Nearly 500,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor spaces; 1,600 rooms, including 89 suites; 12 different food and beverage concepts; a 7,500-square-foot fitness center; full-service salon and spa; and a 4.25-acre water park with slides, a lazy river, a wave pool, and a giant water playground. And of course, plenty of bragging rights.
Rendering Courtesy of Marriott Mariner’s Bar in the atrium
The range of restaurants will all be led by executive chef Jakob Esko, who has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants including The Square in London and Ulriksdals Wärdshus in Stockholm. Among some of the standouts is Old Hickory Steakhouse featuring premium steaks and an in-house dry-aging program; Growlers Sports Bar & Taproom serving upscale bar food and boasting a 75-ft screen and sports team–themed keg wall; and Cask & Crown, a speakeasy-style bar with Prohibition-era design.
Gaylord’s convention center will also be the largest hotel convention center, ballroom, and exhibit hall in the county, measuring nearly 140,050 square feet. The ambitious project came to life thanks to several key stakeholders, including Marriott, the City Council, and other local agencies.
Rendering Courtesy of Marriott The resort’s 4.25-acre water park
“This is Chula Vista’s decade,” Chula Vista Mayor John McCann says. “We will have billions of dollars invested in the Chula Vista Bayfront over the next several years […] and we’ll be doing a substantial upgrade on dining, designing, and amenities that the city has never had before.”
“Everybody wanted this to happen and really worked together to find a way to make it happen,” says Scott Siebert, the general manager of Gaylord Pacific. “We struck gold. In California, to get a chance to build a waterfront project is few and far between, and it’s just a really great opportunity to be part of this community.”
Gaylord Pacific’s opening comes during a time of great economic uncertainty. Tourism is down across the US, conventions are being cancelled across the country, and a potential recession looms. But Peter Borum, director of marketing and public relations at Gaylord Pacific, says the project is opening with momentum. And while he can’t share specific figures, “early demand and pace have exceeded expectations” from both national associations and international groups.
Rendering Courtesy of Marriott
“What we’re seeing in terms of interest and bookings gives us every confidence that this property is arriving at exactly the right time for the West Coast meetings market,” he says.
With its arrival, the project has created a large economic impact and is estimated to bring in $475 million each year once it opens, according to the Port of San Diego. To date, it’s created 3,850 jobs through construction and 4,000 permanent jobs.
The resort worked with San Diego Workforce Partnership to ensure those jobs went to residents. Borum says several members of the leadership team are San Diegans, including Director of Sales and Marketing Russ Mitchell, who was the very first employee hired for Gaylord Pacific.
Rendering Courtesy of Marriott Cask and Crown bar
The job openings also range from entry level to more experienced management positions. “We wanted to make a major push and impact the South Bay by opening up those positions locally,” says director of strategic partnerships Marian Daryaie, who oversaw local job fairs. “That was the whole drive of those events—to hire people who live in the community.”
Beyond his excitement of the opening, Borum also emphasized his plans to showcase the area and its community through local programming and events. “We are excited to eventually explore hosting signature events like food and wine festivals, live music performances, and meaningful community gatherings,” he says. “These ideas will, of course, be developed in close collaboration with the city of Chula Vista, ensuring they are a perfect fit for the local community and respect our environmental responsibilities.”
Courtesy of Port of San Diego
In total, the larger 535-acre Bayfront Master Plan includes Sweetwater Park and Sweetwater Bicycle Path and Promenade, the Sun Outdoors San Diego Bay RV Resort, Harbor Park and the Pacifica Development for residential, hotel, and commercial development. McCann says working with environmental groups was key to planning the Bayfront Master Plan. “Sustainability has been a hallmark for what we’ve put on the Bayfront to ensure quality public access and environmentally friendly structures,” he adds.
Eve Hill, an employee of the nearby Bison Mobile Home Park, says she’s excited about the project because it “brings Chula Vista into today” and doesn’t expect more people in the area will negatively impact her park. “We’re private property and we’re gated,” she says. But she said the incoming restaurants would be good for residents, both because they could bring jobs, and because they’d have more places to go.
Hill says a few residents are worried about additional traffic while acknowledging that it’s been a problem prior to the opening and hasn’t heard anything from the city about mitigating it. McCann acknowledges the project will increase demand on infrastructure, but says the city worked with the Port District and SANDAG to mitigate that, expanding transit access to the area.
Artiss Redmond, owner of nearby R&R Surf Rentals, says the project “feels like the tide turning in all the right ways” because it will create opportunities for his business. “We’re excited to welcome guests from around the world and offer them a front-row seat to the beauty and adventure of San Diego Bay,” he says.
When the project is open, Borum says the hope is it’ll be more than just a building to the surrounding community. “Our hope is that thousands of people will be able to look at this hotel and say, ‘That’s where your Dad and I got married. That’s where we celebrated my son’s first birthday and my daughter’s quinceañera. That’s where I got my first job,’” Borum says.
Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center opens on May 15 with rooms starting at $350 per night.
