rubesl

Our son lives in San Diego and works for the Padres. When he lived on the edge of Gaslamp we always stayed at the IHG Indigo on 9th Ave. - great location and near the ballpark. Now he lives in Little Italy and we always stay at the Hilton Doubletree on Front St. - it's about a one mile walk to Gaslamp and about the same to Balboa Park from the Doubletree. Also, there are 24hr. outdoor lots around the area where you can park your car for 1/2 the price the hotels charge.

SanDiego1K

I really like Little Italy. As a local, I'll go there but not the Gaslamp Quarter. The Gaslamp Quarter really is for out of towners, whereas Little Italy has become a focal point for good restaurants. It's brutal to drive in and out of the Gaslamp Quarter at night, whereas Little Italy is easily accessible by car.

Be sure to visit Extraordinary Dessert on Union St. for phenomenal desserts.

Jay71

Thanks for the additional suggestions.

SanDiego1K: Help! When you say "Little India", do you actually mean Little Italy?? Or India Street?? When I google "Little India San Diego" I'm pulling up a mall in the northeast by I-15. Or is that what you meant?

nineworldseries

Um, judging by the link, He/she means Little Italy (India St. is in Little Italy), which is where I'd much rather stay than the Gaslamp if it's an option. Love the Bolt Brewery there and recently had one of the best meals of my life at Blais' Juniper and Ivy.

SanDiego1K

Sorry sorry sorry. Yes, Little Italy, the neighborhood where the fishermen once lived until the freeway was built and split it in two. India Street is the main north/south road running thru it. The restaurants tend to be locally owned with greater character than the Gaslamp in my opinion.

Juniper and Ivy is a fantastic restaurant. Book well well in advance to get a seat. I want to try their casual Crack Shack which is adjacent. Bracero is another hot new restaurant, this one with a Mexican Michelin star chef. Those happen to be on Kettner. If you walk up and down India, you'll find lots of additional possibilities.

Best restaurants in Little Italy - I don't know when this was written. It leaves out the ones I gave above.

radiowell

There's a Hampton Inn downtown, near Little Italy. Really enjoyed my stay there, but a tad expensive and has a parking fee (good if you have no car since they provide an airport shuttle). And make sure you get your room away from the train tracks.

Jay71

Again, thanks for everyone's feedback and hotel suggestions.

I'm feeling pretty good about Little Italy now; it definitely sounds like a neighbourhood we'd enjoy. We'd be ok hoofing over to the Gaslamp district. We still might consider staying further afield and drive in for a visit but I definitely like staying central and walking around.

BuildingMyBento

Little Italy is much more pleasant - and less chain restaurant/fraternity-filled - than Gaslamp.

nineworldseries

If you do end up trying the Crack Shack, I would love a report back, please. It's the kind of place I'm thinking of flying across the country just to try.

Madone59

I'd also suggest Little Italy!

aptravel

Yes to staying in LI. Easy to get to the other neighborhoods from there as you like.

Also, here's a new service in downtown with free rides. It'll be expanding soon. (So new, lots of locals don't know about it yet!)

http://thefreeride.com/san-diego

Drop the rental car if you're not traveling far out of the downtown area. You def don't need it for airport-LI connection.

Roger

We have a similar question but not different enough for a separate thread. May I piggy-back on your thread?

We're planning the almost inconceivable - a 2-week visit to Southern California based on San Diego in June without a car.

Following an accident last year, I still have (hopefully temporary) limited mobility and am using a walking stick. We had originally planned to tour So Cal by car but now want to concentrate on SD and area. We've visited So Cal several times, but SD only once, about 30 years ago so our local knowledge is out-of-date. We now have to firm up our visit (or cancel).

Is such a visit viable using Uber/taxis/public transportation? Little Italy looks the favorite area to stay according to this thread. We'd probably be looking at Hilton Group hotels (both Diamond) or IHG hotels (both Platinum Ambassador) using points in 5-night stays but happy to try other recommended accommodation.

I guess this is a 'how long is a piece of string?' question but we would find your advice very useful. Thanks.

rubesl

Hilton Doubletree in Little Italy is a very central location, except it's about a mile walk to Gaslamp or Balboa Park, but Uber is plentiful in all those areas.

SanDiego1K

Try to find a hotel where you can stay within walking distance of a trolley or Coaster station. The Coaster goes north to Oceanside. Amtrak goes north to Los Angeles and then on to Santa Barbara. I recommend taking Amtrak to San Juan Capistrano one day. You can walk from the train station to the Mission. It's one of the most interesting California Missions with its exhibit of the various trades the padres taught the Indians. On the far side of the track is a block of restaurants and shops. One Coaster and trolley stop is Old Town, where the Old Town State Park is along with lots of Mexican restaurants. There are lots of things to do downtown within walking distance of the Amtrak/Coaster/trolley station including a harbor cruise and the ferry to Coronado Island.

Poke around at this site and see what you learn. Hopefully if you search (or someone more knowledgeable than me comes along) you will find a better resource that talks about sightseeing available at each Coaster and trolley stop. Places where you'd need to take a bus/Uber are Balboa Park and downtown La Jolla.

I'll keep thinking about a specific place to stay near a trolley stop. You do have all the options of downtown San Diego, the hotels on the water along the Convention Center, where you can walk across the street and get on the trolley. Consider the Hyatt/Marriott/Hilton line up there. Should you want that area, choose a hotel between the Convention Center and Seaport Village for ease of walking over to Seaport Village.

Roger

Thanks, SanDiego1K, for a great response! Very useful.

I think the trip is doable, so we'll firm up and do more research.