San Diego, California's
second-largest city, offers picture-perfect weather and pristine
beaches, plus a vibrant cultural and nightlife scene. Add to that
the new crop of design-conscious hotels and restaurants that have
been springing up in hip neighborhoods like the Gaslamp Quarter, a
16-block district in downtown, and this becomes one city you just
shouldn't miss.
- Jill Fergus
Stay The historic
US Grant
Hotel (from $479, 800-237-5029,
www.usgrant.net) has reopened after a $52 million
makeover. This 1910 building near the Gaslamp Quarter was built by
the son of president Ulysses S. Grant. The 270 rooms and 47 suites
are decked out in Empire-style furnishings, and the Grant Grill,
under executive chef
Andreas Nieto, serves
California cuisine.
Although the 35-room
Keating Hotel (from
$289, 877-753-2846,
www.thekeating.com) is in
an 1890 Romanesque Revival building, its interior is ultramodern,
courtesy of Pininfarina, the Italian firm that designs Ferrari
cars, among others. To see and be seen, head to the 159-room
Ivy Hotel (from $450, not taking
reservations until February, 619-814-1000,
www.theivyhotel.com), whose restaurant and
four-story Envy nightclub are prime social spots, as is its sexy
rooftop pool in the Eden bar.
See This month, the
Museum
of Contemporary Art San Diego (
www.mcasd.org) will open its much-anticipated
expansion. The 1915 Santa Fe Depot's landmark baggage building has
been turned into an airy exhibition space for large-scale
sculptures and installation art. Its Spanish Mission-Colonial
Revival exterior was maintained and is complemented by a new
contemporary building next door. Artists
Richard Serra and Jenny
Holzer are creating specially commissioned pieces for the museum.
Eat The latest offering from Jason Seibert, chef and owner of Cafe Cerise, is
Jade Theater (
www.jadetheater.com), a multilevel restaurant in downtown
San Diego. Design elements include waterfalls and a jellyfish aquarium, and the progressive Asian menu features dishes like Canton-style duck with sesame-scallion flat bread and steamed black bass with rice noodles. After dinner, head to the lower-level Buddha Ultralounge for specialty sake and tea-based martinis.
Shop San Diego’s Little Italy may have plenty of great trattorias and cafés, but it’s also becoming known for its eclectic boutiques. Scoop up hoodies, leather jackets, Sharon Segal T-shirts, and vintage handbags at
Niche Boutique (
www.nicheboutique.com), or head to
Boomerang for Modern (
www.boomerangformodern.com) for stylish home furnishings, including mid-century-modern pieces like Eames chairs and
George Nelson maple platform benches. Owner David Skelley also has rotating exhibits for local craft artists in his in-store gallery.