Claire Trageser has been writing for San Diego Magazine for 10 years. She also is a reporter at KPBS and writes for The New York Times, National Geographic, Marie Claire, Elle and Runner's World.
San Diego has always worshipped at the altar of good skin. Equal parts surf town, biotech hub, and wellness capital, it’s a city where lunch breaks become beach walks and sunscreen sits beside car keys by the front door. The products that get used here earn their place. With 266 sunny days a year and one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the country, we take skincare seriously. Dr. Bronner’s has been making soap in North County since the 1960s. Sun Bum was born in Encinitas and is now on shelves in over 70 countries. The tradition runs deep.
“Living in San Diego means your skin is exposed to sun almost every day of the year,” says Sue Zhang, M.D., a San Diego physician specializing in aesthetic medicine. “The products that tend to succeed here are the ones that can keep up with daily life, UV exposure, sweat, and movement, while still supporting long-term skin health.”
From a mineral powder that solves the sunscreen-over-makeup problem to an acorn oil serum rooted in Indigenous plant medicine, the local San Diego shelf is more diverse, and comprehensive, than most of us realize.
Courtesy of Kopari
Kopari
Sun Shield Body Glow SPF
A hydrating gel-oil hybrid that applies like a body treatment and leaves skin with a sheen that reads as healthy rather than oily. La Jolla–founded Kopari built its reputation on cold-pressed coconut oil sourced from family farms in the Philippines, and the Sun Shield Body Glow SPF is exactly that in summer form: coverage that doubles as skincare.
4-Skin
Morning Rub
The name is intentional. The founder got a melanoma diagnosis that his dermatologist caught—she’s now his business partner. The question he couldn’t shake was why the skincare industry hadn’t yet figured out how to talk to men, and 4-Skin is the answer: a premium sunscreen and skincare line built around the kind of blunt, self-aware humor that gets guys to pay attention. Men’s skincare has needed this for a long time, and the formulas are serious enough to deliver.
Courtesy of Coola
Coola
Classic Face Sunscreen SPF 50
Carlsbad-based Coola was formulating organic SPF before “clean sunscreen” was a marketing category, and the Classic Face Sunscreen is the brand’s thesis: protection that disappears into skin and layers cleanly under makeup. Sheer and lightly hydrating, it makes sunscreen easy to reapply before an afternoon walk at Torrey Pines.
Saffron and Sage
Glow Finishing Oil
Squalane, argan, jojoba, and CoQ10: a short ingredient list that does a lot. The Glow Finishing Oil from Mission Hills wellness sanctuary Saffron and Sage is plant-based, scientifically grounded, and formulated to absorb rather than sit on the skin. The brand started as an integrative health practice where acupuncture, naturopathic care, and functional medicine share a roof, and the skincare line runs on the same philosophy.
Courtesy of Alastin
Alastin
Restorative Skin Complex with TriHex+
The Restorative Skin Complex is powered by TriHex+, a patented peptide blend developed by Carlsbad-based Alastin’s team of SkinMedica veterans. It promises to clear out damaged collagen and elastin while supporting new production, the kind of gradual improvement that makes a product hard to quit.
Beldi is a multi-functional cleansing tradition rooted in Moroccan hammam culture, dating back over 12 centuries. Alia Jouj is the brand’s flagship product, and San Diego–based founder Dr. Mia Chae Reddy built a brand around it. Alia Jouj uses 100 percent organic, cold-pressed argan oil and the same ancient saponification method to produce a honey-thick liquid cleanser that softens skin without stripping it.
Courtesy of N8iV Beauty
N8iV Beauty
Móyla Moon Polish
Acorn oil has been used by California’s Indigenous communities as plant medicine for generations. Ruth-Ann Thorn, an enrolled member of the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, built N8iV around it as the first Native American–owned skincare brand to reach the national mainstream. The Móyla Moon Polish, named for the Luiseño word for moon, is an exfoliant centered on acorn oil Thorn gathers herself each year from the La Jolla reservation. Find it at the Gaslamp Quarter store Thorn owns at the historic Yuma Building.
Courtesy of Colorescience
Colorescience
Sunforgettable Total Protection Brush-On Shield SPF 50
This product solved the reapplication problem. As a brush applicator, this mineral SPF goes over makeup without disturbing it, which is why it has been on derm-office retail shelves in Carlsbad and beyond for over two decades. The tinted version doubles as foundation.
Courtesy of Tubby Todd
Tubby Todd
All Over Ointment
This steroid-free, petroleum-free eczema treatment was built specifically for babies and toddlers (although grown-ups can use it, too). It’s centered on FDA-approved 1 percent colloidal oatmeal with a base of sunflower seed oil, beeswax, and jojoba. The “linoleic-acid-rich sunflower oil is helpful for atopic, eczema-prone skin that is often deficient in that fatty acid,” says Dr. Zhang. Gentle enough for newborns, safe for daily use, and tested by both pediatricians and dermatologists.
