San Diego September Events Calendar

Added by Heather on Aug 31 12:46PM

9/1 – Taste of San Diego | Gaslamp Quarter, East Village, Little Italy, Horton Plaza, Financial District | 5:00 – 9:00 p.m. | $30.00 – $35.00 | More information: 619.233.5008

9/2 – San Diego Tall Ships Parade & Cruise | Embarcadero | Cruising Time 10:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (subject to change) | See more than 20 tall ships sail into San Diego Harbor from Hornblower Yacht Cruises | $30 adults, $20 children

9/2 – 9/6 – Festival of Sail 2010 | San Diego Bay – Maritime Museum of San Diego, 1492 North Harbor Dr | Refer to website for schedule | Annual event held each Labor Day weekend includes live entertainment, petting zoo, cannon battles, pirates, 150 vendors, racing yachts and more

9/4 – Julian Grape Stomp Festa | Menghini Winery, Julian | 11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. | Julian celebrates the harvest of the grapes with Italian music, dancing, Bocci ball, stomping, wine tasting and more

9/8 – Doobie Brothers | Humphrey’s Half Moon Inn | $70.00

9/9 – Sheryl Crow | Humphrey’s Half Moon Inn | $70.00

9/10 – 16th Annual Beer Festival | Columbia & B Streets, Downtown San Diego | Sample 75 different breweries

9/10 – The Beach Boys | Humphrey’s Half Moon Inn | $75.00 http://www.humphreysconcerts.com/

9/10 – 9/18 – Dive-In Theater | L’Auberge Hotel, Del Mar | Unique theater event to celebrate the end of summer

9/11 – Fiestas Patrias – Mexican Independence Day in Old Town | Old Town San Diego | 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. | Celebrate Mexican Independence with dancing, storytelling, music, food and more | More information: 619.220.5422

9/11 – Coronado Main Street Garden Party | Annual garden party with entertainment and no-host beverages

9/11 – Jazz 88.3 Ocean Beach Music & Art Festival | Ocean Beach | $30.00, kids 12 & under free | 21 bands, food & art displays

9/12 – Brazilian Day Festival and Parade | Pacific Beach – Garnet between Bayard & Everts Streets | Festival 12:00 – 6:00 p.m.; Parade 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. | Unique handicrafts, food, live music, colorful costumes

9/12 – La Jolla Rough Water Swim | Largest rough-water swimming competition in the U.S.

9/17 – Brad Paisley H2O World Tour | Humphrey’s Half Moon Inn | $29.50 – $60.00

9/17 – 9/19 – San Diego Bayfair’s World Series Powerboat Racing| Mission Bay – Vacation Island/ Fiesta Bay / Ski Beach / Crown Point Shores / Stony Point / Hydro Pond | $10 – $45 | All ages | 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Watch the fastest boats in the world, live entertainment, fireworks and more

9/18 – 9/19 – Fleet Week Big Bay Family Festival | B Street Cruise Terminal, B Street & Harbor Dr | 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. | Free family event | Climb aboard US Navy ships and explore other military static displays

9/18 – 9/19 – Coronado Art Walk | Museum of History, Coronado Ferry Landing | Over 70 artists displaying paintings, photography, pottery, glass work & jewelry

9/19 – 9/24 – San Diego Restaurant Week | Various San Diego Restaurants | $20, $30, $40 | 7th year of San Diego’s largest and most successful dining event – More than 180 of San Diego’s best restaurants participate with 3-course meals at a set price

9/19 – The Last Comic Standing | Humphrey’s Half Moon Inn | $40.00

9/22 – Muse | Viejas Casino | $39.50 – $59.50

9/25 – Jonas Brothers | Cricket Wireless Theater | $37.50 – $97.50

9/25 – 9/26 – Adams Avenue Street Fair | Adams Avenue, Normal Heights | Sat 10:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.; Sun 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. | Southern California’s largest free 2-day music festival with more than 70 artists on 6 outdoor stages, hundreds of food and arts/crafts vendors, 3 beer gardens, carnival & kids’ activities

