As a downtown San Diego resident, I have seen the three year, 26 million renovation in the works at the Balboa Theater located in the Gaslamp District on 4th Avenue. This place looks nice but, I have not been inside as of yet. That may now change.

On Saturday, April 2nd a unique opportunity to tour the Balboa Theater is open to the public (and this is not usually open to the public). On this one hour and fifteen minute tour, you will witness firsthand the sights of the theater, hear its stories and learn of its abundant history. Children 5 years and older are welcome, but strollers are not (most 5 year olds don’t use them any more anyway). The price of admission is $7 and there are two different tour times available.

For more information, click here. Have fun!

While driving or walking through Downtown San Diego, you’ve probably seen all the dogs, big and small, being walked by their owners. Now, man’s best friend might have their own park among the sun touching condo & loft buildings. In what would be the only leash-free park in Downtown for dog owners, plans are in the works to place a park for our furry friends on the intersection of Park Blvd. and Market Street across from the M2i and Park Boulevard West & Park Boulevard East. The soon to be park, in the growing East Village/Ballpark District, is supposed to be completed by September 2011. Stay tuned for more info.

Translate Gran Fando into English and it means “Big Ride” and a big ride it will be. The Little Italy Association, along with Gran Fondo San Diego, will be hosting it’s 3rd annual ride beginning in downtown San Diego. Gran Fando starts in Little Italy at 7:30 am on Sunday, April 10th. If you choose to register, know that the primary charitable beneficiary is the American Melanoma Association so your dripping sweat and burning legs are all for a good cause.

Gran Fando is an Italian bicycling tradition of long distance with mass participation. All alibilities are welcome and you have a choice of the distance you will ride (105 or 53 miles). One of the coolest parts of the ride, in my opinion, is riding over the Coronado Bridge. Get out there, challenge yourself and ride with the masses…looks like a good time. See for yourself:

A revised version of the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan in the Columbia District in Downtown San Diego was recommended for approval by the California Coastal Commission staff and is expected to be approved by the commission at its meeting on April 13-14, 2011.

The $29.6 million project has been under discussion since 1998 and has been stymied with implementation by issues with politics, economics and objection from environmentalists.

If the commission approves the plan, construction could begin next January with completion by mid 2013.

The revised plan calls for:

• Beautifying and landscaping Broadway west from Pacific Highway to the waterfront and Harbor Drive  between B Street and Navy Piers
• Tripling the esplanade along the water to a width of 105 feet
• Adding cafe pavilions and restrooms
• A 150 foot wide public park in the Lane Field hotel development site at the northeast corner of Broadway and Harbor Drive
• Long range plans call for the setback park to be extended all the way north past the County Administration Center

To read 92101 Urban Living’s former blogs abut the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan 1 click on A look inside Downtown San Diego’s North Embarcadero Visionary Plan, The “North Embarcadero Visionary Plan” in Downtown San Diego is to be Heard at the California Coastal Commission Meeting!  Public Infrastructure Project - “North Embarcadero Visionary Plan Phase 1″ in Downtown San Diego! and The “North Embarcadero Visionary Plan” Hearing Delayed Until April 2010!.

Would you like to see your name on the new Downtown San Diego Library that currently is being built? 

Downtown San Diego Condo & Loft home owners can now see their name prominently displayed in the East Village/Ballpark District if they can come up with at least $25,000 and at most, $20 million. The San Diego Public Library Foundation is $29 million short needed to construct the interior and are selling naming rights to some of their more high-profile areas like the auditorium, reading room and lobby to bridge the gap.

The library, which is located near Petco Park and the newly opened Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge, is expected to open in 2013.

To read 92101 Urban Living’s former blogs about the Downtown San Diego Library click on San Diego City Council Votes to Include San Diego Unified School District in New Downtown San Diego Library!, “San Diego’s New Central library on YouTube! ” and “What do you think of downtown San Diego’s “School-In Library” Concept in the East Village?”.

There was a total of 78 Downtown San Diego Condos & Lofts sold in February 2011…and almost half of them were all cash transactions. The average sales price dropped 6% from $451,207 in January to $425,475 in February due to 45% of the transactions being under $300,000. The good news is…1/3 of the transactions were regular traditional sales partly because of investors flipping their properties.

To read and compare 92101 Urban Living’s former blogs about the Downtown San Diego Real Estate Market click on Downtown San Diego Condos & Lofts Sold by Average Monthly Sale Price - Jan to Dec 2010, Downtown San Diego Condos & Lofts - 2009 to 2010 Comparison, Downtown San Diego Condos & Lofts Sold - Financing Breakdown - Jan to Dec 2010, Downtown San Diego Condos & Lofts Sold - Cash vs. Financing - Jan to Dec 2010, Downtown San Diego Condos & Lofts Sold by Type of Sale - Jan to Dec 2010 and Downtown San Diego Condos & Lofts Sold by Neighborhood - Jan to Dec 2010.

Living in downtown San Diego provides a lifestyle that promotes a love of the outdoors. With the San Diego Bay, Balboa Park and Coronado all nearby, there is an outdoor activity for everyone. Whether you are of the walking, running, swimming, surfing, hiking or biking variety, owning a downtown San Diego condo offers you access to each of these.

