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Remarkable locals let us into their personal sanctuaries, from a painter's secret garden to a luxe, party-ready speakeasy
8 San Diegans Take us Inside Their Favorite Spaces
Natalie Bessell is not a night owl. She paints only in the natural light that pours into her “sanctuary,” a studio overlooking Tecolote Canyon Natural Park.
Five years ago, Bessell’s boyfriend and her dad—world-renowned surfboard shaper Tim Bessell—built the space off of a freestanding window wall in her backyard, bordering a vegetable garden dilapidated by squirrels, rats, coyotes, and raccoons.
Constructed almost entirely from reclaimed materials, the studio is grounded by fence posts Bessell found discarded in an alley. The ceiling is reclaimed corrugated roofing material, strung with the same lights that run through her backyard.
But she doesn’t use them much, because her creativity flourishes most in the middle of the day, when the sun is shining and the wildlife that inspires her work is awake, when she can hear hummingbirds chirping and see falcons clutching doves in their talons. (The food chain is a common theme in her work.)
Like the antique frames, paint tubes, and easels that line the studio walls, at the end of the day Bessell says her space is merely a tool for her craft.
“The most important thing is the paintings that come out of it … and the inspiration that surrounds it.”
8 San Diegans Take us Inside Their Favorite Spaces
Walk into Elexia de la Parra’s apartment and you might think you stepped into Artelexia, the kaleidoscopic boutique she launched nine years ago in Little Italy and moved to her own North Park neighborhood in 2017.
Both spaces are bathed in florals and folk art dedicated to her Mexican heritage. But as much as she lives her brand, it’s in this nook that she can let her hair down.
“My husband and I sit and have what we call our ‘coffee talk’ over cappuccinos with Oaxacan chocolate,” she says. “Then after dinner, we’ll come here, turn on the candles. Miguel has mezcal, I have wine. We just chat.”
The nook is anchored by his and hers chairs: an ikat print chair and two ottomans by San Diego–based Folk Art Project—a brand she sells in her shop—plus a leather chair from World Market. De la Parra has a knack for collecting, whether it’s the antique door draped in pom-poms from San Miguel Allende or Day of the Dead figurines alongside milagro charms. Shelves are filled with books on Mexican folk art and cooking, evidence of her culinary arts degree.
“Color just makes me happy,” she says. “I sit here all the time and I tell my husband, ‘I love our space.’ It makes me extremely happy.”
8 San Diegans Take us Inside Their Favorite Spaces
It’s spokeeasy, not speakeasy. That’s what the Vigils call this tricked-out entertaining space in their six-bedroom Rancho Santa Fe abode. The name’s not past tense—it nods to David’s love of cycling.
“I have a vision of opening a bike shop that turns into a speakeasy by night,” says David, who worked at Qualcomm for 20 years before joining the high-end bike brand Pinarello. “I even have the domain name.”
To enter, they press a button in their library. Inside is a wooden bar with Monkey 47 gin, Pappy Van Winkle’s, and Suntory Whisky, to name a few. “We were into mixology before the craze started.”
McCulley Design Lab led the home renovation, with David’s friend, award-winning Atlanta bartender Greg Best, chiming in on bar design. There’s also a glass-door wine cellar, with bottles of Hundred Acre, Screaming Eagle, and dozens more.
On the other side of the 1,100-square-foot room are quirky paintings, two TVs, a golf course view, a pool table, and a Louisville Slugger signed by Tony Gwynn. The Oscars, Super Bowl, Christmas—they’re all celebrated in the spokeeasy.
“We can have a lot of people here. We have all we need for entertaining, and we can go outside for sunsets,” Rebecca says. “It’s a party room for friends and family—and we come in by ourselves, too!”
8 San Diegans Take us Inside Their Favorite Spaces
A few times a week you can find Tom Wong with his “back to the world,” totally engaged in his laptop at North Park’s Communal Coffee. He’ll have his headphones in and his go-to, espresso and black tea.
Wong has triplets at home and research assistants in his office at UCSD, so Communal provides the perfect low-stakes hum of distraction—the bustle of baristas, Wu-Tang Clan playing over the speakers—to most productively analyze his data.
“When I need to unplug, I’ll literally unplug my headphones and swivel my chair around,” he says. “This data, it has to be perfect.”
That’s because this data is personal. It’s validating DACA, which Wong could have been a recipient of, “if I hadn’t gotten married,” he says.
