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Hillcrest Sign Photos

Recommended Reviews - Hillcrest Sign

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Reviews With Photos

Alex D.

Legendary sign letting you know you're in the gayborhood! The best place to be. I love this sign and want it to stay forever.

The many tastes of food that you can food in the hillcrest area that makes food great for the many areas.
Joel C.

With the many years of the history that have been told about the many 100 of years can be described with the coming of the Railroad and the shipping that has made San Diego famous the many places the city of San Diego had made the many years of discoveries. Fifth Avenue that has been one street that has so much history that is behind it where it connects to the area of Hillcrest and the Northern part of the Downtown San Diego. From the early years of San Diego and the start of the first World that the city of San Diego the many neighborhoods that have the early years of the first Cable Car. The many years that the start of Hillcrest sign started around the year in 1940 " The Hillcrest Lighted sign at the Intersection of 5th and University was first erected, donated by the Hillcrest Womens Association, a group of local shopkeepers. Similar sign that appears in images that a.ppear in 1930. After falling into disrepair, it was taken down and rebuilt in 1984. The many years that when you take a look at the many areas that connect to the Hillcrest area which can be taken back to the late years that was 1906 this neighborhood was called "University Heights" along with much of San Diegos Uptown area. William Wesly Whitson purchased and subdivided 40acres North of University Avenue to Lewis Street between 5th and 6th Avenue with the many areas of Hillcrest back in the year 1888 public transportation arrives in uptown when the Park Belt Motor opens a ten-mile loop connecting Downtown to Hillcrest and University heights. In 1875 Increasing demands for water lead San Diego Water company to tap water from wells in Mission Valley and the San Diego River. A pumping station is built in the Mission Valley at the mouth of Palm Canyon (Just east of Presidio Hill), A tunnel running up from Mission Valley to the Mesa top (near the current UCSD Medical Center) carried water to University Avenue from where it flowed down hill across the empty mesa into a new reservoir at Fifth and Hawthorne. With the many years of the History of the sign and the area of University Avenue and the 5th Avenue the area of Hillcrest has been one place which had the many years of history. From the Spanish American War, when the many troops that were installed the surrounding area near the mission and the overlook of the valley has been the grandest look over the valley. As a Yelp Elite Reviewer there has been so much history that outlines the start of Hillcrest to the History of the first Mayor of San Diego. The many times that I have taken the trips through the Hillcrest is the largest time frames which spends so many years.

1.5.2019
Michelle W.

Can I just move here now? Lol The sign is located between University Avenue and Fifth Street. My first time coming to Hillcrest and I loved this neighborhood in San Diego. Why? Everyone was friendly, the neighborhood is known for being welcoming, large LGBTQ community, awesome variety of restaurants, shops, bars, farmers market, Whole Foods, etc. Great area to walk around and check out the shops. Parking can be interesting. Just be sure to not park in a lot where they charge hourly as that can be expensive when the street parking is cheaper. Just be sure to feed the meter.

Hillcrest sign

Nice sign, historic area. Plenty of shopping, restaurants and people watching. You're going to enjoy it

When it's hard to snap a pic in traffic & you have your passenger scramble to take one for you..lol
Kathy T.

The = H I L L C R E S T = sign rises above the streets surrounding Hillcrest's Heart at University & Fifth Avenues. Hillcrest is the upscale town that's known for "tolerance & acceptance" & comprises an eclectic bunch of unique individuals, including a large LGBT community. I pass this sign almost every day & use it as a welcoming beacon that I'm home. The neighborhoods that border Hillcrest are: Mission Hills NWest Bankers Hill South University Heights North North Park East This 'Heart of Hillcrest' Sign is the center of a shopping mecca, which includes restaurants, cafes, bars, clubs, trendy thrift-stores & independent specialty stores. Walkability score is 81, Transit Score is 54, Bicycle Score is 58. = H I L L C R E S T =

Calvin N. H.

For my 100th review, I chose to review Hillcrest. This neighborhood, with it's welcoming sign, is quite charming. There are so many great restaurants, cafes, and shops here. Some of my favorite places are here in the Hillcrest area: Whole Foods, Bronx Pizza, Trinitea Tea, Saigon on 5th, Chocolat, and more. My family and the wifey also like the clothing and thrift stores in the area. There's a great community here. I feel quite safe walking around this area even when it gets late. Hillcrest is one of the coolest neighborhoods in San Diego. The older sign was replaced in 2011 with this current sign which is a more eco-friendly green sign that uses LEDs.

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10 months ago

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6 months ago

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3 years ago

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7 years ago

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8 years ago

Great Sign over University & Fifth Avenue. Great area.

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11 years ago

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9 years ago

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13 years ago

Every district in Downtown San Diego area needs a sign like this. WE are working on it! Love it!

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11 years ago

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Ask the Community - Hillcrest Sign

Review Highlights - Hillcrest Sign

It is more than a label of an area of town and more a portal to the hopes and dreams of a community.

Mentioned in 4 reviews

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Gaslamp Quarter Association - Young Blood. A unique speakeasy bar where cocktails are made to your flavor preferences. Easily, one of the best bars I've been to.

Gaslamp Quarter Association

4.1(236 reviews)
2.5 miGaslamp

We attended our FOURTH Taste of the Gaslamp, this is 2025!!! We have been coming since 2022!!!…read more It's a FUN San Diego Event. We started at Goodnight John Boy, which is a 1970's Nightclub!!! It was also STOP 1, serving PIZZA. We stopped at in on 16 RESTAURANTS!!! HERE IS HOW OUR DAY WENT: We proceeded over and up. We ate PIZZA again at PIZZA ON FIFTH. THEN, back down, BACK AND FORTH, and down some more. Back and Forth, AND UP!!! We had pizza and more pizza, a couple places had sliders. CHEESE BALLS at The Field!!! I ate both of our Cheese Balls, and they were large and filled with soft, creamy white cheese. When we walked into THE FIELD, the Staff approached us and took us to a table, the only empty table in the place!!! After that, they even exchanged the stool that was there with a backed chair. GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! YUMMY, yummy Truffles at Sugarbear!!! We then ran into the MEXICAN REGION, with Rockin Baja and Hasta Manana, and Baja Rick's Cantina!!! We loved HASTA MANANA, in particular. It went all out MEXICAN FOOD, we had three different things to eat, including Chips and Guacamole, a Potato Taquito, and Arroz Con Leche. HASTA Manana was the HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY!!! At ROYAL India, we tried Chicken Marsala!!! We were thrilled to see CAFE SEVILLA again serving Paella!!! We were also thrilled to see SUGAR BEAR again serving DELICIOUS DESERTS!!! I have to say this about SUGARBEAR, we were greeted warmly by the owner, who was standing outside. It was JUST LIKE LAST YEAR. WHAT A DAY!!! I mean, this is a Classic San Diego LOCATION, location, location, the Gaslamp Quarter. Then, DID I MENTION, you get to taste the food at 16 Restaurants!!! TELL ME, what is better???

Very charming neighborhood of downtown San Diego! I stayed at the Sofia Hotel so walking and…read moreexploring the area was convenient and so easy. I loved getting to pass by all the historic buildings, most were constructed in the Victorian era. Also lots of restaurants and shops along the way to Harbor Drive

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Gaslamp Quarter Association
Gaslamp Quarter Association
Gaslamp Quarter Association - Chocolate Cremerie Desserts at Taste of the Gaslamp 2023.

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Chocolate Cremerie Desserts at Taste of the Gaslamp 2023.

The Homecoming Statue

The Homecoming Statue

4.4(11 reviews)
2.6 miDowntown

Pretty iconic statue along the boardwalk before you get to Seaport Village. There's not really a…read morequeue to take your picture in front of it, so hop in while you can. When I visited, there was yellow tape in front of the statue roping it off. Not clear on why.

this statue seems to be mistaken for the Unconditional Surrender statue a lot by reviewers…read more Unconditional Surrender is tall and in color, while the Homecoming statue is life sized and bronze. They could not be more different. You will find this statue on a grass patch along the street. Parking here to get a closer look is relatively simple. There is a huge metered lot within a reasonable walking distance of this statue. It is a simple statue that depicts a sailor being embraced by a woman, that I assume to be his wife and a small child that I assume to be shared by his wife. The sculpture is the work of Stanley Bleifeld, whose intent was to express the joy of the reunion between a family when a sailor returns from a long deployment. The statue not only honors the service member, but the sacrifices made by families during challenging periods without their loved ones. The San Diego sculpture is a replica of the original one in the US Navy Memorial in Washington, DC. You will find other copies in Virginia and South Carolina. The statue is about 7 feet high and was dedicated in August 1998. It is showing its age a bit, but still looks pretty good. It is a powerful sculpture and you can really feel the reunion. Be sure to check out the expressions on the sculptures' faces, especially the kid's. Anyway, as with most sculptures that I have visited and reviewed, this is not a long stop. I was there less than 5 minutes. So, you may want to consider making this stop part of a larger itinerary to maximize your time and trip. There are a ton of statues and memorials in that area including the USS San Diego Memorial, The Bob Hope Salute, The Aircraft Carrier Memorial and the Unconditional Surrender statue. I would also consider visiting the USS Midway Museum, as well.

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The Homecoming Statue
The Homecoming Statue - Love this

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The Homecoming Statue - Iconic

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Iconic

Horton Plaza Park - Outside

Horton Plaza Park

2.9(52 reviews)
2.3 miGaslamp

For the nany groups that gatgerwd at the park you would find the shore patrol that patroled the…read morestreets for the times were early with the servicemen that would have time in the city on shore leave. For the Horton Plaza pigeon park fid have its bad sidez wgen the mall storez started changing it caused the park to be cleaned up. The Pigeon Park gad a tunnel that ran under the park that connected to the old Grey Hound Station that is locat at 1st and Broadway. The Banking Building tgat is located at the front it was one of the many that handeled the many stores for the Wells Fargo handled the businesses of Horton Plaza as the shopping center was changing. When planet hollywood was at the mall the rsstaurant was the support for the ma with the vest food and surprising dishes. Horton Plaza Park was the front row seats to the many premeres of the msll the park was one you saw the many speakers the park was the center of the visitors and the news conferences that would be broadcasted from the park. The founder and the one that developed the many properties i the fathers of the Gaslamp anx the Spreckles theater Alonzo Horton the founder of the gaslamp and the many of thr New City the firzt bame for the city of San Diego. Horton Plaza Park the centwr of the historical landmarks for the Horton Pkaza Park was an empty field before the mall was built the Spreckles Theater one of the first musical and the first Black and White theater. With the US Grant Hotel tht oldest of San Diego it was the business hotel the hietorical loxation that oversaw the openinfband the dedication of the park. As a Yelp Elite Reviewer the historical locationd of the Broadway the main street that runs down the middle of the city. From the trip that I toom down to San Diego the park been changed with i dustrial blowers and generators for the theater was started but was never finished. The company that was doing the demo and the remodel the problem there is no money the demo and remodel had ruined the Historical Landnark seeing this the city has ruined the Histotical welcome to visitors.

I work a block away from this parking lot and the late night parking attendant tonight was much…read moremore rude than usual. He told us to basically go to a different parking garage since they were experiencing issues tonight and only have one lane open versus 3 lanes. After I thanked him for dealing with everything he didn't say anything except "next time park it on market" it's always the guy with the hat late night that is so quiet and rude to all myself and all my coworkers. There has been one lovely late night lady and she's the best!!! 5 stars for her. Bring her around more often. Not this mean guy that hates literally everyone.

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Horton Plaza Park - With the many parts of the Horton Plaza Park there is under construction of the outdoor theater and the Ampitheater.

With the many parts of the Horton Plaza Park there is under construction of the outdoor theater and the Ampitheater.

Horton Plaza Park - With the Horton Park the one hotel that has the ties to the park is the US Grant hotel which donated money to the building of the park.

With the Horton Park the one hotel that has the ties to the park is the US Grant hotel which donated money to the building of the park.

Horton Plaza Park - The many areas of the Horton Plaza Park and the site of the Horton House which you can see the site as the right.

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The many areas of the Horton Plaza Park and the site of the Horton House which you can see the site as the right.

Hillcrest Sign - landmarks - Updated May 2026

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