How is Downtown San Diego? (San Jose, Corona: tenant, movie theater, university)

[moved]

Originally Posted by the topper

Are there good shopping streets for boutiques downtown?

There's boutique shopping in the Gaslamp District.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by moved

There's boutique shopping in the Gaslamp District.

The boutique shopping in Little Italy is better and the crowd is older and soberer. But La Jolla is the real downtown for boutique/upscale shoppers.

[Huckleberry3911948]

Over run with street people
Walking dead movie set

[the topper]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry3911948

Over run with street people
Walking dead movie set

That bad? You're joking?

[grego119]

Everything is relative. I lived in SD 16 yrs and now live in Bay Area. Downtown SD is booming and fun if you like a city environment in a perfect climate. Everything walkable. Great restaurants, tons of bars and clubs, baseball stadium, close to airport, ferry to Coronado, Balboa Park short walk or Uber away. You want shopping hop on trolley and head to Fashion/Mission Valley. As for homeless, it's nothing compared to Oakland, SF or LA. And how quickly everyone forgets how bad things were back in the 90s downtown. World full of two types - those who see the donut and those who see the hole. Sadly these forums are full of those that see the hole. Go to downtown SD with confidence and enjoy!

[sdlife619]

Busy on Friday and Saturday nights, but it’s really only like that in the Gaslamp and Little Italy.

Everywhere else is actually very quiet and tame. Downtown SD is slowly starting to become one big Suburban/Urban environment with more families moving down there. So you have a lot of suburban types that have moved there changing the culture and personality and vibe of the city.

It’s still heavily gentrifying, and almost all of the older buildings on Broadway will be demolished soon. An entire block that was on the corner of 7th and Broadway was torn down and will be made way for you guessed it, condos, like we don’t have enough already.

San Diego has gotten a lot more trendy and hipsterish. Downtown doesn’t have much interesting architecture anymore, or any buildings that are truly magnificent like you see in NYC, Chicago, SF, Seattle and many other metros.

San Diego does NOT have the kind of heavy foot traffic that’s bustling or really truly busy especially in Downtown since most of jobs down there are government and lawyer based.

[the topper]

Thank you, guys, very much! I'm looking forward to being there!!!!!!

[sdlife619]

Oh yes, watch your step, as bums are everywhere. The stench of pee and bum sweat is enough to make you puke!

[tstieber]

Yes, lots of homeless these days, but Little Italy is booming and deserves a full day. Go on a Saturday when the huge Farmer's Market is on, and walk all the blocks down India, all the way down, turn left at El Camino restaurant, and left on Kettner to return. Browse boutiques along the way. Grab coffee at Lofty, James, Influx, Frost Me (serving Ritual), Coava (from Portland), or Extraordinary Desserts. Spend the afternoon at Waterfront Park.

Another day, hop on a dockless bike and head down the Embarcadero past Spanish Landing and spend an hour doing stand up paddleboarding in the harbor, then continue over to Liberty Public Market and check out the food vendors. Stop by Moniker General for cool stuff to buy. Bike the nature paths along the bay. Return to downtown and eat dinner at Biga (on a sketchy part of Broadway but awesome place), instead of the overcrowded places in Little Italy. But the Little Italy places are really great.

Avoid Horton Plaza like the plague. It's overrun with homeless, largely vacant, and is officially sold to a new owner fo redevelopment. They are courting Silicon Valley companies for satellite offices. Shopping wil be gone. Nobody shops downtown. If you want serious shopping, then head to Westfield UTC, which is completing massive renovations and has a really cool tenant mix now, including local and regional restaurants and cafes.

The Gaslamp is always worth a stroll for the beautifully preserved architecture, but prepare to be wall to wall with douchebags at night. I prefer off nights or quieter afternoons. Best bets are The Field, Searsucker, Nobu, or Pane e Vino. I know I'm forgetting others... Ghirardelli should have their huge renovation done by August if you crave ice cream! The old movie theater on Fifth Avenue will open later this year as a more artsy one by the owners of the Chinese Theater in LA.

If you aren't afraid of the homeless, then visit the Quartyard in East Village one day. It's a cool pop up park with food trucks and a beer garden.

Definitely hop on a bike one day to head to Balboa Park, bc it's so close. Reserve a ticket to the top of the California Tower for an epic view, then check out a museum or two. If you want to get further out of DT on bike, then continue to Hillcrest or the back way to North Park, which is sort of our version of the Mission District. Many blocks of shops, hipster bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques along University and 30th, in all directions.

You can also take the ferry to Coronado from DT. DT is a great central place to stay if you take advantage of everything within its sphere of influence in a few miles' radius. The Gaslamp alone won't cut it. But everything is close.

Have fun!

[the topper]

Originally Posted by tstieber

Yes, lots of homeless these days, but Little Italy is booming and deserves a full day. Go on a Saturday when the huge Farmer's Market is on, and walk all the blocks down India, all the way down, turn left at El Camino restaurant, and left on Kettner to return. Browse boutiques along the way. Grab coffee at Lofty, James, Influx, Frost Me (serving Ritual), Coava (from Portland), or Extraordinary Desserts. Spend the afternoon at Waterfront Park.

Another day, hop on a dockless bike and head down the Embarcadero past Spanish Landing and spend an hour doing stand up paddleboarding in the harbor, then continue over to Liberty Public Market and check out the food vendors. Stop by Moniker General for cool stuff to buy. Bike the nature paths along the bay. Return to downtown and eat dinner at Biga (on a sketchy part of Broadway but awesome place), instead of the overcrowded places in Little Italy. But the Little Italy places are really great.

Avoid Horton Plaza like the plague. It's overrun with homeless, largely vacant, and is officially sold to a new owner fo redevelopment. They are courting Silicon Valley companies for satellite offices. Shopping wil be gone. Nobody shops downtown. If you want serious shopping, then head to Westfield UTC, which is completing massive renovations and has a really cool tenant mix now, including local and regional restaurants and cafes.

The Gaslamp is always worth a stroll for the beautifully preserved architecture, but prepare to be wall to wall with douchebags at night. I prefer off nights or quieter afternoons. Best bets are The Field, Searsucker, Nobu, or Pane e Vino. I know I'm forgetting others... Ghirardelli should have their huge renovation done by August if you crave ice cream! The old movie theater on Fifth Avenue will open later this year as a more artsy one by the owners of the Chinese Theater in LA.

If you aren't afraid of the homeless, then visit the Quartyard in East Village one day. It's a cool pop up park with food trucks and a beer garden.

Definitely hop on a bike one day to head to Balboa Park, bc it's so close. Reserve a ticket to the top of the California Tower for an epic view, then check out a museum or two. If you want to get further out of DT on bike, then continue to Hillcrest or the back way to North Park, which is sort of our version of the Mission District. Many blocks of shops, hipster bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and boutiques along University and 30th, in all directions.

You can also take the ferry to Coronado from DT. DT is a great central place to stay if you take advantage of everything within its sphere of influence in a few miles' radius. The Gaslamp alone won't cut it. But everything is close.

Have fun!

Thanks! Actually, I'll be heading to OC on Saturday, and I do know about farmers market in Little Italy on Sat.(been there before, and it's cool).