Sofia's place was great and exactly what we expected. The check-in process was good and the location was an easy walk to restaurants and pubs. We rented a car and parked in the pay for parking lot which was convienent. But be ready to pay for parking, unless you want to drive around for a while to find free parking (which is no different for any other part of San Diego that we experienced). The noise wasn't an issue for us but we didn't expect to be bothered by it. If you are sensitive to noise maybe bring a portable noise machine to drown out the train. All in all it was the perfect place to stay in downtown San Diego and we enjoyed our experience!