As a native San Diegan, I’m used to my hometown being rather sleepy and understated, especially on weeknights. There’s so much potential for fun in this stunningly beautiful city, but it often goes untapped and unfulfilled. If pressed, I would say that San Diegans have the tendency to be a little anti-social. But that’s OK with me because I can be like that sometimes, too.

That’s why I was so shocked when, a few Tuesdays ago, I ended up in the Gaslamp Quarter near the new ballpark and it was full of hustle and bustle and beers and sociable people and - dare I say it? - even a little hecticness!

The game was still in the 7th inning, so my friend Akiko and I hit the bar on the rooftop of the San Diego Marriott Gaslamp Quarter. The bar is called Altitude and it’s quite a scene by San Diego standards. Or, maybe I just haven’t been out in awhile. In any case, the comfy couches were rather empty when we first arrived because the game was still going on, which was broadcast on a large flat-screen TV. But the more exciting way to watch the game was peeking over the edge of the roof and down into the stadium where you can clearly see the diamond and hear the crowd roar. We sipped our martinis and the rooftop view made us feel like we actually a part of the ballgame. See:

Then, slowly and surely the stadium emptied out and the bar filled up. After the Padres’ big win over the Mets, San Diegans were in the mood to relax with cocktails from the large bar set against a colored waterfall backdrop. The drinks are delicious and they have some original concoctions; but they’re served in plastic stemware because, after all, it is on a rooftop and the consequences of a drunkenly dropped glass from 22 floors up could be dire. I drank a Cosmopolitan and Akiko enjoyed a classic gin martini with three blue cheese-stuffed olives.

The crowd consisted of people from all age groups, all extremely friendly; Akiko and I, both married ladies, were somehow the recipients of amiable pick-up lines more than once. So this is what it feels like to be young and single in San Diego! And, on a Tuesday night no less! Maybe this city isn’t as low-key as I imagined.

Also in the hotel is a street-level restaurant called Soleil @ k with an outside patio that gained some excitement from the hundreds of people passing by as they left the stadium. We’ll have to eat there sometime soon, before baseball season ends. Anyone eaten there before?

I would recommend the rooftop bar at the Marriott to any San Diegan looking to renew their faith in the fun-loving nature of our city. The only problem with this whole situation is, of course, parking. We lucked out and got a rare non-metered spot on our first trip around the block.

It felt like the whole night was just meant to be. A beautiful summer night, a perfect Cosmo with a friend, a Padres win, and beer-buzzed San Diegans all around. Perfect.