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The City of San Diego is 250! Instead of looking back, we asked experts to predict how our city will look in 50 more years.
future of San Diego transportation
Illustrations by Michele Marconi
By Bruce Appleyard, associate professor of City Planning & Public Administration, San Diego State University
Transit is derived from how we arrange land uses at a regional scale, so a good regional land use plan is actually a good transportation plan. The city and county governments and agencies like MTS, Caltrans, and SANDAG will all convene and coordinate like never before in order to balance access; they’ll consider housing, jobs, education, services, and all the important destinations for learning and play.
We’ll also achieve important sustainability goals by not only reducing the distances people have to travel, but by freeing ourselves from having to drive cars (known in 2069 as “climate-killing murder machines,” or CKMMs) in favor of something closer to human power—walking, bicycling, or scooting.
By planning for housing and jobs at a regional level, we’ll be able to make things more accessible to transit. When important destinations are closer to one another, bicycling will become more viable. We’ll start creating protected bike lanes everywhere, looking to Europe to create the world’s best bicycle superhighway system, rivaling our present-day freeways. We’ll save so much space that we’ll tie the bike superhighway into the old freeway system, converting freeway lanes to bicycle lanes and renaming San Diego’s portion of Interstate 8 the Stephan Vance Highway, after the godfather of San Diego cycling.
We’ll also make sure people properly pay for the full costs and impacts of their transportation choices. You can use a car if you want; you just have to compensate for its livability, sustainability, and equity impacts.
It’ll be a challenge to get there with autonomous vehicles, but we’ll build smaller cars and even use emojis to improve how these vehicles interact with people in the streets. Vehicles will have different-colored lights to indicate when it’s safe for pedestrians to cross, and bright symbols on their front bumpers will communicate their intent. We’ll look to music and dance to help traffic work with the rhythm of the streets. Our favorite roads will use waltz timing.
We’ll also undertake a major redesign of roads and parking spaces. Once cars can drop their owners off and then park themselves (in a place humans don’t need regular access to) we can repurpose hugely expensive urban parking structures into affordable housing. If we house people near where they want to work, they won’t need to travel.
By Mary L. Walshok, Associate Vice Chancellor for Public Programs and Dean of Extension, University of California San Diego
Children will enter college a decade from now with very different competencies and learning styles. Four straight years sitting in classes with “expert” professors won’t work. San Diegans with advanced degrees will continue updating their knowledge and competencies online, in workshops, and in summer schools, seek advanced credentialing in entirely new fields in their 40s and 50s, and join communities of learning even after retirement. Learning will happen in many settings with multiple forms of delivery, including classrooms, across many decades in a lifetime. Open, flexible, lifelong learning opportunities assure innovative companies an able talent pool and a superb quality of life.
To imagine one likely story, let’s take my seven-year-old grandson. By age 18, he will have mastered a foreign language, become deeply familiar with world music and great works of art, and designed a house or sports arena complete with maquette. And he won’t have studied any of these topics in a formal classroom. This is because at seven, he is already figuring out on his own from the web how to hear, recognize, solve problems, design, and build things on 3D printers.
At 18, he will need a college experience that is only partially classroom based. Thanks to innovative universities like Stanford, he will spend a year on campus mastering advanced concepts in fields like math, science, literature, history, and economics, and the following year he will work full-time in a cooperative learning program with a global architecture firm such as Gensler.
Having mastered the Korean language before entering Stanford, he will in his third year study abroad, travel, and further develop his budding architectural skills in project-based learning experiences fully accredited by Stanford. His fourth year back on campus will involve seminars, workshops, and papers as he readies for the rigors of architecture school.
By 27, my grandson, even though he will have an architecture degree from Harvard, will be released from his job to take an intensive six-week engineering seminar at UC San Diego on new materials and environmentally sustainable building practices.