Korej
The Mandelic Night Serum
The Mandelic Night Serum pairs mandelic acid, an AHA derived from almonds and gentler than glycolic acid on sensitive skin, with lactic acid, niacinamide, and urea to brighten, smooth texture, and reduce breakouts overnight. Fragrance-free, vegan, cruelty-free. The brand name is the initials of the founder’s five daughters, pronounced like courage. Dr. Zhang also says she “really value[s] [the founder’s] mission to create pregnancy-safe skincare products that are both effective and wallet-friendly.”
Ingrid Yang, M.D., J.D. is a hospital-based physician in San Diego, CA, certified yoga therapist, and longevity specialist. She loves *double hearts* San Diego and spends her days helping people fully engage in long, healthy lives through evidence-based lifestyle medicine. Her books include Adaptive Yoga, Zen Mindfulness, and Hatha Yoga Asanas. When she’s not leading international wellness retreats, she is chasing sunsets, handstanding in nature, or geeking out over mitochondria.
How Scrojo Became One of Rock’s Most Prolific Poster Artists
The San Diego designer has created more than 3,000 concert posters over nearly 40 years for artists including the Rolling Stones and the Red Hot Chili Peppers
When he was in high school, he and his friends were trying to come up with the perfect name for their punk band that would encapsulate all their personas. Nicaragua. The Freds.
One of his friends said he was going to go by Jimmy Stacks and called it “the perfect rock and roll name.” Their names changed so much that Haskett erupted: “Fine, I’m f—ing Scrotum Joe, the true defender of the Open West.”
Their response: Wow, that’s a great name.
As a teenager, he drew chalkboards for Del Mar’s Pannikin coffee shop and would design T-shirts for surf/skate brand Life’s a Beach. He signed the shirts with his moniker, but even in punk rebellion, who wants a shirt with the words Scrotum Joe on it? “They just cut out the ‘t-u-m,’ and the next thing you know, a client referred to me as that, and it stuck,” he says.
Courtesy of Scrojo
Scrojo could have been part of a band as iconic as The Misfits—had he been able to learn the famously cumbersome bassline to The Kingsmen’s “Louie Louie.” Becoming one of the most renowned concert poster designers—someone who quite literally designed the cover of Art of Modern Rock: The Poster Explosion—is a pretty good Plan B.
“To my knowledge, he’s done more rock posters than anybody else alive,” says Dennis King, whose D. King Gallery in Berkeley, California, serves as one of the largest private rock poster collections in the world. “He’s the hardest-working guy in the poster business.”
King not only co-authored the sequel to music historian Paul Grushkin’s The Art of Rock, but he also handles distribution and sales for all of Scrojo’s work. That’s more than 3,000 different posters over nearly 40 years. (That’s over one poster each week. For four decades straight.)
For anything from boxing matches to rodeos, posters have long been used as promotional items. Toulouse-Lautrec’s famous lithographs advertised Moulin Rouge in the late 1800s. Around the same time, Hatch Show Print in Nashville was making handbills for the Grand Ole Opry.
“I propose this: Cave paintings are the first poster art,” Scrojo says.
Courtesy of Scrojo
Rock and roll posters took off in the 1960s, when the hippie counterculture era replaced conformity and suburbia. Artists like Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead used their vibrant, psychedelic prints as a form of rebellion from the mainstream. Posters were promotional, commemorative, collectible, and especially expressive.
If the name Scrojo is any indication, he doesn’t shy away from imagery that toes the line of being too provocative. He focused more on what inspired him instead of trying to be offensive for the sake of getting attention.
“Didn’t want to show it to my grandmother, but my parents were fine with it,” Scrojo says with a laugh.
“We’ve had to ask him to put a Band-Aid over a nipple every now and then,” says Chris Goldsmith, president of Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, where Scrojo started out and hundreds of his posters currently line the walls.
Scrojo spent six weeks at Otis College of Art and Design for a summer semester before drugs, alcohol, and a self-described lack of discipline prevented him from enrolling full time. Still, he taught himself concepts like text hierarchy and later found his niche at the Belly Up and in the surfing and skating world, working with brands like Quiksilver, Rip Curl, Scorpion Bay, and DGK.
His first concert poster was for North County band Borracho y Loco, of which Goldsmith was bass guitarist. Scrojo drew an abstract version of the Belly Up’s iconic shark with colorful calypso and tiki themes.
Early on, he would craft using a pencil, pen, non-reproduction blue pencil, X-Acto knife, rubber knife, and proportion scale to create each poster, and the finished product could take a week or even longer.
Courtesy of Scrojo
“I recommend every artist coming up to do that for like six weeks,” Scrojo says. “It forces you to think about every design decision as you’re going along.”
He has since mastered vector imagery through Adobe Illustrator to the point where, depending on the level of detail needed, he could finish two projects in a day. Still, he fills sketchbook after sketchbook to blueprint.
“I liked his line in particular, and he knows how to draw, which a lot of people don’t really know how to do these days,” King says.
Scrojo would research what each musician’s merchandise looks like to get a feel for each artist’s tone and voice. Once he has his central image in mind, he focuses on what and where to place the text.
