Downtown San Diego is at a crossroads. “The city has a golden opportunity to answer a really important question, which really is the question that every major city in America is wrestling
with: What is a downtown for in this post-Covid, remote work era?” says Grant Oliphant, CEO of The Conrad Prebys Foundation. “Downtowns are hugely important to how entire regions are perceived. And because of their role as a hub for a cultural life, they can be a real center of creativity and dynamism.”
That golden opportunity took root in 2022, when Mayor Todd Gloria proposed the Civic Center Revitalization effort. The idea was to lease or sell the downtown Civic Center’s city-owned buildings to a developer and use the money to fund a new City Hall, while adding housing and potentially businesses and public space to the area.
Photo Credit: Alexander Pai The Civic Center Revitalization effort could make downtown more vibrant, walkable, and livable—or it could create “dead” blocks full of traffic, not pedestrians.
No developers were interested. So, a few big players— the Downtown San Diego Partnership and the urban planning firm U3 Advisors—got together to draw up a blueprint for what the space could become. Oliphant’s charitable organization, the Prebys Foundation, is contributing $300,000 to the visioning work. The nonprofit got involved to preserve the San Diego Civic Theatre and “explore how the city could integrate culture in a reimagining of downtown,” Oliphant says.
For Oliphant, that starts with a Civic Center that doesn’t stop you in your tracks—because in its current iteration, the center is a physical blockade in downtown, completely separating the east and west sides. “It’s an extraordinarily bad experience,” Oliphant says. “And it, in many ways, communicates all the wrong messages about what an incredible place San Diego is.”
Photo Credit: Alexander Pai
The Civic Center covers four blocks between A Street and C Street and First Avenue and Third Avenue, including buildings such as City Hall, an office tower, Golden Hall, and the Civic Theatre. The layout and many of the buildings were designed in the 1960s—a time when cars were king, prioritized above everything, including pedestrians, says Megan Groth, an urbanist, architect, and author of the local guidebook Places We Love: San Diego Tijuana.
The center’s layout reflects this vehicle-centric mindset. “One of the most architecturally striking buildings at the Civic Center is the parking garage, designed by Hal Sadler,” Groth explains. “And the original design had B Street running through the site,” though it was later closed off.
Now, almost everyone agrees Civic Center needs a makeover—yet opinions differ on what it should look like.
And it’s possible the area won’t get a facelift anytime soon. After Measure E, which would have increased sales taxes in San Diego, failed in November 2024, Gloria announced that the revitalization of Civic Center is on hold—despite the fact that the city is contributing very little in funding.
Mixed-Use Spaces
The major players leading the Civic Center Revitalization effort say they aren’t yet ready to share the grand concept that could shape the future of downtown. They have a wishlist, though.
An original visioning document for the Civic Center Redevelopment, authored by a panel of community leaders and architects in 2022, calls for a mixed-use area that “serve[s] the needs of residents, workers, and visitors to ensure the area is active and vibrant. The space should be holistic and cohesive with streets, landscaping, amenities, office space, and residential mixed into a pleasing multi-purpose urban core.”
Groth believes that initial vision “is a thoughtful, well-informed, and achievable overview of what our Civic Center can and should be in the future. The key now is for the city to design the process to achieve these goals,” she says. It is absolutely within reach, and there are countless examples from other cities that we can draw on—not to mention people within our city who can help get this done in the equitable and collaborative way that this visioning document demands.”
With the Civic Theatre onsite and the newly rehabilitated venue for the San Diego Symphony nearby, the area already has anchors for arts and culture, and Nathan Bishop, senior director of economic development at the Downtown San Diego Partnership, wants to add housing, retail, and an outdoor space that would be inviting to the public.
“I think that we will continue to see … more of a tilt toward experiential activities [that encourage tourism],” he says.
A Greener Downtown
Some of those “experiential” spaces should be parks and outdoor activities, Bishop continues. “We have this amazing weather,” he adds. “We should have more activated rooftops than anywhere else in the country. We should have great park spaces, a lot of places … to [enjoy] that indoor-outdoor nature that really sets us apart.”
