San Diego - Horton Plaza

Horton Plaza lies in downtown San Diego between Broadway and G Street, 1st and 4th Avenue. From an architectural point of view it is one of California's most interesting shopping centers. The name is derived from one of San Diego's pioneers, Alonzo Horton, who in 1867 bought for only 265 U.S. dollars some 1,000 acres/400 hectares of land in what was then a village. This included practically the whole of the downtown district of today. Horton Plaza boasts some 140 shops, including four department stores (Nordstrom, Robinson's, The Broadway and Mervins), numerous restaurants, a cinema and a theater. The bright colors and avant-garde architecture, together with the open-air displays, make it all most attractive.