He doesn’t have one specific style, ranging his talents from art deco to psychedelic and everything in between (and outside the lines). Want a pop surrealist comic book cartoon devil with splattered paint textures, halftone dot patterns, and pure chaos? Red Hot Chili Peppers, February 1986. Want a minimalist graphic portrait with bold strokes and graffiti text? P!nk, October 2023. Want a carnival sideshow style piece with a tasteful caricature of Jeff Bridges? The Big Lebowski, August 2011.
Scrojo calls himself a jack of all trades because he can create posters for all music genres. King calls him a chameleon for his ability to adapt his voice to new eras.
Courtesy of Scrojo
“The variety of his skillset makes it possible for us to put 50 of his posters on a wall next to each other and have it look compelling, not just a bunch of the same thing over and over,” Goldsmith says.
Some of Scrojo’s favorite posters are when he feels a personal connection to the artist or the album. He has a vivid memory as a child of being trapped in a closet filled with marijuana leaves while playing hide and seek and staring at Jimmy Cliff’s “The Harder They Come” LP. “For whatever reason, as a kid, that sparked a desire to do graphic design,” Scrojo says.
Fast forward to February 2012, Cliff is performing at Belly Up. Scrojo decided to modify Cliff’s original album cover from rainbow gradient fills to classic reggae psychedelia while preserving Cliff’s striped pants and bold hat. Cliff’s manager called him and said they wanted to use it for the rest of their tour.
“We always get artists requesting that he does their posters,” Goldsmith says. “A lot of artists don’t want venues to go all rogue because they want to control how they’re being presented. With him, they’re like, ‘Let him go nuts.’”
Matt Eisenberg is an award-winning writer and photographer based in San Diego. A former ESPN editor, his work has also been published by CNN, Bleacher Report and the New York Daily News.
The inland North County community of Rancho Santa Fe is often associated with wealth. It’s one of San Diego’s most expensive residential markets and is consistently ranked one of the highest-income zip codes in California and the U.S. Rancho Santa Fe is known for its large equestrian community including riding facilities and horse trails, as well as its country club lifestyle and associated golf courses.
At the center of this luxury master-planned community is a small, walkable downtown area referred to as the “village,” with The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe acting as both a landmark and social hub. Much of the community, including the historic Inn, was designed by acclaimed architect Lilian Rice, one of California’s earliest female architects. The Spanish Colonial-style architecture she brought to the village is still one of its defining characteristics today.
Whether you’re coming to Rancho Santa Fe for golf, horseback riding, or pampering at a resort spa, be sure to start with a short walk around the village to take in the neighborhood’s charm. Plan your next visit here with our neighborhood guide to the area’s best restaurants, things to do, and shopping.
Rancho Santa Fe Restaurants, Bars, and Coffee Shops
The Pony Room
Families congregate at The Pony Room for elevated California ranch-style cuisine. Lamb lollipops, carne asada tacos, burgers, and weekly dinner specials are offered here, alongside an extensive collection of wine and spirits (especially tequila) and sizeable kids menus. As the signature restaurant of Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, this all-day eatery is a lively centerpiece of the local social scene.
5921 Valencia Circle
Mille Fleurs
The piano bar at Mille Fleurs is the buzziest spot to be on Friday and Saturday nights in Rancho Santa Fe. French classics like escargot, lobster bisque, duck confit, and steak frites are the main dinner attractions at this local institution that has been around for more than 40 years. Spring for the four-course prix fixe menu before nabbing a coveted bar seat near the piano entertainer.
6009 Paseo Delicias
Nick & G’s Restaurant
Nick & G’s is one of the most prominent restaurants in the village, with an outdoor patio that overlooks the main thoroughfare. Enjoy modern Italian food, steaks, and seafood dishes here, including homemade pasta, pizza, wagyu beef, and oysters. Be sure to check their live music schedule and events calendar for the latest happenings.
6106 Paseo Delicias
Lilian’s
Named after renowned architect and planner Lilian Rice, Lilian’s is The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe’s flagship restaurant. Their upscale menus feature sustainable seafood, grass-fed meats, local produce, and even sushi rolls during dinner. Outdoor seating provides a bird’s-eye view of the village and an elegant backdrop for weekend brunch. Stop by Bing’s Bar (a nod to Bing Crosby) for craft cocktails, beer, wine, and light bites in a refined setting.
5951 Linea Del Cielo
Thyme in the Ranch
Quaint cafe and bakery Thyme in the Ranch serves a small selection of breakfast and lunch items (don’t miss the tarragon chicken salad), but is perhaps best known for its pastries and baked goods. Cakes, pies, muffins, scones, and cookies fly off the shelves here, where locals come for special occasions, parties, and group catering orders.
16905 Avenida De Acacias
Paseo RSF
Located inside a historic building once home to Rancho Santa Fe’s original schoolhouse, Paseo RSF is one of the village’s newest dining options. The charming American bistro has pasta, salads, burgers, meat and seafood entrees, plus a thoughtfully selected California wine list and new sushi and omakase program. Kids and dogs are both welcome here.
