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Downtown
and the Gaslamp District
Now the entertainment destination for all of San Diego County,
the Gaslamp District -- with its mix of upscale eateries,
high-end boutiques, and pulsing dance clubs — was once the
sight of urban blight. Its famed Victorian buildings have been
returned to their original luster, and the hint of old San
Diego still infuses San Diego's new downtown, bounded by Fourth
and Sixth Avenues, Broadway, and the Bay.
The area has enjoyed several heady booms in its history. Alonzo
Horton arrived in 1867 to rebuild San Diego's Waterfront. In
addition to a wharf, he built the town's first public theater
and its first bank. By 1880 San Diego's prosperity was in full
bloom; it also attracted gamblers and prostitutes, who helped
develop a red-light district known as the Stingaree. The Feisty
Ida Bailey became one of the more successful madames; soon the
area sported 120 bordellos and 71 saloons. By the 1900s, the
country's shift in morality helped clean out the downtown
district; with the redlights turned off, San Diego became a
less popular Navy destination, though it regained some of its
popularity during wartime years.
By the mid '70s, the Gaslamp Quarter's property owners and
merchants were concerned that the historic center would be lost
with downtown's decay. Banding together to preserve the area's
grand old Victorian architecture, the entire district was
placed on the national register, while experts began to restore
and revamp. By the mid '80s, the Gaslamp's anchors were in
place, with restaurants such as Fio's and Croce's leading the
way toward its current status as a premier dining destination.
Now, more than 50 restaurants of all types -- leading with
Italian but sprinkled with Cajun/Creole -- thrive in the area,
whose borders continue to expand down Fifth Avenue, south to
Island, across Market, and up along Fourth Avenue. Weekends in
the Gaslamp are ten-people deep on every sidewalk and street
corner, with music blaring, voices rising, and tempting smells
emanating from every open door.
In the spirit of downtown development, a new ballpark is set
for the 26-block East Village area now dominated by vacant lots
and warehouses. The Padres' new ballpark will hold about 42,000
seats and have 5000 new dedicated parking spaces. A
Spanish/Southwestern motif will incorporate Balboa Park, vistas
of Coronado, and displays of colorful California foliage in an
open-top stadium. Other amenities include a restaurant, club,
and sun deck, closer seats to the field, and a greater variety
of food and drink as well as larger restrooms. A year-round
multi-use facility located across Harbor Drive from the
Convention Center will sport winter league baseball,
neighborhood fairs, and summer pops concerts.
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