Where to lay my head for a few days in San Diego?

March 7, 2008 7:39 AM

After a week-long business meeting in San Diego in April, I'd like to take a couple days of vacation to actually visit the city, but but I'm having trouble getting a handle on where to stay (and where to look for a place to stay?)

For my meeting, I'll be staying in the Gaslamp district (but with no time for any sort of sightseeing.) Afterwards, I mostly just want to decompress, see some pretty stuff, take some walks, eat at tasty restaurants, and have a decent local bar where I can drink some whiskey and talk to strangers.

From the little I've been able to find on what San Diego is "like", it looks like the neighborhoods in which I'd most like to chill out are Hillcrest/Normal Heights? (By way of comparison, in San Fran I stayed in the Castro and in NOLA I always stayed in the Marigny. Tourist-district-central is generally not for me -- I do not think I'm going to want to stay in the Gaslamp.)

I generally prefer small inns, B&Bs, and the like. Guesthouses with shared baths are absolutely fine. (Dorm-style hostels, not so much.) Cheaper is better. Am I looking on the wrong internet? I'm not finding much.

P.S. I won't have a car and I'm not willing to rent one.
P.P.S. Yes, I saw these previous AskMes.

posted by desuetude to Travel & Transportation around San Diego, CA (23 answers total)

Best answer: I generally prefer small inns, B&Bs, and the like. Guesthouses with shared baths are absolutely fine. (Dorm-style hostels, not so much.) Cheaper is better. Am I looking on the wrong internet? I'm not finding much.

I can't think of anything that would fit the bill unless you went to Julian, a small mountain town about an hour east of San Diego. There might be smaller, quainter places in some of the beach communities like Ocean Beach, La Jolla, Cardiff, or Encinitas, but there's not much in the more urban areas, and certainly not in Hillcrest or Normal Heights.

I think the problem that you'll find is that some aspects of what you're looking for are plentiful in some parts of town, while other aspects are absent there but plentiful elsewhere, which means that you have to travel around a bit if you want to get the whole package, and then you need to have a car because the public transit between those places is absolute shit...and uh oh. Also, the way San Diego is laid out, there's neighborhoods that have little urbanized commercial cores surrounded by seas of single-family housing, so there can be a long trip between things to do, with a limited amount of options in the immediate area.

Hillcrest and Mission Hills (they're right next to each other) both have the bar scene and all the tasty restaurants, and they're easily walkable and relatively close to downtown and the airport so you wouldn't need to schlep too far with your non-car-ness. However, they're not much for hotels, much less small, quaint places. You might be able to find something in Banker's Hill (just to the south of Hillcrest), but then there's really not a whole lot to *do* in Banker's Hill. But, you'd be right between Hillcrest and downtown, with Balboa Park to your immediate east, so if you're okay with walking a mile or two, you'd probably be fine. Normal Heights is a little seedier than Hillcrest, and more residential oriented; University Heights is just to the west and about the same. They're nice neighborhoods, but the hotels aren't really someplace you'd want to stay.

After thinking about it a bit, I think your best bet might be Little Italy. Plenty of restaurants, a couple of good bars, and lots of stuff to walk around and see and it's really become more urbanized lately. It's kind of the artistic heart of the city, with a couple galleries and a lot of architecture offices and art studios. Kind of our knock-off version of the village in NY. A lot of the buildings are newer there and it's really coming up, but I think they might still have some of the types of places to stay that you're looking for; if not, there's a couple Best Westerns, or hotels on the northwest side of downtown will be within easy walking distance. There's also a trolley stop right nearby. There's a large outdoor art festival on the streets there in April, so you might want to check and see if your trip coincides with that, which would kind of be a bonus. Most of the stuff there is crap, but it's fun to walk around and find the few good things while making fun of the schlock. For bars, you'll either want the Princess Pub (an "English" pub), or the Waterfront, which is the oldest continuously operating bar in town. There's plenty of more fancy restaurants, but for simpler eats, you'll want to try out Filippi's, which has been operating since 1948. That doesn't seem so old for people from the east coast, but out here, that's basically the paleolithic era. Little Italy is basically bounded by San Diego Bay to the west, the 5 freeway to the east, Laurel St. to the north, and Beech to the south.