9/25 – 9/26 – Pacific Islander Festival | Mission Bay | Culture, food, crafts & customs of the Pacific Islands

9/25 – 9/26 – Cabrillo Festival | Point Loma | Reenactment of explorer Juan Rodriguez landing at Ballast Point

9/25 – 9/26 – ArtSplash | Flower Fields of Carlsbad | Free | Chalk Art Festival on Armada Drive, hands-on art, fine art, carnival & sand sculpting

9/25 – 10/3 – Trolley Dances, Jean Isaacs San Diego Dance Theater | $29.00 – $67.00 | Ride to see site-specific dances along SD Trolley line through downtown

9/28 – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | Cricket Wireless Theater | Special guest ZZ Top | 7:30 p.m. | $41.00 – $131.00

9/29 – 10/3 – San Diego Film Festival | SD Film Foundation | $15.00 – $250.00 | Showcasing best in American & International Cinema

READ MOREComments (0) | Share

Awesome Little Italy Condo HD Video

Added by Chad on Aug 30 9:58PM

Discover why so many people love living in Downtown San Diego’s own Little Italy neighborhood. Check out the all the fun residents have in Little Italy on this HD video.

La Vita Condos in Little Italy San Diego

Details on this amazing 2 bed, 2 bath condo with views and unbelievable price. Please share your comments or let us know if you would like us to market your property with a professional HD video.

READ MOREComments (0) | Share

Union Square Investment Condos San Diego

Added by Chad on Aug 28 5:14PM

Union Square San Diego condos is a great building for investment opportunities. The features that make Union Square a great investment building include large 2 bedroom condos at low cost per square foot, well designed floor plans, low monthly HOA dues, good amenities, and a location that will see some major future development.

001

Located on the block bound by 14th and 15th streets and Broadway and C Streets, Union Square is going to see a facelift on the neighbohood surrounding it. San Diego City College to the north is seeing some major improvements to their campus which include a number of new buildings that are all LEED certified.

San Diego City College

The block to the South will see the development of Downtown San Diego’s largest park known as East Village Green. This park will combine open green space with drought resistant plants and trees that will be the entry gateway into East Village from the 94 Freeway. There is also plans for a leash free dog park to be constructed at the corner of Market and Park Blvd for all of our pet owners.

East Village Green

East Village Developments around Union Square

With all of the exciting changes coming to the areas that surround Union Square, the condo project is going to become much more popular than it was regarded when it was first completed. Union Square is made up of three different buildings and includes a total 7 stories and 262 condos which are made up of lofts, one and two bedrooms. Amenities include a fantastic recreation room with billiards, full kitchen and lounge area with large screen TV. Highlights also include an indoor jacuzzi, a fully equiped fitness center and onsite property management.

The most desireable condos in Union Square at the top floor loft units. These top floor units are 2 story units with a loft above and today a 2 bedroom, 2 bath plus loft unit can be purchased for as little as $400,000. These top floor units offer a great opportunity for an investor or for somebody who wants to have a vacation home that is just minutes away from Petco Park, The Gaslamp Quarter, Horton Plaza, the San Diego Bay and all of the dining and entertainment that Downtown San Diego is known for.

014 At 1250 square feet, this top floor condo is only $320 per square foot and boasts dramatic 18′ ceiling heights. This particular residence offers 2 parking spaces that are not traditional tandem spaces. An added bonus that is extremely hard to come by in Downtown San Diego is the 10′x6′ storage room. You start adding all of this up and the opportunity just gets better and better.

Investing at Union Square Condos

For an investor with 25% down, the carry on the property is $52 per month, but this excludes any tax write-off the investor may take on the property. At the end of the day, you could take $100k and tie it up in real property with write-offs in an area that is looking to be very promising.

