San
Diego Old Town Hotels
In 1769, Spanish settlers chose Presidio
Hill as the site of the first of California's missions.
They soon began to build homes at the foot of the
hill, which was dominated in turn by Mexican officials
and then by early arrivals from the eastern US. Old
Town San Diego , reachable from downtown via the Trolley,
is now a state historical park holding a number of
original adobe dwellings, plus the inevitable souvenir
shops. The stores and restaurants stay open until
10pm or later, but the best time to be around is during
the afternoon, to enter the more interesting of the
adobes on the daily free walking tour (2pm), which
leaves from the Seeley Stable , just off the central
plaza, home to many nicely preserved horse-drawn carriages
and wagons from the nineteenth century. Details are
available from the visitors center , 4002 Wallace
St (daily 10am-5pm; tel 858/220-5422).
The Spanish-style building now atop Presidio Hill
is only a rough approximation of the original mission
- moved in 1774 - but its Serra Museum (Thurs-Sun
10am-4.30pm; $5) is an intriguing examination of Junipero
Serra, the padre who led the Spanish colonization
and Catholic conversion of California. The Mission
San Diego de Alcalá itself was relocated six
miles north to 10818 San Diego Mission Rd (daily 9am-5pm;
$3 donation), to be near a water source and fertile
soils - and to be safer from attack. The present building
(on bus #43 from downtown) is still a working parish
church, a peaceful complex with a small museum that
holds craft objects and historical articles from the
mission, including the crucifix held by Serra at his
death in 1834. |
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