Wong didn’t know he was undocumented until he tried to get his driver’s license at age 16. He married his high school sweetheart and dedicated his career to immigration and citizenship studies. In his last year of graduate school, his triplet sons were born: Soul, Pace, and Ever.
Seven years and a stint as an advisor in the Obama White House later, Wong occasionally brings his boys to his favorite space to show them how he lives out his American dream—from a swivel stool at Communal Coffee.
8 San Diegans Take us Inside Their Favorite Spaces
Holly Haines’s microwave, mixer, skillets, and cooking utensils are in her living room. Her dinner and drinkware, too, have received the kitchen-cabinet boot.
That’s because her “impossibly tiny kitchen,” as she puts it, is reserved solely for her ingredients—spices, flours, “so many salts,” four different types of butter, a basket of soy sauces, year-old unopened anchovy paste. “I need it all,” she says of her University Heights space. “I could make anything out of this kitchen.”
A full-time web designer and, for fun, a private chef and food blogger at From My Impossibly Tiny Kitchen, Haines learned the art of comfort food from her mother. Her love for cooking went viral when she competed on NBC’s Food Fighters in 2015. She’s releasing a cookbook, How to Eat Your Feelings, this spring.
She moved into her “so ’80s” one-bedroom apartment nine years ago. At the time, the gas stove was the only thing that turned her on to the 64-square-foot kitchen. Still, Haines made do, lining the windowsill with living herbs and “organizing in a way that’s quick for me.”
Obviously, it’s a love/hate relationship with her favorite space.
“The kitchen is where I’m comfortable,” she says. “I love it for what it is.”
8 San Diegans Take us Inside Their Favorite Spaces
“My whole life, the thing I’ve loved other than cheese is music,” says Gina Freize. After 14 years of educating San Diegans about triple creams and blues at gourmet cheese shop Venissimo, she and her husband finally made good on their dream of moving downtown. It’s just the two of them, but they’ve got an inanimate roommate in the beautiful black Steinway that first left the factory floor on December 1, 1936.
Situated between two corner windows that look out over city life below, that bench is where she holds court with friends, playing pop songs and some basic Mozart (“I don’t venture off the key of C when it comes to Mozart,” she says). “I’ve always wanted to live downtown. Having this loft space has been a dream forever. I can see the planes fly by my window every 30 seconds. I’m always dreaming if they’re just visiting or living here, and if they’ll love it like I do.”
Also nearby in the loft is a 35-pound stone hippo that she and her husband bought while on a safari in South Africa. “They said it would take six weeks to get here. It took six months. So we named it Hope the Hippo, because we weren’t sure if it’d ever make it.”
8 San Diegans Take us Inside Their Favorite Spaces
When Davin Waite first got sober, he needed something else to mess around with. “I couldn’t just surf all day,” he says. The North County native hit rock bottom with drugs and alcohol years ago, but after becoming sober, he built a reputation as one of the city’s top sushi chefs at Wrench & Rodent. The life of a chef, husband, dad, and small-business owner isn’t an easy or sane one. Waite has a live-wire, high-energy personality, but he’s learned to focus it on better things—like the train world in the garage of his Oceanside home, which helps calm any lingering stress reactions.
“I was born into trains,” he says. “My dad’s a train nut. We grew up watching trains by the tracks in Carlsbad.” At a train swap meet when he was a kid, he noticed a custom model of Carlsbad’s historic south Twin Inns building, which is now home to his friend Rob Ruiz’s restaurant, The Land & Water Co. “I had a few hundred bucks in my pocket,” he recalls. “The guy said, ‘Oh, give me $5.’”
Other pieces, selected over 30 years, also evoke events from his life, like a locomotive he had custom built to mirror the tattoo on his arm, or the London bus from his family’s time across the pond. It may never be finished. “The fact that it’s half finished is important. I’m terrified of finishing it.”
From handmade goods to one-of-a-kind finds, these local shops prove the best souvenirs are the ones with a story
Almost everything in this Oceanside shop is made by local artists and independent weirdos, and almost none of it requires a gallerist’s budget. Goblin Shark Emporium rotates a new featured artist every month between the vinyl crates, blacklight posters, and hilariously specific stickers, so you can walk out with original work and a tarot reading to contemplate as you sip your Banana Dang Coffee from a couple storefronts down.
