SAN DIEGO — Not only is the season opener a big day for Padres fans, it’s also a big day for downtown businesses with crowds packing into restaurants and bars throughout the Gaslamp Quarter.
“It’s in the air, I can feel it,” said Padres fan John Brookes. “It’s so nice to be in the city, the vibes are great.”
Opening Day was a big deal for local establishments, giving them a chance to capitalize on the excitement of it all.
“It’s absolutely packed here,” said Corey Hightower, general manager for Bootlegger. “Traffic is gnarly, and all the bars are hopping. All the restaurants are packed.”
“Opening Day Padres is always super exciting down here,” said Holly Watt, part-owner of Knotty Barrel. “There’s always tons of people and the atmosphere is just happy and fun.”
This year’s opening game day is extremely helpful for downtown businesses, given the restrictions they’ve faced the past couple years due to the uncertainty of the pandemic.
“Last year was sort of halfway. A lot of restrictions,” said Hightower. “This year, it’s gung-ho. People have been talking about it for a while. Staff is super excited. I’m super excited. The owners are super excited.”
And for fans like Judy Weinstein and Claire Beezy, it’s a chance to make a whole day of it, spending their time and money all day long in the Gaslamp.
“We’re making a day. We haven’t seen each other for a while cause of COVID, and so we’re starting here,” said Weinstein, as she raised her beer.
“I have not been to an MLB game since the pandemic,” said Beezy. “I love baseball. It’s such a fun sport. I love the songs, the festivities, the people, the beer, the food, and especially here in sunny San Diego.”
All in all, whether we see a Padres victory or not, businesses around the Gaslamp are surely coming out on top.
“There’s that void that we need to make up for at this point,” said Hightower. “It’s going to be hectic but it’s going to be good and it’s going to start getting things back into normal mode, starting to help the businesses out that have hurt for so long.”
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