Wherever you go in the 17-plus incorporated cities of San Diego County, stretching from the Mexican border to just south of Los Angeles, cranes and jackhammers are busy redefining the landscape. Within the downtown area alone, sleek modern residential towers are springing up amidst restored Victorian classics, enticing residents back to urban “green” living in a diverse cultural environment where cars could become obsolete.

Smart Corner, a recently opened 19-story residential tower, sits by the relocated San Diego Trolley’s College Station. Parking is underground, for those who can’t quite give up their auto dependence. If you prefer walking, a newly constructed linear park along Harbour Drive offers a gracious promenade lined by small landscaped parks and elegant sculpture gardens.

The most ambitious project, of which Smart Corner is a major element, plans to link San Diego Bay to Balboa Park, the largest urban cultural park in the United States, encompassing 1,200 lush acres and containing 85 cultural attractions including 15 museums, eight gardens and the renowned San Diego Zoo. Called the Park-to-Bay Link, the project will feature a tree-lined, pedestrian-friendly walkway complete with a suspension bridge along a newly redesigned 12th Avenue, where the building of Petco Park (home of Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres) sparked the rebirth of the East Village section of downtown in 2004. The project should be completed in early 2008.

Not to be outdone, the enormous convention center, beside picturesque San Diego Bay and just across Harbour Drive from the historic Gaslamp Quarter, is attracting even larger hotels (among them a 1,190-room Hilton scheduled to open in late 2008, and the 20-story Spinnaker Hotel with its own ferry/water taxi) to house the ever-growing convention crowd. An iconic symbol on the Pacific Shore, the Convention Center’s tall white billowing sails mimic the shape of the myriad boats on San Diego Bay. A broad walkway along the shore stretches through the shopping/dining destination of Seaport Village to the cruise ship terminals and the USS Midway Museum beyond.

A few minutes from downtown, Mission Park and Pacific Beach beckon beachgoers and surfers, while La Jolla entices with its craggy coastline and Mediterranean ambience. Wherever you choose to spend your time in San Diego, you can be sure it will be perfect.

LODGING

THE KEATING

Stark, simple and ultra-modern, The Keating belies its exterior. Housed in a historic Romanesque Revival building dating to 1890, the inside of this 35-room hotel was designed by Pininfarina, best known for Maserati and Ferrari automotive design. The “stanze” room (the least expensive) has two sinks, a shower box (with tinted blue glass), a sumptuous king-sized bed, a small desk and (thankfully) a separate room for the toilet. Completing the amenities are a powerful Bang & Olufsen sound system, free WiFi, an in-room espresso-cappuccino maker, a plasma-screen TV, and red robes and slippers. Plus, it’s smack dab in the heart of the Gaslamp Quarter — you can’t get closer to the action. 432 F St., tel 619 814 5700, http://www.thekeating.com $$$$

ESTANCIA LA JOLLA
RESORT & SPA

This Mexican hacienda-style resort is on the edge of La Jolla, next to the architecturally renowned Salk Institute and near the legendary Torrey Pines Golf Course. Beautiful plantings complement meandering paths that are lit at night with hundreds of candles. The saltwater pool makes for comfortable swimming, and the spa offers many customized treatments. Two restaurants and a wine bar are on the grounds, along with facilities for small meetings. And forget counting sheep: A magnifying light projects the time from the clock on your bedside table onto the ceiling. 9700 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, tel 858 550 1000, http://www.estancialajolla.com $$$

HOTEL SOLAMAR

Comfortable and spacious guestrooms are decorated in a feast of brown and aqua stripes, polka dots and squiggles. Request a room overlooking the rooftop pool area: the JBar scene at night is vibrant, and the lighting is a feast for the eyes. A huge purple-lit dome dominates, banquettes are outlined in green tubing, and a thin red line of light defines the railings overlooking J Street and Petco Park just a block away. Free WiFi, no coffeemaker (but excellent coffee downstairs), L’Occitane toiletries and jungle-print robes (are you a zebra or a giraffe?) round out the amenities. 435 6th Ave., tel 619 531 8740, http://www.hotelsolamar.com $$$

