Look. This is serious, Pulitzer-worthy stuff. A few months back, we made some unbearable who’s-a-good-doggie sounds and set out to find the most soul-fluffing, adorable pets we possibly could. Why? Welcome to six pages of serotonin.
We asked the public to submit photos of their little buddies and opened public voting for the first annual “Cutest Pets” competition. A biblical flood of cat glamour shots ensued.
To oomph up our selfish pursuit with a little positive social impact, we partnered with the San Diego Humane Society. As part of this campaign, we were able to find four shelter animals a new home.
We organized a meetup between some of the winners (plus one adorable stowaway, Yumi—we’re not actually sure how she ended up at the photo shoot, but we are so glad she did) and one of the city’s top pet photographers, Allison Shamrell. Here, we tell their stories.
Note: Much as expected and beloved about cats, only one showed interest in the photo session. So, please enjoy the dogs (and cat). And, for a full list of winners, visit cutestpets.sdmag.com.
Cutest Pets Critic’s Choice Winners
Photo Credit: Allison Shamrell
Certified Good Girl Award
Mochi
If you see a prancy little pup on a city street appearing slightly annoyed at a similar-looking, maybe less fabulous version of herself—as if she’s had this same conversation with him multiple times, and he is simply incapable of following orders—you might’ve found Mochi. “She is bossy,” says her paw-rent Vaale Gafori. “She likes to take her big brother on walks by pulling his leash with her teeth to get him to move faster.”
When you’re born looking like Mochi, whose 23andMe would likely unveil she’s part Disney animation, you can demand the timing, frequency, and pace of strolls. Later, she’ll snuggle her tiny noggin under your hand to remind you that her rider clearly states that headrubs must be regularly provided by venue management. She’s known to lounge in her owners’ bed in a bathrobe, because as far as Mochi is concerned, everywhere she goes is a St. Regis and should be amenitied accordingly. But don’t think that means she needs a bodyguard—consider her a warrior princess.
“We were on a walk one day and saw a coyote walking toward us,” Gafori explains. “She started this quiet snarl that picked up in intensity, and the coyote just stared and then turned and ran the other way. She is sass.” If she were a human with a job? “Definitely a personal trainer.”
Photo Credit: Allison Shamrell
Best Smile Award
Remy
“Remy had a traumatic event in 2024, resulting in a broken back,” says owner Valerie Aiello. “A good Samaritan found him dragging himself through the dirt. He was brought to an emergency clinic and ultimately was released to Frosted Faces [Foundation, a senior pet rescue] in Ramona. A neurologist recommended euthanasia. The owners of Frosted Faces said no. Instead, they gave him a home. He was named Dragon, because he be dragging.” Apt, we’re afraid, but the pun didn’t stick.
“In June 2024, during an open house visit at Frosted Faces, I fell in love,” Aiello adds. “I adopted Dragon. He became my little Remy, named after the little chef in Ratatouille—he is a foodie and a lovable little man. If he were to have a career, it would be chef or mayor. We refer to him as ‘Mr. Mayor’ when he dons a bowtie as he struts through the neighborhood greeting everyone. His back is broken, but his spirit isn’t!”
Photo Credit: Allison Shamrell
Tiny But Mighty Award
Stella
“Stella is a mixed terrier puppy we adopted from Helen Woodward [Animal Center] last year,” says her mama, Sarah Stillman. “She just celebrated her first birthday. Her long eyelashes and long, white, sock- like paws add charm as she prances anywhere she goes, making friends with every dog and person she sees. She always wants to find ways to be supportive or help with whatever you may be working on, and she will always do it with a wagging tail.
If she had a profession, she would either be a surgeon—as she has a passion for tactically and precisely snapping squeakers in toys before removing them—or a police commissioner, overseeing effective security measures throughout the neighborhood while checking food and bags that enter the premises and confiscating any toys, packaging and all. If neither works out, she’ll settle for being an influencer. Stella has the gift of being able to light up any room she enters, like a star, hence the name! She also has an IG: @stellarenfri.”