Once we exit this recession, we are going to see some solid gains on real estate values in downtown San Diego because builders won’t be able to price their top floor units at $320 per square foot and make a profit. If there is no profit to be made, then the developers won’t take the risk. If developers don’t build, then we have a stead demand and limited supply of properties so again, we see appreciation. It may be a ways off, but it is innevitable…Downtown San Diego property values will go up!

Purchase Price	$390,000
Down Payment 25%	$97,500
Mortgage Amount	$292,500
Estimated Mortgage Payment	$1,570
Property Taxes	$367
Home Owner Association	$415
Total Monthly Obligation	$2,352
Estimated Rent	$2,300
Total Monthly Cost	$52

010

Union Square Amenity Room

READ MOREComments (0) | Share

The Mark Penthouse Condos

Added by Chad on Aug 26 9:40AM

Penthouse at The Mark…

The Mark San Diego is truly redifining the term penthouse living for Downtown San Diego’s East Village Neighborhood. Not only is The Mark the tallest residential tower in East Village, but it also has rock-star views into Petco Park, towards the San Diego Bay and Coronado. The Penthouse residence at the top of the Mark is the largest Penthouse in the East Village and Gaslamp Quarter.

The penthouse condo at The Mark San Diego was just released to the public for sale in August 2010 and takes up the top two floors of the building. It includes a total indoor living space of 3742 square feet and also features 1714 square feet of outdoor living space. Considering San Diego’s amazing year round weather, the outdoor space may be just as valuable as the indoor space. The downstairs terrace is perfect for sunbaithing, entertaining or watching the captivating sunsets over the Pacific Ocean.

Exterior Front

The Mark Penthouse | For Sale $3,500,000

Because The Mark penthouse suite is made up of the top two floors of the tower, the view orientation spans the East, South and West. The Mark Penthouse is to be sold and delivered as a shell without walls, bedrooms, bathrooms or a set floorplan and will be completely unfinished. The developer didn’t want to put standard finishes in the penthouse suite only to have the buyer tear them out and completely customize the floorplan and finishes thereby wasting all of the original materials.

Above | Lower level including a design concept of what could be a floor plan option. Here, the lower level includes 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, study, living room, dining room and kitchen.

The Mark penthouse floorplan

Above | This conceptual design includes a master suite with generous walk in closet, exquisite bathroom and lounge area/reading room. The master bedroom also includes a private terrace with unforgettable views.

It is great to see a developer think it through because we see it time and time again where as soon as escrow is closed, demolition followed by a 6-12 month construction project begins. The sales and marketing team at The Mark condos, did however put together some conceptual images to help potential buyers visualize how the space could be laid out. One of the highest priced sales in Downtown San Diego to date is the top floor of Sapphire Tower and this property was also sold as an unfinished “shell”.

The Mark Penthouse Rendering

Above | Conceptual rendering of the living room looking east across the dining room to the kitchen.

The Mark Penthouse Kitchen Rendering

Above | European inspired kitchen design concept

The Mark Penthouse Master Bedroom Rendering

Above | Bedroom concept on lower level South East corner.

The Mark San Diego Penthouse

Above | Alternate conceptual design of living room looking west towards the outdoor terrace.

The Mark Penthouse Living room option

Above | Conceptual rendering of study on level 1 of The Mark Penthouse

Master Bedroom Rendering

Above | Master bedroom conceptual design concept – West facing

The Mark San Diego Penthouse

Above | Master bedroom – Alternate design concept

Mark Penthouse Master Bath

Above | Master bathroom design concept

Mark San Diego Penthouse

Above | Master Bathroom Luxe Design Concept

The Mark Penthouse Summary

Indoor space includes 3742 square feet
Outdoor Terraces include 1714 square feet
Penthouse is sold as a “shell” without walls, fixtures or finishes
Designed to accommodate 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, plus den
Ceilings are approximately 15′
Monthly HOA dues $1129.36

Mark Penthouse offered for sale for $3,500,000

Mark Penthouse Rendering

Amenities at The Mark include swimming pool, jacuzzi, cabanas, outdoor BBQ areas, grassy courtyard, on-site property management, 24 hour security with video surveillance, state of the art fitness center, business center, underground secured parking, underground storage, 3 high speed elevators and luxury level finishes throughout. The security staff at The Mark also offers full concierge services to residents.

