Parks are a vital part to downtown and urban living…a concrete jungle does not suffice.  Open spaces where city-dwellers can bike, run, bring their dogs and families, read, nap, or just enjoy some greenery really enriches a city environment.  We have Balboa Park here in San Diego that is world renowned for its size, beauty and diversity, but there are so many buildings going up in downtown!  Not to fear. 

The recently developed Downtown Community Plan takes sensitivity to this.  This plan calls for downtown to add more than 50 acres of open space to the existing 75 acres.  The plan has prioritized seven new public open spaces that will reside centrally in each of downtown’s various neighborhoods that will put every downtown resident within a ten minute walk from public open space. 

The Downtown Community Plan outlines four types of open space that will enrich the downtown area as well as the quality of life for its residents and visitors:

1. Parks
‘Parks consist of large expanses of open space which are designed for active recreational and leisurely activities, as well as gatherings and events. Building height restrictions on southern and western blocks will allow infiltration of sunlight, and prevent heavy shading of the parks year round. Additionally, many new parks will contain underground parking, as a creative solution to increase downtown’s parking capacity.’

2. Plazas & Pocket Parks
‘Flexible spaces and plazas, in conjunction with development projects, can serve as privately owned and maintained public space. Smaller “pocket parks,” with seating and landscaping, connect larger parks and create a linkage of green space. Linear “finger parks” can also be built along fault lines, to take advantage of otherwise unbuildable land. Many new buildings will also take advantage of the density bonuses granted to developers who design “green roofs” into their buildings, or landscaped tops that help reduce building runoff and improve water quality.’
 

3. Green Streets
‘Designated green streets will serve as paths connecting downtown parks, the waterfront, neighborhood centers and other activity centers. Wider sidewalks and richer landscaping on these streets will extend the open space presence through the neighborhoods.’
 

4. Freeway Lids
‘’Lids’ are envisaged to reconnect downtown to Balboa Park and Sherman Heights, spanning the I-5 in select locations and providing new open spaces to serve downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.’
 

5. Future Parks
‘CCDC has made the creation of open space and parks a priority. Several new parks are in the pipeline to compliment the existing space, and provide even more opportunity for rest, relaxation and recreation.’

Click here to view a map of existing downtown San Diego Parks and future open space project locations. 

All information from CCDC.com

Ah yes…another genius business now in the East Village…Cowboy Star. This will be the first restaurant in the East Village to be servin’-up a contemporary American-Western cuisine. The atmosphere is urban-sheik-cowboy, with exposed beam ceilings, cowboy accents and a kind of modern, contemporary saloon exterior. The 92101 team went to lunch there the other day. We walked past a couple of empty establishments to find that Cowboy Star was packed for a Tuesday lunch? I guess the word of great food travels fast. All of us were very happy to be sharing Sarsaparilla Sodas. It felt like a drinking lunch. Two of us got Bison burgers, one incredible Cowboy Star Burger with Cheese, and a Crab BLT. If it was that good for lunch, I was excited to try out the dinner. We did not get the 40 ounce steak for $82, although that would be fun to share with a group. We are steak house enthusiasts, and it lived up to every expectation and more! Flemings, Donovan’s, and Lou and Mickey’s have some serious competition. Here is a link to the website to check out everything from the menu to the concept. www.thecowboystar.com

I am so glad that the owners have embraced the fact that they are a local and neighborhood restaurant. Leave the big crowds to the Gaslamp, and give personal attention and fantastic food time consistently. By the way, don’t just take my word for it. Check out the Yelp profile to see what other locals are saying: www.yelp.com/biz/the-cowboy-star-san-diego

Oh, and they also have a butcher…awesome. Their full-service butcher shop offers a wide selection of meats…expanding the horizons of some of us city-dwellers, including Bison, 100 grass and corn fed, U.S.D.A. prime, 35-day aged, oh, and several organic options coming only from those farms that practice the highest integrity farming practices. Signature sauces and rubs will be sold as well. Summer BBQs anyone???

The above link will take you to a YouTube video featuring Rob Quigley, design architect for the new downtown central library. The library will be located east of 11th Ave between J & K streets.Mr. Quigley provided a quick update about the status of the library this Friday morning (June 6th) during a "Coffee with Nancy" CCDC update hosted by the Children's Museum this morning at 8 am. Mr. Quigley added that the library is now only less than $17 million away from being a reality and to "feel free" to support this initiative by considering making a generous donation after watching the video.

More info can be found on the City of San Diego website and at www.CCDC.com Enjoy! -Pete

is great to be parents living In Downtown San Diego!  We took our girls to the new Downtown San Diego Children’s Museum on Memorial Day. It was awesome to see all the kids and families that had come down from all over the county to check it out. Building derby racing cars, painting the VW bug, climbing the climbing walls and engaging in a massive pillow fight will surely get your kids energy out. On Wednesdays, the Museum is closed, and on weekends and holidays it is packed! You wait in line like you would at a night time hot spot.  If you have a yearly membership, you go right on in and don’t have to wait. Which we have and walked right passed the line and went to stroller parking and had a ball for a couple of hours.

 Go on and check it out!