[destroycreate]

Or actually...a really beautiful, underrated city with lots of urban neighborhoods. :banana: San Diego is known as being "America's Finest City" and it's hard to challenge that title. With perfect weather year round full of sunshine and always comfortable temperatures, San Diego has a climate and setting that the nation envies. The city has for a long time been evolving away from it's laid back image to a more dynamic big city atmosphere, with lots more to offer aside from its gorgeous beaches and open spaces. The urban areas have since the mid 90's been in a period of a renaissance with the focus to revive deteriorating older neighborhoods and make them vibrant commercial centers once again.


Downtown San Diego, once a dump especially in the 80's, has done an incredibly amazing job at bringing the action back to the core. The area is now a center of nightlife, shopping, and dining, in addition to being one of the more desirable places to live in the city. Many buildings that were once falling apart have been refurbished as stylish and hip condos/lofts. Tons of highrises have been built during the last decade, changing the face of the skyline nearly every year.

We'll start of with downtown (and there's lots more to DT than what I show, including the vibrant neighborhoods of Little Italy, Bankers Hill, and the East Village - but I'll do more threads on that later). Primarily I'll focus on the Gaslamp and Marina area, where my dad lives. Yes, the aerial pictures are taken from my father's condo, he's a lucky bastard to be able to wake up to this everyday!

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4067/4259170974_87b2d4ffab_b.jpg

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Let me know if you enjoyed! :notacrook:

[xzmattzx]

Your dad has that view of the stadium? That must be really nice on game days.

[mongoXZ]

NO! YOURE THE PIECE OF CRAP!! j/k:D :cheers:

Your Dad lives in the Metropolitan Residences? What is he? A kajillionare?

Great pics! I've said it once and I'll say it again: Despite the stubby skyline San Diego has the most vibrant downtown of any sunbelt city as well as the most desirable. It's a transit hub (by air, land and sea). A residential and tourist destination. A true city center. No cheesy man-made canals either.

That is, of course, if you don't consider San Fran as a sunbelt city.

[peanut gallery]

Wow, your dad has nice views. I love San Diego. As you said, it's a beautiful town with amazing weather and an ever-improving downtown.

[ue]

It's like Vancouver but tropical.

[Kingofthehill]

California Love.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Dig :tup:

[hollow man]

Superb.

[TXLove]

Great pictures! San Diego looking good and that view your dad has is just perfect :tup:

[tayser]

very handsome!

If only LAX airport was in San Diego...

[ColDayMan]

Well done!

[stepper77]

I agree with the amazing view! San Diego is a beautiful city. Thanks for sharing!

[mhays]

Very impressive.

[SLO]

LOVE It.

[glowrock]

I've always loved San Diego, and continue to do so. One thing I WILL say about it is that many parts of downtown on through the Gaslamp and down to the new areas around Petco Park seem very, very sterile...

Gaslamp is awesome, no doubt about it. Even the super-touristy schlock like Seaport Village is pretty cool in a nostalgic kind of way. However, there comes a limit to how many 20-30 story condo buildings sitting half (or more) empty that I can stand in any one area! :)

Part of me wishes that Horton Plaza would get at least some redevelopment. For better or worse, it's past its prime, and I think it's about time to make it better! :tup:

It's also time to get some kind of rail transit from downtown to Balboa Park! ;)

Anyhow, enough nit picking. San Diego kicks ass, no doubt about it, and I absolutely love the city!

Aaron (Glowrock)

[tech12]

Man, sweet pics! I can never get enough San Diego.

[kpexpress]

You've captured the SOMA and Gaslamp area nicely. Glad you enjoyed our city.

[Strange Meat]

Denver, LA or SD, the only places I wanna be.

[TonyAnderson]

San Diego is cool and all, but there's paranormal activity there :eeekk:

[PhillyRising]

It looks like I place I could live in! They don't get the bad earthquakes there right?

