The Paloma (left) and Chevo's Snake Oil cocktail (right) at The Nolen. Photo: Kate Murphy/Axios
👏 Congrats to Drew C., for recognizing the view from The Nolen, a rooftop bar downtown that's a destination for any urbanist.
Zoom in: The bar is named after John Nolen, who in 1908 wrote the comprehensive plan for San Diego's growth and development.
San Diego had the location to be important and "perhaps a great" city, he wrote, because its people were "awake to its needs."
The big picture: Nolen's plan called for preserving beaches and open space, and building European-style plazas through downtown, between Date and Cedar streets, that would form a paseo from Balboa Park to the Bay.
That didn't quite play out.
In 1926, Nolen updated his plan to develop the entire metropolitan area, not just the city.
"In some respects the boundaries of San Diego may appear too wide already for city purposes," he wrote, echoing a common sentiment nearly 100 years later.
If you go: Happy hour is Monday-Friday from 4-6pm, and Saturday-Sunday from 3pm–6pm.
The elevated space hascomfy lounge seating, firepits, TVs, and discounted drinks and bites.
Try the Paloma for a deal, or Chevo's Snake Oil cocktail if you're a mezcal fan.