Tucked within the potting tables and ferns of Mission Hills Nursery, the oldest nursery in Southern California and a Kate Sessions original, sits Through the Fold, the sweet indie bookstore that mother-daughter team Gail Levine and Jennifer Medeiros hand-built and opened in late April. Two retired educators and lifelong bibliophiles run it like a neighborhood living room: three book clubs, toddler story time, and a summer camp for the 7-to-12 set. It’s the rare retail run that smells like soil and new paperbacks, which is to say, like a very specific kind of heaven.
Open since 1993 under the unbeatable tagline “Books of Martians, Murder, Magic, and Mayhem,” this Rosecrans Street institution is the city’s portal for anyone who would rather be on a different planet. Load up on sci-fi, horror, and fantasy, then stick around for the weekly Dungeons & Dragons campaign, because the only thing better than reading about another universe is rolling a d20 inside one.
On the ground floor of the downtown Central Library, tucked into the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Common, sits the Library Shop, a tightly curated gift store stocked with presents and trinkets you didn’t know you needed: wind-up kitchen timers, specialty pencils, felt coasters in colors cheerful enough to overcome the first half of the Padres’ season—you get it. Every dollar funds the San Diego Public Library system, which makes the shop’s official “Guilt-Free Shopping” motto the rare slogan that holds up. Come for a paperback, leave having formed a genuine emotional attachment to a $4 pencil.
The window at this North Park shop is alive: a front-of-house catio where adoptable rescue cats audition for your heart while you pretend to be just browsing. From there, a literal catwalk runs along the ceiling to a back resting room (because existing around inferior beings is exhausting for cats). Owner Vera Blatchley of Purrgatory stocks the full cat-lover arsenal, plus a wall of gifts for the feline who already has nine of everything. Fan favorite: a retro-style, bubblegum-pink Kit-Cat Clock.
Surf art’s everywhere, but it’s somehow always a little kooky. Painter Andy Davis’ style captured that elemental soul, making him one of the most successful surf artists of the last few decades (check his giant mural at Town and Country Resort). His tiny Encinitas storefront, Club Paradise, is a gallery-slash-gift shop that stocks his paintings and prints—and he’s using the space as a culture club for local and touring creatives.
Tulux is the Pacific Beach swimwear label out of Cass Street, where designer Yamhed Torres turns the whole Tulum fantasy into bold, limited-run bikinis. This year, Vogue México y Latinoamérica named her one of just 10 emerging designers to watch, so each suit comes with the kind of credentials that practically books its own sunset getaway. Everything is one and done: When a piece sells, it’s gone for good, which is either smart scarcity or the universe telling you to commit.
Free lotto tickets at crystal shops? Yes, please. Pacific Beads owner Shlomo Gruer greets you at the door of this Clairemont Mesa warehouse of crystals, geodes, and beads by the bin. He presses a lotto ticket into your hand, sometimes with the stipulation that if you hit it big, you can throw his staff a party. You come for cheap amethyst and sterling findings; you leave holding a fistful of healing stones and a statistically remote shot at early retirement.
El Cajon’s Parkway Plaza could look radically different in the near future, as city officials are hatching plans to reinvent the one-time community and commercial center. Inflection points of iconic structures are always compelling times to visit and tabulate your own urban-planning daydreams. As you do, hit the first NAMA-certified automatic cotton candy vending machine in the country. Push a button, and 123 Sweetsss spins you a fresh cloud of childhood in under a minute. No carnival, no county fair admission, no sweaty teenager in a paper hat required.
From getting your sweat on at hip-hop class to celebrating with a zero-proof cocktail, here are San Diego's top fitness and wellness spots
For thousands of years, the Kumeyaay who lived in this area called a mountain south of Julian Cush-pii, meaning “sharp peak.” Then, after the Civil War, Confederate sympathizers saw that same mountain and decided to rename it Stonewall Peak—after General Stonewall Jackson. The name stuck for nearly a century and a half, until Cuyamaca Rancho State Park announced earlier this year that the name will return to its original, Cush-pii. Hike to the summit for expansive views of the Coronado Islands to the west and Mexico to the south.
In 1993, Angie Bunch gathered a group of hip-hop dancers—called Culture Shock Dance Troupe—and gave them a space to practice and perform. As hip hop grew through the ’90s, so did Culture Shock. It has since become a nonprofit, a space for young and old, beginner and expert dancers. Culture Shock has also expanded to Los Angeles, Oakland, Las Vegas, Chicago, Atlanta, New York City, and Washington, D.C., as well as Ottawa and Toronto, Canada.
