You Never Have to Mow the Lawn …

Urban is the way to live, according to the latest installment of “I’m Ron Donoho, Damn It”

You never have to mow the lawn. If you develop a midnight craving for a chile-n-cheese hot dog, there’s a 7-Eleven within three blocks, tops. And because all the cool hot spots are within walking distance, you'll barely flinch the next time gas prices hit $4. These are reasons you choose to live in a downtown environment.

I live in downtown San Diego. Friends say they've never seen me north of I-8. And why should I bother with North County? Why haul arse to the Kraken when I can saunter over to the Star Bar? Why transport to Mille Fleurs’ piano bar when I can stroll up to the rooftop bar at Stingaree? Why safari out to the Wild Animal Park when I can shuffle over to the San Diego Zoo? Who wants to chauffeur to a show at the Belly Up when I can amble into the audience at the Casbah? What's there to eat at El Bizcocho that I can’t overindulge in at Oceanaire?

Downtown offers me a life of convenience. I'm neither a recent college grad still prone to Jagermeister shots nor an empty nester who's downsized after the progeny packed their bags for college. I'm just a pragmatic guy who can't believe my luck that downtown San Diego is ripe with activity yet devoid of residents in my way of enjoying it all. 

There's no comparison. Downtown San Diego is the best place to live. Coronado is wonderfully quaint, but so is Mayberry, RFD. South Bay's Chula Vista recently made a national list of most-boring cities in the United States. East County could be cool -- if an earthquake suddenly drops a substantial portion of our coastline into the Pacific. La Jolla is fun -- until they roll up the sidewalks at 9 p.m.

Here’s my offer. If you can substantially argue that you live in a better part of the city/county than downtown San Diego, I'll buy you a drink at Star Bar. And then ... I'll walk home.

Ron Donoho, formerly executive editor of "San Diego Magazine," is a regular contributor to NBCSandiego.com who covers local news, sports, culture and happy hours.

Send Ron a Tip or Invite Here

Contact Us