Rob Quigley, a 40-year downtown resident and longtime San Diego architect who designed the Central Library, isn’t involved with the Civic Center Revitalization project, but his dreams for downtown also include more nature. He is working with the group San Diego Commons on “Green the Gap,” an initiative that would better connect Balboa Park with the urban center to give downtown “a huge and contiguous green space,” he says.
Beyond that, he argues, there should be parks and other greenery sprinkled throughout downtown. He recently visited London, and as he strolled through the city, he was struck by the way its layout prioritizes green space.
“It just makes living there delightful, even though it’s this massive, dense city,” he says. “If I was a dictator for downtown, I would mandate that every two blocks, there has to be some green space.”
More Infrastructure and Offices
And, given his way, Quigley would ensure that there were plenty of office workers around to enjoy all those parks.
“You’ve got to have places to work downtown, or else downtown becomes a bedroom community for people that work elsewhere,” he says. “That’s the opposite of what a vibrant downtown is. It’s an issue and a problem that’s going to grow in magnitude.” As of August 2024, downtown’s office vacancy rate was at a historic high of just over 25 percent, according to a report from CoStar.
Those who do live in the area need more public infrastructure, like parks, schools, and transportation to connect downtown with other parts of the city, Groth adds. “We focus so much on units of housing that we have neglected the quality of the public realm and all the other things that support housing,” she says.
Say No to Superblocks
Quigley also believes that a successful downtown requires a diverse array of small businesses, creating a pedestrian experience like those tourists eagerly flock to in Little Italy and the Gaslamp. However, “what’s happening all over downtown is that developers consolidate all those small lots into a full city block and develop one mega project called a superblock,” he says. “So, instead of having the fine grain of multiple buildings on a block, like in the Gaslamp, you end up with these giant block-by-block projects.”
He would like the city to institute a zoning rule that requires at least four development entities on any city block.
Because of the city’s effort to enlist one developer to conceptualize the entire space, Quigley worries that the Civic Center redesign set off on the wrong foot. “You want to hire professionals that understand civic architecture and public planning and not developers,” he says. “Developers don’t get that and are not interested in maximizing the public good—they’re interested in maximizing profit.”
Instead, he advocates for a public process. When he was working on plans for the Central Library, for example, he hosted a series of workshops to gather input.
“Developers don’t work like that,” he says. “It’s not in their DNA.”
However, because the effort to sell to a developer failed, Oliphant says it’s now “wide open” how the space could be divided. “You could imagine a single developer taking it on, but more likely, it would be a series of developers interested in various aspects,” he adds.
And Bishop asserts that the U3 consultants running the visioning process are well-versed in public-private partnerships. They know how to bring the two sectors together and “make them thrive,” he says.
Photo Credit: Peter Contreras
A Better Vision
Creating a successful Civic Center—and, beyond that, a downtown that people want to spend time in—doesn’t just happen by accident, Groth says. She points out almost every other major city has a design commission of some kind that helps intentionally plan and envision urban spaces that are functional and appealing.
Groth believes San Diego needs such a commission, one that would review projects not just on the design of the building, but “actually how it fits within the streetscape and how it would relate to other buildings and the whole urban environment. Right now, our development approach to housing is to make it as easy for developers as possible, which on one hand produces housing, but doesn’t necessarily produce the housing we want or need,” she says. “We are outsourcing the design of our city to private entities, basically. And we can do something about that. We are just choosing, as a city, not to.”
Meanwhile, the Civic Center Revitalization is currently on ice, waiting for the city’s budget to recover.
“Once the city is back in a position where it can get moving again and feels comfortable focusing on this again, we would then get into the process of really designing actual projects and re-engaging the public around that,” Oliphant says.
Groth hopes that eventual progress is in service to the community as a whole. “Our city government prefers handing over large amounts of land to one master developer without any public value strings attached,” she adds. “It is a faster, cleaner transaction and doesn’t require the city to have any in-house development experts to manage the project. But this is an opportunity to do something different, if we are able to think differently.”
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.
Sandwiched between Petco Park and Balboa Park, East Village is the largest downtown neighborhood in San Diego at a staggering 130 blocks. This once-ignored warehouse district is now home to boundless urban attractions, locally owned shops, and dynamic eats.