Mischa would like you to properly kneel when you address her. She’s the heir to a throne made entirely of Churu squeezable treats. “She’s equal parts beauty queen and explorer,” says her royal-subject-slash-owner Lauren Kragel. “She belly flops dramatically for tummy rubs, demands her nightly nose kisses, and adores stroller rides and beach walks like a seasoned jet-setter. She thrives on attention, meowing at strangers until they fall under her spell.
Her royal highness’ least queenly habit? Rolling in dirt right after being brushed to perfection. Her quirkiest? Claiming a metal colander as her favorite bed and throne to nap in. If Mischa were human, she’d be a model-turned- CEO with a private jet and a publicist. She travels in cars and planes with ease, turns every outing into a photo op, and captures hearts everywhere she goes. She’s that rare mix of grace and confidence that makes everyone stop and look twice.”
Photo Credit: Allison Shamrell
Floofiest Floof (Dog) Award
Hash Brown
Hash Brown often doesn’t get credit for it, but he’s the fifth member of the Bee Gees. His nickname is “Hash,” which also fits the ’70s theme we’ve pigeonholed ourselves into. He’s been called “cuddilicious” by his owners and performs a mean helicopter tail for style points. The most annoying thing Hash does is love his owners excessively and refuse to let them leave the house, knowing full well they’ll pet other dogs out there. Please don’t attempt jumping jacks in his vicinity—he firmly disapproves of such an activity.
If he were a person and therefore required to be reasonably employed, he would be a maître d’, such is his aim to please. If Hash were to create a dating profile, it would read, per his owners: “Golden locks, soulful eyes, and a heart as soft as my fur. I’ll melt into your lap for cuddles, follow you everywhere, and make you laugh every day. Let’s share treats, sunsets, and snuggles.” His name is in honor of their first pup, Tater. A potato tradition, upheld.
Photo Credit: Allison Shamrell
So Ugly So Cute Award
La Vie En Rouge
La Vie En Rouge would like to take umbrage with this entire category. That face is an angel’s face, albeit a slightly smooshed angel whose underbite is merely a road map to let you know where to feed her, since her beard gives the impression that her face starts much lower and confusion could lead to hunger. As you might have guessed, this little wookie is a globetrotting beauty-contest titleholder.
“I took her in as her retirement home after she spent eight years traveling the world as a [dog show] grand champion,” says her owner Jeslyn Wynkoop. “This is my fourth Brussels Griffon, and she is totally different from my others. She barks like a watch dog and only goes out to the lawn in the morning on a leash after traveling and living in fancy hotels. She sits and won’t budge until I get the leash. She’s great with elevators.
The biggest issue is that she has severe separation anxiety if I leave her alone—she’s never been totally alone in her life until living with me. If I need to go somewhere she cannot go, she howls for hours. She is very needy but adorable and, [when we’re out walking,] all the guys refer to her as ‘Chewbacca.’ George Lucas had this breed when he did Star Wars!”
Photo Credit: Allison Shamrell
Cutest Puppy Award
Churro
“Before meeting him, my kiddos and I had talked about possible food names to reflect his tan coat,” says owner Amy O’Connor. “My husband chimed in and said he looks like a churro.” And he does, if the secret best part of going to a sports game and/or theme park had a head of glorious, early-Justin- Bieber-esque, shaggy hair. Churro is also autodidactic. “He plays fetch with himself by rolling a tennis ball down our sloped driveway,” O’Connor explains. “Once he gets going, he can easily entertain himself for 20 to 30 minutes.” He’s been known to sleep on the stairs on his back with his paws up, which gives us secondhand sciatica.
“If you didn’t know any better you would think he was dead,” O’Connor adds. He’s also a fierce advocate for walkable cities, having thrown up in the vehicle three times on the way to his photo shoot for this feature (and then a fourth time on the way home). We’d like to offer to pay for the car cleaning, but who are we kidding, we work in media. Watch his star rise at @achurrodog.
