keeps it's serene vibe, nor would I ever want Manhattan to lose its chaos and turn to SD.. i love both for what they are, and find them complementary to each other

[sdurbanite]

Originally Posted by Albert Street

I (quite selfishly) hope it doesn't. I live across the street and if that building goes up it will obliterate my view.

Only people living along the water will have preserved views. For everyone else, it's pretty much a crap shoot.