[glowrock]

Not as much, PhillyRising, as the San Andreas is pretty far inland, actually quite near it's southern extent, once it gets as far south as the San Diego area... Of course, San Diego CAN have major earthquakes, but I'd say they're more likely in San Fran or L.A. than there...

Aaron (Glowrock)

[destroycreate]

lolz @ East Coasters asking about earthquakes.

[ChicagoChicago]

Ran the marathon in San Diego in 2005. I thought it was an amazing city... Your pictures are beautiful.

[sopas ej]

It's also time to get some kind of rail transit from downtown to Balboa Park! ;)


I agree! Balboa Park is one of my favorite spots in all of San Diego.

Great photo thread, destroycreate! :tup:

[destroycreate]

Thanks so much guys! Glad ya'll enjoyed the thread.

I feel like San Diego gets way underexposed here and within the near future I'm going to try to document as many urban areas of SD possible :)

[dktshb]

very handsome!

If only LAX airport was in San Diego...

Nah, we need all our airports here, even LAX.

Great photos! Your Dad is quite lucky to have that view.

[Fusey]

I can see my house in the first pic! D:

[Leafer10]

I was in San Diego in '07 and I fell in love instantly. Thanks for bringing me back there!

[metroXpress]

very impressive, thanks for the pics!

[metroXpress]

I agree! Balboa Park is one of my favorite spots in all of San Diego.

Great photo thread, destroycreate! :tup:

Definitely! :)

[ChrisLA]

Nice photos, and views. San Diego is looking good. :tup:

[RockMont]

Hard to imagine San Diego as a dump. Now there probably have been some neighbourhoods, that were considered a dump, that now have been reconstructed, but the majority of the city is absolutely spectacular.

[holladay]

Wow, that was an impressive set! Makes me want to spend some time down there.

[Echoes]

You stay classy, San Diego.

[LouisianaRush]

Nice!

[LAsam]

Can't say I've ever had a bad time in San Diego. Great place to spend the weekend... or longer if possible.

[SDfan]

Good job!

[rockyi]

Beautiful! Thanks for the tour.

[ungerdog]

Gotta love a city where you can go from the strip club to the pink zone (as shown in pics 10&13). ;)

[WEMO]

Beautiful

[jfre81]

I don't think there was enough sunshine...

This thread definitely makes a case for the "America's Finest City" moniker. Good show.

[OneMetropolis]

Yep SD is allways beautifull during the winter seasons when we get all our rain which brings clear skyies, un-brown grass, and perfect weather.

[jfre81]

As opposed to imperfect weather? This is San Diego we're talking about after all :)

[Dan Denson]

The parts of San Diego I visited on business weren't particularly nice at all, but now that I see the photos in this thread, I may have gotten the wrong impression of the city when I was there.

[jfre81]

The parts of San Diego I visited on business weren't particularly nice at all, but now that I see the photos in this thread, I may have gotten the wrong impression of the city when I was there.

Isn't it amazing how you can easily get the wrong impression of a city just by seeing a less than optimal part of it?

[Pacificoduck]

SUN!!! How Ive missed it! Makes me want summer to be here :cool: beautiful city and photos btw

[OneMetropolis]

Isn't it amazing how you can easily get the wrong impression of a city just by seeing a less than optimal part of it?

I get it sorry Houston.

[stormkingfan]

Downtown San Diego, once a dump especially in the 80's

I remember it well back in the mid-80s. My ship has tied up either at Coronado or 32nd St. a few times. I'd be thinking of skylines of cities with similar populations or smaller, then I'd look at SD's, and think, "What the f*** is this supposed to be?" (nonetheless, I had good fun there). After all, the airport is right in d'town's face, and I'm guessing that there were other reasons why the city may have had strict zoning laws.

Now, it's like, "Whoa! She's gaining some weight. Good."

You've given us very good portraits of San Diego, here, dc.

How about Tijuana pics as a companion "volume"?