Photo Credit: Allison Shamrell
Pet & Owner Dopplegängers Award
Allison & Kinsey
“We adopted Kinsey in April of 2020, shortly after her front left leg was amputated,” says her twin Allison Bechill. “She bonded to my husband and me quickly, despite clearly having experienced some unknown trauma, but she had some behaviors that made it hard to take her picture. She often flinched in fear if you reached a hand towards her face, and she didn’t like being approached directly. If I tried to photograph her head-on, she’d immediately run up and submissively flop belly-up at my feet. But we quickly adapted and found she not only tolerated but enjoyed taking selfies.
With her leaning against me, our heads side by side, my hair and her long ears (she prefers her groomer to leave them untouched most visits) looked enough alike that those who saw them would sometimes laughingly comment on our matching looks. Born from an effort to capture her on camera without stressing her out, the resemblance was a happy accident that brought some bonus smiles to our friends and family.”
Photo Credit: Allison Shamrell
Our Cold, Journalistic Hearts Award
Yumi
Yumi smiles like Jack Nicholson—you’re not sure if she’s preternaturally happy or if she just pulled off a caper that’s gonna put a real crimp in your day. If she were human, she’d be “lead neighborhood watch volunteer,” says owner Cherie Peirce. “She is always in the know about what’s going on in the neighborhood and reports it.” Her name means beautiful in Japanese, and we’re not even going to look that up. If Yumi says it’s so, it is so.
Cutest Pets Readers’ Choice Winners
Best Smile
Remy
Best Athlete
Meeka
Funniest Sleeping Pose
Sam Rockwell
Tiny but Mighty
Stella
Floofiest Floof (Dog)
Hash Brown
Floofiest Floof (Cat)
Mischa
So Ugly So Cute
La Vie En Rouge
Cutest Puppy
Churro
Cutest Senior Dog
Cash
Certified Good Boy/Girl
Mochi
Pet & Owner Doppelgängers
Kinsey
Grumpiest Cat
Boo
Most Majestic Pose
Sir Walter Raleigh
Cutest Kitten
Nova
Best Zoomies Freeze-Frame
Beaker
Silliest Sleeping Position
Sunshine
Most Mischievous Look
Phoebe
Best Loaf
Moki
Homeward Bound
Through our partnership with the San Diego Humane Society for the first annual Cutest Pets, we were able to find homes for four little buddies. Here they are:
Le Chat
“She’s got the charisma of a Parisian movie star and the soul of a mysterious novelist—reserved and always observing,” her humane society profile extolled. “Le Chat is a connoisseur of calm and a lover of routine. She’s an independent thinker with excellent taste in napping spots, sunbeams, and aesthetic window views.”
Paige
At 6 years old and 86 pounds, Paige didn’t have the freshie appeal of a puppy and wasn’t easy to fit in an apartment or condo situation. And yet this good girl, looking very much like she could star in a remake of The Little Rascals, found someone who could appreciate those pinchable jowls—proof that every rescue dog is just one social media post away from meeting their soulmate. Instagram accordingly.
Panchita
Her SDHS profile: “A sweet and curious mama who did an amazing job raising her litter of kittens and is now ready to be pampered in a home of her own. If you have freshly folded laundry that needs to be napped on, sunny spots that need to be basked in, and a cat- sized hole in your heart, Panchita is your gal!” Someone, somewhere, is gladly lint-rolling a shirt or two.
Zara
She may be named after an affordable fashion store, but she looks like a million bucks—just stare into those caramel eyes, which resemble two Werther’s Originals. Human Zara would be the kind of friend who’d wake you up at 5 a.m. and challenge you to a quick half-marathon.
Think your pet has what it takes to be San Diego’s most fetching?
Troy Johnson is the magazine’s award-winning food writer and humorist, and a long-standing expert on Food Network. His work has been featured on NatGeo, Travel Channel, NPR, and in Food Matters, a textbook of the best American food writing.
