San Diego - Best Warm Weather Downtown in US? (Santa Monica: transplants, rent)

[TheseGoTo11]

I've been to every major city in this country, and among those south of the 37th parallel, San Diego has been the best. Here's why:

1. can stay downtown without a car, and walk to moderately interesting restaurants/bars, I never rent a car in San Diego, always rent in LA, even when I stay downtown there

2. Baseball stadium connects to the city - have this in many cities, but not other warm weather ones like Atlanta (cut off by highway), Dallas/Miami (stadium is out in the suburbs), Houston/Phoenix (roof prevents open views into stadium like you have at that park beyond CF at Petco, LA (cutoff by not 1, but 2 freeways from downtown)

3. reasonable street life downtown, not what we have in DC or what I used to have in Boston, but far better than Atlanta, Houston, LA, and most other large sunbelt cities where if you run into someone walking after 6pm, they're usually pushing a shopping cart or will ask you for money

4. Not dependent on a university for street life, I like Houston's Museum District but it's been helped by the fact that Rice University runs along side it, and that area's only adjacent to downtown. Austin's OK, but it's got the huge UT campus plus a state capitol, and even then it's more quirky than pedestrian-friendly

5. Decent size, Charleston, and New Orleans are quaint and old, but little happening in either one economically

6. Downtown not competing with a nearby beach for pedestrian traffic - Santa Monica and Miami Beach are more walkable than downtown LA or downtown Miami

My guess is the lack of oppressive heat, lack of competing beach cities, and not being surrounded on four sides by major freeways have contributed to a better downtown. Curious to know if there are other reasons why SD is so far ahead of other sunbelt city downtowns.

[NYSD1995]

We dumped a bunch of money into our downtown. 15 years ago, there was nothing there. Our downtown is head and shoulders above most sunbelt cities as you noticed - but it came at a price - the rest of the city is slowly deteriorating around a very shiny downtown which is really more an amenitiy for tourists than residents. I have lived within 10 miles of downtown for 10+ years and rarely, if ever, go there.

[BRinSM]

being from LA, i too like downtown SD, but i see where sassaberto is coming from. I know a bunch of people in SD and none of them really spend any time downtown. it is definitely a place for transplants from the east coast and tourists. most people in SD don't live there for the urbanity or access to public transit, so downtown is merely a place to catch a baseball game.

[windnsea00]

I live near little italy and really enjoy our downtown, I also grew up in SD since I was 6. It's a popular area for the 35 and younger single crowd, I am 23.

[jksouthbay88]

I don't know why but I think our downtown can be better.I like Denver's downtown personally.Well I've never been there but it looks so damn AWESOME!!!

Can't wait to go in 2012-feels like a long time from now.

[sdlife619]

I think downtown SD is more dense than downtown Denver, feels more urban too (especially our surrounding inner city), thus making it more walkable. One things for sure Denver is a very clean city, there downtown is squeaky clean with hardly any trash or graffiti unlike parts of downtown SD where it's dirty one block, nice the next. Denver's downtown is impressive especially it's older architecture, but it feels slow and pretty dead at times. That huge outdoor mall they have. is the only real attraction of downtown Denver and besides some nice museums.

[GooglyEyes123]

Originally Posted by sdlife619

I think downtown SD is more dense than downtown Denver, feels more urban too (especially our surrounding inner city), thus making it more walkable. One things for sure Denver is a very clean city, there downtown is squeaky clean with hardly any trash or graffiti unlike parts of downtown SD where it's dirty one block, nice the next. Denver's downtown is impressive especially it's older architecture, but it feels slow and pretty dead at times. That huge outdoor mall they have. is the only real attraction of downtown Denver and besides some nice museums.

Yes let's not forget the huge homeless population too. Block after block I seen homeless in downtown SD.

[GooglyEyes123]

Originally Posted by TheseGoTo11

I've been to every major city in this country, and among those south of the 37th parallel, San Diego has been the best. Here's why:

1. can stay downtown without a car, and walk to moderately interesting restaurants/bars, I never rent a car in San Diego, always rent in LA, even when I stay downtown there

2. Baseball stadium connects to the city - have this in many cities, but not other warm weather ones like Atlanta (cut off by highway), Dallas/Miami (stadium is out in the suburbs), Houston/Phoenix (roof prevents open views into stadium like you have at that park beyond CF at Petco, LA (cutoff by not 1, but 2 freeways from downtown)

3. reasonable street life downtown, not what we have in DC or what I used to have in Boston, but far better than Atlanta, Houston, LA, and most other large sunbelt cities where if you run into someone walking after 6pm, they're usually pushing a shopping cart or will ask you for money

4. Not dependent on a university for street life, I like Houston's Museum District but it's been helped by the fact that Rice University runs along side it, and that area's only adjacent to downtown. Austin's OK, but it's got the huge UT campus plus a state capitol, and even then it's more quirky than pedestrian-friendly

5. Decent size, Charleston, and New Orleans are quaint and old, but little happening in either one economically

6. Downtown not competing with a nearby beach for pedestrian traffic - Santa Monica and Miami Beach are more walkable than downtown LA or downtown Miami

My guess is the lack of oppressive heat, lack of competing beach cities, and not being surrounded on four sides by major freeways have contributed to a better downtown. Curious to know if there are other reasons why SD is so far ahead of other sunbelt city downtowns.

Really you can't compare San Diego to other cities. SD is smaller of course and like the first poster said poured all lot of money previously into downtown to make it awesome and all touristy and stuff so that's why DT SD right now is booming cause of past planing. If you look at LA it hasn't been making the same strives like SD and it's downtown revitalization is currently slower and at a stand still cause of the recession, but one thing that LA does better is that it's also not just focusing on Downtown but the surrounding areas and you can see much effort being put to revitalize those areas.

[sav858]

Originally Posted by GooglyEyes123

Really you can't compare San Diego to other cities. SD is smaller of course and like the first poster said poured all lot of money previously into downtown to make it awesome and all touristy and stuff so that's why DT SD right now is booming cause of past planing. If you look at LA it hasn't been making the same strives like SD and it's downtown revitalization is currently slower and at a stand still cause of the recession, but one thing that LA does better is that it's also not just focusing on Downtown but the surrounding areas and you can see much effort being put to revitalize those areas.

Then why are you comparing it to LA?

[jksouthbay88]

Originally Posted by Surfer619

I have been to Denver's downtown several times and it does beat out San Diego's by a long shot in terms of nightlife, restaurants, and things to do. It's also very nice, much bigger and just as safe.

The only downside is that in the winter time, besides occasional sub-zero temps., there could be 3+ feet of snow on the ground; therefore making it a little difficult to walk around, but oh well, that's what you can expect being right below the towering Rocky Mountains.

YAY!!!
Now I'm really excited.Going to look it up right now.