No doubt about it. With new players and better players and a lot of more optimism among fans than in many years, the Padres Opening Day had a different feel to it.
And with all the thousands of people who flocked to Petco Park and to the East Village Block Party and who filled restaurants and bars in the Gaslamp, downtown San Diego had a different feel to it, too.
The changes downtown have been on-going for years.
The explosive growth in apartment and condos in new tall buildings and lots of studios and lofts in not so tall buildings.And it’s added up- to a lot more people now living downtown than ever before.
Then there’s continued increase in the number of dockless electric scooters and bikes all over the place. The cast of one recent show that came to town commented they saw more scooters in San Diego than they have in other cities they’ve travelled to.
And one of the things that all the people downtown and all the scooters downtown have led to….is a more dangerous situation on the streets downtown.
If you were driving in the Gaslamp or East Village on Opening Day, you were sure to notice it.Making turns at any intersection can become like taking a driver’s license re-test…about looking all ways with scooters to the side of you and scooters right in front of you.
There’s even been some speculation that in the interest of safety, maybe some city streets downtown should be closed to traffic.
That may never happen, but what is happening downtown is a reminder to be a lot more careful when it comes to driving or scootering.
LISTEN TO PODCAST OF OPENING DAY CROWD
(Photo credit KOGO News)