Downtown San Diego

 

From the historic Gaslamp District to Columbia’s luxurious waterfront condos, Downtown San Diego has a little bit of everything: tranquil Pacific ocean views, live music and dance clubs, and pristine museums. Each of downtown San Diego’s six neighborhoods—Columbia, Cortez Hill, East Village, Gaslamp District, Little Italy, and Marina—has a distinctive character and charm all its own. Families with children will have plenty to do to keep the kids occupied, from a safari at the San Diego Zoo to exploring the New Children’s Museum. Homes in downtown San Diego range from glamorous penthouse condos to quaint standalone craftsman houses.

 

• Glitzy urban skyline next to the sea
• All-night entertainment and morning breakfast joints
• Family-friendly field trips to Balboa Park
• Double hitters at Petco Park
• Easy walkability to all your favorite conveniences
• Hipster-approved gourmet eateries and homey alcove trattorias

People & Lifestyle

Downtown San Diego is perfect for on-the-go living. The bustling Financial District is home to towering skyscrapers and endless career opportunities, which appeals to young professionals and ambitious career men and women, while families love the quietude of Cortez Hill’s residential area.

 

Some of San Diego’s most noteworthy restaurants reside downtown, so you’ll have your choice of fare, whether you’re looking for something upscale and sophisticated or familiar comfort food. White tablecloth Top of the Market is a seaside seafood restaurant where luxurious is an understatement. Their prefixe menu has four gourmet courses, each paired with a California wine, and the chef-curated dinner changes seasonally. The Gaslamp District is easily San Diego’s most famous entertainment hub, with the majority of the area’s trendy eateries and late-night spots. No matter what you’re craving, there’s something on the menu. Pushkin Russian Restaurant is dishing up pierogies and elk flank steak, La Puerta offers top-of-the-line tacos and tequila, and Mina Lounge is a local favorite hookah bar with bottle service and finely crafted foods. Osteria Panevino creates sultry Tuscan dishes with available European sidewalk seating, or head to Little Italy for a slice of pizza at Filippi’s Pizza Grotto. A new kind of chophouse, Cowboy Star Restaurant and Butcher Shop adds a western flair to American favorites in their fashionably rustic steakhouse.

 

Enjoy upscale, waterfront shopping at Seaport Village or browse furnishing boutiques in Little Italy.

 

There is always something fun popping up on your social calendar in Downtown San Diego. Tag along with the San Diego Club Crawl to get a taste of SoCal nightlife when you visit four clubs in one night. If you prefer something more lowkey, grab a barstool at The Tipsy Crow, a historic tri-level pub in the Gaslamp District.

There are plenty of family-friendly activities found in or near Downtown San Diego. Kids will love spending time at the San Diego Zoo, which emphasizes rehabilitating animals in a safe environment while educating guests on global species and conservation efforts, and the New Children’s Museum fosters creative thinking through play, which is vital during a child’s formative years. Nestled among the San Diego skyline, Petco Park offers Major League Baseball with a view. Grab ballpark tickets to watch the San Diego Padres baseball team swing for the fences. Nearby Balboa Park is an astounding urban green space that attracts thousands of visitors each year to its grassy knolls to view art installations and explore its numerous museums, including the Museum of Photographic Arts and San Diego Air & Space Museum.

 

Downtown San Diego has a plethora of outstanding educational facilities, which provides families the ability to choose the right academic structure for their student. A few notable schools in the area include: