San Diego's lively new-and-old downtown

Sunset, Feb, 1987

After 10 years of playing in a chapel, theSan Diego Repertory Theatre (14) had earned a reputation for fresh presentations of contemporary plays. When the company moved last year into the Lyceum --two new stages snuggled under Horton Plaza--and expanded its season, the number of subscribers went from 2,300 to 10,000. The official season begins in April; this month, you can see Warren's Story (February 1 through 22) and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (February 5 through 15).

Inaugurating their new Deane Theatre(39) stage, the five-year-old Gaslamp Quarter Theatre Company will present Somerset Maugham's The Circle February 4 through March 1. At the city's performing arts certer (4), the San Diego Opera presents its winter program: Wagner's Flying Dutchman and Rossini's Barber of Seville.

For information on shows, call ARTSTIX (3), a nonprofit service run by the San Diego Theatre League in historic Spreckels Theater. The group offers half-price day-of-performance tickets.

At two newly revivified downtown hotels,you can either stay for a lavish weekend or just admire the architecture.

When first opened in 1910, the marble-pavedU.S. Grant Hotel (7) was downtown's poshest. After falling into disrepair, it has reopened as a cosmopolitan-- and expensive--hotel. You can dine in the Grant Grille, a wood-paneled restaurant justly proud of its wine list, or take afternoon tea under wedding cake chandeliers in the lobby from 2:30 to 5:30 daily.

Two Victorian hotels slated for demolitionwere dismantled and then reassembled as the Horton Grand Hotel (38). Staff wear 19th-century costumes; rooms have four-poster beds and swags of curtains. In the Chinese exhibit, you can have Chinese tea 11 to 4 Wednesdays through Sundays, or try the English version (reservations required) in the lobby between 2:30 and 5 daily.

Exploring the city on foot

Alonzo Horton gave the city good genes: acompact grid of streets with brief blocks that lend themselves to walking. Remember that this is a city in transition; you may be approached by a panhandler or pass an adult bookstore.

Gaslamp Quarter. The Gaslamp's Victoriansare dotted with shops and inexpensive eating places. Following our map's walk, begin at Fifth Avenue and Broadway and head south.

The Granger Building (16), with itsarched entry of rusticated stone, was recently renovated to hold offices and stores--the story of many buildings around Horton Plaza. The 40-year-old Western Hat Works (17) is cowboy hats from floor to ceiling. San Diego Hardware (22) stocks amazing selections of products--a hundred different screwdrivers, uncountable nails--and the salesmen seem to know them all. A November fire damaged the store; it should reopen in expanded quarters in March.

With its tiny twin towers and intricatefacade, the 1888 Louis Bank of Commerce Building (19) has a prissy Victorian handsomeness. Go to the fourth floor to see the beautiful skylight.

Continuing south, you'll pass throughwhat was, at the start of the century, the red light district; many of today's transient hotels were once cathouses. The area was also Chinatown; Wong's Nanking Cafe (40), built in 1913, retains the atmosphere of the past.