Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [236]
At the edge of the Gaslamp, Westfield Horton Plaza Center (Map; 619-239-8180; 10am-9pm Mon-Fri, 10am-8pm Sat, 11am-7pm Sun; ) is a five-story, seven-block shopping mall that was credited with bringing visitors back to Downtown. It’s not very inviting from the outside; critics say it turns its back on Downtown (though when it was built in 1985 there wasn’t much to welcome visitors). Inside, however, Los Angeles–based urban architect Jon Jerde – who also designed Universal CityWalk – created fanciful, toy-town arches and postmodernist balconies making it feel slightly like an MC Escher drawing. Parking is free for three hours with validation.
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART SAN DIEGO
Adjacent to a San Diego Trolley stop, this museum (Map; 858-454-3541; www.mcasd.org; 1001 & 1100 Kettner Blvd; adult/senior/25 & under $10/$5/free; 11am-6pm Sat-Tue, 11am-9pm Thu & Fri, guided tours 6pm Thu, 2pm Sat & Sun; ) has brought innovative artwork to San Diegans since the 1960s in the La Jolla branch Click here; check local listings for exhibits. The Downtown branch dates from 1986, and an additional pavilion opened across the street in 2007, a slick renovation of a section of San Diego’s train station with permanent works by Jenny Holzer and Richard Serra. Tickets are valid for seven days in all locations and there is discounted parking (with validation) at 501 West C Street.
While here, stop at San Diego’s Union Station (aka Santa Fe Depot) which looks a lot like a piece from a model railway, with Spanish-style tile work and a historic Santa Fe Railway sign on top. It was built in conjunction with the 1915 exposition (Click here) in the hopes that the Santa Fe Railway would make San Diego its terminus, although that designation eventually went to Los Angeles.
PETCO PARK
A quick stroll east of the Gaslamp, this baseball park (Map; 619-795-5011; www.petcoparkevents.com; 100 Park Blvd; tours adult/child/senior $9/5/6; tours 10:30am, 12:30pm & 2:30pm Tue-Sun subject to game schedule) is Downtown’s newest landmark, home of the San Diego Padres baseball team. It’s an architecturally alluring venue incorporating some historic buildings. If you can’t make it to a game Click here, take an 80-minute behind-the-scenes tour.
SAN DIEGO CHILDREN’S MUSEUM
This interactive children’s museum (Museo de los Niños; Map; 619-233-8792; www.sdchildrensmuseum.org; 200 West Island Ave) has been closed for reconstruction; it should be open again in spring 2008, with a theater, storytelling, music, activities and exhibits in a ‘green’ building with indoor–outdoor exhibition space.
US GRANT HOTEL
No hotel in town can compare to the Hotel del Coronado for history, but US Grant (Map; 619-232-3121; 326 Broadway), built in 1910, comes close. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places for a past including celebrity guests, magnificent ballrooms, a one-time Turkish bath and a speakeasy. It had a big-bucks makeover in 2006; visitors can take a free tour with advance reservation by calling the concierge desk. See also Click here for sleeping options here.
Little Italy
Bounded by Hawthorn and Ash Sts on the north and south, and Front St and the waterfront on the east and west, San Diego’s Little Italy was settled in the mid-19th century by Italian immigrants, mostly fishermen and their families, who created a cohesive and thriving community. They enjoyed a booming fish industry and whiskey trade (which some claim was backed by local Mafia).
When the I-5 was completed in 1962, the heart (and, many say, soul) of the area was destroyed; entire blocks were demolished, and increased traffic turned once-quiet streets into busy thoroughfares. Over the last few years, however, exciting contemporary architecture has made Little Italy one of the hippest places to live and eat downtown, especially along India St; Click here for listings.
Built in 1925, Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church (Map; cnr State & Date Sts) is still a hub for Little Italy activity. Its rich ceiling