Here is everything to check out while exploring this cultural hub:
Sip, devour, or savor next to the most unexpected collab of the century: Ronald Mcdonald and a fire-breathing dragon holding a sign declaring, “No breakfast tacos.” Don’t be frightened by the jarring décor featuring a golden disco ball, beachy vintage touches, and lots of dinosaurs—the menu of coffee, cocktails, and brunch bites will make you grateful you stepped foot into a mini Jurassic World.
631 9th Avenue
Bay City Brewing
Downtown offers a seemingly endless lineup of rooftop bars and restaurants all competing for who is the best. Bay City Brewing throws its hat in the ring with crazy happy hour specials: 50 percent off drinks Monday through Thursday from 3 to 5 p.m. and 50 percent off your entire tab Friday from 3 to 5 p.m. Why choose between pulled pork sliders, baked wings, or poblano mac n’ cheese when you could order all three without breaking the bank?
627 8th Avenue
Cowboy Star
Ready to question every vegetarian’s life choices? Head to Cowboy Star, where the open kitchen allows patrons to peek in on the chefs as they slice filet mignon, wood-fire elk, sear scallops, and drizzle on classic steakhouse sauces like bernaise and creamy horseradish.
640 10th Avenue
Lola 55
Dine at Lola 55 for a more casual Mexican vibe and cheap eats with loads of flavor. Tacos are the star of the show here, from crispy fried fish and mole chicken to pork belly al pastor and tender carnitas.
1290 F Street
The Mission
The Mission ramps up its simple and hearty bistro dishes with artful plating. Head in for breakfast or lunch plates like lemon curd pancakes, sweet corn tamales, and tortilla soup, plus entire menus dedicated to vegan and gluten-free eaters.
1250 J Street
Monzù Fresh Pasta
Dreaming of traveling to Italy to eat fresh pasta for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert? If a European escape isn’t in the cards in the near future, jet to Monzù instead, where husband-wife team Aldo de Dominicis Rotondi and Serena Romano bring Italy to the East Village with time-tested recipes for handmade pasta.
455 10th Avenue
Sovereign Modern Thai Cuisine
Landing a spot on the Michelin Guide three years running, as well as a visit from Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins & Dives, Sovereign is serving up some of the best Thai food in San Diego. The restaurant incorporates techniques from Laos and Cambodia to create dishes like spicy fermented pork sausage, coconut curry noodles, and crispy duck confit.
1460 J Street
Cafe de L’Opera
Legend says you can smell this French bakery’s baked goods throughout the East Village. Set your alarm and roll up at opening time (7 a.m.) to get your hands on croissants and pastries fresh from the oven. The cafe also serves breakfast and lunch staples like sandwiches and quiche.
910 J Street
Storyhouse Spirits
Storyhouse Spirits and I have one thing in common: the love of gabbing with friends, preferably with a delicious, fruity cocktail in hand. You’ll find small-batch spirits distilled in-house here, which enliven mixes like the Murder on the Dancefloor, made with beet-infused gin and pineapple run. Storyhouse offers food for humans and pets, too.
1220 J Street
Basic Bar & Pizza
Housed in a converted 1912 warehouse, Basic Bar & Pizza holds court as one of the only late-night eateries in downtown. By day, this restaurant serves pizza for visitors of all ages. As soon as the sun sets, it oversees a booming nightlife scene with art shows, private events, and some of San Diego’s hottest DJs.
410 10th Avenue
Things to Do in East Village San Diego
Petco Park
The arrival of Petco Park in 2004 revolutionized the East Village, drawing the Padres, their fans, and many of the businesses that now serve them to the area. The venue (which also hosts concerts and other events) has one of the best stadium food situations in the country, with Puesto, Din Tai Fung, Grand Ole BBQ, and Hodad’s all slinging snacks here.
100 Park Boulevard
Quartyard
The people behind Quartyard decided to counter downtown’s dearth of backyards by building one for all of San Diego. This event venue and urban park constructed from repurposed shipping containers holds cultural events, outdoor concerts, street markets, and community activities.
1301 Market Street
East Village Tavern + Bowl
Since the dawn of time, families, friends, lovers, and enemies have been brought together (or torn apart) by rolling a ball to try and knock over various objects—a sport otherwise known as bowling. This modernized 12-lane alley is a hot spot where San Diegans come to bowl, eat, drink, and watch sports any day of the week.
