Gaslamp Quarter, San Diego

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Located at front of Horton Plaza. It has two stages and is the home to the San Diego Repertory Theatre.

Even if you don't have time to go to the theater during your visit to San Diego, just looking at the unique design of this theater is something to see. However, if attending a play is top on your list, you should know that there is a Ticket Master, which offers discount tickets for most plays, concerts and other events going on in the San Diego area, and it is located just up the street from the Lyceum.

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This space is a "VT Blogger" report of Annual Events held in San Diego,

March:
Spring Sailor’s Days at the Maritime Museum.
The Star of India as well as other ships this spring will be having Sailor’s Days everyday from March 16th thru 31st from 9am-2pm. Adults and children alike can experience first hand various activities such as what it is like to make rope for sailing, move cargo, raise and lower huge sails, tie sailor’s knots, climb through a steam engine and many more fun things to see and do.

February:
Mardi Gras in the Gaslamp Quarter:
This street party is not "child-friendly," it is held on Ash Wednesday and begins in the evening. I'm putting it in the month of February but it could also be held in March.

"Sweethearts Sail on the Bay"
Guests will board the official tall ship of California, the Californian, for a four hour scenic tour of the bay, marine wildlife and local attractions. Ticket prices include keepsake photos, champagne, chocolate covered strawberries and other delicacies. Event takes place on Saturday, February 9 and Sunday, February 10 from 12:30pm-4:30pm. Tickets are $60 for adults and $35 for children and can be purchased online through the Maritime Museum.

January
"Restaurant Week San Diego"
January 13-18 2013 is a fine dining opportunity for all. 180 restaurants in San Diego offer reduced priced meals for lunch and dinner to any who stop by during this week. This event happens twice a year and many of the participating restaurants are located in and around the Gaslamp Quarter. Check the Restaurant Week website for specific information about this event.

December:
"Parade of Lights on San Diego Bay"
The best place to see the annual Parade of Lights on San Diego Bay is from the historic ferryboat Berkeley at the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Tickets can be purchased online through the museum’s website at www.sdmaritime.org. Tickets to the buffet and parade include museum admission as well. Please bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Toys for Tots program. Maritime Museum.

October:
"New Haunted Tales of the Ship." An annual event hosted by the San Diego Maritime Museum. As the tickets will include the whole of the Maritime Museum, come early and see for yourself one of the world's finest collections of historic ships, including the world's oldest active ship the Star of India. Maritime Museum.

Not many areas of a city can let you walk for joy, shop till you drop, smack your lips looking at restaurant menus, listen to cool jazz, dance your "booty" off, or down a beer sitting at an outside, street side table, watch a major league baseball game, and hitting the bed at 2 am. In a 16 block area of San Diego, this all comes alive. You are in the Gaslamp Quarter.

The Gaslamp Quarter has history as well. It all began when Alonzo E. Horton came to San Diego in 1867. He purchased land and built a wharf at the waterfront of 5th Ave in 1869. By the 1900's the joint was jumping and not to the happiness of the city's elite. Gaslamp Quarter was the honky-tonk, red light district with the Stingaree being the headquarters for prostitution. This area became know as taboo for the clean of heart and a wild area of fun for the military that had many sailors start their tattoo collection in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter. But, by the 1980's things were a changin'. Buildings were refurbished. Shops and hotels were built or cleaned up. A giant mall, Horton's was built. Restaurants and nightclubs started to multiply. Today, there is even a Stingaree, but it is an upscale party hardy club. Now, thousands of visitors roam to see a great jazz artist or dine in a gourmet restaurant. The shady past is gone, almost. It still peeks out at you. All in all, it is a great place to party in San Diego

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Downtown San Diego had lost its appeal as more and more shopping malls sprang up in the various communities. Still many people worked downtown, but didn't stay past five. Little by little the streets were taken over by the homeless and some unsavory characters and The fountain in the town square called, Horton Plaza became a place the homeless used to wash up.

The city "fathers" finally devised a plan to change the pending fate of our sad little town and The Gaslamp Quarter was the result.

In a few short years--by city development standards--San Diegans had a re-vitalized downtown area that was fun to spend time in, elegant to live in and beautiful enough to be proud of. Even the homeless were hired to walk security detail!

Now, instead of avoiding this old section of downtown S.D. we are telling everyone who will listen, "The Gaslamp Quarter" is a Must See in San Diego!! Development is still going on and who knows how far it will spread?

The Gaslamp sign as viewed on Fifth Avenue, looking north from the direction of the Convention Center.

WELCOME TO DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO!

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The Gaslamp Quarter is right across the street from the Convention Centre. It is a good place to shop and dine. Horton Plaza is few blocks from Gaslamp and it is an open air shopping mall with 130 stores. Enjoy night time at Gaslamp with lots of nightclubs and fine dining restaurants.

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The Gaslamp Quarter is the place for restaurants, bars, clubs, and shopping. This area is filled with late night entertainment. This is a great area to stay in for singles or couples visiting San Diego

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I made a pit stop at Horton Plaza on my walking tour of the Gaslamp Quarter mainly because I knew that there would be a restroom somewhere, it's more or less an outdoor shopping mall, not a top draw on my list when traveling. But on the way to the loo I did come across Jessop's Clock which I had remembered reading about. The clock has a long history in the city of San Diego, commissioned by Joseph Jessop, a local jeweler, it took 15 months to build and finally began publicly ticking in 1907. It's 1st stop was in Sacramento at a state fair, it then moved to 952 Fifth Avenue in front of J. Jessop and Sons. In 1927 it was moved to 1041 Fifth Avenue and finally again in 1984 to Horton Plaza.

It's said that the clock has only stopped three times, once when a team of horses crashed into the clock, once during an earthquake and on the day of the clock maker's death. That last one sounds like a bit of an urban legend to me but it sure does make a nice story.

The clock has 20 dials, on one of it's faces there are 12 dials which tell the time in places throughout the world.

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We walked around the Gaslamp Quarter is Southern California's premier dining, shopping and entertainment district, with n eclectic blend of food, fun and culture all within one of San Diego's most historic areas. Gaslamp's charming Victoria-style commercial buildings wer constructed between 1873 and 1930.

there are a ton of great places. walk down 5th avenue and you'll see plenty of options. if you're looking for a good place to eat you may want to check out food reviews from this magazine: http://www.bizsandiego.com/previous-issues.shtml

they also have great discussion forums. this one has a bunch of stuff on things to do and places to go: http://www.bizsandiego.com/index.php?option=com_joomlaboard&Itemid=9&func=showcat&catid=13

hope this helps!

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The Gaslamp District in downtown is the entertainment district. It is a 6 block stretch of every type of restaurant you can think of and a wide range of clubs, live music venues and pubs. There are also some really cool shops in this area. The action really starts at night, the streets get packed and it is safe. Just don't wonder off. Just to let you know, parking is quite expensive here, and the cover charge isn't exactly cheap. Also, in the heart of this area is Horton Plaza, which is a downtown shopping mall, and in the center of the mall area, believe it or not, is an ice rink, in SAN DIEGO!