[Roaming]

The city is looking so good and dense! :tup:

[declan]

Your Dad is one lucky man. What a view to wake up to! Some of those shots look more East Coast than West Coast. Fantastic!

[coyotetrickster]

NO! YOURE THE PIECE OF CRAP!! j/k:D :cheers:

Your Dad lives in the Metropolitan Residences? What is he? A kajillionare?

Great pics! I've said it once and I'll say it again: Despite the stubby skyline San Diego has the most vibrant downtown of any sunbelt city as well as the most desirable. It's a transit hub (by air, land and sea). A residential and tourist destination. A true city center. No cheesy man-made canals either.

That is, of course, if you don't consider San Fran as a sunbelt city.

No, San Francisco is not a Sun Belt city. We don't consider ourselves a sun belt city, and the fog definitely means we aren't a sunbelt city.

[Pinion]

It's like Vancouver but tropical.

I was gonna say Vancouver without pedestrians. But I'd take San Diego climate over street life any day (I say this with three separate leaks surrounding my condo and filling it with water).

Great pics. Have to visit one day... never got south of LA in Cali for some reason.

[OneMetropolis]

really if everyone just get out of the tourist areas of San Diego and go inland, you'll see crap.

[Pinion]

really if everyone just get out of the tourist areas of San Diego and go inland, you'll see crap.

Isn't that true with most cities?

[FloridaChicago]

I love San Diego. I'll never forget the first time flying into the airport and looking directly into the windows of the downtown skyscrapers as we flew past.

[Rocket1964]

SanDiego = love

[mongoXZ]

Isn't that true with most cities?

Judging from all his ignorant posts he doesn't get out much. He thinks all of LA (his dream city) looks like Beverly Hills or something.:shrug:

No, San Francisco is not a Sun Belt city. We don't consider ourselves a sun belt city, and the fog definitely means we aren't a sunbelt city.

Oh I know but I remember an older thread where some members were arguing if SF is or isn't one.

[Leo the Dog]

Your Dad is one lucky man. What a view to wake up to! Some of those shots look more East Coast than West Coast. Fantastic!

No. It actually looks very West Coast.

The Marriott Hotel near your dad's condo has a great rooftop bar overlooking Petco!

[OneMetropolis]

Judging from all his ignorant posts he doesn't get out much. He thinks all of LA (his dream city) looks like Beverly Hills or something.:shrug:



Oh I know but I remember an older thread where some members were arguing if SF is or isn't one.

I grew up in this city so I know it the most. Please don't judge me so harshly. Yeah I feel like an idiot now and no LA isn't really my dream city nor do I think it all looks like Beverly Hills, but I do like it as a cool place to chill.

[alleystreetindustry]

a couple of my closest friends moved out here from san diego a couple of years ago. just looking at these pictures makes me even more angry of the fact i still havent been there for a visit. wonderful job though.

[OhioGuy]

Looks much better than here right now.

Thanks for the photos! I was in San Diego for the first time ever this past August and I certainly liked the city.

[smArTaLlone]

Nice pics!

I don't think San Diego is underrated at all. Everyone realizes how awesome it is.

[Gladys8it42]

San Diego looks great.

Thanks for sharing.

[diskojoe]

definitely a wasteland. nothing but trac housing everywhere.

naw, just kidding. awesome thread.

[IconRPCV]

Ahh SD how pretty you are.

[Wheelingman04]

Love that city!!

[UglymanCometh]

Nice stuff! Beautiful pics!

[Dmitry095]

SD is so beautiful!!

[mSeattle]

You make it sound a LOT worse than it looks in your photos. :)
Thanks for the tour.

[Hayward]

Dayum! I was last out in San Diego 5 years ago. Look at all those new towers around Petco! It was all empty lots at the time.

[LSyd]

awesome. your dad is stylin'.

this pic looks like Coruscant from Star Wars:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2568/4259174560_63be83bf8d_b.jpg

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[Metro Matt]

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/4258419251_a693c5699b_b.jpg

Whats with all of the American flags? I mean I'm a patriotic person myself, but damn that's kinda going over board don't ya think?