6024 Paseo Delicias, Suite C
Rancho Roasters
Grab a quick coffee to go from this walk-up window in the same shopping center as the post office. Cinnamon roll lattes, cold brew, spiced chai, smoothies, protein bowls, and more can be found at Rancho Roasters, where they brew beans from Dark Horse Coffee.
16950 Via De Santa Fe
Goli Pizza
Casual pizzeria and martini bar Goli is a popular spot for catching the latest sports games. Order one of their unique specialty pizzas like the Casbah with hummus and veggies, build your own pizza or burger, or go with one of their hearty wraps that’s made with an extra thin version of pizza dough.
18021 Calle Ambiente, Suite 403
Cocina del Rancho
Find generous portions of Mexican food at Cocina del Rancho, run by the same owners as Carlsbad’s Cicciotti’s Trattoria Italiana and Village Kabob. Get classic dishes like burritos, tacos, and enchiladas, plus their specialty items including pulpo, carne asada, and fajitas with lobster tail. Don’t skip the margaritas.
Kai Oliver-Kurtin is a San Diego-based writer who covers travel, dining, events, and culture. Her writing has been published in USA Today, Condé Nast Traveler, Fodor's Travel, Marie Claire, and HuffPost, among others.
Kelly H. Harfouche, founder of KQ Aesthetic Society, knows firsthand that cosmetic treatments like fillers, neurotoxins, and microneedling, can not only enhance a person’s appearance and restore confidence, they have the power to truly change a person’s life. An expert injector has the ability to tailor treatments to each individual patient’s anatomy and goals for personalized results. Harfouche, a board-certified nurse practitioner, has spent nearly a decade perfecting her craft as an aesthetic injector and integrating her multifaceted artistic skills with precision patient care. Her commitment to continual education and training, plus a passion for helping people look—and feel—their best, set KQ Aesthetic Society apart in a sea of local medspas.
For many people considering nonsurgical treatments, the intent is to look refreshed and refined. KQ Aesthetic Society’s philosophy eschews a cookie cutter approach that bases treatments around units, instead working to understand each person’s unique goals, then curating a treatment plan to fit that vision. Harfouche focuses on “inclusive luxury,” the belief that everyone deserves access to aesthetic treatments, respective of budget restrictions. She develops long-standing trusted relationships with her patients, and works with each one to achieve their aesthetic objectives and address the underlying causes of their concerns.
“For me, forming an honest and open relationship with every patient who walks through the door is essential. This means understanding them on a deeper level and meeting them where they are to define and achieve their individual goals,” she says.
Drawing on her artistic background, which inspired her transition into medical aesthetics, Harfouche sees each client as a “unique canvas.” Rather than relying on standardized procedures, the practitioner’s distinctive approach combines her profound understanding of the physiological and anatomical changes associated with aging with an unwavering commitment to ongoing education about the newest products and their mechanisms of action. Her goal is to make each patient feel beautiful in their own skin and to embrace their individuality.
She has also pioneered a way to combine her talent for aesthetic artistry with her philanthropic nature. Harfouche is one of only a handful of providers using dermal fillers to treat patients with lip asymmetry and scarring resulting from cleft lip surgery. Patients travel from around the country for this transformative treatment, noting increased confidence and a restored identity. She hopes to eventually launch a training program to help fill the void in this space.
“My passion has always been connecting with people and giving back in any capacity that I can,” she says. In the rapidly advancing landscape of aesthetic medicine, you can place your confidence in Harfouche and KQ Aesthetic Society to deliver exceptional care. To learn more or book a consultation, please visit kqaestheticsociety.com.
Front yards. They used to be the most controlled part of a home—or not. They could be tidy with manicured lawns, have raised vegetable beds with food for sharing, or act as an overflow of things that didn’t quite make it inside. Thank you, capitalism, and the American habit of endless consumption. In Lemon Grove, where I live, it’s not uncommon to see a mechanic running a business from his front yard or a family selling birria on Saturdays from theirs. The front-yard genre is broad.
But in communities across San Diego County, the most exposed part of a house—the strip between public and private life—is being turned into something eminently usable, visible, and hang-outable. At first glance, this may seem decorative, but in creating an intentional space, particularly one that’s visible to neighbors and passersby, it’s also the release of a pressure valve.
Let’s not gloss it over: American life has taken a hard right at high speed; two wheels have lifted off the pavement as we careen toward who-knows-what, and our nervous systems are making a sound best described as zoinks!
People are trying to (re)build connection in an increasingly isolated culture, (re)find beauty in the midst of endless anxiety, and (re)create a system friendly for critters. Many of us are remembering that, Oh yeah—we’re biological creatures.
Courtesy of Andrea Doonan
San Diego as a “Biodiversity Hotspot”
Landscape designer Andrea Doonan, of Andrea Doonan Horticulture + Design, is a certified arborist with more than 20 years of experience collaborating with homeowners and renters. She rejects sterile, white picket fence designs and places a strong emphasis on edible gardens and usable outdoor spaces. When we speak, she mentions the unusually wide range of plant and animal life in the relatively small size of our region, making us a “biodiversity hotspot.” (San Diego is the most biodiverse county in the Lower 48.) Because of this, we have a unique system of endangered species that rely on plants to survive.