Before, during, and after the Fourth of July, San Diegans can commemorate America’s 250th anniversary with an abundance of stars, stripes and local celebrations. America The Beautiful: 250 at The Rady Shell and Lamb’s Players Theatre’s revival of American Rhythm will look back at the many songs which define our country. Liberty Station’s Anchored in Freedom celebration and the Independence Day Carnival offer community-centered fun and loads of family-friendly activities. And who can possibly forget the Big Bay Boom, which will resume its reign over San Diego Bay as the state’s biggest fireworks show. Outside of the holiday festivities, this week brings the yearly return of Little Italy’s Summer Sera and the Athenaeum Summer Festival, as well as a slate of championship matches for All Elite Wrestling.
Sip on refreshing beverages and savor a panoramic rooftop view this Friday from 6-8 p.m. during the 21-plus Sunset & Spritz at Margaritaville Hotel San Diego Gaslamp Quarter’s 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar. There will be a live DJ (until 9 p.m.), appetizers, pool and cabana access, a photo booth, and a cash bar (until 11 p.m.). To accentuate the summer theme, guests are invited to dress in white, pink, and orange attire. Tickets are $29 and come with a welcome aperol spritz.
616 J Street, Gaslamp
The 250 Grand Tasting Menu at Amaya
July 3 & 4
Bring a patriotic palette to the Fairmont Grand Del Mar for The 250 Grand Tasting Menu at Amaya this Friday and Saturday from 5-8:30 p.m. Patrons will be treated to a five-course tasting menu, curated to exhibit a selection of standout regional flavors and culinary concepts that have shaped our country’s distinct food heritage. The meal will also include beverage pairings with each course, such as wine, cocktails, and artisanal drinks. Reservations are $330 per person (with tax and 20% gratuity) on OpenTable.
Don Toliver thrives at being the life of the party (and the “After Party”). His fifth album Octane, released in February, is indicative of his thrill-seeking nature. As with his earlier releases, Octane sees Toliver operating in the space between hip-hop and R&B, with warbling vocals and blaring beats that are best heard at a high volume. This Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., Toliver will play at Pechanga Arena, with rappers SoFaygo, Chase B and SahBabii—who had a guest verse on Octane standout “K9”—as special guests. Tickets start at $156 for this concert.
What makes musicals like Wicked, Cats, Chicago, and Jersey Boys so timeless is the legion of excellent songs that makes fans out of those who’ve never even watched the show. This Friday at 7:30 p.m. during Blockbuster Broadway! at The Rady Shell, conductor Evan Roider, the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, and veteran vocalists Alex Getlin, Jessica Hendy, Scott Coulter, and John Boswell (also on piano) will perform an all-star theater soundtrack. In addition to the shows named above, audiences can expect songs from A Chorus Line, The Phantom of the Opera, Annie,and more. Tickets range from $57 to $129 for this concert.
222 Marina Park Way, Embarcadero
America The Beautiful: 250 at The Rady Shell
July 4
One night after recognizing the brilliance of Broadway, The Rady Shell will ring in the United States’ landmark anniversary with America The Beautiful: 250 this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Conductor Byron Stripling, joined by a five-performer ensemble and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, will lead a night of ballads that best resemble the red, white, and blue, including songs sourced from the Great American Songbook. After the show, concertgoers are invited to watch the nearby Big Bay Boom from their seats. Tickets range from $71 to $139 for this concert.
222 Marina Park Way, Embarcadero
Athenaeum Summer Festival at Athenaeum Music & Arts Library
Ryan Hardison is a freelance arts and entertainment writer and recent graduate of San Diego State. When he's not staring at his laptop, he's likely eating an adobada burrito or getting sunburnt at the beach.
“This is insane!” the guy filming it seems to proclaim. “It’s the best fireworks show ever!” a companion confirms, inspiring a debate lasting over a decade.