We are the exclusive listing agent for this property! For more information about the penthouse at The Mark San Diego, give us a call at 619-309-8011.

How Much Inventory is There in San Diego?

Added by Chad on Aug 23 7:29PM

July2010chart

READ MOREComments (0) | Share

North Embarcadero Visionary Plan – Will it Ever Happen?

Added by Chad on Aug 18 9:30PM

If you are a resident of Downtown or are an involved resident of San Diego, then there’s no doubt that you’ve heard mention of the North Embarcadero Visionary Plan. This is the plan that sets out to redevelop the entire western waterfront of Downtown San Diego at Harbor Drive from Broadway towards the north all the way to Laurel Street. This NEVP brings parks and recreation to the waterfront and replaces the “concrete jungle” that currently occupies this amazing space.

NEVP

Because the North Embarcadero visionary plan in its entirety is approximately 1 mile long and 1/4 mile wide, the plan was originally mapped into different phases. The funding for the first phase was already allocated and CCDC has $28M dollars set aside for the construction to begin. The caveat to this is that if the final plans are not approved by the California Coastal Commission and the project is not ready to begin by June 30 of 2011, the State of California could actually come in and take those funds from CCDC.

NEVP2 We could lose all or a good part of those funds because the State of California is in a budget crisis. According to Mayor Jerry Sanders, the State of California has already tapped into a large sum of city funds this year. This leads us to believe that the state would be proactive in dipping into the $28M dollars if we can’t get phase 1 moving along.

Why Hasn’t the NEVP been Approved by the Coastal Commission?

According to Irene McCormack from the Unified Port of San Diego, the reason the Coastal Commission has declined the project the last 2 times is because they want more public input, workshops and more park space. We currently have two strikes and the next time we submit the plans to the CA Coastal Commission, we better have it right. If we mess up this time, it could cost us up to $28M and San Diego can’t afford to kiss that money good bye.

What is being done?

This evening, there was a meeting at the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal to review the current plan and propose to alternate plans that could make a difference. The design team was present and explained some conceptual ideas they had, but wanted feedback from the public regarding what their thoughts were. Some of the options presented and topics discussed were:

For the green spaces, should there be Jacaranda trees with gardens below or should there be Jacarandas on only half the space and grass areas?
Should they add water fountains to the space?
One of the most significant variations was to reduce Harbor Drive to only 2 or 3 lanes and increase the open promenade space from 135′ max to about 150′ . This would create a larger open space right along the waterfront and would leave more space for special events along the waterfront.
Should Harbor Drive be closed off completely to create a park that reaches all the way to the waterfront at the County Administration building?
How would changing the streets impact traffic?
The need for open spaces for dogs was also noted as an important item.
One of the other concerns was parking for people driving in to Downtown to enjoy the space.

North Embarcadero Visionary Plan Phase 1

There are more meetings next Tuesday 8/24 and Wednesday 8/25 if you weren’t able to attend tonight’s meeting. The address is 1140 N. Harbor Drive at the B Street Cruise Ship Terminal. Please participate and share your constructive thoughts. These meetings are to brainstorm ideas, contribute thoughts and give feedback so the designers can make our waterfront an amazing space. With your help, we can get the Coastal Commission to approve this.

READ MOREComments (0) | Share

San Diego Stroller Strides Back in Balboa Park

Added by Heather on Aug 16 12:59PM

stroller strides3 I am so pleased to announce that Stroller Strides is officially back in action at Balboa Park, Mission Bay and La Jolla Shores! Hooray! After months and months of hard work and dedication, Founder Lisa Druxman along with members of the San Diego City Council were able to devise and put into action a reasonable permit system for outdoor exercise classes.