930 Market Street
Pinch
Get up close and personal with some wet clay to create a unique earthen cup that is sure to get visitors asking “Where did you get this?” the second you serve them a drink in it. Pinch’s intimate ceramics classes, taught by one of four instructors, are designed to allow you to move at your own pace.
937 E Street
Fault Line Park
This fun-sized park in the East Village features a kids’ playground and a few rounded sculptures that look like the love children of the spheres outside Target and The Bean in Chicago’s Millennium Park. Relax in the succulent garden here or walk along the paths that follow the curve of the Rose Canyon Fault system.
1433 Island Avenue
San Diego Central Library
The San Diego Central Library houses a 2.6-million-piece collection of books, films, magazines, baseball cards, and other items over nine stories. The massive, domed building that serves as the main branch of the San Diego public library system is perfect for studying, browsing, and quietly hanging out.
Tucked inside the San Diego Central Library, this boutique shopping hub vends trinkets, doohickeys, and gifts galore. The best part of it all? You won’t feel an ounce of guilt for balling out on candles, pins, stickers, soaps, and, of course, books, because every penny goes right back towards the San Diego Library Foundation.
330 Park Boulevard
Wotown Vintage
Skater boys and street-style lovers, this place is for you. Casual, masculine vintage clothes fill the walls at this small shop, making it the perfect place for those looking for edgier and oversized pieces to enhance any wardrobe.
730 Market Street
Wild Dove Boutique
Adjacent to Wotown sits a more modern and feminine clothing store, specializing in day-to-night pieces you can rock at your 9-to-5 or out on the town. Stop here to shop floaty dresses, cozy sweaters, office-ready blazers, and laidback jeans at mid-range prices.
740 Market Street
Normal Records
This hole-in-the-wall record shop has jam-packed thousands of records into a closet-sized space, making each visit a treasure hunt for vinyl in a wide range of genres, including hip-hop, rock, electronic, metal, country, soul, and blues.
Maren Hawkins is a freelance writer in her last year at San Diego State University. When she is not writing, she spends her time playing beach volleyball, thrifting for the cutest clothes, and traveling whenever possible.
Location: Downtown looking north at Petco Park from the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge
Camera: Nikon D600, shot at focal length 14 with a 14mm wide-angle lens
Evgeny Yorobe, a healthcare IT professional and fine art/wedding photographer from Tierrasanta, was drawn to the movement, lines, and lights of this downtown scene. “I knew I wanted the bridge and Petco Park in a photograph, and all the movement and activity around the bridge made me decide on a nighttime long-exposure shot,” says Yorobe, a devoted Padres fan. The time of the day mandated a tripod, but he realized that a wall blocked the composition. In a pinch, Yorobe shortened the length of one tripod leg to lean it and the camera to the very edge. The result was a view of the city’s after-hours buzz—traffic, twinkling lamps, and light trails from the planes, trains, and automobiles.
Looking north at Petco Park from the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge
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.”
Matt Furman Photography
Building the Infrastructure Behind Clean Energy
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.”
Developing Medicine One Patient at a Time
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.”
Matt Furman Photography
Growing a Beach-Town Brand into a National Business
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.
Location: Downtown looking north at Petco Park from the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge
Camera: Nikon D600, shot at focal length 14 with a 14mm wide-angle lens
Evgeny Yorobe, a healthcare IT professional and fine art/wedding photographer from Tierrasanta, was drawn to the movement, lines, and lights of this downtown scene. “I knew I wanted the bridge and Petco Park in a photograph, and all the movement and activity around the bridge made me decide on a nighttime long-exposure shot,” says Yorobe, a devoted Padres fan. The time of the day mandated a tripod, but he realized that a wall blocked the composition. In a pinch, Yorobe shortened the length of one tripod leg to lean it and the camera to the very edge. The result was a view of the city’s after-hours buzz—traffic, twinkling lamps, and light trails from the planes, trains, and automobiles.
Looking north at Petco Park from the Harbor Drive Pedestrian Bridge
Growing up in Carlsbad, I never quite understood why people vacationed there. What, so you want to check out the field where I have soccer practice? Pay my orthodontist a visit? Carlsbad just felt like a town by the beach, no better or worse than any other in the country. It took going to college out of state for me to actually understand just how rare a place like Carlsbad is.