All told, 7,000 fireworks exploded in the span of 25 seconds over San Diego Bay on July 4, 2012. A Michael Bay amount of unison. $125,000 worth of shells, cakes, Roman candles, and skyrockets had been placed on a barge—enough for 17 minutes of decorative sky flares—and…
Boom.
The sky looked like someone had set a giant Rorschach test on fire. Or as if whatever we all see in our Rorschachs—butterflies, clowns, tongue kissing, dads—was being electrocuted and lifted heavenward, amen. It was shocking how bright it was, how much it sizzled the local cosmos. Could’ve been one of those sci-fi films where a hole is ripped open between warring universes. But angstier, more metal—the work of some methy creator in a sleeveless concert tee.
The sound?
Lou Reed once released an entire album that contained 64 minutes of mindflaying guitar screeches and machine noises. No regular songs, just a fascinating amount of ear distress. His record label reps no doubt heard the melodic outro of their careers, but everyone else was in pain and stumped. That album still sounded better than the bay did that night. The bay sounded like a god who struggled with emotional regulation had blown his speakers and was working through the anger stage of AV grief.
In the left frame of the video, a middle-aged woman is attempting to drag her husband off by the hand. In no way does he want to go, possibly because he had missed the time Roseanne Barr sung the national anthem at a Padres game, simultaneously disemboweling and amusing America through the power of song. He would not willingly abandon an equally worthy San Diego trainwreck.
Another woman in the video appears to have just filled her beer, rushing to sit down for the show. She pauses mid-sit and returns to the full and upright position to properly bear witness. What was supposed to be prolonged entertainment has been so radically shortened that she will have to find another reason to drink. Lucky for her, drinking will be the only way to adequately process.
Locals remember the conspiracy theories. People wondered if the fuses had been tripped by a saboteur who was sympathetic to dogs, fish, or the growing suspicion that late-stage capitalism is a gorgeously branded but impossible dream sustained by remarkably efficient top-tier wealth retention and the soft compliance of fireworks-watchers who can no longer afford a house, a beer, or the personal impacts of human reproduction.
Speaking of being terrified of babies, babies were terrified. The children who witnessed it probably still can’t go near a candle store. But those kids will be tougher, perfectly scarred kids. They’ll write better songs.
That night helped us absolutely dominate the national news cycle. For a hot minute, we became America’s water-skiing squirrel. Now, years later, when you Google “fireworks gone wrong,” San Diego is always a top contender, along with that poor Nebraska family who nearly wiped out a couple generations in their front yard, their minivan somehow turning into a howitzer of recreational TNT.
There is still debate as to whether Big Bay Boom 2012 is the worst or greatest fireworks show of all time. But the advanced parts of civilization arrived at the truth as quickly as the women in the video did. It was undeniably amazing.
First of all, the point of Fourth of July fireworks isn’t “the intricate choreography of sky fire over a guaranteed amount of show time.” It’s about creating a vivid memory shared with some people you like, love, or would like to love.
BBB2012 used large-scale chemical fire to create the ultimate memory.
Sure, some people who iron their jeans subjected their family to a sermon about how San Diego managed to botch America’s birthday like a Disney princess-for-hire who smelled of quite a few Sauvignons.
The rest of us saw how perfectly it nailed the actual feeling of being an American. Because only a miniscule percentage of us bake postcard apple pies where every inch of crust is perfectly laminated like the wood in an Irish bar. Very few of us can paint on par with Picasso. The rest of us—despite truly believing in our America-activated abilities to achieve greatness in almost any field of our choosing—burn pies. We try to paint only to realize it looks like our fine motor skills have entered active death.
That’s why BBB2012 was the most perfectly American fireworks show ever: A wildly ambitious idea galvanized thousands upon thousands of people to both work on it and come to hold a beer and gawk at it, only to have it fail in the most glorious TMZ-level spectacle.
America isn’t about immaculate, storyless wins. It’s about how the framework of a country is solid enough that we can accidentally detonate our entire lives—a few times—and still probably be OK.
