Bankers Hill news & stories
Video:GONZO: Grinnells serve jazz for breakfast at Books & Records in Bankers HillWhen I ask Jenna Angeloni, the manager at Books and Records in Banker’s Hill, if anyone has ever …
Many uptown inhabitants feel left out of community planning, which is now represented by Uptown Planners, a group whose voting members are mostly homeowners. The San Diego City Council’s land …
Two appeals of a permit for a mixed-use high-rise in Banker's Hill were heard on Sept. 28 by the San Diego city's planning commission, which voted unanimously to approve the …
“What kind of food?” ask my parents, as we approach the new Bankers Hill restaurant, Books & Records. The question forces me to stop a moment.“I should probably know the …
Bankers Hill news & stories
It’s not often that we tour condos here at Unreal. A lot of that is due to the relative newness of San Diego. With the bulk of West Coast development occurring after the advent of …
San Diego’s original city charter dates back to 1850, the same year California was granted statehood. Two years later, however, the city was bankrupt and the state revoked that charter, handing over control of the …
How high can Bankers Hill go? A project to build a 20-story residential tower next to the St. Paul’s cathedral on Sixth Avenue between Maple and Nutmeg won praise and criticism from the community Thursday …
“Let me get this right,” I say to this fellow Jeff. “You’re offering me a shot of whiskey and a can of beer for $6. Six bucks?” “Yes, sir, that’s it,” says Jeff. He’s the …
When it comes to European-style residential construction, there isn’t much history of it here on the West Coast. Travel across the country and you’ll find houses built 300 years ago that are still standing; hop …
Wow. Red peppers in the sunset! They shine scarlet in the late afternoon light. Calabrian chile. The peppers are about the only “real” thing in this vegan meal I’m eating. But the rest of the …
The angel Gabriel blasts his golden trumpet high above Fifth Avenue. It glints in the evening sun from the dome of The Abbey, the massive onetime church across the road. “I am worth it,” I …
At about 2 pm on June 21, Amanda Vazquez Defran heard a peculiar noise below her Banker's Hill home balcony. "I work from home, so I get a front row seat to a lot of …
A certain fried poultry chain garnered buckets of free press last week for announcing it will be serving vegan chicken options at its restaurants. Really, KFC is just the latest fast-food brand to make hay …
The City Council has upheld the historic designation of a Bankers Hill home that advocates say is a rare architectural gem, while others call it Frankenstein. The mixed-style house sits in a mixed-use neighborhood rich …
Eating more take-out this year has meant eating more pizza, and I have, frankly, been amazed how many good pizzas are available around town. Just a couple of weeks ago I wrote about a new …
The Harrison G. Otis House, a Mission Hills mansion with nearly 3900 square feet of living space, was originally built in 1910. Per listing materials retrieved from Realtor.com, “historic details abound” throughout the home. Commissioned …
What is the difference? I’m sitting here trying to figure it out. Across Park Boulevard, there are two cafes, both smart, cool, new, and library-quiet, except for the piped music. Everyone in the modern building …
Early San Diego architecture in Bankers Hill With two steep ravines spanned by quaint footbridges, scores of well-kept, historically significant homes, and mature landscaping, Banker's Hill is a monument to the elegance of the past. …
Fans of animated cinema will remember the pivotal moment in Ratatouille, when the impossible to please food critic Anton Ego is bowled over by a single bite of the titular dish, ratatouille. As we see …
There’s nothing wrong with drinking beer in a warehouse tasting room, per se, but each year a handful of breweries embrace the idea that San Diego’s best beer lifestyle requires great outdoor drinking venues. Here …
A mile east of all the beer Stacy Keck tells me she can’t function at 6 am. So we decide to meet instead at 8:30, and she gives me an access code so I can …
Cloudy days in San Diego aren’t the most welcome, but they do give locals an opportunity to show a different side of their fashion sense. Colder weather means warmer clothes instead of the tank tops, …
A Bankers Hill volunteer group – along with San Diego Canyonlands – has lined up a $2 million federal grant for work in Maple Canyon to stabilize and restore it – and to prevent tons …
The Maguey Agrio served at Banker’s Hill is the Mexican answer to the whiskey sour, says its creator, Banker’s Hill bar manager Colin Berger. Referencing mescal’s plant of origin and the Spanish word for “sour,” …
A project to build a 20-story residential tower next to the St. Paul’s cathedral on Sixth Avenue between Maple and Nutmeg won praise and criticism from the community Thursday night at a well-attended meeting. More …
Ahead of today's (February 22) planning-group meeting to discuss the Olive Street park and AIDS memorial, some people are worried that the convoluted process has overwhelmed the most important idea. The plan (to be discussed …
