I’ve been to San Diego more than any other city outside of Los Angeles over the years. I’ve always had a fondness for San Diego and is probably one of my favorite cities in California. Thereis always so much to see and do there and the city just has a really good vibe. Of course one of the big tourist destinations down there is the San Diego Zoo which I have been to. This week, I actually had a business conference to attend in San Diego but decided to do a little “off the beaten path” while I was down there and visited four destinations on this trip! I’m sure that there will be future postings of the many things in San Diego to see and do.

Driving in to town I stopped at Little Italy. Little Italy's throughout the United States have symbolized the tremendous contributions Italians have made to this country. Unfortunately, many of these historically established business districts are disappearing before our eyes. These Little Italy's are either declining due to growth of other adjacent ethnic neighborhoods or are a shadow of their former glory due to the dispersion of Italian families from these districts.

Little Italy in San Diego is different. A stable ethnic business and residential community since the 1920's, Little Italy today represents Downtown San Diego’s oldest continuous neighborhood business district. At one time, more than 6,000 Italian families lived in Little Italy and toiled to build San Diego into the center of the world tuna industry.

With the decline of the tuna industry on the West Coast and the destruction of 35% of Little Italy due to the construction of Interstate 5, Little Italy suffered nearly thirty years of decline. In the early 1990's, established property owners and family run business owners decided to take their fate into their own hands.

Today San Diego’s Little Italy is on the brink of rebuilding its greatness. New Italian American and non-Italian business owners alike are seeking retail and professional space. Creative builders and architects are building beautiful new developments and the local redevelopment agency is funding more than three million in street improvements on the main commercial corridor, India street. The Little Italy Association has aggressive plans to bring the story of Little Italy to its visitors through public art displays. Little Italy, San Diego is serving as a model for the handful of Little Italys remaining throughout the country.

I toured around the main drag of India street visiting some of the shops, art studios and cafés and ended my tour at Philippis Pizza Grotto a “landmark” in the neighborhood.

Vincent and Madeleine De Philippis brought their version of the American Dream. Both came to America in 1922. Vincent from Italy, Madeleine from France. They met in New York, fell in love, married in 1925 and soon settled in Philadelphia. In 1950 they moved to San Diego. Here they open a deli grocery on India Street - "Filippi's cash and carry," the cornerstone of the future successful family restaurants. Today it is still a family operation - with their seven children and even their grandchildren taking an active role in the business. The ambiance and décor made me feel like I was in Italy once again while the Pizza I ordered “The Special” was delicious with lots of cheese and meat!

The following day my destinations was the Waterfront or Embarcadero District. San Diego is a city of different flavors and topography. But it is, first and foremost, a waterfront city. And what better way to take in the essence of the city than to take a walking tour of the downtown waterfront. The skyline, saltwater, gentle breeze and colorful sights all lend to a leisurely and interesting walk along the central part of San Diego Bay.

I began my self-guided walking tour at the foot of Broadway, at the Broadway Pier. A pay parking lot is located a block away, as well as numerous coin meter spaces along Harbor Drive. For those taking public transit, the San Diego Trolley stops at the Santa Fe Railroad Station a couple of blocks away. For those staying in downtown hotels, the Broadway Pier is a short walk away.

The first thing I noticed is the pier itself, which is often used for special events and where visiting ships often dock. Also located at the pier are several points of departures for the various Harbor Excursion tours as well as the passenger ferry to Coronado across the bay.

Walking north past the harbor tours, I approached the Cruise Ship Terminal, where the massive international cruise ships make their ports o' call to San Diego. I wanted to check this out as my next cruise in January will be leaving from this port and I have never embarked from this port.

Just north of the Cruise Ship Terminal is the majestic Star of India, an historic, tall-masted iron ship which dates back to 1863. This national historic landmark is the world's oldest ship still seaworthy, and makes a sea journey at least once a year. In this area of the Embarcadero are the three other ships which comprise the San Diego Maritime Museum: the Berkeley, a Victorian-era ferryboat; the Medea, a 1904 steam yacht; and the Pilot, a 1914 guide boat. A nominal admission fee is required to board the boats.

At this point, if you look across the bay, you'll see the North Island Naval Air Station, where the U.S. Navy ports its large aircraft carriers and fighter jets. Looking back across Harbor Drive, you'll see the historic County Administration Building. You'll also notice pleasure craft sailing on the bay.

As you walk south from Broadway Pier, you'll approach Navy Pier, where Navy ships often dock and conduct free tours for the public. Navy Pier is also the new museum home of the aircraft carrier, Midway. As you continue walking, you'll pass several Navy buildings.

Continue on and you'll approach several small green spaces, as well as the popular Fish Market Restaurant. You might want to take a short break and grab a drink and snack and enjoy the scenic view. Although no longer, this area of the waterfront not long ago used to be the home of one of the largest tuna fleets in the world. Most commercial ships are gone, but you can still feel the aura of the old fishermen.

Heading farther south, you'll head towards Seaport Village, a popular shopping and dining complex on the waterfront. Here you can browse the dozens of shops, take a ride on the carousel, or just watch the people around you. Seaport Village is also a perfect spot to grab a relaxing meal from a number of fine restaurants and food stands.

