One of my earliest neighborhood guides for this blog focused on Adams Avenue, the main drag in Normal Heights that lays claim to “Antique Row,” as well as cafes, bookstores, and mom-and-pop shops. That was then, and this—a more in-depth and updated guide to Normal Heights for the latest issue of San Diego Magazine—is now. The area is a quiet, almost snoozy neighborhood, filled mostly with cottage homes and families, yet somehow also includes some of the city’s trendiest dining and drinking spots, like Polite Provisions and Sycamore Den. It’s a wonderful place for somebody with the conflicting personas of homebody and foodie explorer like me.
You can read the full feature here, which includes info about a new gourmet deli concept and a fun craft and cocktails event going down at the end of April.
My spring is full of visits from my East Coast- and Midwest-residing friends, who’ve been plagued by a horrible winter. My mission is to fill all their vacation time with sun and outdoor activities. On Friday, I took my friends visiting from chilly Chicago to Fairweather, a second-floor bar above Rare Form in the East Village that specializes in tropical drinks. They also make the best mocktails I’ve ever had.
We flew down to San Felipe, Mexico on Thursday for a two-day getaway sponsored by Baja California Tourism, SeaPort Airlines, and the San Felipe Marina Resort & Spa. I’ll be sharing all the details about the trip in a separate post, but I had to include one peek. Valley of the Giants, a cactus valley near San Felipe, is home to hundred of cacti, some of which are 2,000-year-old! Standing amongst these monsters was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
I’ve been waiting to find that neighborhood in San Diego with a strong pulse, one where people are passionate, community-driven, innovative, artistic, young, and energetic—and I’ve found it in Barrio Logan. The largely Hispanic area just a few miles south of downtown San Diego is flourishing right now, thanks to plenty of art galleries, restaurants, cafes, and community events. This year also marks the 45th anniversary of Chicano Park, Barrio Logan’s park beneath the Coronado Bay Bridge that lays claim to the largest number of outdoor murals in the U.S. And just last year, Barrio Logan finally received its own marquee neighborhood sign, one that so many other San Diego nabes already have. Barrio Logan, you can say, is having a moment.
I’ve been to art shows here, eaten tacos here, talked to shopkeepers here, and it’s clear that everyone in Barrio Logan is passionate about collaborating and proudly showing off how far the neighborhood has come from its gritty reputation. I rounded up some of my favorites from the area in this month’s San Diego Magazine, which you can read here, and to do more exploring of your own, here are a few upcoming Barrio Logan events:
San Diego may be synonymous with board shorts, beaches, and a perpetually warm climate, but this city has a serious coffee situation going on. From pour-overs to cold brews, here are 5 new (or newish) cafes worth checking out:
When you move to San Diego, you’re fortunate to get a lot of visitors. And when it snows like it’s the End of Days in Boston, I get to have one of my best friends leave the Tundra for a little San Diego getaway.
Considering her Vortex-plagued past few weeks, my mission was to provide my best pal, Shilpa, with outdoorsy, signature SoCal fun. So we hiked Torrey Pines, had smoothies at an aerial yoga studio-meets-organic cafe, hit the beach, got blowouts (for a dose of extra-girly entertainment), and ate tacos at Puesto. The Hyatt Regency La Jolla also generously offered me a stay in one of their newly renovated rooms. It was the ideal way to feel like we were getting away without going far. (It also gave her a break from sleeping on our couch!)
All that to say, I’m feeling extra relaxed and rejuvenated at the end of this weekend. Ah, staycations. They’re a beautiful thing.
Bankers Hill was one of the first neighborhoods I explored when I first moved to San Diego, and in my latest piece for San Diego Magazine, I share my picks—mostly of the food and drink variety—around the petite nabe. There are fancy pastries, rooftop fine dining, and a new indoor farmers market—and if you want to walk off that burger at Bankers Hill Bar + Restaurant or the pasta at Cucina Urbana, make sure to find the Spruce Street suspension bridge (above), a historic (and wobbly) bridge that’s tucked inside a residential area. It’s one of my favorite spots in the whole city.
I’m so in love with the new Kettle & Stone in Mission Hills. The cafe serves locally roasted WestBean coffee, and though $4 for a 12 oz. latte is on the steep side for me, the quality was all there. Plus, it’s worth the money for their amazing sidewalk seating. Lewis Street, where Kettle & Stone is located, has a variety of boutiques, which makes for just the right amount of foot traffic as you sip. On Saturday, we had a perfect mix of friendly people and even friendlier dogs. Good coffee + a gentle breeze + shade on a hot day + amazing doggies—it wasn’t a planned Valentine’s Day excursion, but I was certainly feeling the love.
One of my earliest neighborhood guides for this blog focused on Adams Avenue, the main drag in Normal Heights that lays claim to “Antique Row,” as well as cafes, bookstores, and mom-and-pop shops. That was then, and this—a more in-depth and updated guide to Normal Heights for the latest issue of San Diego Magazine—is now. The area is a quiet, almost snoozy neighborhood, filled mostly with cottage homes and families, yet somehow also includes some of the city’s trendiest dining and drinking spots, like Polite Provisions and Sycamore Den. It’s a wonderful place for somebody with the conflicting personas of homebody and foodie explorer like me.
