Bankers Hill news & stories
My fondness for bento boxes and anything labeled "artisan" have converged in Banker's Hill, with a new dining concept set up by the proprietors of Azuki Sushi. Artisan Bento seeks to elevate the idea of …
The doorway between the Royal Cafe and the Royal Food Mart in Hillcrest disappeared during the recent remodel. In its place, a bigger menu materialized, replete with more substantial breakfast items (about $6-$10), and some …
Yes, summer is over, but in San Diego, the season makes subtle adjustments to her wardrobe, calls herself “Indian,” and parties on…. To that end, Mister A’s Southern Dove could serve as official drink of …
There's a shortage of parking in some San Diego communities and the city's community parking district program isn't much help addressing that shortage. In a recent audit, the city auditor's office found holes in the …
A perfect companion to SoCal clambakes or a beach blanket in Baja, it also harkens to the warmth and whitewashed villas of the Amalfi Coast. That’s the Roman Pipeline. This Annette Funicello of cocktails, according …
Like much of California’s coast, San Diego’s topography is unique. Mountains in the east give way to plateaus, which in turn give way to labyrinths of canyons that eventually find their way into the ocean. …
As a young adult in San Diego, Bertrand at Mister A’s was one of those fine-dining establishments in the sky (or 12th floor, to be precise) that I never felt “fancy enough” to enter. I …
It looks kinda like a sheikh's tent from across the street. Cabana-style brown and black drapes and awnings half conceal the big sidewalk terrazza. We're at the "Fifth and Olive Building" up here at, well, …
City efforts to replace the water mains in Bankers Hill have subjected residents to road and lane closures in the past few weeks, but it's the water runoff streaming down Fifth Avenue that has residents …
Croce's is on the way out — of downtown — and on the way in, to Bankers Hill. Like Café Bassam before it, the beloved live music icon had to abandon downtown and retreat up the hill because it had been too successful. It sounds as though Croce's Park West will be pretty much the same, but the Gaslamp won't. A bit more life has just been sapped from it.
“Well you know you can get half-size entrées for half off the normal price during happy hour.”
Urban parklets, iPad minis, 144 square feet of living space — local architects point out how cool it is to go micro.
Architects John Sheehan, Josh Hoffman write about the trend toward construction of “micro-flats.”
Noted Spanish-language author seeks to unload $4.8 million penthouse.
Few drinks admit of such variety as the bittersweet Negroni. Switch out the shot of gin for vodka and you have a Negroski; add bourbon instead of gin and you’re drinking a Boulevardier; order a …
The Fourth Avenue Professional Center in Bankers Hill is no more. Boarded up and overgrown with weeds, the Spanish-style building with a clay-tile roof will soon be remodeled into a condo complex in the Park …
My ten-year-old service dog Ginger and I exited the car recently at a quiet local park. She was at my 9:00 heel position as we walked the 20 feet to our regular shaded spot that …
Cross seven access bridges to San Diego’s historical streetcar routes on this downtown loop walk that blends the present with the past.
On the evening of January 26, animal-rights activists associated with StopForceFeeding.com protested in front of Bertrand at Mister A’s because the restaurant serves foie gras, the fattened liver of force-fed duck or geese. In July, …
It hangs below four others like it, an ancient rifle from ancient wars. Did it kill people? Did it save someone’s life? As I stand in line waiting for coffee and something to eat, I …
Built as a residential hotel in 1926, Inn at the Park (née Park Manor Suites) in Bankers Hill was bought by Shell Vacations in May and is currently undergoing renovations to give rooms a kitschy, …
For the first time, all four mayoral candidates were set to address business leaders at a breakfast held at Cucina Urbana on the morning of November 18. Nathan Fletcher, however, canceled at the last minute …
In a November 4 interview, the Very Reverend Scott Richardson, dean of St. Paul's Cathedral, said it appears their project to renovate the cathedral and construct two high-rise, mixed-use condominium towers is a done deal. …
On Sixth Avenue, across the street from the block-long Family Court building, stands a row of converted single-family Victorian homes, their yards parking lots, their windows barred. Today those residencies are family-mediation agencies and immigration …
Repairs to the Quince Street Bridge have yet to be completed since a eucalyptus tree fell on the span March 20. According to a posting from councilman Kevin Faulconer’s office at Hillquest.com, San Diego's “Park …
Wine bars are proliferating here at the speed of, well, gastropubs. Many of the earlier arrivals (and some new ones, too) offer only a few nibbles (cheeses, cured meats, bruschetta, etc.) as ballast for the …
The Quince Street footbridge in Banker's Hill is out of commission and closed. According to Hillquest.com, "A western portion of the 106-year-old wooden pedestrian bridge that crosses Maple Canyon connecting Banker’s Hill to Balboa Park …
