About Hillquest

About HillQuest.com & the girls behind it

What prompted a couple of 50-year-old gals in 2003 to begin publishing fun urban guides on their neighborhood and directing those readers to a new phenomena a community website? This area of Uptown is overflowing with interesting history, walks, shops and dining. And since we had been here for several decades — living and working in the heart of Hillcrest, we wanted to share a few insider tips and help drive business into the village.

Our combined experience in publishing and graphic design provided us with an opportunity to share a few of the treasures that our neighborhood holds. And although we’ve worked on more publications than we care to admit, HillQuest’s first edition was our initial collaboration. We created an annual hip pocket guide (and a portal to this website) to increase awareness of the surrounding area. Our goal was to share some insight of those who live here, work here, travel through or just plain love Uptown. We hope is that you enjoy our HillQuest Urban Guides (volumes 1-10), and that you use this compilation to explore and discover each of the neighborhoods in Uptown. In October of 2007 the American Planning Association designated our former home of Hillcrest as one of the nation’s top ten great neighborhoods. What an honor! And — it was the only one on the list with gay roots.

What you don’t have a book yet?!? We can send one to you one for $8, or read them online. Even without our book in your hands, you can learn much about the neighborhood via HillQuest.com which is updated throughout the day with interesting tidbits from 92103 & beyond.

So here we go, have fun with our website and the guides. Make an adventure out of your day. Explore the many aspects of Uptown. The hideouts and hangouts. Walking bridges, bicycle-friendly routes, canyon trails and little-known facts. Please email us and share your memories or photos.

Hillcrest is home to San Diego’s first allied business association, the HBA (whose members selected Ad Ink Advertising Agency, started by Ann in 1984, as their 2005 Business of the Year). Despite the predominance of malls and freeways in Southern California, Uptown thrives. Please support our advertisers. They helped to make our dream a reality.

>>> The tenth edition of HillQuest Urban Guide was our final printed book, but the website lives on. Click in daily for updates. We published 300,000 books to promote the neighborhood that we were proud to call home. We will always love Hillcrest, but in 2012 we moved a mile south to “The Meadows” in Bankers Hill. Although officially retired, our activism continues as we strive to give people a voice and help creative positive change.

Here are a few ideas to grow a better community in YOUR neighborhood — enjoy life!

— Ann Garwood & Nancy Moors