Thanksgiving break my freshman year, my first time coming home after three months in the Midwest, my shoulders dropped. I rolled down the windows and drove to lifeguard tower 37—the hangout magnet for Carlsbad’s youths (and, in the summer, tourists)—and the smells of the ocean woke me right up like smelling salts do. I finally got it.
Carlsbad isn’t just a stopover town on your way to something better. It is the destination. Travel + Leisure named Carlsbad one of the top 50 places around the world to travel in 2026. From the whole globe, the travel magazine picked my home. Sure, we’ve got the Flower Fields and Legoland—but now it’s the smaller ships and indier dreams that are giving it street-level character.
It’s not just Carlsbad, either. People have talked about the “North County bubble” for decades—a force field that prevents its residents from traveling south of the 56. It’s often used derogatorily, and it’s a fairly accurate burn.
For decades, living up in North County meant giving up on culture, or at least culture within close proximity. But now, the main expansion of San Diego culture is happening up north. Central San Diego restaurants have started taking notice and are expanding into the area—spurred no doubt by Oceanside’s food boom and the Jeune et Jolie–Campfire–Wildland–Lilo constellation in Carlsbad. City Heights burger joint Key & Cleaver opened a new spot in Oceanside; the owners of Parc Bistro-Brasserie in Bankers Hill opened Parc Lounge in Rancho Santa Fe. Possibly the strongest market indicator is that Sam Fox—one of the most successful restaurateurs west of the Rockies—has started focusing on North County for his concepts. In 2025, he opened both The Henry in Carlsbad and Culinary Dropout in Del Mar.
For the ultimate insider guide, we found a handful of inspiring people who live and create and truly know six North County neighborhoods—San Marcos, Escondido, Oceanside, Leucadia, Rancho Santa Fe, and Vista—and asked them how they’d spend a dream day out and about in their town.
Courtesy of North City Farmers Market
San Marcos
San Marcos is in full renaissance mode. The biggest story is that the grand North City vision is starting to peek through the scaffolding. It’s essentially the North County Downtown that’s been written in the tea leaves and discussed whenever someone gets stuck in traffic at the 5/805 merge: a 200-acre, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use face-changer that’s slated for 2,600 homes, 350,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, 250 hotel rooms, and about a million square feet of offices and labs. Its most recent manifestation is 222 North City—a 12-story residential tower with over 450 residences, rooftop garden, pool cabanas, art installations, and almost 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail (Necessity Coffee, Buona Forchetta, Draft Republic, Milonga Empanadas, and a grocery store anchor on its way).
Which means Restaurant Row is no longer burdened with being the primary caregiver for the hungry or the socially inclined. Patricia Prado-Olmos has watched the city morph during her nearly three-decade tenure at CSUSM, having spent the past six years as the school’s chief community engagement officer. She also just announced her forthcoming retirement at the end of the 2026–2027 school year, so she’ll have even more time to haunt local haunts.
Meet the Local: Patricia Prado-Olmos
Those in the know call the university “Cal State StairMaster” from the Sisyphean amount of stairs on the hillside campus. So, any day at or around CSUSM should start with a homestyle carbo-load (biscuits and gravy) from Mama Kat’s.
“There’s something about this breakfast spot that immediately puts me in a good mood,” she says. Mama Kat’s is also known for its pie (strawberry-rhubarb), which is breakfast if you change your perspective.
After a few hours on campus—with a break to pet the university’s official therapy goldendoodle, Frank, who helps ease finals tremors or apprehension of on-campus stairs—Prado-Olmos will wander into North City, just steps away. She says the almond croissant and coffee at Christophe Rull Patisserie rival Parisian cafés: “It feels like the kind of place you’d stumble across in a much bigger city.”
Rull, a Michelin-trained pastry chef who’s done stints on Netflix (Bake Squad) and Food Network (Super Mega Cakes, Halloween Wars), opened his patisserie last fall. The hype hasn’t cooled off yet: Get there early because the crowds do.
Emma Veidt is an editor at San Diego Magazine. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the Missouri School of Journalism. She loves running, hiking, and rock climbing, but really, she mostly loves encounters with the street cats around North Park.
