Cruise Travel Magazine Explores Sparkling San Diego

We are very pleased to share with you coverage of Downtown San Diego in Cruise Travel Magazine’s July/August issue, in the article Sparkling San Diego – California dreamin’ comes naturally in this big city with a small-town feel, written by Randy Mink. This was a great feature about the Port of San Diego and highlighted neighboring hotels, destinations and attractions.

"The downtown waterfront showcases San Diego’s ties to the sea, offering so much to do that visitors have little reason to stray far from the cruise-ship terminal on San Diego Bay. The Gaslamp Quarter, loaded with top restaurants and music clubs in well-preserved Victorian buildings, lies minutes away. San Diego, America’s eighth largest city and the fastest growing cruise port on the West Coast, offers a much more vibrant, tourist-friendly downtown than it did just 10 years ago. Much of the action takes place on the Embarcadero, a stretch of San Diego Bay where the cruise vessels anchor. Along this palm-lined promenade, the nautical soul of the city, you can board an excursion boat, roam the decks of historic ships, ride in a pedicab, or watch the marine traffic from a seafood eatery."

Visit http://www.sdGOdowntown.com/ for itineraries, restaurant recommendations, happening happy hours, shopping guides and more! San DieGO Downtown will help you make the best out of your downtown San Diego experience.

Where You Want to Be Tours Presents Dog-Friendly Scavenger Hunt

Use your dog's superb sense of smell to navigate through the Gaslamp Quarter during the Dog-Friendly Scavenger Hunt on July 11, 2009 or September 26, 2009. Participants will enjoy amazing views, great prizes and a fun-filled adventure with man's best friend. Participants will be on a team with 6-7 other people and walk 1.5 to 2 miles to get acquainted with downtown San Diego's hidden hot spots. The cost to participate is $50.00 per dog/person combo. For more information or to RSVP to this event please call 619-917-6037 or send an email to menkin@wheretours.

*Note - Buy your tickets before July 5th and receive 2 passes to an advance screening of the film Funny People.

Tempt Your Taste Buds at Taste of Gaslamp

Cruise the streets of the historic Gaslamp Quarter for the annual Taste of Gaslamp and enjoy its delectable dining options.

Taste of Gaslamp will be held June 13th and 14th, 2009 allowing participants to taste and savor house specialties from San Diego’s top restaurants. The event kicks off at 1:00 p.m. at 5th Avenue & Island Avenue and from their ticket holders will follow their noses to more than 20 participating restaurants. New to this year’s event is the Special Beer Tasting Garden hosted by event sponsor, Samuel Adams. Tickets are $25 per person. Taste of Gaslamp proceeds will benefit the Gaslamp Quarter Association amd will help enhance and protect this historic district. For tickets or more information visit www.gaslamp.org or call 619-233-5227.

Gaslamp Art Showcase 2009!

The Gaslamp Art Showcase returns to the streets of Downtown San Diego on March 29! A variety of San Diego’s most talented artist will be showcased throughout the historic Gaslamp Quarter. The Reflection Art Show on Island Ave will be an outdoor exhibit of booths, and The Spyglass Art Exhibit will be in various Gaslamp Quarter venues such as art galleries, restaurants, shops and rooftop hotel lounges. The exhibition will be open from noon until 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information and a map of participating venues, visit www.gaslamp.org

Get Geared Up For Gaslamp Mardi Gras!

Fat Tuesday is right around the corner!

Rest up so you can party all night at Gaslamp Mardi Gras, San Diego’s largest street party of the year! The festivities begin at 6 p.m. and The Incredible Masquerade Parade will take over the streets at both 7:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. The Gaslamp Quarter will be alive with street performers, a mega DJ stage, beer gardens, dancers galore and of course all the beads you can get your hands on. Tickets are on sale for $15 in advance and $20 at the door.

San DieGO Downtown Launches New Blog!!!!

We are so thrilled to report our new blog for the San DieGO Downtown program! For those of you unaware, the San DieGO Downtown program was created back in July 2005 as an outreach tool to bring awareness to San Diego’s urban playground. We partnered with various organizations and business in San Diego to launch it, and we are now in our 4th year and still trucking away.

Our newly designed Web site is here to serve as a resource, both for visitors to San Diego, local residents, and media looking to cover Downtown San Diego. We have information on hotels, restaurants, shopping, nightlife, happy hours, attractions, and cultural establishments within the Downtown 92101 zip code (Marina, Gaslamp Quarter, Little Italy, East Village, Cortez, Columbia, Horton Plaza, and Core).

We hope you find the information useful and will spread the word about our site to your friends, family, co-workers, babysitters, roommates, neighbors, bartenders …essentially anyone and everyone to help our site grow!!!!!