During his 30s my grandson, who always loved music, will get an MFA in music primarily online, studying and learning on airplanes and on cool summer evenings and weekends, complemented by weeklong sessions at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, in Helsinki, Finland, and in Indonesia because he loves the gamelan.
By his mid-40s, my architect grandson will have decided he loves music so much he wants to leave architecture after 20 years and become CEO of his hometown La Jolla Music Society, for which he will be a superb leader with great problem-solving skills, international connections, and management know-how thanks to eight weekends in an executive education program at USD.
Eventually my grandson will join a foundation that supports the development and construction of performing arts centers in developing countries, blending his international, musical, and architectural competencies in the “job of a lifetime.”
By the year 2070, with the strength of a rich and diverse educational experience behind him, just imagine the opportunities my grandson and others in his generation will be able to create for their own grandchildren.
What Will San Diego Look like in 2069?
By Eric Topol, MD, Executive VP, Scripps Research; Director and Founder, Scripps Research Translational Institute; Author, Deep Medicine
In the future we will not be doing the wasteful things we do today where every woman has a mammogram, every person has every screening test. Health care will be highly individualized and we won’t be wasting billions of dollars treating people like cattle. We won’t have all the false positives that lead to all sorts of unnecessary procedures and profound anxiety. We can do so much better than that.
The main thing is, patients will own all their data. The missing link is getting our arms around that information. That’s where deep learning, a breakthrough of artificial intelligence, kicks in. For example, a medical scan can be put through layers of artificial neurons, and each layer gets better and better at figuring out what the data is. At the end you get an answer that turns out to be as good or better than humans could have discerned.
Data will be totally private and secure, but integrated with the entire medical literature up to the moment—everything that’s known to human beings will be known to patients. All their data will be continually updated to give them an avatar or voice or text feedback as to what they can do to prevent the conditions they’re at risk for developing. That might include the best things to eat or avoid eating. The avatar will interact with you and see if you’re tired or stressed or angry. It is actually consulting with you; it’s got a nervous system. It will be your watchdog, advocate, digital coach, assistant. What we have today is so dumb because everyone gets the exact same warnings. There will still be warnings, but it’ll be a lot better than a warning on your watch to tell you to stand up. It will be geared to you.
Simple tests and diagnoses like a urinary tract infection, skin rash, or ear infection will all be done with algorithms, no doctor. There will be imaging capabilities on smartphones. You can already do a total body medical selfie with a smartphone ultrasound, and get interpretation. People will do all their lab tests at home with either their breath, a drop of blood, or urine.
This markedly reduces the burden on doctors, because a lot more responsibility and charge will be assumed by patients and the machines helping patients. So the doctor visits that do occur will be for serious matters, like cancer, and the doctor will be able to spend time going over everything and not staring at a computer screen. We will restore the human relationship, and put back the care in health care.
future of San Diego AI
By Betsy Brennan, President and CEO, Downtown San Diego Partnership
While its slated 2021 completion date certainly isn’t 50 years from now, UC San Diego’s new downtown presence will transform our urban core into a center for ever-evolving sustainable innovation over the next few decades. Technology companies like Shield AI and Comma.ai are already finding a home in our urban core. A recent focus on opening additional creative office space will give more brilliant minds the opportunities they need to solve challenges the world faces and enhance our quality of life.
Converting streets into pedestrian space, such as the Piazza della Famiglia in Little Italy, creates ways to reimagine how land can be repurposed for people and communities—not for cars. Fifty years from now, this vision will have expanded, turning downtown into the most pedestrian-friendly community in the county, with accessibility for people with all types of mobility needs. Colorful and activated public spaces will enable people to step out from behind their screens to live the downtown spirit in real time.
By Margaret Leinen, Director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography; Vice Chancellor for Marine Science at UC San Diego
San Diego will look and feel different from today. Heat waves will be more frequent and intense. Sea-level rise will cause the ocean to encroach upon the coast from Imperial Beach to Sunset Cliffs, La Jolla, and Oceanside. Droughts will likely become more severe, impacting San Diego’s water supplies locally, in the Sierra Nevada, and the Colorado River Basin.
