San Diego's Shopping Trolley
San Diego's hugely popular and easy-to-use trolley system connects many of the area's shopping malls so that you can shop hundreds of stores while leaving the car in one place. Shopping malls are built to serve the automobile. Because what is a mall? Pretty much big box retailers like JC Penny, Macy's or Bloomingdale's connected by multi-level vistas of smaller stores, all surrounded by acres of car parking spaces.
In San Diego, the ever-present shopping mall comes with a twist. Many of the most popular malls are connected by San Diego's trolley system - a quick, cheap, and efficient public train line, which contradicts the stereotype that Southern California is beholden exclusively to cars.
(Re) Enter The Trolley
In the 1970's, this was pretty much the case. Public transportation in San Diego was limited to a dilapidated bus line for the area's working poor. In 1981, the then conservative, car-loving city reluctantly opened a trolley experiment connecting the Tijuana border with Mexico to Downtown. The experiment was a huge success for both San Diegans and tourists, and the trolley has been expanding ever since.
The Great Shopping Mall Connector
Today, the trolley connects 7 shopping malls. The trolley either has a stop close by, as in the case of Horton Plaza or Seaport Village, or has a stop as part of the shopping mall architecture, like at Santee Trolley Square or Fashion Valley.
With such interconnectedness, a shopper can park their car Downtown in the morning and hit hundreds of shops all over town without getting back in the car until that evening.
Trolley Shopping Downtown
Tourist shopping favourites like Horton Plaza or Seaport Village are found Downtown. Horton Plaza is a major re-development built in the 1980's that cleverly uses the city's old architecture, giving the modern shopping mall a timeless, old city feel. Seaport Village consists of small souvenir stores and snack shops overlooking San Diego Harbor.
Shopping The Blue Line
From Downtown, jump on the blue line trolley heading north and go to the Fashion Valley Mall, the current jewel of San Diego's shopping malls. Fashion Valley has all the major luxury stores from Tiffany's to Armani, as well as a Sachs Fifth Avenue. It's a beautiful complex and the trolley stops right in its parking lot.
On your way there (or back) you may stop at the Mission Valley Mall. The trolley stop is just across the street. Mission Valley dates from the 60's and is more of a sprawling affair, with one store separated from the other by parking lots.
Shopping The Orange Line
The Orange Line takes you to the Grossmont Center, a quaint, old-fashioned mall in La Mesa, anchored by a two-story Target, a smallish Macy's, Wal-Mart and a Pacific Cinema. And there's a surprisingly good choice of restaurants.
Further out is the Santee Trolley Square. As its name indicates, Santee Trolley Square bears the trolley connection proudly. Civic leaders have high hopes for its car free connection to Downtown.
A trolley trip within Downtown costs $1.25 for a two-hour window of travel. As you head out of the city's center, the price is measured by how many stops you take, but everything falls within five dollars per person for a round trip. Not a bad deal at today's gas prices.
About the Author
Alex Russel is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn, NY. Lucky enough to grow up in Europe with family all over the world, he has been a consummate traveler his whole life. Since graduating from Syracuse University he has worked at many different media companies in fields as diverse as film, TV, advertising, and journalism. He holds a dual bachelor's degree in English and History.
