North Park is situated to the northeast of Balboa Park, bounded on the north by the canyons overlooking Mission Valley, on the south by Switzer Canyon and the South Park neighborhood, on the east by Interstate 805 and City Heights, and on the west by Florida Canyon and Hillcrest. The North Park sign can be seen at 30th Street and University Avenue, and this intersection is often considered to be the heart of the neighborhood.
North Park includes the sub-neighborhoods of Burlingame, Altadena, and the Morley Field area An eclectic array of restaurants, as well as independent coffee shops, can be found along the main arteries of 30th Street and University Avenue. The area is also dotted with bars and night clubs that cater to a wide diversity of patrons.Downtown North Park contains the Ray Street Arts District. Ray at Night is a gallery walk held the second Saturday of every month in North Park. It is the largest and longest running artwalk in San Diego’s history. Nearby, the Birch North Park Theatre reopened after major renovations in 2005. It is the home of Lyric Opera San Diego. North Park has a Farmers Market every Thursday at the parking lot located at University and 32nd Streets. The Spring/Summer hours are 3pm-sunset, Fall/Winter 2pm-Sunset. They feature over 35 independent vendors; locally grown produce/flowers; gourmet/ethnic foods; arts and crafts; books; and, often, live music.
North Park boasts hipster coffee shops like Claire de Lune and Lestat’s, decadent chocolate stores (Eclipse), vegetarian Mexican food (California’s) as well as pubs such as Toronado and Bar Pink, clubs like The Office and U-31, and taverns like True North and Blue Foot. Other notable restaurants include Zensei for sushi, and Urban Solace for eclectic dining, as well as Heaven Sent for desserts.