Anthology

SoCal’s classic beach city revs up its nightlife, and family options multiply. But the beaches still rule
BY MARIBETH MELLIN | PHOTOGRAPHED BY SHELLY STRAZIS

NIGHT LIFE RENAISSANCE
Before preservationists took up the restoration cause in the 1970s, San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter was a tangle of boarded-up Victorian houses and rundown adult theaters. Today, the area’s chic rooftop clubs and marquee restaurants help drive an eclectic nightlife scene citywide.

Sophisticates tend to head for Stingaree, a three-story club with a VIP attitude and a well-publicized list of celebrity sightings. Scene-makers favor the costumed dancers and cozy booths at Envy, a black-on-black basement club at the Ivy Hotel.

Everybody stops by at least one rooftop bar, whether it’s the Ivy’s stark white Eden (where private cabañas rent for four figures on holiday evenings) or the more casual Altitude Sky Lounge, overlooking ball games at Petco Park. Expect velvet ropes and long lines at the Hard Rock Hotel’s poolside Moonstone Lounge and street-level Sweetwater Saloon. If you prefer to avoid the crush, check out the saloon’s outdoor patio in daylight hours.

Big-name acts and DJs play at all sorts of downtown spaces, from the jam-packed House of Blues to Anthology, an elegant supper club that hosts the likes of Wynton Marsalis and Arturo Sandoval. Try to snag one of the coveted stage-front tables at Anthology, where you can snack on crisp duck confit between sips of pinot noir.

The cutting-edge vibe downtown has expanded to San Diego’s beach towns as well, so a trendsetting nightclub, restaurant or wine bar is never far off. But with the salty sea air and a general laid-back attitude, things remain thoroughly San Diego—just sassier. MORE:

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