What is University Town Center?:
One of the many Westfield Shopping entities, UTC is a pleasant outdoor mall. Located in the Golden Triangle area (and slated for a refurbishing), it serves the La Jolla/Univeristy City/Clairemont area. Built in the late 1970s, I remember hanging out here in between my classes at nearby UC San Diego - because there was nothing else around. Believe it or not, when the mall was built, there was nothing: no condos, no office towers, nothing.
What makes it so special?:
The ice skating rink. Yep, when UTC was built, they included an ice skating rink (with a food court) to serve the burgeoning residential community. Now, that's foresight! The rink is incredibly popular for ice skating and hockey, and its a great place to chill (literally) and people watch. It also lends a nice ambience to the Holiday Season.
What's the mall's flavor?:
Middle class suburbia. Nothing special here in terms of architecture. The "town center" in its name was an attempt to conjure up that neighborhood feel, which is reflected in its more meadering layout. In fact, you could say it predicted today's concept of shopping malls as the local town square. UTC is slated for major refurbishing soon. Other than that, it sports a generic Westfield personality.
What's the clientele?:
Yuppies, college students, and soccer moms - nothing cutting edge here.
Food factor:
Standard food court fare. There are a few sit-down restaurants, including Red Robin. Nothing special here.
Signature stores:
Standard middle class fare: Nordtrom, Macy's, Sears, Pottery Barn, Banana Republic.
Parking prgonosis:
Plentiful. Usually lots of parking next to Sears to the east, or on the west side next to Macy's.
The Essentials:
Address:
4545 La Jolla Village Drive
San Diego CA 92122-1212
(858) 546-8858
4545 La Jolla Village Drive
San Diego CA 92122-1212
(858) 546-8858
Conveniently located on the corner of La Jolla Village Drive and Genesee Avenue between the 5 and 805 Freeways.
Entrances to the center are located on La Jolla Village Drive (north side of the center), Genesee Avenue (west side of the center), Nobel Drive (south side of the center) and Towne Centre Drive (east side of the center).