The draft plans for Olive Street Park met resistance Thursday evening (October 26th) as people who live adjacent to the 80´ x 100´ plot of land raised a ruckus over not being included or notified …
To the north above downtown and east above the airport rises Bankers Hill. Literally “uptown,” Bankers Hill is characterized by historic homes and modern development. Landscaping and non-native plants are found in the canyons that …
The announcement on September 9th that the San Diego AIDS Memorial Task Force had selected a site — 20 years after the first such task force got underway — isn’t sitting well with some community …
Maple Canyon lovers heard the echo of the freeway building in the early 1960s at the start of summer, when they found about 50 feet of the west entry to the canyon had been paved …
Several San Diego neighborhoods have gained locally roasted coffee this spring. First up, James Coffee Co. has opened a 413 square foot coffee counter in Bankers Hill, at newly constructed building The Louie (2870 Fourth …
A topic of discussion at Balboa Park Committee's July meeting was that of noise along the western edge of Balboa Park, also known as the West Mesa. Specifically, noise from special events that are causing …
CVS Pharmacy, which already has stores in Hillcrest, North Park, and downtown (Fifth Avenue and C Street) will remodel an empty building at 1850 Fifth Avenue in Bankers Hill. It then expects to open sometime …
This short walk is a good way to get a different view of the Spruce Street suspension bridge. It is a step back into San Diego’s early history. The walk to Arroyo Canyon starts at …
The sign for Royal Stone Bistro, a Bankers Hill eatery on First Avenue, says “Seasonal. Savory. Sincere.” That’s an apt description of the brunch we had. I never thought of myself as a brunch person, …
In the food world, “plant-based” has become a buzzword of late, and I’ve been using it interchangeably with the term “vegan.” But it turns out members of both communities like to draw a distinction, and …
An early start is highly recommended for prime parking, less traffic, and lower temperatures for this interesting walk below the Quince Street and First Avenue bridges that spanned Maple Canyon to allow access to streetcar …
They do say there are only two or three sermons, of course, other than “send money.”
Between the twist cap and the tongue-in-cheek copy and imagery — “Giocato is made by Aleks Simic, one of Europe’s greatest (and most humble) winemakers” on the back of the label, while the front depicts …
Since 1903, the only interruptions to the Tour de France have been the two World Wars. Every summer the world’s best cyclists complete a 21-day circuit of the hexagonal country, often dipping briefly into Spain, …
The sale of the Truax House, considered one of the nation's first hospices for AIDS patients, is one step closer to being finalized. According to an email obtained by the Reader from an asset manager …
Chica Diabla vocalist Elizabeth B. and bassist Rachel Bunz had a homespun, three-song demo of material in the can when their future drummer happened upon a posting they had placed on Craigslist. “I moved out …
At first listen, the $1.47 million in repairs needed to restore the potentially historic Truax House in Bankers Hill sounded like a good reason why the city should sell the property. After all, the estimated …
Despite numerous objections from Uptown residents, open-space advocates, and historic preservationists, a city-council committee on February 10 supported a proposal to sell two properties abutting Maple Canyon in Bankers Hill. One of the houses, built …
During a February 10 meeting, San Diego city councilmembers on the Smart Growth and Land Use Committee will hear a proposal to sell two city-owned properties in Bankers Hill, one of which housed a former …
Restaurateur Ingrid Croce, who owned San Diego’s longest-running jazz venue (in one form or another) has suddenly shuttered the doors at Croce’s Park West, the nightspot she and husband Jimmy Rock opened in Bankers Hill …
After I wrote about the simplicity of the burger at Rocky’s Crown Pub recently, I heard all about everybody’s favorite burger spots. Like Rocky’s, most were places that count their longevity in decades rather than …
Stephen Hill, policy advisor for councilmember Todd Gloria, says city staff has determined that due to uneven terrain, dilapidated houses, and absent a clear path to Maple Canyon, the city-owned property in Bankers Hill should …
From Mission Hills to Kensington, in Heights both Normal and University, and in Parks North and South, UPTOWN residents don't rest on good looks or thick pocketbooks. They thrive on personality and artful presentation. So, …
The Tin Can Ale House, a Bankers Hill live music go-to and canned-beer wonderland, has traded in their aluminum for glass. The Balboa debuted in March with a cocktail menu designed by Jackson Milgaten (who …
A plan to install dedicated bicycle lanes to Uptown communities of Mission Hills, Hillcrest, and Bankers Hill and close University Avenue to traffic in an attempt to make Uptown more pedestrian-friendly has divided the community …
A parcel of land on Olive Street in Bankers HIll will be made into a city park just as a local family intended it to be when they granted the parcel of land to the …