“More and more, people are introducing native landscapes to connect to nature and support birds, butterflies, and bees,” Doonan says. “I’m very passionate about getting people to unplug and ground.”
Whether it’s for a love of all creatures, our climate, or water conservation, Doonan describes a broader shift toward habitat-driven spaces that are both aesthetic and ecological. For her clients, this can mean replacing turf with native planting, adding seating areas, or even rethinking the front walk as an active, planted threshold rather than just a green lawn. “There’s this idea that people want to make a difference,” she says. “But they also want a place to entertain, recreate, and ground.”
At the center of this is a simple but increasingly urgent question: How can small design choices ripple outward into community life?
Courtesy of Andrea Doonan
For Doonan’s client Lee Miller, that shift is fully expressed. After remodeling the interior of his Pacific Beach home, Miller focused on the backyard, thinking that would be the place for his soon-to-be-born daughter to eventually play. The front yard of his corner property was the last detail to be completed.
Miller said he wanted “a very full, very natural look versus having everything measured.” He knew what he liked when he saw it, but it was Doonan who translated his ideas and guided the creation of a wildlife-friendly space with full-grown orange, plum, and pluot trees. “We have lots of birds, lots of bees, lots of lizards,” Miller says. “There’s nothing better than walking outside and eating fruit off a tree.”
The front yard has become where Miller’s family spends time—often more than the backyard. He and his daughter, who’s now 5, explore the space together, checking what’s growing, learning about their little ecosystem, and chasing lizards. It’s where his daughter plays, where she’s built her own fairy garden, and where neighborhood parents and kids tend to gather at the end of the day.
Courtesy of Jenna Gilmer
Building Community by Being Out There
For her own Normal Heights home, Doonan designed a front yard that includes a seed library, raised beds, native plants, and a sitting area where she and her husband spend time. “I’m meeting my neighbors because I put two chairs and some plants in the front yard,” she says. “I’m sharing produce with them.”
That exchange has become part of the landscape itself, and she points to small systems (like seed libraries) as ways of circulating plant material and knowledge directly between people. In real life. Person to person.
More and more, Doonan says, when we’re talking about solving the big problems, it’s important to remember that everything starts local. Even “guerilla gardening”—small acts of informal planting and care in overlooked sections of land, such as parking strips—makes a difference. Tossing some seeds and adding a bench to the sidewalk strip out front can create a “pocket park” or “a mini-mini park.” In that framing, the front yard stops being an ornamental backdrop and starts becoming an infrastructure for connection.
Landscape architect Bret Belyea frames this front-yard movement (my term, not his) as social repair. “It’s a handshake to your neighbors and passersby,” he says. “It says something about who you are.”
Of course, plant choices matter, but not only for ecological reasons. Native and climate-appropriate plantings become part of how neighborhoods re-establish contact with each other, even without formal planning. What he describes is an aesthetic, but it’s also relational in the way a yard can signal openness rather than withdrawal, invitation rather than separation, and connection rather than, “Get off my lawn, ya damn kids!”
Hanging out in the front yard rather than sequestering in the back is a signal to outsiders that they’re really not outsiders at all. Or, at least, they don’t have to remain so.
Courtesy of Andrea Doonan
The Front Yard as Memory
Not every front yard in this shift toward social spaces has a professional’s influence. Some are created through labor, trial and error, and nostalgia. For Grace Wanjiru, the memory of her childhood in Gitaru, Kenya, led her to beautifully DIY the hell out of the front part of her half-acre Encanto property. When she bought her home nearly two decades ago, it was essentially just a little house plunked down on a giant plot of dirt. She had a blank slate and plenty of memories from which to create something that would imbue the space with peace and hospitality.
The designer-led yards are often framed through an academic understanding of ecology, structure, and intentional planting strategies, and Wanjiru did much of the same thing through instinct. When she’d visit her mother, who lives just outside of Nairobi, she was reminded of the abundant beauty and vibrancy of a childhood spent running free, climbing trees, and being connected to nature. It was important to Wanjiru that her then-young daughters, both now in their early 20s, have that experience.
Courtesy of Grace Wanjiru
Wanjiru’s goal was to create the feeling of home, not as replication but as translation. “When you throw a seed in Kenya, something grows,” Wanjiru tells me. “Here, the dirt is horrible for plants. I still wanted green and color. I wanted nature—birds and insects. I grew up with nature, but here: No.”
With an understanding of what would and wouldn’t grow in San Diego, Wanjiru was able to achieve a sense of home with succulents and native plants she purchased at Walmart. She created a large courtyard with a fence built of wood and corrugated metal. Inside, she added a hammock and a bird bath, which Wanjiru settled on after gophers ate through seven different plants; a table with an open cookbook, a bottle of wine, three glasses; a weathered dresser—once in her daughter’s room—that now sits opposite the table and contains Wanjiru’s many seeds. And, of course, strung lights.
