Downtown-San-Diego-Hotels-Travel Guide

Downtown or Centre City San Diego is divided into a number of neighborhoods, each with its own attractions and personality like the Gas Lamp Quarter, Little Italy, Marina etc. Lets get into the details…

•           Gaslamp Quarter — A historic district located in south downtown, near the convention center and the ballpark, Gaslamp Quarter is where the first development of downtown took place in the 1870′s and was the focal point of the first revitalization efforts in downtown during the 1970′s. Today, Gaslamp Quarter is a thriving district of historic buildings, art galleries, boutique shops, specialty stores, theaters and restaurants.

•           Little Italy — At the northwest end of downtown, this neighborhood, originally a home to Italian fisher men is now a very active district of shops, restaurants, and parks, with an Italian theme. Little Italy is also home to a number of annual events.

•           Horton Plaza — At the heart of downtown, Horton Plaza is comprised almost entirely of the remarkable Horton Plaza shopping center and its adjacent buildings.

•           Columbia – The western neighborhood of downtown, Columbia runs along Broadway as it approaches the harbor. Columbia is mostly a commercial district and contains One America Plaza (San Diego’s tallest building), the historic Santa Fe train depot, as well as a sizable chunk of the waterfront which includes the USS Midway Museum, the Maritime Museum, the cruise ship terminal and the ferry landing.

•           Core — Just as the name implies, Core is at the center of downtown, and is the commercial and governmental center of downtown.

•           Cortez Hill — Located on the hill at the north side of downtown, Cortez Hill is a sleepy, mostly residential neighborhood named for the historic El Cortez Hotel, which is easily the tallest building on the hill.

•           East Village — A former industrial neighborhood, the east side of downtown is undergoing a construction and redevelopment boom, spurred in part by the Padres’ new ballpark, PETCO Park, which is also located within the neighborhood.

•           Marina – At the southwest corner of downtown, Marina is a highly gentrified district of waterfront, high rise condos, hotels, parks, the San Diego Convention Center, and the Seaport Village shopping mall.