Hillcrest Attractions:

All About Hillcrest

Hillcrest is often touted as San Diego’s most diverse neighborhood, and rightly so. Just up the hill from Downtown, the community is populated by a thriving gay population, as well as artists, intellectuals, and other free-thinkers. Because of this, Hillcrest’s picturesque streets, twinkling with Christmas lights year-round, are lined by charming specialty boutiques, vintage clothing stores, international restaurants, galleries, coffee shops, and used bookstores. The community’s nightlife is prosperous, with venues ranging from local dives to fancy nightclubs. Balboa Park, home of the San Diego Zoo as well as countless museums, is within walking distance, and the Gaslamp Quarter is just a short cab ride away. Few cities can boast a community as rich and distinctive as Hillcrest, one of San Diego’s very best. 

Live and Learn: February is San Diego Museum Month

Happy Museum Month, San Diego!

While the onset of February is most often associated with the Hallmark-induced love appreciation of Valentine’s Day and the bead-tossing imbibing abasement that is Mardi Gras, it is also the time of year for locals to enjoy the month-long celebration of San Diego museums.

Created in 1989, Museum Month strives to promote awareness of San Diego's captivating museums, intriguing historical sites, educational institutions and cultural offerings. And with half-price admission, how could you possibly say no? From North County favorites like the Oceanside Museum of Art and the LUX Art Institute to Balboa Park gems such as MoPA, Natural History, and Air & Space, these San Diego museums are definitely worth a trip.

How It Works: During the month of February, you can enjoy half-price admission at 39 participating museums in San Diego. Pick up a free Museum Month Pass at any Macy's in San Diego, El Centro, or Temecula. One Pass is good for half-price admission for up to 4 visitors to each museum.

This February, and all year long, we encourage you to live and learn and discover San Diego museums. To help plan your personalized entertainment schedule, we’ve compiled a list of our top ten favorite museums. Get details here.

Live and Learn at San Diego Museums

San Diego attractions come in all shapes and sizes. And though it’s tempting to opt for such outdoor adventures as SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo, some of our most dynamic attractions are located indoors within the city’s museums. From natural history and aviation with hands-on displays for children, to live art showcases and monthly culture parties for adults, San Diego museums offer something for everyone...

Hillcrest Hot Spots Make the Gayborhood Sizzle

Hillcrest's constant evolution has seen its fair share of eager business owners come and stay, and come and go. But, through the test of time, one thing’s remained true: there is never a shortage of hot spots to belly-up, bob your head, lounge in the wine vibe, mack on some mean cuisine or hit the dance floor to get your Single Lady on...

Adults at Play: San Diego Novelty Shops

Sex. It's everywhere. It's ravaged the internet. It's plastered on billboards. It's splayed across the covers and pages of magazines. Face it. This ain't Little House on the Prairie and chastity belts are no longer in style. It’s time to crank up the heat and bring some action into the boudoir with a little help from our local adult novelty stores...

Sexy Spas for Couples Massages

Love is in the air and couples all over the county are on the prowl for the best ways to spoil their sweethearts. From champagne flutes and chocolate treats to dips in a private bath by candlelight and body treatments performed by the city’s best aestheticians, spas master the mix of romance and relaxation. Discover the sexiest spas for couples massages...

What's New in Dining: Toast, Searsucker, The Big Easy

There’s never a dull moment in the San Diego dining scene. 

With the rise of a new decade, local foodies are gifted with debut restaurants from Top Chef contestants and industry experts, coming-soon venue name announcements, and another new wine bar rolling with the Enomatic wine machine craze. Hurry up and head to La Jolla Strip Club and Toast Enoteca & Cucina, and mark your calendars for the launch of The Big Easy, Quality Social, Searsucker and much more.

Discover what’s new and notable in local dining.

1 Week, 3-Course Menus, 180 Restaurants
During San Diego Restaurant Week, which runs January 17 – 22, local diners can enjoy three-course prix fixe menus at over 180 culinary hot-spots for just $20, $30 or $40 per person, depending on the venue. Some recommended spots to try are BiCE Ristorante, Cowboy Star, and Pamplemousse. Get details here.