For those bikers (walkers, runners) out there, the Bayshore Bikeway is a 24 mile circuit around San Diego Bay. 13 of these miles are in use on the bikeway, the others have designated street sections. The terrain is easy, picturesque and accessible from downtown San Diego. Start at the Broadway Pier on Harbor Drive and end your adventure with a ferry ride from Coronado back to Broadway Pier. Now, if that isn’t enticing to a bike enthusiast living in downtown San Diego may I gently ask, “What is wrong with you?!”

With the Bayshore Bikeway Plan, and a committee devoted to this bikeway, improvements are constantly on the brain and in action to maintain and create a truly unique enjoyment of the San Diego Bay. Happy riding!

Want to check out a map of the bikeway? Click here.

Don’t get surprised when you enter G Street in Downtown San Diego the following weeks. The CCDC has started the G Street convertion into a one way street all the way from Pacific Highway to Union Street. The conversion is part of the San Diego Quiet Zone project, which is designed to improve safety at 13 railway crossings (from Laurel Street to Park Boulevard) throughout the different neighborhoods in Downtown and eliminate the requirement for trains to blare their horns late at night – this is great news to Downtown San Diego Condo & Loft home owners, businesses and visitors.

The decision to convert this portion of G Street to a one-way street is due to the fact that the trolley and railroad tracks cut diagonally through the intersection. Because of that unique geometry, pedestrians and vehicles can cross the intersection from multiple angles so adding medians or installing additional gates would not provide enough safety measures.

The work on the six-block conversion will be completed in two block intervals starting at Union Street and moving West. The work, which will be done March 23 to April 1, could result in temporary traffic delays in the area.

For more information about this project and to check traffic delays, click on www.paradiseinprogress.org, a website that provides construction, event and traffic updates for Downtown San Diego.

To read 92101 Urban Living’s former blog about the Quiet Zone Project click on Downtown San Diego Quiet Zone - Project Approved and to read more info about the G Street click on G Street Project.

 I am pleased to present you with the second installment of “C’Mon…You Know You Want To”. If you are wondering, “What?” click here.

As an owner of a downtown San Diego condo or loft, you have seen that orange trolley with it’s green roof (otherwise known as the Old Town Trolley Tours) cruising through our city. With stops in the Gaslamp, Little Italy, Cruise Ship Terminal and Balboa Park (just to name a few) passengers experience the best in “transportainment”. With conductors who have a passion for history, tales, facts, stories of the past and a true admiration of San Diego how can you go wrong?

I know, I know. You’ve lived in downtown San Diego for awhile, you’ve been to each of the Old Town Trolley’s eight stops. WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU WANT TO DO THAT?! Well, for one, Old Town Trolley offers a Hometown Pass. San Diego County residents ride free when accompanied by an adult paid guest. Take Grandma next time she’s visiting.  And lastly, just be a tourist for the day. Shift your perspective, appreciate a “tourists view” of our city, and you just might walk away having learned something new.

C’mon, you know you want to give it a try. I will if you will.

photo via parduephotos.com

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We have all been waiting for this!! As 92101 Urban Living walked across the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge yesterday for the first time…feelings arose…happiness & freedom to finally be able to access the great open green grass areas around the San Diego Convention Center and easy access to the water front. If you think about game days at Petco Park…this is just fantastic…being able to park at the Hilton Hotel parking structure and stroll down the bridge right  into the ballpark in the East Village/Ballpark District…it can’t get much better than that. 

As we continued up the stairs we noticed the great view over Downtown San Diego. When you are facing South you can see the Coronado Bridge, Mexico, San Diego Bay, mountains and the Pacific Ocean, when facing West you can see the Hilton Hotel straight ahead, when facing Northwest you can see the San Diego Convention Center, when facing North you can see the Omni Hotel and the Marina District, when facing East you can see Petco Park and the San Diego Trolley station.

Downtown San Diego Condo home owners and Downtown San Diego Loft home owners in Park Terrace, Icon, Diamond Terrace, Park Loft, M2i, Metrome, The Legend and Fahrenheit will now have the benefit of just a couple of minutes walk over to the bridge with easy access to the water front, Seaport Village, the Convention Center and much more!

The very unique bridge is now officially open. The bridge will provide safe connection between waterfront and Downtown and crosses over the train and trolley tracks. This will allow work to begin on reconstructing the vehicular intersection of Park Blvd and Harbor Drive. The bridge is one of the longest self-anchored suspension pedestrian bridges in the world at 550 feet long on a 130 foot center angled pylon. Downtown San Diego now adds an iconic as well as a functional masterpiece in its growth and development.

To read 92101 Urban Living’s former blogs click on The New Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge in the East Village/Ballpark District is a Few Steps Closer to Being Complete!, Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge - A Year Behind Schedule  Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge Breaks Ground, Downtown San Diego Harbor Drive’s View is Now Forever Changed, The Development of the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge Continues in the East Village District! and to read more about the project visit www.ccdc.com