But the future won’t all be bad news. Scientists will have made great strides in state-of-the-art modeling that can produce long-range forecasts of weather and drought, and also air quality, water quality, and biological events from harmful algal blooms to disease outbreaks.
Advances in robotics will mean swarms of micro-robots monitoring the ocean and atmosphere, and remote sensing that can tell us the minute an ice shelf in Antarctica falls into the sea.
Scientists in San Diego will be leading the charge to slow the pace of climate change. This includes removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, utilizing algae for food, fuel, and to replace plastic, and attempting to stabilize the climate with a greater understanding of the implications of geoengineering.
San Diego will also be leading the blue economy, with innovation in ocean technology, aquaculture, and development of drugs from the sea.
By Mike Hoeck, Senior Vice President, CBRE
Neighborhoods will gradually become more localized and self-contained, more closely resembling downtown San Diego rather than the sprawling suburbs we see today. It’s likely that Kearny Mesa and Mission Valley will supplant downtown as the central business districts of the county.
This densification will be particularly prominent in our coastal communities. In the next 50 years, many of these communities will see older real estate repositioned as mixed-use projects that promote hyperlocality through retail and office space, while also providing apartments for residents.
Where will the San Diego International Airport be in 2069? Miramar or somewhere east of I-15, because downtown and the San Diego Bay will always restrict the growth of our airport as it is currently situated, limiting the ability of San Diego to be a waypoint for major international flights. To better service all its residents and add more flights (at its present location, SAN has no room to add additional runways), a move east would allow for better access to the entire county, while also allowing for the redevelopment of the current airport site.
By Bob Kelly, Founder and President, San Diego Seniors Community Foundation; President Emeritus, The San Diego Foundation
Imagine a day when humanoid robots can carry on conversations with a senior who is living alone and socially isolated, or can lead a group of older adults through an exercise class at a nursing home. These things are already happening in Japan—out of necessity, due to a significant shortage of caregivers.
In San Diego, we have the same issue. We are facing an unprecedented demographic shift. By the year 2030, the county’s population of residents age 60 and up will double to nearly 1 million. And from the year 2010 to 2060, the number of residents age 85 and up will increase a whopping 427 percent. This growth rate outpaces the generations below it, which means we too will soon have a shortage of caregivers, just like Japan.
One of the most vulnerable subsets within the aging community is senior orphans—those who for various reasons, including lack of nearby relatives, never having children, or divorce, are alone and have no support system to help them as they age. We need to find ways to reach out to these senior orphans and ensure they have someone they can turn to and trust.
Looking ahead, technology can help fill some of the anticipated gaps, but there are certain “human” tasks a robot will never be able to replace. We must get serious about building the support network for older adults and change our negative perceptions about aging. Currently just two percent of all philanthropic giving in the US goes toward seniors. Why? Because people are either unaware of the extreme need or simply don’t care.
The Japanese have instituted long-term insurance coverage for anyone 65 or older. But bigger than health care and robots is the overarching Japanese culture that treats its seniors with the utmost respect, and feels a responsibility to take care of them. Can we say the same about our culture in San Diego? 50 years from now, I hope the answer will be yes.
By Gillian Flynn, Writer; Founder, @the.vintage.editor
The greatest cultural currency will be community.
Instagram spawned sameness among the millennial set. In 2069, there will be a new generation searching for the antidote, taking a stand against perfectionist ideals. Anything too polished will be viewed as too contrived. Local retailers will be gathering, educating, and celebrating individuality like never before.
The adage of “knowing your audience” will give way to “teaching your audience.” And independent bookstores will be the signifiers of hope, as they will be the ones to outlast Amazon with bibliophilic sanctuaries thriving across the country. Oh, analog.