In 2019, Amanda Leach created the Yoga Box method, which takes high-energy flows and adds strength-building poses in heated, vibey, lava-lamp-lit studios. What started on Grand Avenue in Pacific Beach has spread to 15 locations across the county, with even more trickling into Denver, Chicago, and Brooklyn. The best part? Mindfulness newbies who can’t touch their toes and six-packed contortionists can hang in the same class. You can customize each session based on your ability and fitness level.
A gym taking over a historic beachfront pool sounds like the setup for a new season of Love Island, but Fit Mission Beach operating the nearly 100-year-old Plunge at Belmont Park is real. The independent fitness brand has spent the past several years building a loyal following through group fitness classes, community events, and a members’ social club overlooking the ocean. Upstairs, members can work remotely, meet friends, or hang out long after their workout ends. Between the Plunge, the coworking-style lounge, and a packed calendar of events, Fit has evolved into something bigger than a gym. It’s a clubhouse for San Diego’s fitness crowd.
The wellness world is finally transitioning away from HIIT workouts and cult-like spin classes, where your heart rate hits Zone 5 within minutes and stays there until cooldown. Good. At Breathe Degrees, wellness takes the form of zenned-out communal breathing sessions or vagus nerve–activating cold plunges. Breathwork is said to boost your mood in the short term and improve your heart health in the long term, and maybe that’s why everyone’s coming back for more. You can’t run into someone in Carlsbad who hasn’t dropped into at least one breathwork session, and now the studio has opened a second location in Liberty Station.
Pilates wasn’t just popular this year; it was practically a requirement for maintaining your San Diego residency. New studios seemed to appear weekly across San Diego, each promising stronger cores and better posture, but Soul Pilates and Care found a way to stand out by addressing a challenge many parents know well: finding time to exercise at all. Fitness doesn’t have to compete with parenting responsibilities. Parents can drop their kids off with trained caregivers while they head into reformer classes, eliminating one of the biggest barriers to working out. The studio has earned strong reviews for both its instruction and family-friendly approach.
The Hotel del Coronado’s sweeping $550 million restoration touched nearly every corner of the historic resort, but one of the most anticipated unveilils was the debut of its redesigned spa. The oceanfront wellness destination now features 21 treatment rooms, a relaxation lounge, a sauna, steam room, and a treatment menu inspired by the coastal environment just steps away. The redesign blends the Del’s Victorian legacy with a cleaner, more contemporary aesthetic, creating a space that feels distinctly SoCal rather than generic luxury hotel. For locals who don’t have time for a vacation, it’s the next best thing.
As non-alcoholic beverages continue their meteoric rise, Good News Bar has become one of San Diego’s most compelling arguments for a booze-free evening. The University Heights hotspot serves a menu of carefully crafted zero-proof cocktails that borrow techniques and ingredients from traditional cocktail programs (it’s not just fancy juices and soda water), minus the hangover. The space also hosts regular community events and has quickly become a gathering place for everyone from sober San Diegans to the merely sober-curious. In a nightlife industry built around alcohol sales, Good News proved there’s plenty of demand for connection without the buzz.
From elephant encounters to escape rooms, these are the adventures that kept San Diego families busy all year long
If you can’t quite swing the cost of a trip to the African outback, the Safari Park’s new Elephant Valley is a pretty convincing Plan B. The 13-acre immersive habitat—the largest project in the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s 109-year history—is home to eight African elephants, but it’s the thoughtful details that steal the show. Keep your eyes open for intricate Kenyan-inspired artwork, native landscaping, and stop by the Mkutano House, where you can grab lunch with a front-row view of the herd.
Pepper Park became the emotional anchor of the bayfront overhaul when the National City park reopened this March with a 2.5-acre expansion. Hopefully that’s just the start. The California Coastal Commission also approved the city’s ambitious waterfront plan, clearing the way for a long-envisioned 77-acre bayfront makeover with more green space, better bike paths, and improved waterfront access. Money still has to be raised, but head to Pepper Park, sit on a brand-new bench, and gaze out at the future of the South Bay.
Not every family destination comes with roller coasters—sometimes, they have paint rollers. The Willie Henderson Sports Complex in southeast San Diego recently received a new paint job and major facelift (courtesy of San Diego FC, the Prebys Foundation, and community advocates), giving thousands of kids a safer, smoother, and more colorful place to play basketball or soccer. If your weekends revolve around sports gear, folding chairs, and orange slices, you’ll definitely appreciate the upgrade.