DINING

ADDISON

Part hacienda, part chateau, Addison is a decorator’s fantasy of Italian marble columns, Moorish arches, massive chandeliers and limestone fireplaces. It was named after Addison Mizner, known for his extravagant deco designs in Florida in the early 1900s. The grand rotunda is a spectacular backdrop to the creative cuisine that awaits you. Choose the tasting menu for a sampling of the amazing recipes Chef William Bradley conjures. Each course is presented with the perfect wine accompaniment. Finely milled vegetable purees complement most dishes with tastes that can’t quite be defined … butternut, white bean, tomatillo? 5200 Grand del Mar Way, tel 858 314 1900, http://www.addisondelmar.com $$$$

JSIX

The chef takes center stage here, on a raised platform with open cooking and a rounded copper counter. The high-ceilinged restaurant is beautifully designed, with a large bar separating the two dining areas, one complete with a red fez-covered wall. (Patrons have been known to don one after a few of JSix’s delightful cocktails.) The lamb with mint coulis was butter-soft, and the accompanying ham fritter was an unusual taste treat. Fresh fish and innovative vegetable combinations dominate the varied menu. On the corner of J Street and Sixth Avenue (hence the name). 616 J St., tel 619 531 8744, http://www.jsixsandiego.com $$$

STINGAREE

Once a warehouse, Stingaree (as the area it’s in was known in the past) has been reborn as a popular destination club/restaurant. The large interior is nouveau 1950s and includes an enormous bar with comfortable private booths lined up along the outside walls, reminiscent of train compartments. On weekends the open rooftop bar pulses with dancing designer-clad trendies. The food is well thought out, remarkably fresh, and runs the gamut from sea bass to steak frites. The fresh melon sorbet was just the right dessert for a hot night. 454 Sixth Ave., tel 619 544 9500, http://www.stingsandiego.com $$$

INFO TO GO

San Diego International Airport (SAN) is just minutes from downtown. Taxis are plentiful, or if you prefer, the Flyer Route 992 bus offers service between the airport and downtown. A network of buses and the local trolley connect downtown (and some of the outlying) neighborhoods. Rent a car if you plan to head to the beaches or outer areas.

DIVERSIONS

Balboa Park, a must-see, encompasses 85 cultural institutions, including the Globe Theatre, the Mingei International Museum , the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, and the San Diego Natural History Museum. Built for the Panama-California Exposition of 1915-16, the park is an ornate masterpiece of assorted Spanish Colonial/Revival-style buildings, complete with the expansive El Prado walkway culminating in a huge fountain overlooking San Diego below. To represent Xanadu, Orson Welles used the California Tower at the San Diego Museum of Man in Citizen Kane.

Are you a history buff? Visit Cabrillo National Monument, the birthplace of San Diego in 1542, the Maritime Museum of San Diego, home of the 1863 Star of India, the oldest active tall ship in the world; and the new USS Midway Museum. Or spend, shop and eat your way through the Gaslamp Quarter, admiring the renovated Victorians sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with gleaming steel-and-glass newcomers. Sports fan? Catch a Padres game at San Diego Zoo, the 3,000 wild animals roaming free at its sister Wild Animal Park, and Shamu at SeaWorld. Budding botanist? Stroll through the Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas, the United States’ largest bamboo garden (where they grow bamboo to feed the Zoo’s pandas). Nearby are the perfectly manicured meditation gardens of the Self-Realization Fellowship of Encinitas. Art lover? Admire the views at the spectacular Museum of Contemporary Art in La Jolla. Perched on a ledge overlooking the Pacific, the art inside is framed by the nature outside. Afterwards, stroll along the iconic cliffside walk to watch the seals sun themselves.

Ready for some quesadillas or carne asada? Head for Old Town San Diego Historic State Park, site of the first permanent Spanish settlement in California, where, in 1769, Father Junipero Serra established the very first in a chain of 21 missions that were to be the cornerstone of California’s colonization. By the 1820s a small Mexican community of adobe buildings was formed at the base of the hill, and by 1835 it had attained the status of El Pueblo de San Diego. Brave the lines at the Old Town Mexican Cafe (tel 619 297 4330); it’s worth it. Stop by the eclectic Bazaar del Mundo for unique Mexican gifts. Or more authentically, grab your passport and head down to Tijuana, Mexico, just 20 minutes south of San Diego, via trolley from downtown San Diego to San Ysidro, where you can cross the border.