Shoppers will be smarter still and feel most accomplished when their knowledge comes from a portfolio of workshops conducted by the boutiques, intimate trunk shows, and members-only co-ops—not just Google searches. The purchase alone won’t be the brag. The grail will be community literacy of a new understanding. Consumers will crave real stories over branded ones, and differing points of view will be welcomed by all.
The most successful retailers of the future will nurture a grassroots lifestyle network for word-of-mouth knowhow—from your tailor and interior designer to your artist and family photographer. Consider it a real-time social register for the “gets it” set.
The world’s most stylish have always opted for vintage and artist-made pieces with all the depth and intrigue they offer. The new generations want in, buying pieces that are one-of-a-kind. And people will be asking questions again (radical curiosity!). More than ever, consumers will want to know where everything comes from—food, water, coffee tables, clothes. Already, the ripples of a total fast-fashion revolt can be felt in San Diego (no one is bragging about shopping at Zara, and the arrival of West Elm on Cedros Avenue made Solana Beach weep).
Sure, there will still be errands to the mall, and families will shop at chains and stock up on essentials at department stores. But the delightful outings and intimate meetings will take place at local shopping centers like Flower Hill and the new One Paseo, all sun-dappled and cocooned from the fray. And the retailers who get it right will double as newsy gathering places to rediscover the little things we love about shopping.
A great American pastime. Where likes mean less.
By Troy Johnson, Food Critic, San Diego Magazine
future of San Diego food
It was a historic night. Auguste Applebottom had just become the world’s first chef awarded a fourth Tesla Star, the flying car company’s highest honor for cuisine. Upon the news, Applebottom remained motionless and without expression, as all 3D printers do. Its creator, a six-year-old MIT grad, celebrated alongside his parent-employees with a round of cricket milk.
There was nothing motionless about the scene outside He/Him/Mister A’s. The fly-by fruitings had been especially brutal recently. A hovering Freeus had assaulted the restaurant using the Baba Ghanoushitzer—essentially a high-pressure water gun filled with mushy eggplant (the nonviolent weapon of choice for vegan activists). As the plant goop ran down the dining room windows, well-dressed carnivores inside started to wonder if coq au vin was worth it anymore.
Newly elected plant-based president Kale Bezos hadn’t made meat illegal, but citing environmental and public health factors, she’d taxed ranchers and chicken farmers into near-extinction and banished meat eaters from all the same places as last century’s tobacco smokers. Which is what made reservations at Flesh such a transgressive thrill. The location was never the same for the illegal supper club. Sometimes it was in an abandoned grocery store, whose business model hadn’t been able to compete with the extra screen time afforded by meal injections. Other times, it was in the desolate streets of Los Angeles, no longer inhabitable after Botox made it into the water system. The protein-based feasts—rib eyes, duck confit, chicken thighs, lamb chops—were all supplied by Bone Appetit, the leading cartel in the meat-bootlegging underworld.
A reservation at Flesh meant one night of nostalgic, promiscuous omnivoring. One night when you did something besides getting your to-go cube from the vitality chain Claritin, whose instant-read DNA profiles customize meals to avoid all major American allergens: gluten, nuts, lactose, shellfish, oxygen, etc. Studies paid for by Claritin have shown that the debut of their proprietary nutrient paste, engineered to maximize consumption/excretion efficiency, correlates strongly with the country’s skyrocketing app-development rates.
And yet, out a window on the 648th floor of a new condomaxium, the unmistakable smell of a double cheeseburger persisted.
By Peter Callstrom, CEO, San Diego Workforce Partnership
In 50 years, jobs will exist that few could imagine today. Employers will do something radical by investing deeply in our region’s residents: youth, young adults, seasoned workers, and people with barriers to employment opportunities (e.g., transportation, criminal justice system involvement, disability).
Equity, diversity, and inclusion are not just buzzwords. They add great value to our workforce and talent pool. The skills and talent required to fill the jobs of San Diego’s future must be developed and inspired in our youth and in all zip codes.
