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Nightlife Until recently, San Diego’s marinas were considered the best places to find great nightlife. The development of Downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter and the quiet growth of the city’s historic Little Italy neighbourhood have changed that. Gaslamp is popular among locals and visitors as San Diego’s jazz quarter, although it is also considered one of the best places to find live American rock. Shelter Island is one of San Diego’s oldest waterfront dining and lounge areas. Located just west of the centre of town, it is situated on the Point Loma peninsula and is a favourite haunt for locals and boaters. Similarly, Harbor Island, two minutes northwest of Downtown San Diego, has a selection of bars and dining establishments. La Jolla, approximately half an hour north of Downtown, is an upper-class area that is well known for its nightlife accompanied by breathtaking ocean views. The minimum legal age for drinking in California is 21 years and photo ID should be carried. Alcohol licensing stops at 0200. The average price of a drink while out and about in San Diego is between US$3.50 and US$6, depending on the venue. Listings and information for nightlife in the city is available online (website: www.sandiegoartandsol.com; http://sandiego.citysearch.com and www.gaslamp.org). Bars: Top of the Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, 1 Market Place, with a 360-degree view of the San Diego Bay and the environs, is a mandatory stop for visitors. Top O’ the Cove, 1216 Prospect Street, in San Diego’s beautiful La Jolla district, is primarily known for exquisite dining and outstanding seaside views but its outside patio is also a popular setting for a glass of wine or beer. Meanwhile, Downtown, the Trattoria Mare E Monti, 644 Fifth Avenue, has an intimate, full-service bar featuring a wide selection of wines, including some of the best from California. Casinos: Gambling is illegal in California, except in casinos located on Native Indian reservations on the outskirts of major city areas – for example, on the eastern edge of San Diego. The popularity of casinos in Southern California has provided new and stiff competition with Las Vegas, Nevada and Mexican coastal towns, such as Tijuana and Ensenada, which have been major draws for gambling fans, in the past. Casinos are a fairly recent arrival to Southern California and have become a trendy alternative to betting across the border. The Sycuan Casino, 5469 Casino Way, El Cajon, run by the Sycuan Indian Tribe in El Cajon, has a bingo room, cards, off-track betting and six different restaurants. El Cajon is a 30-minute drive east on I-8. The Barona Casino, 1000 Wildcat Canyon Road, advertises 2000 new slot machines, a variety of card games and a golf course that has been rated by Golfweek Magazine to be the fourth best in California. Dress code at these casinos is casual. The legal gambling age is 21 years and a passport or suitable ID would be required for those lucky enough to look younger than this age limit. Clubs: Café Sevilla, 555 Fourth Avenue, is a popular nightclub in the Gaslamp Quarter. The club features Latin and European music on Friday and Saturday, Brazilian music on Sunday and a range of salsa and Spanish rock on alternate days. Largely believed to have the best ambience in Gaslamp Quarter, Café Sevilla has been visited by notable musicians, such as the Gipsy Kings and Grace Jones. Tapas dishes are served every day. The Bitter End, 770 Fifth Avenue, is as much reputed for its unusual concoction of California martinis as it is for its live music. It is home to the ‘Black martini’ and the Underground Gaslamp Nightclub, with a full stage for live music, a dancefloor and a state-of-the-art lighting and sound system, as well as dancing every night of the week. The Bitter End is one of the only drinking establishments in San Diego that has a dress code, enforced in the upstairs lounge. The Doubletree San Diego’s Club Max in Mission Valley, 7450 Hazard Center Drive, features a combination nightclub with classic 1940s music. Located ten minutes northeast of downtown via I-5 north and I-8 east, the establishment also has an all-you-can-eat buffet. Comedy: Mystery Café serves up comedy with a dramatic twist. Located at the Imperial House Restaurant, 505 Kalmia Street, the dinner theatre includes a four-course meal, costing US$43.50 on Friday evening and US47.50 on Saturday. Shirley’s Kitchen, formerly the Tyler Taste of Texas dinner theatre, 7868 El Cajon Boulevard, La Mesa, features interactive dinner theatre. Seating is US$32 per person. Live music: Undoubtedly one of the most famous dining and lounge establishments, famed for its live jazz, blues and folk, is named after the American blues artist Jim Croce. Croce’s, 802 Fifth Avenue, corner of F Avenue, was opened by his wife, Ingrid, 16 years ago. The venue hosts a wide and changing variety of musicians throughout the year. Moose McGillycuddy’s, 1165 Garnet Avenue, Pacific Beach, is an old favourite of Pacific Beach locals and a classic Southern California lounge. But if you prefer the Gaslamp area, there is now Moose Downtown. Both feature live rock on the weekends and tend to be packed on those nights. Shelter Island used to be a favourite locale for entertainment and dinner. Humphrey’s Backstage Lounge, Shelter Island, 2241 Shelter Island Drive, hosts blues, folk and jazz performances both in its lounge and in its live concert venue outside. Neimans, 300 Carlsbad Village Drive, Carlsbad (website: www.neimans.com), features live music almost every night of the week, ranging from rock to salsa. Its turn-of-the-century Victorian architecture offers a unique and intimate setting. The venue is also well known for its fine dining. |
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