[Vicelord John]

your dad is a baller.

Thanks for the pictures, makes me want to go on vacation.

as an aside, wtf is up with people posting blurry pictures on this site? This is the second thread in a row I've opened and there were these awful blurry pics.

[Leo the Dog]

Whats with all of the American flags? I mean I'm a patriotic person myself, but damn that's kinda going over board don't ya think?

Is this a serious question? You do know that SD is located along the international border? And that the city is a strategic location for the defense of the US? Or that is it home to numerous military installations? Or that without the US military located there, the local economy would be absolutely devastated?

This might explain why they fly the flag.

[Complex01]

Very kewl pics. I likes...

:tup:

[L.u.v.]

WOW I love the look of San Diego. I'm going to be moving the south cali hopefully sometime within the next two years or so and for a hile I was debating between LA or San Diego. Now I'm starting to lean more towards San Diego, though it's not a definite yet.

I'll probably fly out and visit both cities before making a decision. In the mean time though, thanks for the superb photos. :)

[IMBY]

How about Tijuana pics as a companion "volume"?

I've flown to San Diego over 70 times over the last 12 years, I disembark at the Airport, and head directly south to Tijuana for the weekend. Never have stayed in San Diego, a bit too sterile for me!:cheers:

I have explored a great deal of Tijuana by public bus, taxi, and it would be nice to have some photo's of San Diego from some of the highest hills in that city, vertically up from Chaultepec Park/La Presa. Way up there on those high hills, the views of San Diego will take your breath away! Those people living up there, with those cliffside homes, are enjoying million-dollar views of the other side of the Border.:haha:

If I were to move to the San Diego area, and I could afford it, that's where my house would be! Spying on San Diego everyday, with my telescope or binoculars!:jester:

Say what you may, I view much of Central Tijuana as a national historic district! Especially the Zona Norte district, nothin' like it in any other part of Mexico!

[SDfan]

I've flown to San Diego over 70 times over the last 12 years, I disembark at the Airport, and head directly south to Tijuana for the weekend. Never have stayed in San Diego, a bit too sterile for me!:cheers:

I have explored a great deal of Tijuana by public bus, taxi, and it would be nice to have some photo's of San Diego from some of the highest hills in that city, vertically up from Chaultepec Park/La Presa. Way up there on those high hills, the views of San Diego will take your breath away! Those people living up there, with those cliffside homes, are enjoying million-dollar views of the other side of the Border.:haha:

If I were to move to the San Diego area, and I could afford it, that's where my house would be! Spying on San Diego everyday, with my telescope or binoculars!:jester:

Say what you may, I view much of Central Tijuana as a national historic district! Especially the Zona Norte district, nothin' like it in any other part of Mexico!

Tijuana is vastly underrated. Take some pictures next time you go down there, I know I would love our sister city's perspective.

[mongoXZ]

I remember this thread. Good times.

[jcchii]

pretty, if a little processed in spots

[sterlippo1]

beautiful place, but it's no San Francisco:)

[Leo the Dog]

beautiful place, but it's no San Francisco:)

Since when was San Diego trying to be SF?

[sterlippo1]

Since when was San Diego trying to be SF?

chill, you have a gorgeous city. someone above mentioned SF so i made a comment and of course it's not "trying to be SF" what ever that means but even if it was trying to be, it couldnt:jester:. Happy Thanksgiving:) and i love San Diego, was just there last year

[bunt_q]

That area around the ballpark sure did fill in fast. I was out there about 5 years ago for a week to get to know the city, and there was still a lot vacant then. Anybody have any pictures that show the infilling of that area over time?

[IMBY]

Perhaps this belongs on another thread, but when I used to go down for long weekends in Tijuana, when I'd cross the border to San Ysidro, many times I thought: Wouldn't it be nice to retire here, once some mid/high-rises get built here, right smack at the border, and I could walk to Revolucion/Zona Norte everyday while retired.