Parents come for the pizza. Kids come for the games. Sci-fi nerds come for it all. Killer Pizza From Mars is an Oceanside mainstay for families who love arcades, vintage Star Wars memorabilia, and piled-high pizzas with outrageously silly names like the “Mars”gherita pizza. Order a basket of Killer Fries, sink your teeth into a Martian Melt sandwich, and don’t be surprised if your kids clamor for a return mission.
After what must have felt like an eternity for Pacific Beach families, Fanuel Street Park’s playground is finally back. The old play structure got the heave-ho nearly two years ago, but this spring, the community raised enough donations to replace it with modern climbing structures, new swings, and better accessibility. It’s finally back to being a low-key locals spot perfect for picnicking, splashing around, and letting the kids burn off some energy.
If screen time has obliterated your attention span, try giving your brain a workout at an escape room. Lara’s Labyrinth provides a few options ranging from kid-friendly to “try not to pee your pants in fright,” where participants can attempt to escape an enchanted forest or decipher clues left by Leonardo da Vinci. (Some rooms have G, PG-13, and R-rated versions for your family’s comfort level, but maybe save the “Cannibal” room for an adults-only excursion.)
Birch Aquarium has always made a splash, but the $18.7 million Living Seas exhibit is a tidal wave of awesome. The immersive exhibit features different marine ecosystems throughout the Pacific Ocean, from the warm aqua waters of tropical zones to the frigid (but nourishing) Pacific Northwest. Bigger is better here: There are areas designated for the gigantic sunflower sea star and giant Pacific octopus, so prepare for oceanic marvels to wow you.
Forget “don’t touch the art.” At Artopia, touching, building, climbing, experimenting, and making a colorful mess are all exactly the point. Created by the museum’s in-house Creative Studios team, the interactive space invites kids to become artists through hands-on projects like weekend ceramics workshops and after-school programs. When creativity gets a little chaotic is when it’s at its most fun.
The Fairmont Grand Del Mar used to feel like someplace you admired from afar. Grand Social changed that. Three levels of outdoor space are now home to a bar and grill, bocce courts, and other lawn games, as well as a summertime concert series and other family-friendly events that welcome locals just as much as overnight guests. It’s proof that one of San Diego’s fanciest addresses also knows how to have a little fun.
You don’t need a cage to come face-to-face with sharks anymore. SeaWorld’s revamped Shark Encounter lets you get startlingly close to species like reef sharks, massive sand tigers, and endangered Australian leopard sharks, all inside newly redesigned habitats. It’s equal parts adrenaline and education, and a good reminder that these misunderstood predators are closer to Bruce in Finding Nemo than Jaws in… well, Jaws.
Houston, we have a new reason to visit LEGOLAND California. LEGO Galaxy is the plastic-brick haven’s biggest in-park investment ever, including the first new roller coaster in 20 years. Between the customizable Galacticoaster experience, build-your-own spacecraft stations, and interactive space adventures, aspiring astronauts can easily spend hours exploring this brick-built universe.
This month, the 2026 San Diego Business Impact Awards recognized local businesses making an impact in clean energy, biotech, hospitality, and beyond
Renewable energy companies building hundreds of power plants. Biotech startups using artificial intelligence to create personalized medicine for children with rare diseases. Hospitality companies quietly powering thousands of local events. Consumer brands growing from beach-town startups into national businesses. These are the kinds of companies driving San Diego’s economy today, and the businesses recognized at this year’s San Diego Business Impact Awards offer a snapshot of where the region is headed.
Hosted July 23 by San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and JPMorganChase, the second annual awards event honored four local companies for innovation, growth, and economic impact. More than 100 nominations from San Diego’s middle-market businesses were reviewed by a 10-person judging committee, with winners selected across four categories: startup, early-stage innovator, rising star, and established heavyweight.
Two-time honoree Jimbo Someck, founder of Jimbo’s organic grocery stores, also joined the event for a fireside chat on buying local, supporting emerging brands, and giving back to the community.
“San Diego’s strength comes from its makers and builders—the resilient people who endure great risks and overcome obstacles to build and scale a company,” says Aaron Ryan, San Diego Region Manager and Middle Market Banking at JPMorganChase & Co. “These awards aren’t just recognition; they spotlight the talent, grit, and innovation shaping our region’s future. By celebrating those who create and build, we foster connections and fuel the growth that keeps San Diego thriving.”