If the Cryptkeeper opened a speakeasy, he’d lurch over to Cherry Bomb first to take notes. Wedged between a laundromat and a taco shop, the Banker’s Hill drinking dungeon sees black brick and red walls …
Rob Steppke chairs the North Park Planning Group. He also sits on the Balboa Park Committee, an advisory committee to the mayor and city council. On February 15, Steppke asked his fellow North Park planners …
A couple of weeks ago, my husband came back from a work trip and we decided to grab something to eat at Barrio Star, the newish restaurant in Banker’s Hill purveying “Mexican Soul Food.” As …
Rick Lyon taught himself the piano playing to jazz records and drawing from his experience on the accordion. He’s played aboard ships in the Navy, overseas, and at many a bar, lodge, and party. Now …
With quaint footbridges spanning two wooded ravines, scores of historic homes, plus mature landscaping, Banker’s Hill speaks to historic elegance and the preservation of nature. The following short ramble through canyon bottom and along quiet …
Just when we thought the Cortez “hole” project was set for future development, a new glitch of sorts has emerged. The Centre City Development Corporation would like to see the now-filled Cortez “hole” (abandoned Atmosphere …
Carl Schroeder was the hot young chef hired by Bradley Ogden to oversee Arterra back when it was new. Schroeder made both his and the restaurant’s name there. Then he opened his own place, Market, …
I headed for Barrio Star with fear in my heart. Fear, and numerous variations of annoyance. Let’s start with the annoyances and touch on the fear later. Barrio Star is a new restaurant in Banker’s …
Jung-Ho Pak and Orchestra Novaban keep St. Paul’s Cathedral on their list of venues (along with Sherwood and Qualcomm auditoriums) despite a multitude of problems that the venue presents. For starters, the lack of parking …
In May 2009, councilmembers Kevin Faulconer and Todd Gloria sent a letter to Carol Schultz, executive director of Uptown Partnership, the agency responsible for increasing the parking supply, enhancing pedestrian use, and easing traffic flow …
The Tin Can Ale House sits near a tranny bar and a liquor store at Fifth and Fir in Banker’s Hill. Look for the mural of a giant octopus sinking a galleon. Parking isn’t a …
It's taken 14 months and cost the city and federal governments over $12.7 million to restore and retrofit the First Avenue bridge in Banker's Hill. For those 14 months, while construction crews were removing the …
It is the Sunday after Thanksgiving, two days after “Black Friday,” a term originating (according to Wikipedia) with the Philadelphia PD in the 19th Century to denote this holiday’s weekend traffic that is a bitch …
BALBOA PARK Another Perfect DayBy downtownphotoguy, June 26Today we were in Presidio Park in the morning and Balboa Park in the afternoon. We were shooting with a variety of lenses and techniques…. It seems everybody …
Trekking in Nepal involved 25 grueling vegan days of rice, lentils, mustard greens, noodles, barley stew, and boiled potatoes (and one glorious night of smoky yak steak and real mashed potatoes from the best darned …
Don’t cry for Laurel. It has gone to a far better place. Reincarnated as Cucina Urbana, you can now hang your hat (on the back of your chair) without a preprandial wardrobe change or bank-balance …
Asking that her name be withheld, a woman emailed us a few months ago about a liquor store that was “bad, bad news for the community and the south end of Balboa Park.” The writer’s …
From the start, you pretty much know: everybody getting off the number 3 bus at Fifth and Elm is headed there. Five o’clock on a Thursday, where else? Horizon Park Chapel. Free food. Me too. …
A few months ago, some guy from some burg like Dubuque emailed the paper, asking which restaurants he should try during a few days’ visit here, price no object. Bertrand at Mr. A’s was one …
Looking for ways to slow traffic down in their community, Banker's Hill residents are gaining ground on bringing in additional stop signs along 4th, 5th, and 6th avenues. The residents compare the streets to speedways, …
“If you are visiting for just a few moments or a few hours, please know that you are granted immunity from the painful ravages of religious bigotry and intolerance. St. Paul’s...is a place where a …
Like the sidewalks and streets that surround the city’s parking meters, the relationship between Uptown Partnership — the group responsible for addressing parking issues in Hillcrest, Banker’s Hill, and Mission Hills — and the residents …
Michael Vogl, revenue collections manager for the city, blames the media for spreading false information about the mayor’s parking meter utilization plan. He says news outlets are unable to explain the detailed proposal in 30-second …
During District 2 councilmember Kevin Faulconer’s state of the district speech on April 27, he listed his accomplishments during the past three years. One of his proudest accomplishments so far has been banning alcohol from …
Who hasn’t rummaged through bags and searched underneath car seats, scavenging for loose change to feed the meter? Well, residents of San Diego better start loading their pockets with loose change, because the city is …