San Diego/Old Town-Mission Valley

The birthplace of San Diego, Old Town is a popular tourist district of historic buildings and Mexican-themed shops and restaurants sitting at the foot of Mission Valley, a major commercial center lining the San Diego River that is home to several shopping centers, Snapdragon Stadium, and the Mission San Diego de Alcalá, the oldest of the California missions.

By car
Mission Valley is strung along Interstate 8 and several interstates intersect with I-8 through the valley, making access by car relatively easy. Old Town is just off the intersection of Interstate 5 and I-8 at the western end of the valley, SR-163 intersects I-8 near the Fashion Valley shopping center, and I-805, and I-15 cross I-8 in the eastern part of the valley near Snapdragon Stadium.

Getting through Mission Valley in a car is quite painless, given the large boulevards and numerous parking lots. However, finding a place to park in Old Town can be a real drag. Even Mission Valley's large roads can get clogged with traffic during rush hours, sports events, and the holiday shopping season when shoppers flock to Mission Valley's many retail outlets.

By public transit
The (at 4005 Taylor St, near the intersection of Taylor Street and Pacific Highway at the northwest corner of Old Town) and the Fashion Valley shopping center in Mission Valley are hubs for many local Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) bus routes. In addition, the Old Town Transit Center serves the Coaster, a commuter rail service which runs north along the coast of San Diego County to Oceanside, and certain Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains (check the schedule, as not all trains stop in Old Town).

The San Diego Trolley, a light rail service operated by the MTS, runs through Old Town and Mission Valley. The Green Line comes up from Downtown and stops at the Old Town Transit Center before turning east and heading through Mission Valley (making stops at all the shopping centers, Qualcomm Stadium, and the Mission San Diego), then continuing east past SDSU out to El Cajon and Santee.

See




Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
A historic district which encompasses most of Old Town and many of the area's original Spanish structures from when the settlement was founded in the 18th century. The park is around nine square blocks, or almost 30 acres, and can be toured with or without a guide.



Buy
Mission Valley is a major shopping hub for the entire region, with several large shopping centers and many big-box stores and retail outlets.



Old Town offers many different places to shop. There are over 100 stores in Old Town State Historic Park.



Eat
Old Town not only offers great Mexican delicacies it also offers many other types of food like Italian or even some Irish Pubs. If you are planning on going during the weekend leave plenty of time because it will get crowded. Or, try to make reservations if the restaurant will take them.

Sleep
Most of the hotels in this area are of the chain variety, along Interstates 5 or 8, and loudly proclaiming their proximity to Old Town and to Sea World in nearby Mission Bay. Hotel Circle, along I-8 in the western part of Mission Valley, is home to a lot of basic chain hotels.

Connect


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