Mission Valley East, San Diego, CA

Mission Valley East is the half of San Diego's big river valley that lies east of State Route 163, running along Interstate 8 out to Snapdragon Stadium near the I-15 interchange. A valley once given over to dairy farms and gravel pits now holds malls, office towers, hotels and a growing wall of apartment buildings, all strung along the San Diego River. Housing in Mission Valley East means condos and apartment complexes almost exclusively, many of them built close to Green Line trolley stations such as Rio Vista, Fenton Parkway and Hazard Center. The blocks around Rio San Diego Drive and Fenton Parkway are the densest, and at the east end the SDSU Mission Valley site has taken over the old stadium land. The river is the green thread. SDSU Mission Valley River Park covers 34 acres beside Snapdragon Stadium with sports fields, a skate area, an off-leash dog park and a two-mile loop for walkers and cyclists with markers every quarter mile. That loop joins the San Diego River Trail, which follows the water west past Grant Park, a 17-acre former sand mine on Camino del Rio North that the San Diego River Park Foundation now uses for nature programs and a native plant garden. Restaurants come mostly from the malls. Gravity Heights on Camino de la Reina is a brewpub with house beers, brunch on weekends and a beer garden. The King's Craft Coffee on Frazee Road roasts its own beans, sells a house blend called Backword K and was founded by former Charger Cory Withrow. Westfield Mission Valley and Hazard Center fill in with chain dining and movie theaters. Errands are about as easy as they get in the city. Ralphs sits on Mission Center Road, Food 4 Less anchors Hazard Center, and the Mission Valley Library is on Fenton Parkway. The Green Line runs the length of the valley, and Interstates 8, 805 and 15 all meet it. The valley floor was built for cars, so getting from one complex to another often means crossing wide boulevards and big parking lots, and stadium event nights bring crowds and traffic to the east end. On a quiet evening, though, the river trail is rarely more than a few minutes from an apartment door.