Seaport Village is built on landfill over Punta de los Muertos (Point of the Dead) where the Spanish expedition of 1782 buried those who had died of scurvy. In later years it was a railroad yard where goods and other products were unloaded from ships and loaded aboard trains for shipment east. Seaport Village broke ground in 1978 and opened in 1980.

After browsing around the numerous shops of Seaport village I headed to the adjacent Embarcadero Marina Park where you can enjoy the open green space, views of Coronado across the bay and the yacht marina of the neighboring Hyatt and Marriott towers. Just a short walk past the two hotels is the San Diego Convention Center, with its distinctive "sail" rooftop. Since I was here on a business conference this was my primary destination for the day.

After my day’s activities at the convention center I walked over to the historical Gaslamp Quarter. I had visited it before but never got to spend adequate time there. It is a hustling and bustling area primarily along Fifth Avenue.

The Gaslamp Quarter of San Diego-Center is a major reason that tourists flock to San Diego.  The 16.5 block neighborhood is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and contains 94 structures that are historically and architecturally significant. The district now houses over 70 restaurants and nightclubs as well as movie theaters, shops, offices, galleries, apartments and lofts.  There are over 350 businesses in the Quarter.

The area has had many names over the years--Rabbitville, Flea Town, New Town San Diego, Davis Folly, Stingaree, Chinatown and SOB (South of Broadway).  Alonzo Horton built a wharf at the foot of Fifth Avenue and promoted the area as the business district for his new town. The district's fortunes rose and fell according to San Diego's prosperity.  It's reputation as an unsavory, lawless red-light was well-earned during several periods of its history.  Ultimately though the area just slid into disrepair and decay.

As bad as that was for San Diego at the time, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  With no money available to redo the buildings, a number of beautiful Victorian commercial buildings survived intact.  In 1982, the area became a major redevelopment project for the City of San Diego.  Developers and restoration experts were encouraged to purchase and redevelop these buildings for reuse as restaurants, galleries, offices, lofts and apartments.  The old-fashioned gaslamps have been restored and wide brick sidewalks encourage  strolling and sidewalk dining.

Many of the buildings in the Gaslamp are over a 100 years old and styles include Classical Revival, Spanish Renaissance Revival, Modern, Oriental, Spanish, Baroque and Italian Baroque Revival styles.  The eclectic mix of styles makes the streetscape a delight for the eye especially for the viewer who remembers to look up.  The details include stained glass windows, corbels, moldings, carvings, railings and more, much of it painted bright colors, Architects include such notables as Irving Gill, the Reid Brothers (Hotel Dell Coronado) and William Templeton Johnson.

The Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation is "curator" of the Gaslamp Quarter and works to promote and preserve the historical integrity of the district. The Foundation offers walking tours of the district each Saturday and other educational programs that raise community awareness of the uniqueness of the Quarter.  The Foundation uses the historic William Heath Davis House as its headquarters.  The house is the oldest wooden structure standing in San Diego, and it has never been modified or electrified.  The house is open for guided tours.

Today the GasLamp Quarter is a successful redevelopment project that attracts tourists and locals to its cafes, nightlife and unique shopping.  The area hosts a Mardi Gras celebration that is beginning to rival New Orleans and Street Scene, one of the biggest live-music festivals in California.

After my conference it was time to head back up to Los Angeles. On the way home I stopped at Old Town San Diego which admittedly I have been to numerous times before but with my love of history and architecture is one of my favorite spots in San Diego.

Old Town San Diego is considered the "birthplace" of California. San Diego is the site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California. It was here in 1769, that Father Junipero Serra came to establish the very first mission in a chain of 21 missions that were to be the cornerstone of California’s colonization. Father Serra’s mission and Presidio were built on a hillside overlooking what is currently known as Old Town San Diego. At the base of the hill in 1820’s, a small Mexican community of adobe buildings was formed and by 1835 had attained the status of El Pueblo de San Diego. In 1846, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant and a Marine Lieutenant, raised the American flag in the Old Town San Diego Plaza.

In 1968, the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation established Old Town State Historic Park to preserve the rich heritage that characterized San Diego during the 1821 to 1872 period. The park includes a main plaza, exhibits, museums and living history demonstrations.

Historic buildings include La Casa de Estudillo, La Casa de Bandini, La Casa de Altamirno Pedrorena and the Mason Street School, San Diego’s first one room schoolhouse. Just up the hill from Old Town San Diego Historic State Park, you’ll find Heritage Park where several of San Diego’s most notable Victorian homes have been relocated and authentically restored to their original splendor. Just a short walk down San Diego Avenue is the Whaley House, an officially designated haunted house, the Little Adobe Chapel on Conde Street, the first Church in Old Town San Diego and El Campo Santo on San Diego Avenue, a 1850 Catholic Cemetery.

The Old Town District occupies nine square blocks and preserves many historic structures including five built of adobe (mud) bricks. Other buildings include California's first schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, the state's first newspaper office and a stable. These preserved buildings, each a small museum in itself, give a glimpse of life here from 1821 to 1872.

Interspersed between museum buildings, you'll find shops, with emphasis on Mexican-style pottery, tinwork and the like. There are plenty of restaurants and modern stores such as book stores, art galleries, and novelty shops interspersed as well. As always I enjoyed my stroll not only through the stores but through the historic architecture and am sure I will visit yet again in the near future.

So even though this was primarily a business trip I made sure to squeeze in some historical and tourist time and insured another great trip to San Diego, one of many trip to come.