Bankers Hill, San Diego, CA

Bankers Hill climbs the west side of Balboa Park from the edge of downtown San Diego up toward Hillcrest, and parts of it still go by the older name Park West. The name goes back to the well-off residents who built big houses on this slope in the late 1800s, many of them facing the bay. Homes run from Victorian houses to early 1900s designs by Irving Gill, William Hebbard and Richard Requa, and a number of the old mansions now hold offices. High-rise condo towers stand along Fifth and Sixth Avenues looking over the park, while the side streets west of Fourth mix historic houses with low apartment blocks. Out on the western blocks the land drops toward the airport, and upper windows look across to Harbor Island, Coronado and Mount Soledad. The canyons are what newcomers do not expect. Maple Canyon Trail starts off Third Avenue and passes under two old bridges. Olive Street Park opened at the top of that canyon in December 2024 with a climbing structure, fitness gear and an observation deck. The Spruce Street Suspension Bridge crosses another canyon to the west and sways a bit underfoot. Balboa Park begins right across Sixth Avenue, so its lawns, gardens and museums become part of an ordinary evening loop. Fourth and Fifth Avenues hold most of the dining. Mister A's is the long-running celebration room, with a piano and views over downtown and the park. Cucina Urbana on Laurel Street serves Italian plates and pizza and runs a shuttle to The Old Globe. Books & Records on Fourth pours inventive cocktails in a dim room with live music, and Cafe Bassam on Fifth makes lattes among antiques and soft jazz. For small errands, a short run of shops on First Avenue from Hawthorn to Juniper Street, and the Whole Foods on University Avenue in Hillcrest covers a full grocery list. Downtown sits downhill to the south, a quick ride on a bike, and Interstate 5 runs along the western edge. The slope that gives Bankers Hill its views also shapes the day. Rolling down to Little Italy is effortless, and the climb back up from downtown with a bag of groceries is real exercise. Plenty of people still walk it, stopping at the canyon edge on the way home to look back at the harbor lights.