If not Little Italy, I'd look into the beach communities, but I'd probably avoid Pacific Beach, which is kind of a college party zone. Mission Beach might have some nice places to stay similar to what you're looking for, and it has plenty of bars. Not so much with the restaurants (although the Misison Cafe is there--go for breakfast or lunch), but it does have a historic wooden roller coaster. If you look into places up north, like Encinitas or Carlsbad, they'll be a lot more laid-back without as much to do, more chillax-worthy. La Jolla is expensive, but is incredibly scenic, with lots of nice walks, and quite a few nice stores and excellent restaurants, as well as more touristy places.
posted by LionIndex at 8:14 AM on March 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

Gaslamp is not really tourist-central- it is more "downtown" ish. It's where straight people go for nightlife.

Hillcrest is the gay area, if that matters to you. (Since you stayed in Castro, probably not.)

If you want to do walking, and you will not have a car, staying put in Gaslamp or Hillcrest are really your only choices.

Some Hillcrest choices - all smaller, non-chain. As for smaller inns, B and B's, I am sure there are some here, but I have never seen them...

Hillcrest Inn

Balboa Park Inn - not as central, but SD has a LOT of taxis.

Park Manor
posted by Futurehouse at 8:15 AM on March 7, 2008

Best answer: Gaslamp is not really tourist-central- it is more "downtown" ish. It's where straight people go for nightlife.

I beg to differ. Sure it's downtown, and sure lots of people go clubbing there, but really, it's the tourist part of downtown. It's got the ballpark, all the big hotels, a giant mall, and a bunch of trendy restaurants and bars that are extremely tourist friendly--you wouldn't feel the least bit out of place wearing jeans to most of the restaurants there. A large percentage of the patrons there are military, tourists, or recent transplants (that pretty much describes the population of San Diego, though). I'm a native and I avoid the place at all costs, and I can certainly understand why someone wouldn't want to spend much of their vacation time there.
posted by LionIndex at 8:30 AM on March 7, 2008

Best answer: Seconding Little Italy - and La Pensione is a great little hotel, right across from the Princess Pub.
posted by pdb at 8:36 AM on March 7, 2008 [1 favorite]

The Gaslamp district is solid downtown - nightlife, not touristy at least by my standards. Any hotels actually in the Gaslamp would be pretty expensive, I think.

If I'm remembering correctly the Rte 8 / Mission Valley Freeway in that area is practically wall-to-wall hotels. I think that might be the sort of touristy environment you don't want, though, but there should definitely be lots of inexpensive options in that area.

Nice restaurants in the Gaslamp:

The Yard House - it's a chain but 150 beers on tap! If you remember a great beer from somewhere else in the country they probably have it. Try Shiner Bock from Texas.
The Bandar Restaurant - Iranian
There's a great Afghan restaurant somewhere in the Gaslamp, I can't remember where exactly.

Definitely get to see some of Balboa Park if you can.

The Gaslamp restaurants are fairly pricey, of course. But if you have any interest in Iranian / Persian food and you happen to come across a car or someone with a car, this place is soooo incredible and cheap. It's this little market / deli / restaurant / bakery, my mouth waters just thinking about it:

Parsian International Market & Deli‎
4020 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
[phone]

Also, something I found to be a really interesting experience was to go to the 99 Ranch Market on Clairmont Mesa Blvd, an enormous (by East Coast standards) supermarket-sized Asian market. Lots of cool Asian booze and foodstuffs more exotic than I could have imagined.

Have a good trip...
posted by XMLicious at 8:53 AM on March 7, 2008

Best answer: Public transportation isn't great here, but the buses are workable if you plan. There's also light rail, but it has a limited area. The public transportation site is www.sdcommute.com

Another option is to rent a bike for a few days. The weather is beautiful and many roads have bike lanes. However, San Diego can be a bit hilly depending on where you ride. Most of the fun neighborhoods are easily rideable - Hillcrest, Mission Hills, North and South Park, Kensington, Normal and University Heights. You can get a free map of the San Diego bike trails at www.ridelink.org.

There are actually more B&B's here than I thought. I looked on BedandBreakfast.com's San Diego listings. There are two in my neighborhood - Carole's B&B and Vintage Sol. I don't know anything about either of them, but apparently there are hotels like the one's you're looking for in San Diego. Since you won't have a car, you should stay out of Old Town (it's totally touristy anyway). Old town is in a canyon - going anywhere will require an uphill hike.
posted by 26.2 at 9:05 AM on March 7, 2008

There is also the San Diego B&B Guild, but there aren't many working links. The Cottage is in Mission Hills. And there is the Hillcrest House in, uh, Hillcrest.
posted by 26.2 at 9:21 AM on March 7, 2008

Response by poster: A few clarifications -- I mentioned small inns/B&Bs as in comparison to large chains, not because I have a fetish for B&Bs specifically -- in many other cities, I've found that the small independent hotels or inns or the like are both much more comfortable and affordable.