Today, nearly one in every 10 young adults (individuals between the ages of 16 and 24) are neither in school nor working. These young people are disconnected from work and school for innumerable reasons. They all have talent and hold an important place in our communities, yet they are not on track to develop the skills necessary to prosper in our rapidly changing economy. This must change. It requires our public and private sectors to welcome more internships and work experiences—a small investment of time, resources, and mentoring that can reap a lifetime of success. A job can change everything.
By Steven Dinkin, President, National Conflict Resolution Center
The future is purple. Though we appear to be living in a time of polarization and oppositional conflict—characterized in the political arena by “red states” and “blue states”—I remain quite optimistic about the future.
There is a rising interest in discovering new forms of effective communication, breaking through the gridlock of restrictive labels and narrow identities to find common solutions to pressing problems. The vast middle, where most Americans find themselves, will form fluid coalitions and productive alliances based not on rigid ideologies, but problem solving and collective progress. Polarized identities will be rejected as inefficient and ineffective. “Red” and “blue” will disappear from the map as people in all sectors of society learn to work more effectively together rather than against each other, to focus on issues and solutions rather than competition and domination of one group against another.
This rising of The Purple Nation will be fostered by the rediscovery of community dialogue in the “town square” and widespread adoption of inclusive communications training and collaborative conflict resolution models in schools, universities, workplaces, community centers, governments, and faith communities. The result will be greater productivity in the workplace, more efficient delivery of services by government agencies, more cohesive and collaborative communities, and a more peaceful and prosperous nation.
By Jean Guerrero, Author, Crux: A Cross-Border Memoir; Journalist, KPBS
In 50 years, the border will be reeling from a reverse in the direction of traffic. Mexico will see an influx of asylum seekers from the US, fleeing hate crimes and post-truth hysteria. The president of Mexico will be known as “La Malinche” for her dislike of foreigners; she will have turned the concept of that historical figure on its head, showing that the indigenous woman long perceived as a traitor never loved the white man who raped and enslaved her. She will build El Gran Muro (“The Great Wall”), characterizing Los Estadounidenses as invaders and devils, bringing vices and lies.
The American asylum seekers will face months of backlog at the ports of entry before they can see la migra, who will decide if their fears are credible. A few dozen will be allowed to access Mexico’s colorful cities and playa paradises wearing GPS-monitor ankle bracelets. Most will be kept in centros de detención for months, surrounded by guards who speak no English and don’t understand their requests to speak to lawyers. Some of Los Estadounidenses will dig tunnels under El Gran Muro. Many will be deported. Others will try to break El Gran Muro and will die doing so.
However, this dire future—inspired by Lizz Huerta’s short story “The Wall” and my years of reporting on the border—will not come to pass if we come together with urgency to stop the spread of fear-based misinformation, and to listen closely to the people we think are our enemies.
What Will San Diego Look like in 2069?
By Josh Baxt, Owner, Baxt Communications
San Diego’s life sciences landscape will focus extensively on genomics, which will be routinely used to identify genetic anomalies, detect cancer, and personalize treatments. Most babies will be sequenced at birth to acquire baseline readings that inform their lifestyles and (when necessary) their treatments.
These and other changes will power massive industry growth. Gene sequencing giant Illumina will be among the world’s top five largest companies and the biggest employer in San Diego. However, despite decades of market dominance, a number of smaller companies in the US, the UK, and China will begin chipping away at its market share. Illumina will still be licking its wounds from a failed hostile takeover attempt against one of these upstarts—a gene-y Boston company named Barbara Eden.
Illumina’s presence will have a ripple effect in the local bioinformatics industry, with dozens of companies developing new hardware and software to identify mutations and match them with treatments. Also, with so much genomic data being stored for life, network security will become an even greater priority, boosting San Diego’s reputation as a cybersecurity mecca.
