The graph above shows us how many Downtown San Diego Condos and Downtown San Diego Lofts were sold in the month of October 2011 compared to the month of September 2011. Downtown San Diego had 75 sales this month down from 85 last month with resales accounting for almost 40% of transactions.

This month 78% of the transaction were under $500,000 but the average sale price went up slightly to $414,136 from $410,293 last month. Cash sales were stronger as well for this month accounting for 45% of all the transactions.

 The holiday season is officially here in Downtown San Diego and Little Italy’s Tree Lighting and Christmas Village is a festive way to celebrate this joyous season’s arrival.

This Saturday, December 3rd, from 4-7:30pm, Piazza Natale (on the corner of W. Date and India) will be the place to witness the lighting of the tree and the start of giving and receiving that takes place in December. Santa will also make a grand entrance on Little Italy’s Fire Engine #3 to really start the season off right!

Shops and vendors will be selling holiday items and many of these are also collecting toys for a toy drive benefiting foster children. Bring an unwrapped gift with you to help those who just might not open a gift if it weren’t for your generosity. There will be musical entertainment, free Italian cookies, cider and coffee for all to enjoy. This is an event for the whole family, pets included!

The sense of community and holiday spirit is in the air at this special celebration so head on down to Little Itlay this weekend and soak up the good cheer.

The CCDC (Centre City Development Corporation) located in Horton Plaza in the middle of the Gaslamp District has been working on addressing the housing situation for homelessness as well as giving supporting  services to those in need in Downtown San Diego.

They recently received a statewide Public Sector Champion Award at a ceremony held on November 12th in Los Angeles. The award represents the CCDC’s efforts to end homelessness in Downtown San Diego.  The CCDC received the award based on its bold policy initiatives, a strong track record in creating housing and effective collaboration with community partners.

CCDC is one of the main and most important organizations to the development of Downtown as well as responsible for many already completed projects. For more information about the CCDC and current and future projects for Downtown click on www.ccdc.com.

The new proposed park space for the Navy Pier in the Marina District in Downtown San Diego is now moving forward with the USS Midway Museum’s invite for three workshops in the coming weeks. The workshop is open for the pubic and you can here discuss the concept for a park and iconic architectural elements on the pier…for example the proposed 500 tall wing sculpture.

The first meeting, on November 29th 2011, will be held from 5.30pm to 7.30pm a the Port of San Diego’s Administration Building located at 3165 Pacific Highway in the Columbia District, right in front of the Santa Fe Train Station as well as The Grande luxury towers. The second meeting will be held on December 6th and the last one on December 10th.

To read 92101 Urban Living’s former blog about this project click on New Navy Pier Plan - Wings Sculpture.

The Green Build Terminal Project currently in process at Lindbergh Field in Downtown San Diego is now starting to show progress. About 35% complete into the projects finish line the $1 Billion new terminal is starting to get shaped. You can now clearly see the improvements as you pass by with the expanded gates for Terminal 2 and a series of support structures for the two level roadway. The project is calculated to be fully completed in August 2013 and includes the following;

• 10 new gates to Terminal 2 West
• Common area for travelers
• Curbside check in
• Underground baggage conveyor track
• A dual roadway for arrival and departing passengers
• Extended parking aprons

To read 92101 Urban Living’s former blog about the project click on San Diego International Airport - is Getting a Facelift and for more info check out the video above.

Downtown San Diego and the CCDC is all about safety and one attempt to improve the traffic stream and the safety of our pedestrians has been to install twenty-five new streetlights on the seven bridges that cross the 5 freeway.

This project was completed two months before its due date as well as under budget. This $246,000 projects includes energy efficient lights and the San Diego City Council President Kevin Faulconer says “that this will save energy and money for a long time”.

Here’s a list on the seven bridges in the East Village/Ballpark District and the Little Italy District that has been completed;

• Market Street
• J Street
• Island Avenue
• First Avenue
• Third Avenue
• Sixth Avenue

To read 92101 Urban Living’s former blog about 6 other traffic lights installed click on Six New Traffic Signals in Downtown San Diego.

Thanksgiving means a lot of different things…lots of food that includes turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and pumpkin pie but it also represents the biggest shopping day of the year.

Black Friday is a day that some of us craves and long for and could be the best and the worst day to shop. Well, if you haven’t been out shopping on this big sale day it’s about time you give it a try. Almost every store has really great deals or free stuff to hand out.

As a Downtown San Diego Loft and Downtown San Diego Condo resident…we have the luxury of being able to just walk over to Horton Plaza located in the Gaslamp District where they are offering some of the best deals out there. Don’t miss out on a visit from Santa, pop-up stores, and early openings and specials. Pop-up stores are just what it sounds like; stores pop up in the plaza for the holiday season. For more information on what is going on check out the website Horton Plaza Black Friday.

Subway is fairly prevalent in Downtown San Diego but have you ever heard of the Subway “Cafe”? This is the first of its kind to come to Downtown  and the San Diego area.

Subway “Cafe” is located at the corner of 6th Avenue and C Street at the north end of the Gaslamp District. This neighborhood is definitely in need of a quick place to grab a sandwich as there are plenty of bistros and restaurants but not a quick place to grab a sandwich or a coffee over a short break.

The concept behind the cafe is that it resembles an “upscale coffeehouse ambience”, with an expanded menu, and Seattle’s Best Coffee. Owners Raghu and Rohit Marwaha say that “It is not uncommon to have a rush of customers at 2:00 a.m. on the weekends.” This means that they are open 24 hours a day, every day.

Downtown San Diego does have a lot of restaurants but what we really are missing is that quick place to stop by on a short break. This is perfect for Downtown San Diego Condos and Downtown San Diego Loft residents and we are sure it will be seen more and more in the near future in the different neighborhoods in the City.

Want to try something new? Last week, brothers Robert and Michael Lariviere opened up the newest comedy club ” Mad House Comedy Club” in the Gaslamp District and decided to put it right in on the top floor of Horton Plaza in Downtown San Diego.

Robert and Michael have been in the restaurant and comedy business for years now and decided it’s about time to open up their own spot. Michael is behind the comedy and Robert is in charge of the restaurant.

Michael will be performing randomly throughout the week at either the 8pm show during the week or the 10.30pm show on the weekends. Did we mention that they are open 7 nights a week and have seating for up to 200? Since they have been in the business themselves they have the inside track on the best of the best comedians so you are sure to have a great time. They say “If you’re looking to laugh, this is your best bet in San Diego.”

As Downtown San Diego Condo & Downtown San Diego Loft residents…we are very excited to not have to drive to the next comedy show we want to see as Horton Plaza is very centrally located to all of the Downtown neighborhoods and is within close walking distance all of the fun for after the show. Come on down to the “Mad House” and enjoy the show.

A new concept of the famous IHop restaurants has recently hit the Gaslamp District in Downtown San Diego…it is called IHop Express. This concept has never existed outside of military bases, and college campus’s so it is essentially an experiment for the general public.

Cup o’ Pancakes anyone? Yes, that is a menu item on the new self serve express menu and it is exactly what it says…a cup with some pancakes in it. The new location at the corner of 4th and G Street is in my opinion a great spot for business because you are right in the heart of the busiest district in the City and conveniently located for the early risers and the later crowds. Being open from 6am to 9pm most days will accommodate many different types of people. I can’t wait to get in there myself to try it out.

As a Downtown San Diego Condo resident, and someone that conducts a lot of business in the Downtown area I can’t tell you how many times that I have been running late and needed somewhere that I could just run in quick and grab a quick breakfast. It just doesn’t really exist here. This could be a great success and is a great idea that many of us wanted but that nobody has done yet.