Heavyweight honoree SOLV Energy has grown alongside the country’s rapid investment in renewable power. “It’s an exciting time for SOLV Energy as we are experiencing significant growth,” says CEO George Hershman. “The business has doubled over the last year and has almost double-digit growth since its inception.”
The Rancho Bernardo-based company designs, builds, operates, and maintains utility-scale solar and energy storage facilities. Since its founding in 2008, SOLV Energy has built more than 500 power plants.
Growth has translated directly into hiring. About 200 employees work from the company’s local headquarters, including roughly 20 interns. “Our intern program is a big part of the way that we grow our workforce,” Hershman says. “Last year, 43 percent of our interns became full-time employees. We believe San Diego is a great community to build and grow a high-tech infrastructure and technology company because of the incredible workforce—the ability to attract top talent and draw from world-class universities.”
Startup honoree La Jolla Labs is tackling one of medicine’s biggest challenges by developing personalized RNA therapeutics for patients with rare diseases—many of them children with neurological disorders like ALS. Using proprietary artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, the biotech company develops treatments tailored to each patient’s specific genetic mutation.
CEO Tamar Grossman says the recognition reflects how far the company has come despite limited resources. “We’re honored to be recognized for our ability to change and save patients’ lives and turn our lean startup into a clinical company with very minimal resources,” she says.
Grossman credits San Diego’s concentration of research institutions—including UC San Diego, the Salk Institute, and Scripps Research—with creating a pipeline of talent and collaboration. “San Diego is one of the world-leading centers for technology, genomics, and RNA therapeutics,” she says. “We have over 30 RNA therapeutics companies here, and we support each other and help with anything related to drug discovery.”
She says that collaborative spirit extends beyond formal partnerships. “You can walk around Torrey Pines, go into a café, and find colleagues from the industry and have an ad hoc conversation,” Grossman says. “That’s something very unique to San Diego.”
While Snake Oil Venue Company may not be a household name, chances are many San Diegans have attended one of its events. The early-stage innovator honoree has expanded from beverage catering and mixology consulting into venue management, operating Julep Venue in Mission Hills, Bramble Bay Venue in Imperial Beach, Vesper Venue, the Chapel at Liberty Station, and five outdoor venues throughout Liberty Station—more than 500,000 square feet of event space altogether.
“We do a lot of launch parties for corporations and new products,” says CEO Mike Esposito. “I really like working on the entrepreneur side of things, where new businesses are entering the San Diego market and looking to make a splash.”
Snake Oil has executed more than 16,000 events, employed more than 1,000 people, and partnered with more than 900 local vendors, including caterers, florists, photographers, entertainers, and other hospitality businesses. The company also works with many of San Diego’s nonprofits, museums, and cultural institutions. “We get to celebrate people’s most important moments,” Esposito says. “Whether that’s a wedding, celebration of life, or quinceañera, we’re fortunate to be involved in the community in so many different ways.”
Rising star honoree ALOHA Collection is proof that a simple idea can grow into a thriving company. Founded by two roommates who wanted a better way to carry wet swimsuits after a day at the beach, the lifestyle brand has grown into a business while maintaining strong year-over-year growth.
Now headquartered in Carlsbad, ALOHA Collection employs more than 100 people and operates its California flagship store in Encinitas, which is slated for a remodel. With roots in Hawaii, the company is known for its lightweight, splash-proof travel bags that have become a familiar sight on beaches in San Diego and beyond.
“‘Aloha’ is part of our name, but it’s also how we move through the world,” says CEO Lynna Barnard. “It’s how we show up for people, the way we travel, the way we give back.” Since day one, the company has maintained a 5 percent giveback to Hawaii conservation efforts, contributing millions of dollars over the years.
“I think what’s so inspiring about ALOHA Collection, and the founders in particular, is when you dream big, those dreams can come true when you work hard and trust in the universe,” Barnard says. “It’s inspiring to be a role model for other people wanting to start businesses from humble beginnings. Start small and watch it grow.”
Together, businesses like these form a cornerstone of San Diego’s economy—not only through the jobs and revenue they generate—but through the local workers they hire, vendors they support, and investments they make in the region. Their growth doesn’t happen in isolation; it ripples outward, strengthening the broader business community and the people who call San Diego home.