I see they built 3 high rises on the Mexican side, rather close to the border, on a last trip, and is there no demand for crazies, like me, and all the other San Diego residents who trek over there so often, to build some higher density housing on the other side, so we can walk over there everyday?

My Mexican dentist, in Tijuana, has an apartment in San Ysidro, and how many others, live on one side of the border, work on the other, where there might be some demand for this?

Oh, if I were a developer.................................:banana:

[10023]

That is, of course, if you don't consider San Fran as a sunbelt city.
No one that has spent a winter in San Francisco would consider it a Sunbelt city ;) Maybe San Jose...


Nice pictures. I've only been in San Diego for a day (and for a meeting), but it seems "nice" though potentially quite bland. I've never heard anything about a thriving restaurant scene (extremely important) or music/art/culture more generally. Maybe it'll appeal after a few years in gray London... but I'd have to go into the restaurant business on my own.

[LSyd]

No one that has spent a winter in San Francisco would consider it a Sunbelt city ;) Maybe San Jose...


Nice pictures. I've only been in San Diego for a day (and for a meeting), but it seems "nice" though potentially quite bland. I've never heard anything about a thriving restaurant scene (extremely important) or music/art/culture more generally. Maybe it'll appeal after a few years in gray London... but I'd have to go into the restaurant business on my own.

i spent a week there in april. (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=200001)..and there are a lot of great restaurants; maybe not a "scene," but there should be. music didn't seem to be there but art seemed like it was burgeoning.

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[10023]

Well I'd have to understand your definition of great restaurants. I'm struggling in West London and concerned that I'll have to go east on weekends to get something good, interesting and not ludicrously overpriced. Personally I avoid anything that advertises (TV or print), and the words "fusion" and "pan-Asian" (among others) raise major red flags (while "seasonal", "local" or frequently changing menus are good signs). London is still a few steps behind NYC.

There are only a handful of cities in the country with a plethora of great restauarants - NY, Chicago, San Francisco. In LA you can find them but it's best to have insider's recommendations, because many of the most popular are crap (too much of a scene, mediocre food). And there are smaller cities with interesting mini-scenes (like Charleston, SC).

Anyway, back to the topic...

[LSyd]

Well I'd have to understand your definition of great restaurants. I'm struggling in West London and concerned that I'll have to go east on weekends to get something good, interesting and not ludicrously overpriced. For starters you can be sure that if they advertise (TV or print), it's not any good ;) And anything fusion or "pan-Asian" is probably crap too.

There are only a handful of cities in the country with a plethora of great restauarants - NY, Chicago, San Francisco. In LA you can find them but it's best to have insider's recommendations, because many of the most popular are crap (too much of a scene, mediocre food). And there are smaller cities with interesting mini-scenes (like Charleston, SC).

Anyway, back to the topic...

i'd say San Diego's comparable to Charleston, maybe a little better if you can filter around the city. and of course West London's overpriced. i was thrilled to get a full heavy meal for two with drinks off of Centre Point for just under $200 a couple of months ago.

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[10023]

i'd say San Diego's comparable to Charleston, maybe a little better if you can filter around the city. and of course West London's overpriced. i was thrilled to get a full heavy meal for two with drinks off of Centre Point for just under $200 a couple of months ago.

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Ok, well that's interesting. I was in Charleston in May, and had reservations at Husk and a few other places before booking my flight or hotel (if that's any indication of priorities).

It's not just that West London is overpriced, it's under-quality. I'll gladly spend $200 on a meal for 2 people if it's good.

[destroycreate]

It's sad how little people know about San Diego outside of its downtown. I just came back after a week of being down there with family and the cool neighborhood districts such as University Heights, Hillcrest, Northpark, Ocean Beach, and South Park all are really thriving and are undergoing a renaissance. Next time I'm down there I plan to do a photo tour...it's about time.