Martin and Cecilia Gonzales with 17-month-old Luisa Maria and 4-year-old Cecilia at Aqua Al 2 in the Gaslamp Quarter, close to their home in the Marina District. (photo/lambertphoto.com)

Moving Downtown was just another adventure in living for Martin and Cecilia Gonzales. Both from a small town in Sinaloa, Mexico, they’ve enjoyed the city life that swirls around their Marina District home. “Everything is here,” says Cecilia. “We love being in this vibrant area.”

At 31, Martin Gonzales is the proprietor of Aqua Al 2 in the Gaslamp Quarter, and works the long hours dictated by the restaurant business: early morning deliveries and getting through the lunch rush to the afternoon lull before prepping for dinner.

Living Downtown means he gets to see his children, 4-year-old Cecilia and 17-month-old Luisa Maria.

“I love it because I get to see them all the time — in my business you get short breaks during a long day, and if I had to drive somewhere I wouldn’t get to see them,” he says. “My wife says she won’t move because if we do she’ll never see me.”

Now he can walk on Sixth Avenue with his kids, and go to the parks near the family’s home. “I live so close to work it means I can really be with my family,” he says. “In the restaurant business in the U.S., that’s really rare.”

Gonzales also has a restaurant in Florence, where he lived for several years. He’s used to urban, European-style living and he’s delighted to see it in San Diego. “The boom in development made it attractive to start my restaurant here,” he says. “It’s a great city and there’s constant stream of business all year round.”

Cecilia, 29, stayed in Mexico while her husband was in Italy, although she visited him a few times. But when he came to San Diego, she joined him. “It was a big change for me,” she says. “I liked the city and the area right away.”

The couple lived in Mission Valley for several years before moving Downtown three years ago.

“It was nice,” Cecilia says of Mission Valley. “But I just love living Downtown. We can just walk out the door and find so much to see and do. When we’re bored, we go for a walk by the trolley and stop at the restaurant. The only thing I miss is the house, the physical house with a yard. We can walk for groceries, for entertainment, to the parks and, of course, to see Martin when he has a break. It means my children see their papa throughout the day.”

On special days, the Gonzaleses take their children to Spanish Landing, just a short hop up Harbor Drive. It’s a great picnic spot on the bay, with swings and a play area just for kids.

Downtown living means lots of friends and family coming to visit, Cecilia says. “People love coming — we’re right at the heart of things, and it’s just a short way to the Zoo and Sea World and the beaches,” she says. “I feel like I’m keeping a hotel sometimes. I’m always checking to see if we will have room for more visitors.”