Whether you love theater, music, dance, or public art, these are the cultural experiences that stood out this year
Arts District Liberty Station officially became one of the state’s designated cultural districts, joining a list reserved for places with thriving creative communities. Considering the campus is home to more than 100 galleries, artist studios, museums, and arts organizations—not to mention The Joan, the 42,000-square-foot performance center housing Cygnet Theatre—it was only a matter of time until the district got its flowers.
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. The National City Public Works building has been a target of graffiti artists for years, only to be constantly painted over (and the cycle restarts). Now, it’s working with the local artists from Vision Culture Foundation to create intentional public murals. A win-win in our book.
One of the biggest questions this year is who will show up for San Diego arts and culture—so a Best Of nod goes to a nonprofit that’s been doing it for years. Founded by longtime arts advocate Susanna Peredo Swap, Vanguard Culture has staged events for creatives, told their stories, and just created an SD ARTS Pass—a single ticket that gets you access to 39 creative spots.
Ballet’s already got a sort of otherworldly thing going for it, with people morphing into 90-degree angles and defying gravity with each pirouette. The Rosin Box Project feels like a raw, creative new force in the classic art form, though—especially with its annual Ghost Light Masquerade. It’s a dance of eerie spirits that makes you second-guess what’s real and what’s not.
Once upon a time, Gallagher Square was just a grassy knoll behind the outfield wall at Petco Park. Now, it’s a concert venue, playground, play ball field, dog park, and unofficial home for those who prefer the vibe of baseball more than the actual game. Big-time performers are showing up: Ms. Lauryn Hill, Cypress Hill, and Peach Pit.
Casa Casillas has filled a long-standing gap in Chula Vista’s art scene. Open since last August, the space gives local artists a dedicated venue to display their work and visitors a chance to explore the neighborhood’s vibrant art. Two rotating resident artists always keep the space moving, so it rarely looks the same twice.
El Cajon translates to “the box” in Spanish—a nod to the city’s surrounding hills—but Alley Cat Art Fest (previously called Artivál) doesn’t stay inside it. As the first arts festival in East County, it celebrates local galleries, sculpture, live music, and food trucks—the whole nine.
Every second Saturday, Barrio Logan turns into a choose-your-own-adventure with the Barrio Art Crawl, a free self-guided art tour through galleries, museums, and murals, with street food and music filling in the gaps. Barrio is one of the city’s most thriving arts neighborhoods, and it’s worth getting a bit lost in.
MCASD is showcasing two powerhouse exhibits—Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys and The Dean Collection Presents: Hometown Heroes. The pop music titans are highlighting local artists, with an intentional focus on diverse experiences. It was one of the biggest (and coolest) art openings of the year, and it closes August 9. So get on it.
Leave it to The Old Globe to give the local theater scene some Hollywood glamour. Katie Holmes led the premiere of Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler this past spring, turning the classic Norwegian play into one of the most buzzed-about theater productions of the year.
From championship runs to hometown heroes, these are the people, places, and moments that kept San Diego moving this year
As soccer mania hit full tilt the last few years, the OG team continued their habit of winning excessively. In April, the San Diego Sockers won their 17th Major Arena Soccer League championship trophy in front of a home crowd at Frontwave Arena—defeating the Milwaukee Wave 10–3 in the Ron Newman Cup series. Twelve-year veteran Leonardo de Oliveira was crowned Finals MVP with two goals and an assist. The Sockers finished the 2026 season with a league-best 11 road wins. More importantly, attendance was up six percent on the year. Long live the legend of Juli Veee.
The world’s largest and longest-running women’s skateboarding event? In San Diego, run by Vista’s Exposure Skate. Founded by Olympian skater Amelia Brodka and Lesli Cohen, the nonprofit puts on year-round skateboarding classes, camps, and retreats at parks and pools across the county, even funding college scholarships for women, girls, and nonbinary individuals. It’s wellness and community through grip tape and trucks. This year marks its 15th annual event—world-class athletes, young talent, a skate extravaganza.
San Diego may have only gotten secondhand smoke from the World Cup, but the city will get its fútbol fix soon enough. In March, the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games announced San Diego was chosen as one of seven cities to host Olympic soccer matches. Eleven men’s and women’s matches—including the bronze medal games on both sides—will be held at Snapdragon Stadium in July 2028. That might feel far off, but ticket sales have already begun, so remember where you stored the face paint.
