The woman who designed many of Balboa Park’s gardens was nine or 10 years old when the head of Bay Park Elementary decided the trajectory of her life. “I would draw little downtowns, and one day the principal came by and said, ‘Let me see that,’” recalls Vicki Estrada, founder of Estrada Land Planni

Back then, it was the haircut of Flock of Seagulls’ frontman as a mall—angular, wild to look at, confusing to old people. It was even perplexing to young people, who loved every single thing about malls. It was a real-life recreation of M.C. Escher’s painting, Relativity, with stairs that went every

Indoor soccer playoffs, engaging art exhibitions and avocado activities are in store this weekend in San Diego. Sports fans can root for the Gulls as they finish their regular season slate and catch a postseason matchup between the Sockers and the St. Louis Ambush. Evocative artwork can be admired t

San Diego’s most iconic architectural tower sat closed and vacant for over 80 years until the invisible architects came in. A century ago, the dramatic structure we now know as the California Building greeted visitors to the 1915–16 Panama–California Exposition in Balboa Park. It was covered in orna

Fashion has officially reached peak sport. Walk through the Gaslamp or along the shores of La Jolla, and you’ll see San Diegans grabbing morning bagels in SDFC jerseys, browsing farmers markets in pinstriped Padres caps, and heading out to girls’ night layered in SD Wave jewelry.  March 11, 2026What

Your bedroom is your sanctuary—a haven for your favorite shoes (the ones you never actually wear but love to admire), the place where your best thoughts sneak in before you drift off, the safe space that’s seen you through anxious nights and joyful secret dance parties. With a little guidance and in

Watch theater productions with meta commentary, participate in (or spectate) local sports and take advantage of unique dining options this weekend in San Diego. See a play within a play during The Play That Goes Wrong at Lamb’s Players Theatre and the nostalgic Broadway musical The Drowsy Chaperone

San Diego was, of course, a tuna town before it was a coffee town, but the end of one marked the beginning of the other. In the late 1800s, a wave of Portuguese immigrants formed a fishing community in Point Loma, and by the 1970s, San Diego was the tuna capital of the world. The city’s “Cannery Row

Power couples make power moves. When Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean) and Alicia Keys bought a home in San Diego in 2019, culture creatures buzzed about the potential impact. Expectations were tempered; we’d seen this before. A litany of celebrities own homes in San Diego, but most understandably treat th

A little girl floats into a night sky above a color-saturated Harlem, her arms outstretched, her two braids flying behind her. Cassie Lousie Lightfoot is weightless, soaring above the George Washington Bridge. In the award-winning 1991 children’s book Tar Beach, the act of flying is about imaginatio

Hop all over San Diego this weekend for sports, live music and egg-stravagant Easter events. San Diegans can cheer on both the Gulls and the Mojo as they make their respective playoff pushes. Local concerts include the improvisational Reggie Watts at the Epstein Family Amphitheater and a tribute per

San Diego Magazine’s annual Home + Design Awards returned for its third year with nearly 200 nominations from innovative architects, developers, designers, and other industry pros across the country. To select the top projects from a broad range of categories—including interior and exterior resident

We live in a world of shapes. Look up, and you’ll notice it: the clean lines of your office building, the sharp angles of the neighborhood gym, the tidy symmetry of the bungalow down the street. San Diego architecture is woven together by angles, lines, and shadows, quietly doing their thing as we r

Kelvins. If you’re anything like me, you probably haven’t thought about them since high school chemistry. Lately, though, they’ve become one of the more hotly debated measurements in interior design. Kelvins measure the color temperature of light, which is a technical way of saying they’re key to wh

U-GO San Diego Wine Dinner  April 11 Help give girls in underserved communities around the world access to education and mentorship at the local chapter of nonprofit U-GO’s U-GO San Diego Wine Dinner. The dinner party at Cucina 2051 in Carlsbad also includes a live auction and entertainment.  Shelte

You’ve probably seen him around the city—a mischievous-looking creature with a Cookie Monster–blue head and a fuzzy body striped in scarlet, yellow, and green. He grins with a wide, red-lipped mouth as he hitches a ride on a a butterfly in San Ysidro, pours water down his back on El Cajon Boulevard,

Spring is finally here! The city is celebrating with plenty of activities all month-long, including a an Asian street food festival, live music along Adams Avenue, Coronado Playhouse’s new musical comedy, The Drowsy Chaperone, and more. Here are all the best things to do this month in San Diego: Con

Just as seasons for the Clippers and Sockers come to a close with Fan Appreciation Nights, a new set of 162 games will begin for the Padres on Opening Day. The return of Padres baseball also means the Friar faithful can check out Margaritaville Hotel’s Padres’ Kickoff Rooftop Party and the celebrato

With springtime set to arrive on Saturday, the new season will bring free activities, interactive dining experiences and plentiful film screenings to San Diego, in addition to the unseasonably hot weather. Wallet-friendly fun includes the showcase for Aladino Ghioni’s In Conversation with Stones and

In the reverent space of a gallery, deep sounds emerge from earthen vessels. Electronic chirps, squeals, and winds surround you. On display in Oceanside through March 22, San Diego artist Francisco Eme’s Future Ritual 1 – to Remember the Birds when They no Longer Exist (part of his exhibition Future