From the clarifications of Gaslamp as nightlife rather than just touristy, I've learned...that I would want to stay there even less. Not my scene. Well, I'll get to know it when I'm there working anyway.

Little Italy is an interesting suggestion, and I'm leaning toward the Pensione. (I wouldn't have thought to look there, since I live in South Philly and get my fill of Italianosity, so thanks for the heads up!)

The biking suggestion is fantastic.
posted by desuetude at 10:36 AM on March 7, 2008

From the clarifications of Gaslamp as nightlife rather than just touristy, I've learned...that I would want to stay there even less.

Honestly, I don't know what those people are on about. The largest hotels in town are right in the gaslamp, and they're actually some of the largest buildings in town.

History lesson time: prior to 1984, the gaslamp district used to be totally run down, full of adult bookstores and theaters, with flophouses and seedy bars for visiting sailors in the surrounding areas. The city obviously saw this as a huge problem and set out to redevelop the area, as well as boost tourism for the city, since one of the major foundations of the city's tax revenue stream is the hotel tax and various other tourist-related fees. Part of the redevelopment was the construction of the convention center, along with the Marriot and Hyatt hotels flanking it. Horton Plaza (the mall) also opened in '84, and was a major factor in the revitalization of the area (If you pay close attention to the design of Horton Plaza, you'll notice that's it's pretty much sealed off from the surrounding streets, a design "feature" that relates to the state of the neighborhood back then, which would otherwise be pretty odd for an open air mall in the heart of a busy commercial district). The gaslamp was cleaned out and rezoned for the precise purpose of being an entertainment zone for visiting conventioneers and tourists, and really has no other purpose. The addition of the ballpark to the mix, along with the Omni Hotel (one of two in the gaslamp!) has only furthered that effect.

This all manifests itself in the types of businesses that have set up in the area--T.G.I. Friday's, a couple "authentic" Irish pubs, Urban Outfitters, various chain bars like Moose McGillicudy's, Hooters, the Hard Rock Cafe (we'll even soon have a Hard Rock Hotel in the gaslamp), the Yard House, whatever restaurant trend is the big hot thing, (right now: steak; a couple years ago: "Trattoria Blahblahblah) etc. Saying that the gaslamp is all "downtown" makes as much sense as saying that Times Square is really downtown New York, and I really have to wonder what actual cities people have been to think otherwise. It's a little adult Disneyland fun zone.
posted by LionIndex at 11:13 AM on March 7, 2008

Saying that the gaslamp is all "downtown" makes as much sense as saying that Times Square is really downtown New York, and I really have to wonder what actual cities people have been to think otherwise. It's a little adult Disneyland fun zone.

Maybe it's because I've never been to Disneyland. I would just say that all the chain hotels and restaurants with neon signs shaped like palm trees up around the Mission Valley Freeway are more touristy than the Gaslamp district. Adult Disneyland or not, the people I was working with in one of those big office buildings were the ones who brought me along to the Yard House and The Bandar. But maybe they go elsewhere when the non-San-Diegans aren't around.

Could also be growing up outside of a city - I consider the downtown to be where the tall buildings and offices and there's usually a high density of restaurants, retail stores, etc. - exactly the way you've described Gaslamp, not about where the truly hip part of town is. And I've been to and worked in a fair number of large cities in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, including all the largest ones in the U.S. and Canada.
posted by XMLicious at 11:47 AM on March 7, 2008

Response by poster: History lesson time: prior to 1984, the gaslamp district used to be totally run down, full of adult bookstores and theaters, with flophouses and seedy bars for visiting sailors in the surrounding areas.

Sigh. While admittedly I would not be at a business meeting in San Diego without this redevelopment plan, I'd prefer the "old" gaslamp district. (Yeah, I'm one of those people who thinks that NYC went to way too far in cleaning up Times Square and found the Tenderloin in SF charming.)
posted by desuetude at 12:13 PM on March 7, 2008

well, if you like zoos, the san diego zoo cannot be beat. i haven't been there in years, but i love it.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 1:17 PM on March 7, 2008

You might try San Diego Urban Retreats or the Sommerset Suites. Both would put you in Hillcrest, which has a couple of cool bars: The Alibi and San Diego Sports Club.

If you stay in Little Italy, you should have a drink at The Waterfront.
posted by stefanie at 1:27 PM on March 7, 2008

XMLicious, I think we're talking past each other. Obviously, yes, the gaslamp is "downtown". But there are no tall buildings *within* the gaslamp district itself, which is all rehabilitated victorian buildings. Most of the business of downtown San Diego is not conducted within the gaslamp district, but in the tall buildings surrounding it. Downtown and the gaslamp district are not necessarily one in the same thing. Whether it's the hip part of town is really beside the point.

