Jennifer Ayala says living Downtown means going for a walk with her baby daughter. She and husband Jim and daughter live in the Columbia District. (photo/lambertphoto.com)

Residents say it’s European living with a SoCal flair. Downtown has become the hottest neighborhood in San Diego, and the people who live there say it’s because you don’t have to leave — or drive — to find the things you enjoy.

From rowhouses on Cortez Hill to ultramodern lofts in Little Italy, a whole new population is embracing the amenities, convenience and just plain fun of living Downtown.

Things certainly have changed, says urban pioneer Susan McNeil Schreyer. She bought her first Downtown home in 1993, in Columbia Place across from Pantoja Park.

“The surprise of Downtown gentrification is really something,” McNeil Schreyer says. “It’s become eclectic and people are all different ages — it’s getting younger — and there are so many more little shops and galleries. Artists and families are moving here and it just enriches the environment so much. The walking landscape is getting to be like San Francisco.”

Her husband, Dean Schreyer, remembers just a few years back when he found out the woman he courted lived Downtown.

“I wondered if she had a job and bathed,” jokes the former Los Angeles resident. Now the couple walk to work, entertain at home and use the Jacuzzi on the roof, and enjoy their neighbors, many of whom are young families with children.

“There’s just so much to do, and we live so well here,” he says. “For a Los Angeles boy, it’s just so great to be able to walk to work.”

Walking is the first thing Downtown residents mention when they’re asked about their lifestyle. In a region where the average commute to work and back eats up 50 minutes a day, being able to walk to where you need to go is considered a status symbol.

Susan McNeil Schreyer, here with husband Dean, says Downtown is attracting people of all ages and the walking landscape is getting to be like San Francisco. (photo/lambertphoto.com)

“We walk to do our errands, we walk over to Petco for games, we walk to work, we can walk anywhere to find something interesting to do,” says McNeil Schreyer.

Robyn Kriss moved Downtown a year ago, after living near the beach and commuting to work at Geary Interactive, where she is an online advertising professional.

“The biggest thing for me is that I barely put five miles a week on my car now,” she says. “I realized last month that I hadn’t driven anywhere for five weeks.”

That doesn’t mean the very lively Kriss stays home.

“I walk everywhere, to work, to great Thai and sushi restaurants, to shopping at Horton Plaza, to Petco to see games for less than $10, to the really good happy hours at the Yardhouse and Karl Strauss Brewery, to a lot of great concerts. We’ve got two movie theaters, bookstores, galleries, boutiques and even Ralphs. It takes away a lot of stress that I don’t have to commute, and it means I can sleep longer in the morning.

For Jennifer Ayala, living Downtown means getting out for a walk with her baby daughter.

“Having a baby Downtown is very fun,” she says. “We can do things with her in that small time window when she’s awake — instead of spending a lot of time packing up the car and the baby and driving somewhere nice, I can put her in the stroller and go out the door, and walk to the parks. She loves our walks, and she watches everything, the people, the dogs, the trolley, and lots of other babies in strollers.”

Ayala’s favorite part of her first dates with her husband, Jim, was strolling about Downtown. “We walked around Downtown. It was when the Hyatt was just finished, and we talked about how cool it is here,” she says. “I lived in Chicago and I was very wistful about the things that weren’t here then.”

The Ayalas, who live in the Columbia District, walk a lot, she says. Not only do they take in the sights along Harbor Drive, they love to people-watch.

“We like to walk to Little Italy and get a gelato and people-watch,” she says. “Or to go to Pantoja Park and pull out a blanket. Downtown has really become a neighborhood — the coffee guy knows everyone’s name and you recognize people because they’re part of your life.” And, she says, they can get terrific take-out food, an absolute must for a family with a baby, without driving.

“We get Karl Straus, Indigo Grill has great take-out and we’ve even gotten take-out from Rainwater’s,” Ayala says. “It’s five minutes away and you don’t have to put the baby in the car seat and pack up her gear.”

Housing experts say that 40 percent of all attached housing being built in Southern California is here. As the number of people living in the eight Downtown neighborhoods grows — up to 24,000 from about 8,000 in 2000 and expected to rise to 80,000 by 2010 — the comforts and amenities of a well-stocked neighborhood come too.

The area has long been home to an array of restaurants and cutting-edge clubs, centered mainly in the Gaslamp Quarter. The daytime population of working professionals patronize coffee shops and carts, office support companies and inexpensive lunch stops. With the influx of new residents, dry cleaners, dentists and convenience stores have come too. The Ralphs store on G Street is setting sales records every year.

Coy Deer used to shop at Ralphs, but now he orders his groceries online and has them delivered to his home at State and E streets. He’s been living Downtown a long time and says it’s gotten more fun every year.

“Once in a while I think about moving somewhere but I can’t think of any place where it would be this easy for me to get around and find things to do,” he says. “There’s movie theaters, the mall, great comedy and music at 4th & B, and lots of parades.”

Baseball at Petco is Deer’s favorite pastime, he says. But just living Downtown is great — especially for a very active man in a wheelchair. “There’s so many more people and so many interesting things to roll to,” Deer said. “I can get on the buses and the trolley to go to all the places I want to go.”

Pasquale Ioele, who works in Del Mar, says his goal is to avoid driving on weekends — and he has a great time meeting it.

“I like going to the restaurants and bars, especially the ones with outdoor lounges,” he says. “And I go to Borders (bookstore) a lot, they have a great coffee shop. I go to Petco for baseball games and to the Gaslamp clubs on weekends.”

Ioele lived in Rome for a few years and he says it’s not a coincidence that he now lives in Little Italy.

“During the week, I tend to stay in the neighborhood, and our business association is really dedicated to making it a great place to live and go out,” Ioele says. “The piazzas are terrific, they’re fresh and comfortable. In Little Italy, everyone knows each other and it’s safe for families, for kids. It’s got that great Italian flavor — you run into your neighbors wherever you go and it feels like a small town.”

Ioele belongs to Pure Fitness, blocks from his home, and besides working out, he likes to hang out there. “It’s very social, there’s a sunny deck that overlooks Downtown where you can meet people and spend a nice afternoon,” he says.

While Downtown hosts a wide range of work-out facilities, from the revamped YMCA to Curves, many residents share the pleasure of being able to work out at gyms within their condo projects — if all the walking doesn’t burn those restaurant calories.

“I used to belong to a gym but now I use the fitness center in my building,” Ayala says. “It’s so convenient, I can just run down, work out and get a quick shower without leaving the building.”

Kriss likes to run, and she can step out her front door and find a terrific view and a tough workout.

“I’ll run up to Balboa Park or along Harbor Drive,” she says. “There’s lots of hills but they aren’t so bad because there’s so much to look at on the way.”

And, she says, if she wants to escape Downtown, she still can do it without driving. “You can jump on the trolley and go to Old Town or Little Italy, go to a game at Qualcomm,” she says. “You’re really in the heart of things.”