Gene editing laws will be tightly enforced in the United States. Genomes can be edited only to correct congenital diseases, such Duchenne muscular dystrophy. However, Singapore, Estonia, Brazil, and other nations will encourage the practice (or look the other way). Offshore gene editing clinics will make extravagant promises to parents, guaranteeing smarter, more athletic and/or more attractive children at steep prices. Whether these efforts actually achieve the desired results will be an open question.
By Susanna Peredo Swap, Founder and Executive Director, Vanguard Culture
I imagine an era of worldwide Neo-Idealism that passionately counters the current downtrend in the way that we treat the planet and each other. San Diego’s arts sector, in particular, will embrace this trend with cutting-edge visual and performing arts events that are socially responsible on both a micro and a macro level. Creatives will embrace cross-industry collaboration and sharing of resources with the ultimate goal of nurturing San Diego’s audiences and local businesses into enthusiastic supporters of arts and culture.
City, state, and federal governments will also fully embrace the importance of a healthy and dynamic arts community by thoughtfully investing in the success of its creatives. The city of San Diego will produce a cultural master plan that delineates a strong vision for the city’s arts and culture, supports remarkable cultural activities, and offers subsidized rent for visual and performing arts spaces as well as artist studio spaces. The city’s Arts and Culture Commission will also have a budget double its current size, thus strengthening San Diego’s reputation as a prominent tourist destination with world class arts and culture.
By Omar Passons, Director of Integrative Services, County of San Diego Health & Human Services Agency
Last fall, my boss sent me a copy of a Kresge Foundation study he’d been involved in. The study, Human Progress and Human Services 2035, predicted the future of human services based on current factors. Two takeaways from that work are worth noting: The impact on the social safety net caused by current dramatic reductions in federal resources will be felt far into the future, and the continued loss of jobs to automation will create a strong need for advances that lower the cost of living—improvements in how we secure healthy food and housing, for example. These future scenarios also point to one other area that will impact our social safety net: climate change.
We don’t often link the two. But when heat waves can last a month, seniors—especially those in parts of the county with fewer street trees and older infrastructure—will need places to avoid heat exhaustion. Similarly, the impacts of sea level rise on access to drinking water and on San Diego’s tourism industry reveal the critical links between our health, our economy, and our environment. Our political and social will to dramatically mitigate climate change is a major variable in the future of social service need in San Diego.
As someone who is often accused of being unreasonably optimistic, I don’t offer these sober forecasts lightly.
Today, we must focus on the social determinants of health—the living conditions that can affect a wide range of risks and outcomes, including exercise, education, economic well-being, housing, and more. As a region, our ability to bring down the cost of safe homes and better connect these homes to economic opportunities is key.
We can ensure a future in which every San Diegan is able to live well. But that will only be possible with a robust safety net, true prevention strategies, and a deepening commitment to protecting our changing world.
future of San Diego robots
By Neal Bloom, Founder, Fresh Brewed Tech; Chairman, Startup San Diego
Our tech companies will actually be blurred as software eats more and more of our industries, including health care, precision medicine, and most things biotech. We will be printing and growing more of our own things instead of buying them, with in-home 3D printers able to print every item we need on demand.
While we’ll be able to get anywhere on the planet within 30 minutes (thanks, Elon Musk) and virtual reality will be an accepted form of allowing us to be anywhere at any time, our local workforce and how we work will be very different. In the next 50 years, we are going to redesign how we attain skills and put them into practice. Along the way, we’ll upskill and reskill non-tech jobs (like shifting from car sales into software sales), while we train robots to do the tasks that humans weren’t designed for, like car maintenance and grocery store restocking. San Diego will be the first adopter of this, and therefore take advantage of a next-generation workforce that doesn’t revolve around us driving (since the robots will also be doing that for us, too). From a robot firefighter to an intelligent floor cleaner, San Diego–based AI companies are already on the leading edge of this space.
While some of our tech industries will morph into different and not-yet-created sectors, one thing will probably stay the same in San Diego—we’ll still love tacos.
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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