Wanjiru likes to host small groups of her friends and family, keeping it intimate but accessible. “This is the kind of house you just call: ‘What are you doing? Are you making your African tea? Can we just come over?’ Because this is what they do [in Kenya],” she tells me. “And so I always want to have that, because I think for foreigners living in America, that’s one of the things we struggle with. We don’t have that kind of community.”
Craving a communal feeling, Wanjiru built it herself. And her kids grew up climbing the jacaranda tree and playing in the garden.
“We still gather out there,” she says. “We read in the hammock, talk, connect.”
Courtesy of Andrea Doonan
Gardens as Points of Connection
Perhaps the most important part of a front yard is a garden, whether it’s a space for entertaining and gathering, retreating and grounding, discovering and playing, resting and people-watching. The science backs up what gardeners have long known: Spending time around plants can be profoundly restorative. A 2024 review of dozens of studies found that gardening is consistently associated with better mental health, greater well-being, and improved quality of life, also linking interaction with plants and green spaces to better nervous system regulation.
For Doonan, this is part of why the conversation around gardens is bigger than aesthetics. “Gardens are for everyone,” she says. “I think it’s a right for all of us to have access to gardens.” “All of us” means homeowners and renters, people with sprawling yards and people with apartment balconies, people with large budgets and people growing herbs in containers from the discount rack at Home Depot.
In my conversation with Belyea, I tell him about a little house I passed in Oceanside this past spring. The owners set out free avocado clippings from their tree for anyone to take. “This is people’s way of putting an olive branch out,” he says. “And it just happens to be an avocado branch.” Maybe that’s what this front-yard shift is really about. Maybe it’s about trying to remember how to live alongside one another again. A hammock beneath string lights. Kids chasing lizards through native plants. Someone slowing to ask what’s growing. A neighbor stopping by and staying longer than they planned to. All of it, a pocket of softness in a culture that’s trying its damndest to make us harden.
Aaryn Belfer is a writer and editor specializing in nonfiction across art, architecture, and culture. Once upon a time, she wrote a provocative column for San Diego CityBeat (RIP). She was a runner up in the 2025 Matchbook Stories contest at the San Diego Central Library and is irrationally happy about it. Currently in her Soft Girl Era, Aaryn has expensive taste in (mostly flat) shoes and will choose a great art exhibit or live jazz concert over almost anything else. Except, possibly, Javier Bardem.
It’s happening, San Diego. The pre–Comic-Con excitement jitters begin to creep in as soon as July hits the calendar. But for those who forgot to set an alarm on registration day, whose batteries died or whose luck ran out in the virtual waiting room, or who simply prefer to soak up the fandom frenzy from the outside, we’ve got the best ways to experience Comic-Con weekend—no badge required.
Ready Party One: The Final Level 2026 SDCC Kickoff Party
Ain’t no party like an after-hours party, and XLE Productions’ Ready Party One is definitely one for comic book fans. Kick-start your convention weekend at Parq Nightclub and enjoy music by fan-favorite ’80s tribute band The Flux Capacitors, along with enough fandom fun, cosplay, retro gaming and pop-culture nostalgia to satisfy your inner geek. At least for the night.
Date & Time: Wednesday, July 22, 8 p.m. Location: Parq Nightclub, 615 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101 Price: Tickets start at $34
Interactive Zone at Petco Park and Gallagher Square Events
With more than a dozen activities and brand activations, Petco Park’s Interactive Zone is a badgeless fan’s playground, bringing together brands, games, celebrity appearances and immersive experiences all in one place. On Friday, July 24, Funko’s beloved annual party, hosted by Funko founder Mike Becker, returns to Gallagher Square. This year’s “Quest for the Grail” event will take guests on a journey to the sunken city of Atlantis. Expect themed décor, food, drinks, games and special guest appearances.
Date & Time: Thursday, July 23–Sunday, July 26 (times TBD) Location: Lexus Premier Lot across from Petco Park Price: Free; Funko Funday event is ticketed
Cartoon and art lovers can celebrate the work of Chuck Jones, creator of some of animation’s most iconic characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote and Pepé Le Pew, at Seaport Village’s Chuck Jones Gallery. During Comic-Con weekend, the showroom will also host meet-and-greets with talented artists including Disney artist and seascape painter Steve Barton, The Simpsons animator Stephen Reis, and licensed Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera and Disney fine artist Ben Olson.
Date & Time: Thursday, July 23–Saturday, July 25, 2026 (times TBD) Location: Chuck Jones Gallery, 809 W. Harbor Drive, San Diego, CA Price: Free
PAWmicon Pet Cosplay
Get your pup’s—and your own—cosplay game ready because Helen Woodward Animal Center’s PAWmicon is back. Enjoy a Comic-Con-themed outing with the whole family while raising awareness for orphaned pets in San Diego. Divided into three categories—Flying Solo, Dynamic Duos & Trios & More, and Fantastic Floats—the event is a paw-fect way to jump-start the festivities.