Sure, downtown is where the tall buildings are; but when half of those buildings are hotels...well...that's not really the business sector of your city, now is it? My point about the gaslamp is that it's a downtown district, sure, but it's a downtown that's been wholly manufactured within the last 20 years. It's not some cool area that just "happened". It was fabricated, an invention; a facsimilie of what people expect a downtown area to be--much like Main St. USA at Disneyland. Do you see the difference in what I'm talking about?

And I think we've got different ideas in our head of what "touristy" means. Obviously, Mission Valley has a lot of hotels, and tourists stay there. But do a google image search for San Diego, and look at the pictures of the downtown skyline that come up. Four to six of the largest buildings in the photos are hotels. These generally serve the convention center crowd and are more for business travellers, whereas I think Mission Valley is more about families that want to go to the beach, but they're still tourists. All I'm saying is that when tourists come to San Diego, and want to go out at night, they go to the gaslamp. That, according to my understanding of the question, is exactly what desuetude is trying to avoid.
posted by LionIndex at 1:32 PM on March 7, 2008

Response by poster: Booked my room at La Pensione. The Zoo and Balboa Park are totally on my list, as is renting a bike. Anyone familiar with Philly's bus system will understand why I am sure that San Diego's public transport is just fine for my purposes.

Don't let me interrupt the debate on the Gaslamp District...but LionIndex is quite right that "downtown nightlife" and "places where straight people go to dance" are on my AVOID list.
posted by desuetude at 1:47 PM on March 7, 2008

Yeah, you're right LionIndex. Downtown or touristy or otherwise, city planning or au naturel, I do think you've done a good job of answering desuetude's question. Better than me, as well you should as a resident. I didn't mean to say that Gaslamp is where he wants to go for his aprés oeuvre vacation, I was just mentioning some places there that I liked that he might just want to go to on the nights he's working. As an addendum to mentioning that there are cheap hotels in Mission Valley.
posted by XMLicious at 1:54 PM on March 7, 2008

ARRRGH desuetude is a she. Sorry about that.
posted by XMLicious at 1:55 PM on March 7, 2008

Some Balboa Park museums are free on Tuesdays. Here's a schedule of what's free and when.
posted by stefanie at 2:39 PM on March 7, 2008

Response by poster: Damn, I won't be there on a Tuesday. What's free and awesome on Thursdays and Fridays?
posted by desuetude at 3:38 PM on March 7, 2008

Don't know your trip dates, but the Museum of Contemporary Art downtown (walkable from Little Italy) hosts TNT (Thursday Night Thing, about 1/3rd down the page) on the first Thursday of the month; a $3 donation is suggested.

Any one of the museums in Balboa Park might have something free and/or awesome those days.
posted by vespertine at 7:12 PM on March 7, 2008

Also, for future reference there is a B&B right around the corner from my house in North Park--I walk by there all the time and I've always wanted to go stay there. It looks adorable.
Carole's B&B
posted by exceptinsects at 12:59 AM on March 8, 2008

Check out the San Diego Reader events calendar for cheap/free stuff to do. It looks like the Easter Lilies will be blooming at the Botanical Gardens in Balboa Park, which is free.

Also, between the park and the zoo is Spanish Village . It's a group of artists cottages and is open daily from like 10 to 4 (I think). If you time it right, you can watch a glass-blowing demonstration or just check out all the art/jewelry/photography. It's a great place to pick up handmade gifts.

The Natural History Museum is currently hosting A Day in Pompeii. It requires separate admission and you need to reserve ahead of time so if that's something you think you're interested in you'll want to make arrangements beforehand. (I know you said cheap/free, but I'd hate for you to get there and realize you could have seen it if you'd only known in advance)
posted by stefanie at 12:31 AM on March 9, 2008 [1 favorite]

Yeah, you're right LionIndex. Downtown or touristy or otherwise, city planning or au naturel, I do think you've done a good job of answering desuetude's question. Better than me, as well you should as a resident.

Oh, it's no big deal. I get what you're saying, and I don't mean to use "touristy" as a insult to the gaslamp. Heck, as someone else said, Old Town is mega-touristy, but I go there quite often because it has some good Mexican restaurants. So, even though the gaslamp was redeveloped as a draw for conventions, that doesn't mean that the locals don't get some use out of the area. It's just not my deal.
posted by LionIndex at 9:01 AM on March 10, 2008