Not sure if the news is that Barnes Tennis Center has now fully emerged as the city’s racket-sports mothership or that it’s operated by a nonprofit (Youth Tennis San Diego) whose mission is to bring tennis to underserved communities. Regardless, since hosting its first ATP pro tournament five years ago, Barnes has expanded—25 tennis courts, 19 pickleball courts, seven padel courts—and is now home to the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ National Championships (girls junior tennis), the USA Pickleball National Championships, the San Diego Open (pro tennis), and the Stingrays, our resident Professional Padel League squad. They built it, and everyone’s coming.
Thought you had grip strength? Vital Climbing Gym in Oceanside and Carlsbad will put that to the test—and activate every micro-muscle in your forearms—with hangboards and 16-foot-tall bouldering walls. For days you’re not willing to go full-send but still want to test gravity’s limits, go P!nk mode and try the aerial silks classes. Caution: There will be youth competition climbers who flash your project on their warm-up.
Remember when construction sites were the unofficial BMX tracks of San Diego youth? Hard-hat workers would show up on Mondays and find Mongoose or Diamondback grooves crisscrossing all over their giant piles of work dirt. But kids in the know have been at the San Diego BMX track in Kearny Mesa since 1980. One of the oldest BMX tracks in the country, it’s got a starter gate launching into a downhill, banks, turns, rollers, rhythm sections, tabletops, jumps—the works. The track operator is Tyler Brown, a three-time US pro champion and two-time world champion. From tykes on glider bikes to Olympic hopefuls, this dirt palace is a self-powered kind of rad.
If you’ve ever watched a flood of runners take over Pacific Beach like the I-5 at rush hour—sometimes carrying a flag bearing their crest—chances are you’ve witnessed the Pacific Beach Run Club. With almost 25,000 followers on Instagram (plus their own app), the self-proclaimed “social club that likes to run” has evolved into a wildly popular way for locals to make friends while shedding the effects of Taco Tuesdays. Meeting every Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 8:30 a.m., the group makes its way along a 5K route through PB with pump-up music blasting and four organized stops throughout to catch your breath and socialize along the way.
Filipino roots run deep in San Diego (the fifth-largest Filipino American community in the US), and now we’re adding the most legendary boxer in Filipino history to the fold. This year, Hall of Famer Manny Pacquiao announced he’s coming in as owner, ambassador, and competitor of the San Diego TJs (a Team Boxing League expansion franchise). The Philippines-born fighter is set to begin his time with the TJs in 2027 as a captain before stepping into the ring in future seasons.
Table tennis is an art form, and we won’t hear otherwise. Tucked inside the Balboa Park Activity Center, the San Diego Table Tennis Association boasts a whopping 25 Butterfly tables and over 400 members who play regularly. Weekly Thursday night Round Robin tournaments keep the competition lively, and as home to the Senior Table Tennis Olympics, SDTTA welcomes players of all ages and levels to compete in a friendly, supportive atmosphere.
SDSU women’s basketball got back on the dance floor and was invited to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 13 years. The team also tied the program’s highest win total (27, the same as the last time it made March Madness) and won its seventh Mountain West championship. The now-graduated Nala Williams won Conference Player of the Year, sophomore Kaelyn Hamilton was named Sixth Player of the Year, and Stacie Terry-Hutson took home Coach of the Year (a first for SDSU women’s basketball). The point is, as women’s sports continues its rapid rise—and basketball specifically, especially with Caitlin Clark tearing up the WNBA—SDSU women’s hoops is getting its own wings.
It’s like a pickleball flash mob. Gaslamp Urban Pickleball is taking “the kitchen” to the next level this month by turning Fifth Avenue into an open-air, urban pickleball arena. Every Thursday from July 30 to September 3 (so, right now), it’ll be lined with eight open-air courts for all of your dinking desires. Live DJs will bring the hype. Nearby restaurants and bars will run Paddle Hour specials. A Zero-Proof Garden will do NA/wellness beverages, hydration stations, and a laid-back lounge. If this means potholes will be fixed, we’re all in.
Hypertension is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease and premature death in women
It’s estimated that 44% of women in the U.S. have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, but many don’t know it. The disease often has no symptoms, and when symptoms do present, they can appear similar to many other conditions. High blood pressure increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, so it’s critical that it’s detected and treated early. And for women at risk of developing high blood pressure, prevention is key. Click here for the basics of high blood pressure and how Scripps physicians at Scripps use screenings not just as a diagnostic tool, but as part of routine preventive care.
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