San Diego... Downtown... Gaslamp Quarter. Weary from the drive down from Los Angeles, and also from spending the day looking at beautiful Italian cars by the bay for the Bella Italia show. Surrounded by businessmen and party people, I decided to take a chance on something different: Mudville Flats.

You'd never guess that in the East Village of Downtown, there would be a place to surround you with green palms, crawling ivy (a nod to the owner's Chicago roots and Wrigley Field), and, curiously, a golden Buddha.

This escape from chaos provides you with modern comforts and old-world charm. With only four units inside this 1905 Craftsman-style building, your own patio, and every single detail recalling either baseball or Zen, it is easy to feel at home and relaxed.

The large high-definition television on your wall will bring the games to you, and the wireless internet connection and washer and dryer could keep you holed up in here for weeks. There's also a full kitchen in your room, and I found mine stocked with water, Red Bull, and even two beers.

The owner, Mike Funes, told me that they "will do almost anything for a reasonable person." "If we don't have it," he said, "we'll go out and get it for you." He tells me that he is proud of his boutique hotel concept and customized personal service. He would go with you to the grocery store, take you down to the baseball game, or as he did with me, ride with you to your parking space and give you a tour of the neighborhood.

"This neighborhood used to look like a Dharfur refugee camp," Funes said. "It's nice to see such a dramatic change in such a short period of time." He even illustrates his point by showing me a collection of photographs he has taken, both of the neighborhood, and of the bus stop across the street.

We even have a Chicago connection in common. He used to run the North Side Cafe in Chicago, and standing in my (his) kitchen, he talks about his time as a bartender during Chicago's glory days. "Eddie Vedder playing pool, Dennis Rodman hanging out, Smashing Pumpkins on the radio." I notice an original Wesley Willis picture on the wall, and he tells me that the crazy (and now deceased) Willis gave him the illustration for free.

He also has a Shepard Fairy sticker next to the front door, reminding guests to lock it. "He's one of my favorite artists, and he got his start here in San Diego." In a whimsical twist, a gallery of bad art lines the downstairs hallway leading out to the back porch. Ronald Reagan as a clown, a few paintings on velvet. Things which would certainly be the first to go if a guest disobeyed the Fairy sticker.

Upon checking out (and locking the door behind me), I was still caught up in the hotel's baseball theme. I decided to walk down the street to Petco Park, where the local Padres were playing our hometown Dodgers. I managed to find myself a ticket, and spent the sunny San Diego afternoon at the ballgame, enjoying the free beer that I smuggled in from the room, and watching the Dodgers open the season with a 4-1 victory.

"You used to have to kick bottles off your porch in this neighborhood," Mike said. Now you can just wave them in the air as your team celebrates a win. Getting out of your Mudville Flats bed to do so is optional.

THE DETAILS: Mudville Flats
747 Tenth Avenue
San Diego, CA
619.232.4045
http://mudvilleflats.com

Story by Alex Storch.

Photos courtesy Natacia Manibusan.