Living in Downtown San Diego? (San Francisco, Corona: rentals, condos, house)

[Rapidarp]

I was surfing Condo.com looking for Condos in San Diego. I found some really nice ones, surprisingly within my price range, located in Banker's Hill, and downtown. I found a nice one a few blocks up from Petco Park, too.

My questions are: How is living downtown? Safe? Plenty of things to do I imagine? All I want is a place with a view (preferably of downtown but the ocean would be fine too).

[neutrino]

I've lived in the East Village part of downtown since last May. The neighborhood is quite nice, although I'm planning on moving to the Hillcrest area later this month since it's a bit cheaper but still feels 'urban'.

Pros:
Lots of shops and restaurants
Easy and convenient access to amenities
Access to public transportation: buses, the San Diego Trolley, and the Coaster (light rail)
Relatively clean

Cons:
There are a lot of homeless people here
Expensive!
Lack of affordable and supervised parking. My friend paid $120/mo for a parking pass, and his car window was smashed in and stereo stolen.
Noisy

[Rapidarp]

What about any other condos that aren't necessarily IN downtown, but kinda nearby (maybe with views of downtown)?

[sdurbanite]

Some of those rentals listed on condos.com have some steep prices but at least they are in nice buildings and locations. While there are homeless all over downtown, you'll find a majority of them concentrated east of the ballpark. I'm in that area alot and can honestly say that they are pretty harmless. Not at all aggressive like the ones you find in San Francisco. I'd definitely consider living there if I didn't own a home now.

If you are just looking for a place with a view of the city, you might consider looking across the bay in Coronado or checking out some of the newer and taller projects in Bankers Hill and Hillcrest.

Good Luck!

[Rapidarp]

Do all the major Condo buildings have underground parking? Is it supervised at most locations or can anyone just walk into the parking area?

[neutrino]

Originally Posted by Rapidarp

Do all the major Condo buildings have underground parking? Is it supervised at most locations or can anyone just walk into the parking area?

All of the condo buildings I know of in the downtown area have gated underground parking.

[sem1811]

My husband and I moved to San Diego from NY last Nov. We live in the Cortez Hills area of downtown. We really like it here, it's safe, quiet, (less homeless), and close to major highways, Hillcrest, Balboa Park and Gaslamp. If you like us that used to live in a big city, downtown is a good area to be, at least restaurants and shopping are all walking distance.

In terms of view, Cortez Hills is the highest point in downtown, so if you find an apt on higher floor, you can probably see the whole downtown, the ocean, Balboa Park and Coronado bridge.

Another areas I will suggest are Little Italy and Hillcrest.

Originally Posted by Rapidarp

I was surfing Condo.com looking for Condos in San Diego. I found some really nice ones, surprisingly within my price range, located in Banker's Hill, and downtown. I found a nice one a few blocks up from Petco Park, too.

My questions are: How is living downtown? Safe? Plenty of things to do I imagine? All I want is a place with a view (preferably of downtown but the ocean would be fine too).

[Freecia]

Would you recommand condos in Downtown San Diego to a small family (1 small child) though? My husband and I are planning on starting a family but he refuses to have a child until we have our own place. Condo in downtown sounds nice but are there enough activities to keep small children happy too? Besides the obvious tourist trap like the Seaport Village, what else is there for the whole family to enjoy?

I love downtown San Diego, but I'm not sure if Eastlake is a better place (our other option) if we do decide to start a family. Any thoughts?

[NYSD1995]

Originally Posted by Freecia

Would you recommand condos in Downtown San Diego to a small family (1 small child) though? My husband and I are planning on starting a family but he refuses to have a child until we have our own place. Condo in downtown sounds nice but are there enough activities to keep small children happy too? Besides the obvious tourist trap like the Seaport Village, what else is there for the whole family to enjoy?

I love downtown San Diego, but I'm not sure if Eastlake is a better place (our other option) if we do decide to start a family. Any thoughts?

Downtown with a baby could be a challenge, but could be fun too. Really little kids don't need attractions. Toddlers basically like to run around, so access to Balboa park would be nice. Otherwise there are not that many parks downtown except for Pantoja park. I would personally look up the hill a bit more towards Morley Field or Golden Hill. Once the kids approach 3+ you might want a house with a backyard.

[kcda]

Originally Posted by Freecia

Would you recommand condos in Downtown San Diego to a small family (1 small child) though? My husband and I are planning on starting a family but he refuses to have a child until we have our own place. Condo in downtown sounds nice but are there enough activities to keep small children happy too? Besides the obvious tourist trap like the Seaport Village, what else is there for the whole family to enjoy?

I love downtown San Diego, but I'm not sure if Eastlake is a better place (our other option) if we do decide to start a family. Any thoughts?

I would definately choose Eastlake over downtown w/a small child. If we didn't have children, we would probably live downtown or on the beach. Eastlake is a wonderful place to raise children with lots of parks, pools, playgroups and activities.