San Diego is home to world-class aestheticians, plastic surgeons, and dermatologists who can help turn back the hands of time and revitalize tired, damaged skin. Enhancing your look is a spectrum. Treatments range from noninvasive procedures like lasers or injectables to the big guns, like a deep-plane facelift—many with better results and less downtime than ever thanks to advanced techniques and technology. Whether you’re a Botox beginner or an aesthetic medical care veteran, San Diego aestheticians and aesthetic medicine providers can help you look and feel like the best version of yourself.
Changes Plastic Surgery & Spa
Changes Plastic Surgery & Spa is San Diego’s premier destination for aesthetic surgery, led by world-renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Michael Rossi. Celebrated for his artistry, precision, and natural-looking results, Dr. Rossi is known for creating customized Mommy Makeovers that help women restore confidence and reclaim their bodies after pregnancy. His expertise also extends to comprehensive post-weight loss body contouring, addressing excess skin and skin laxity with sophisticated surgical techniques tailored to each patient’s unique anatomy and goals. From breast and body rejuvenation to deep plane facelifts and eyelid surgery, every treatment plan reflects Dr. Rossi’s commitment to surgical excellence, personalized care, and transformative results that look as beautiful as they feel.
Cosmetic Laser Dermatology
At Cosmetic Laser Dermatology, the board-certified, internationally acclaimed team has the power to erase 10+ years of aging in a single treatment. The center’s 60+ laser, light, and energy devices do it all—refining texture and tone, calming acne, minimizing pores, and erasing that ill-advised spring break tattoo of yesteryear. Their dermatologists take it further by stacking multiple devices in one session for synergistic results—the philosophy behind their signature Take5 and Take10 treatments, the latter capable of removing a decade-plus of aging in just one visit. Add a full suite of injectables, body sculpting, and vein treatments for every skin type and tone, and it’s no wonder the practice’s medical director was named the #1 cosmetic dermatologist in America by Newsweek two years running.
Cultivé Medical Aesthetic
If it’s subtle, lasting results you’re after, Cultivé Medical Aesthetics has you covered. Cultivé purposely combines aesthetics and wellness. The Bankers Hill practice offers a full menu of services designed to improve skin health and support the three pillars of aesthetic aging: skin tone and texture, volume loss, and laxity. Cultivé offers a wide range of aesthetic treatments, including collagen boosting powerhouse Morpheus8, biostimulators like Sculptra and Radiesse, PRP therapy, laser hair removal, VI peels, and regenerative skincare treatments. They also provide wellness-focused services such as hormone replacement therapy, IV therapy, and medical weight management programs.
Starlite Aesthetics and Wellness
Starlite Aesthetics and Wellness focuses on enhancing natural beauty through science-backed treatments tailored to each client’s goals. Michelle Langston, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, founded Starlite on the principle that aesthetic medicine should be precise, personal, and rooted in wellness. The boutique aesthetic practice in La Jolla combines modern medical aesthetics with holistic wellness principles for refined results personalized to each patient. Langston has spent more than a decade honing her skills in advanced injectables, regenerative therapies, and anti-aging care. Starlite offers regenerative therapies rooted in science, promoting skin rejuvenation using a multiple modality approach. Service offerings include RF microneedling, wrinkle relaxers, facial balancing and more.
The “It” List
In the rapidly advancing field of aesthetic medicine, it can be hard to tell what’s worth the hype. Here are some of the latest, most advanced, and most popular options out there.
Morpheus8: This combination of microneedling and radiofrequency (RF) energy activates your skin’s own collagen and elastin without the downtime associated with some laser treatments. It can be used to reduce wrinkles, tighten skin, improve skin tone, contour the jawline, and minimize acne scars.
Exosome Therapy: This cutting-edge treatment uses protein-packed nanoparticles to trigger repair and rejuvenation at the cellular level. Often used post-microneedling or lasers, exosomes penetrate deep into the skin to stimulate collagen production.
Post-GLP-1 Skin Removal: Rapid fat loss prompted by GLP-1 medications, including semaglutide, tirzepatide, and retatrutide, can leave users with sagging skin. Skilled surgeons can remove excess skin and reshape the figure.
Treatment Stacking: Sometimes it’s the more the merrier when it comes to aesthetic procedures. Combining multiple non-surgical treatments in a single session allows users to address several issues efficiently, with less downtime.