Toast Enoteca & Cucina Pours Into East Village
The brainchild of Martin Gonzalez, owner and executive chef of Acqua Al 2, Toast Enoteca & Cucina is a new wine bar that features 400 wines served by the glass, by the bottle or from wine dispensing Enomatic machines. These self-serving machines are the new trend in local wine bars, and are also found at Splash Wine Lounge and Ivy Ultra Lounge and Wine Bar. In addition to world premier wines, Toast serves gourmet Italian bites. Toast held a private opening party on January 13 (view photos here), and opens to the public on January 16, 2010. (pictured)

A Provocative Jewel: La Jolla Strip Club Opens
The Cohn Restaurant Group launched a brand new “grill-your-own” restaurant in the University Town Center area in December 2009. The La Jolla Strip Club boasts a 8,500 sq.ft. dining room that can accommodate up to 280 guests, flat screen TVs, pool tables and a provocative collection of pin-up artwork, similar to what you’re used to viewing at the Gaslamp venue. Dinner favorites include the 10 oz. Strip Club Skirt Steak, 8 oz. Sushi Grade Ahi Tuna, 8 oz. Filet Mignon or your choice of Beef, Chicken or Shrimp Kabobs, with such available Sassy Sides as roasted garlic mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese fries with bacon. Get details here.

BiCE Charms Gaslamp with Understated Authenticity
Housed in a sleek and modern setting on the corner of Island and 4th Avenues, BiCE is an automatic must-visit venue for local diners seeking authentic Italian flavor and excellent service. BiCE is known for its central cheese bar and impressive selection of homemade pastas such as the veal ravioli in porcini sauce, potato gnocchi and the Pappardelle Al Telefono, or wide ribbon pasta with cheese, basil and tomato sauce. BiCE opened up for business late-November, 2009. Get details here. (pictured)

Kip’s Café Set to Reopen in Hillcrest
Locals who have been craving Kip’s signature Chinese and Japanese entrees since the El Cajon located its doors in late 2008 will be excited to know the new venue, which is located on 4th and University, should open late January 2010. 

The Bull Brings The Big Easy
Frank Terzoli, more popularly known as Frankie “The Bull” from his aggressive run on Bravo’s hit show Top Chef, is about ready to open the doors of his new restaurant in San Diego: The Big Easy. The Bull’s new baby will serve French Quarter Southern food in Hillcrest, located in the slippery space that has previously housed such other businesses as The Better Half and Russo’s. We have a feeling The Bull will be able to change the reputation of this seemingly cursed venue. This local celebrity chef promises authentic Creole French food with strong Caribbean flavor, from breakfast through dinner. Stop in for a casual beignet for breakfast and return for a more formal tableside chef presentation during dinner. Now that Frankie the Bull’s BBQ is no more, the local celebrity chef is putting all his energy and skill into the new establishment which is set to open February 2010. 

Quality Social Dives Into Luxury Market
Quality Social isn’t trying to be a dive bar – it’s a playful juxtaposition of all that we love about neighborhood dives, presented in a new Quality light with no detail spared. With Boones Farm on the menu, a speakeasy in the back, a menu created by a Top Chef recruit who travels with salami in his suit case, a vintage photo booth on display and a champagne parlor in the see-through ladies bathroom, Quality Social invites you to embrace the deliberate contradictions and create your own experience. This luxury dive bar is expected to open mid-February 2010. Get details here.

BASICally, URBN Coal Fired Pizza Greets North Park

The 5,000 square foot spin-off of entrepreneur Jon Mangini’s BASIC Urban Kitchen + Bar brand, is slated to open its doors in April 2010 at 31st and University. The new URBN location (first in Vista) will continue to keep it simple with a full-service bar and a one-page menu featuring thin-crust New Haven style pizza. Expect the same warehouse-style ambiance and raw design that locals love about the original BASIC in East Village.

Dream Team Delivers Searsucker
EnDev’s head honcho James Brennan and fan-favorite celebrity chef Brian Malarkey announced in November 2009 that they have joined forces to merge the best of San Diego nightlife and dining. The Brennan and Malarkey venture will be a neighborhood restaurant and lounge, housed in Z Gallerie’s Gaslamp location, which is closing early 2010. This month, Malarkey shared the final name with us. The Brennan and Malarkey venue will be called read more