On Monday, August 9, 2010 we held our first class at our “home” locations – and it was so GREAT to be back! We, of course, are so thankful to our temporary locations (Coronado Island Marriott Resort, Kate Sessions Park and others) for allowing us to hold class there while all of the bureaucratic business was sorted out.

stroller strides 5 Our class sizes had dwindled as many found it too cumbersome to go the extra distance to attend class at our temporary locations, but already class sizes are back up. We are all so excited to be back! In addition, I have also seen many new faces that were just waiting for us to return to Balboa Park.

The Parks and Recreation Department has determined our new start location in Balboa Park – it is at Building # 52 (Address: 2145 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101). We meet on the lawn behind the Veterans Museum and Memorial Centre (right at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the Balboa Park Recreation Centre). There is a large parking lot that we can use on the east side of Park Blvd across from President’s Way.

stroller strides 4 This Wednesday, August 18, 2010, Stroller Strides will be holding a special 9th Year Anniversary class at Balboa Park. Anne Schreiber, previous Monday/ Wednesday/ Friday instructor at the Balboa Park location (she actually instructed our final class at Balboa Park before we got kicked out) and who was an instrumental part in getting us back there, will also be attending class. It will surely be an amazing workout and a fun celebration! Also, in celebration of the 9th year, Stroller Strides initiation dues are only $9 for the month of August – so now is the best time to join!

As we did in the past, we will strive to always be respectful of the beautiful park we are exercising in. As we travel through the park we will be mindful of the other people who are enjoying the park as well including; walking single file through corridors, leaving space on paths for others to pass by, and we will continue our monthly trash collection day to help beautify the park. We will also support the businesses within the park by purchasing food, beverages, items, and admission tickets from park vendors, restaurants and museums.

This has been a rocky road, which I have chronicled in 6 previous blogs (see our archives), and I am so pleased that it has a happy ending! I am truly appreciative of all of the people in the Stroller Strides organization and the San Diego City Council who worked so diligently to create a solution. Balboa Park is one of San Diego’s most beautiful parks and I am so thankful to be able to use it again on a near-daily basis!

READ MOREComments (0) | Share

East Village – My First Impression

Added by Heather on Aug 13 4:41PM

Hello East Village, we are new to the neighborhood! For the last 3 years we have lived in Little Italy, which I have to say is my favorite neighborhood in Downtown San Diego. Our need for space for our growing family led us on the search for larger square footage, which we found in a wonderful building in East Village. So, we have moved!

I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t sad about the move; I would have happily lived in Little Italy for many, many years to come. What is so great about Little Italy?? Too much to fit in this blog (see “Living in Little Italy San Diego – 101 Reasons Why to Love it”), but to name a few: it is a wonderful community; delicious food, coffee & desserts; a fantastic farmer’s market; it has so much charm and is kept cleaner than any other downtown neighborhood; great festivals and events; and so much more!

I have often said that if we were to leave Little Italy, I think East Village would be my second choice – so it is convenient that our new place is in East Village! We have only been here a little over a week and here is what I have observed and appreciated so far…

east village tavern There are GREAT and fun places to eat, grab coffee and hang out here too! I love BASIC (on the corner of 10th & J) – they have great pizza, salad, beers (full bar) and it is a cool place to hang out! Our son likes the huge ceiling fan, music and the pizza too! Lotus Thai is my favorite moderate-priced Thai place downtown (we used to make the trip over from Little Italy), so I’m very excited to have it a block away! East Village Tavern & Bowl has great food/drinks, a cool sports bar atmosphere, and the bowling is super fun! Java Jones is a very cool coffee hangout with delicious crepes, breakfast sandwiches, baked goods…and pretty good coffee (Little Italy is still my favorite for coffee)! El Vitral has delicious Mexican food, fantastic drinks, a great lunch special and happy hour!