Date & Time: Tuesday, July 21, 2026, 4:30–7 p.m. Location: Presidents Way Lawn at Balboa Park Price: Free
Comic-Con-Themed Bar Crawl
Why leave all the fun, mischief and mayhem to badge holders when you can join more than 300 partygoers and crawl through some of downtown San Diego’s top bars and nightclubs? Whether you’re called to save the universe or have an allegiance to the dark side, the annual Comic-Con Bar Crawl gives attendees exclusive access to more than 20 venues throughout the Gaslamp Quarter, with free welcome shots, exclusive drink discounts and complimentary entry along the way. This event for ages 21 and older is a fun way to celebrate your fandom outside the convention center.
Date & Time: Friday, July 24–Sunday, July 26, 2026, 8 p.m.–2 a.m. Location: Check-in at Toro, 672 Fifth Ave., San Diego, CA 92101, from 8–9 p.m. Price: $13–$30
Her Universe Fashion Show
Geek out over couture at the annual Her Universe Fashion Show at the Manchester Grand Hyatt. Hosted by founder and Star Wars: The Clone Wars actress Ashley Eckstein and presented by Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products, this year’s show will feature a selection of designers showcasing one-of-a-kind DC-inspired creations as they compete for a $2,000 cash prize.
Note: Wristbands are traditionally distributed the morning of the event on a first-come, first-served basis, but official details have not yet been announced.
Date & Time: Thursday, July 23, 6 p.m. Location: Manchester Grand Hyatt, Seaport Ballroom, 1 Market Place, San Diego, CA 92101 Price: Free
Comic-Con Museum
A destination for all things fandom, Balboa Park’s Comic-Con Museum brings world-premiere and exclusive exhibits and events to the heart of San Diego, giving fans a place to geek out all year long. The museum is currently featuring the U.S. debut of Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder, showcasing 17 of the Doctor’s most iconic costumes, a full-size TARDIS and a collection of original sonic screwdrivers used on-screen. Visitors can also explore Sangre, Sudor y Mito: The Art and Tradition of Mexican Lucha Libre, featuring rare collectibles and authentic masks and costumes worn by legendary luchadores.
Date & Time: Open Thursday through Tuesday (closed Wednesdays), 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Location: 2131 Pan American Plaza, San Diego, CA 92101 Price: $15–$30; free for children younger than 6
Comic-Con Art Show
Browse an extensive collection of original drawings, paintings, jewelry and other whimsical creations from more than 100 professional and amateur artists at the Comic-Con Art Show. Many pieces will be available for purchase through the silent auction or Quick Sale, giving fans the chance to take home a one-of-a-kind Comic-Con souvenir while supporting talented artists.
Dates & Times:
Thursday, July 23: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
Friday, July 24: 9 a.m.–8 p.m.
Saturday, July 25: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Sunday, July 26: 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Location: Manchester Grand Hyatt, Grand Hall CD, 1 Market Place, San Diego, CA 92101 Price: Free
Looking for a supercute way to fuel your Comic-Con adventures? Swing by the Hello Kitty Café Truck. This traveling pink café on wheels will be parked at Petco Park’s Interactive Zone, serving up tasty treats and exclusive merchandise. From limited-edition tote bags and hats to mugs and T-shirts, it’s the perfect stop to grab a snack and a little extra kawaii cuteness.
Date & Time:
Thursday, July 23–Saturday, July 25: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Sunday, July 26: 10 a.m. (closing time TBD)
Location: Petco Park Interactive Zone, 100 Park Blvd., San Diego, CA 92101 Price: Menu items vary
PopUp Bagels, Spider-Man and Donut Bar Activations at Pendry San Diego
Get ready to fuel up and hype up. Whether you’re a plain-bagel purist or an everything-bagel fan, don’t miss your chance to grab breakfast or recharge at PopUp Bagels’ Volkswagen bus parked outside Pendry San Diego. Then satisfy your sweet tooth at Provisional with a rotating selection of character-themed doughnuts from Donut Bar. Both are available throughout the weekend beginning at 7 a.m. until sold out.
On July 24 and 25 from noon to 4 p.m., head to Nason’s Beer Hall for photo ops to celebrate Sony Pictures’ upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Guests can sample Tom Holland’s nonalcoholic beer brand, BERO, served in limited-edition themed cans available exclusively during the event.
Camila Ibarra Gallego is a CaliBaja native pursuing a master's degree in culinary journalism at the Basque Culinary Center. Shaped by the culturally rich, bicultural megaregion, she's passionate about sniffing out stories that connect people, territory and culture through food. When she's not tumbling down internet rabbit holes, you can find her pretending to be a wine connoisseur at a local wine bar or nose-deep in a good book.
AVRP Studios’ tradition for Design Excellence and Innovation began in 1976 with Doug Austin, FAIA, in Solana Beach, California. The firm has since grown to complete major projects throughout the United States and Canada. We think of ourselves as a family and we care deeply about people. We want to inspire, help make their lives richer and more complete through our efforts. We believe that architecture is one of the most important art forms because of the impact it can have on the lives of those it touches. We’re delighted to have been recognized with over 150 awards for design excellence.
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