City Layout

Main Arteries & Streets

It's not hard to find your way around downtown San Diego. Most streets run one way, in a grid pattern. First through Twelfth (aka Park Blvd.) avenues run north and south -- odd-number avenues are northbound, even numbers run south; A through K streets alternate running east and west. Broadway (the equivalent of D St.) runs both directions, as do Market Street and Harbor Drive. North of A Street, the east-west streets bear the names of trees, in alphabetical order: Ash, Beech, Cedar, Date, and so on. Harbor Drive runs past the airport and along the waterfront, which is known as the Embarcadero. Ash Street and Broadway are the downtown arteries that connect with Harbor Drive.

The Coronado Bay Bridge leading to Coronado is accessible from I-5 south of downtown, and I-5 north leads to Old Town, Mission Bay, La Jolla, and North County coastal areas. Balboa Park (home of the San Diego Zoo), Hillcrest, and Uptown areas lie north of downtown San Diego. The park and zoo are easily reached by way of Park Boulevard (which would otherwise be Twelfth Ave.), and which leads to the parking lots. Fifth Avenue leads to Hillcrest. Highway 163, which heads north from Eleventh Avenue, leads into Mission Valley.

Coronado -- The main streets are Orange Avenue, where most of the hotels and restaurants are clustered, and Ocean Drive, which follows Coronado Beach.

Downtown -- The major thoroughfares are Broadway (a major bus artery), Fourth and Fifth avenues (which run south and north, respectively), C Street (the trolley line), and Harbor Drive, which curls along the waterfront and passes the Maritime Museum, Seaport Village, the Convention Center, and PETCO Park.

Hillcrest -- The main streets are University Avenue and Washington Street (both two-way, running east and west), and Fourth and Fifth avenues (both one-way, running south and north, respectively).

La Jolla -- The main avenues are Prospect and Girard, which are perpendicular to each other. The main routes in and out of La Jolla are La Jolla Boulevard (running south to Mission Beach) and Torrey Pines Road (leading to I-5).

Mission Valley -- I-8 runs east-west along the valley's southern perimeter; Highway 163, I-805, and I-15 run north-south through the valley. Hotel Circle is an elongated loop road that parallels either side of I-8 to the west of Highway 163; Friar's Road is the major artery on the north side of the valley.

Pacific Beach -- Mission Boulevard is the main drag, parallel to and 1 block in from the beach, and perpendicular to it are Grand and Garnet avenues. East and West Mission Bay drives encircle most of the bay and Ingraham Street cuts through the middle of it.

Street Maps

The Convention & Visitors Bureau's International Visitor Information Center, 1040 1/3 W. Broadway, along the downtown Embarcadero (tel. 619/236-1212), provides an illustrated pocket map. Also available are maps of the 59-mile scenic drive around San Diego, the Gaslamp Quarter, Tijuana, San Diego's public transportation, and a "Campgrounds and Recreation" map for the county.

The Automobile Club of Southern California has 10 San Diego offices (tel. 619/233-1000). It distributes great maps, which are free to AAA members and to members of many international auto clubs, and it sells auto insurance for those driving within Mexico.

Car-rental outfits usually offer maps of the city that show the freeways and major streets, and hotels often provide complimentary maps of the downtown area. You can buy maps of the city and vicinity at retail stores. The Transit Store, 102 Broadway, at First Avenue (tel. 619/234-1060), is a storehouse of bus and trolley maps, with a friendly staff on duty to answer specific questions.

If you're moving to San Diego or plan an extended stay, I recommend the Thomas Guides, available at bookstores, drugstores, and large supermarkets for $24.95 (www.randmcnally.com). This all-encompassing book of maps deciphers San Diego County street by street, and includes a CD-ROM version.