Park at the Park is probably my favorite thing in East Village so far! I think it is so great that Petco Park is open to the public when games are not in session. They have a great little playground, which my son really enjoys and it is a great place to walk our dog! There is also a mini baseball diamond, which will be so much fun when our son gets a little older. What a great way to encourage Padres Spirit and a love of baseball!

East Village also has many of the conveniences I enjoyed in Little Italy. Starbucks, It’s a Grind, 7-eleven, dry cleaners, drug stores, Albertson’s, etc. are all in close proximity. I also love that I can walk my dog over to City Dog for his bath!

The close proximity to the Historic Gaslamp Quarter is also a bonus! I used to shy away from Gaslamp a bit because of the walk through the Core to get there (passing the jail and a sizeable homeless camp). Now we have hundreds of restaurants, cafes, happy hours, bars, etc. only a couple of blocks away. Plus Horton Plaza is a short walk, which will be very convenient for those last-minute shopping necessities.

I have also found that I feel safe walking our dog at night, something I was concerned about. East Village has a nice feel to it, much like that of Little Italy. I am very excited to explore more and become more involved with the East Village community. Who knows…maybe it will even steal Little Italy’s place in my heart as the #1 Downtown San Diego neighborhood – time will tell on that one!

READ MOREComments (0) | Share

Downtown San Diego Welcomes Ace Hardware

Added by Chad on Aug 13 4:09PM

Ace Hardware is a welcome relief for all downtown residents that don’t want to hop in the car to drive to Home Depotin Mission Valley or Point Loma. I recently moved from La Vita Condos in Little Italy to Parkloft in East Village and I can’t tell you how many times I would have had to make that trip over to Home Depot. It was so nice to be able to walk just a few blocks to find the parts, hardware, or tool needed.

Ace Hardware San Diego

What I like about the Downtown San Diego Ace Hardware

The Best part about the Ace Hardware in Downtown San Diego, located on 6th Ave just North of Market Street, is that when you walk in you are greeted with a smile and a person that asks you if you need help finding anything. I’ve owned many homes and have played “Tim the tool-man Taylor” running through Home Depot for hours looking for what I needed for my project. I’ve spent more than 15 minutes looking for an employee that could help me navigate the behemoth store too. Even worse, I love Lowe’s where you can push the button for a person from the department to show up and help and you stand there for 20 minutes pushing the button and it’s like you don’t even exist.

Thanks for the friendly service Ace!

The Downtown Ace Hardware is not as big or doesn’ t have all the items a Home Depot or Lowe’s will have, but for most of the common items a downtown resident will need, it is a great spot. My experience was that I saved gas and time and felt very welcome in the store. I give Ace an A+ and a warm welcome to the neighborhood!

Lot Size:		-		Year Built:		-		Days Active:
Parking:			Has Garage	HOA Fees:	or less

San Diego September Events Calendar

Awesome Little Italy Condo HD Video

La Vita Condos in Little Italy San Diego

Union Square Investment Condos San Diego

East Village Developments around Union Square

Investing at Union Square Condos

The Mark Penthouse Condos

Penthouse at The Mark…

The Mark Penthouse | For Sale $3,500,000

The Mark Penthouse Summary

Mark Penthouse offered for sale for $3,500,000

How Much Inventory is There in San Diego?

North Embarcadero Visionary Plan – Will it Ever Happen?

Why Hasn’t the NEVP been Approved by the Coastal Commission?

What is being done?

San Diego Stroller Strides Back in Balboa Park

East Village – My First Impression

Downtown San Diego Welcomes Ace Hardware

What I like about the Downtown San Diego Ace Hardware

Why pay for Title Insurance?

Dannecker & Associates

Real Estate Downtown San Diego

For Buyers & Sellers

Community

About Us