No one has America’d quite like San Diego did on that day. It was performance art. Lou Reed’s heart slow-clapped. Any brief municipal embarrassment quickly became a pride of our people. I can only hope the same for the Nebraskan yard family whose Dodge Aerostar became a hyperactive Death Star.
P.S. Local writer Maya Kroth compiled a quite great oral history of that night for Thrillist. The bottom lines for me were—it took nine months to prepare, no one was hurt, and even though the pyrotechnics company tried to zero out the bill, Big Bay Boom founder H. P. “Sandy” Purdon refused and paid them in full. This year will mark the 25th Anniversary of the yearly Big Bay Boom.
Troy Johnson is the magazine’s award-winning food writer and humorist, and a long-standing expert on Food Network. His work has been featured on NatGeo, Travel Channel, NPR, and in Food Matters, a textbook of the best American food writing.
If absence makes hearts (and stomachs) grow fonder, then shuttered restaurants quickly become the hottest tickets in town—something a number of iconic institutions found out after taking very public hiatuses after historically long runs. For instance, following a lengthy (and extremely flip-floppy) closing process after 92 years in business, Las Cuatro Milpas reopened two blocks away in Mercado del Barrio. Similarly, Carlsbad butcher shop Tip Top Meats reopened in the same location (albeit a smaller space) after the death of founder Joachim “Big John” Haedrich in 2023. Finally, after a whopping decade out of business, Sami Ladeki and chef Alfie Szeprethy brought back Roppongi to its original Prospect Street space, where it was the talk of the town in the late ’90s. All came back under the same proprietors, so they weren’t third-party nostalgia-licensing deals. The algorithm may have ravaged our attention spans away from all but the newest and shiniest, but this proves there’s still hope for our collective prefrontal cortex.
Other local eateries honored their pasts by bringing in new perspectives. The Lion’s Share in Embarcadero, Milton’s Deli in Del Mar, Dudley’s Bakery in Santa Ysabel, and J-K’s Greek Cafe in La Mesa handed over the keys to new owners willing to take on a big task: maintain the soul of icons through particularly rough economic circumstances for restaurants, navigate big feelings from longtime regulars (who often don’t take kindly to change), and make some necessary changes to keep going for another few decades. Taking over a project in process can be a lot harder than starting from scratch. But building that feel-good nostalgia doesn’t happen overnight, so it sure helps to have a well-established playbook of success passed down from those who came before.
Courtesy of Sugarfish
The Expansion Class Arrives
It wasn’t just restaurant groups from Los Angeles that decided to put down roots en masse, although San Diego saw plenty of LA transplants recently (Sugarfish, Mr. Charlie’s, For the Win, Katsuya Ko, Bacari). Global brands like Chef Fei, Zuma, and Pepper Lunch have locations of their own on the way, and upscale Canadian eatery Joey joined to the inescapable gravitational pull of Westfield UTC’s culinary cosmos for its first spot in America’s Finest City. Good to see the rest of the world is catching up with what we’ve been seeing the last few years—San Diego is a dining destination already on the rise.
Choosing To Not Choose
Between the never-ending news cycle of doom and perimenopause brain fog, I’m at the stage in life where I’m more than happy to let someone else make a decision for me, especially when it comes to what’s for dinner. And based on the way a lot of menus look right now, I’m not alone. It seems like half the places I visit offer some version of a prix fixe, omakase, or tasting menu. Restaurants are embracing the curated experience to solve the problem of affordability (a fixed menu reduces food and labor costs, guarantees an acceptable check average, etc.) and critical thinking in one fell swoop. Omakase (meaning “I leave it up to you”) is far from a new concept in high-end Japanese sushi culture, but now that it’s popping up everywhere from coffee experiences to grab-and-go sushi and sandwiches, it’s gone from somewhat niche to nearly omnipresent.
Courtesy of Rikka Fika
Local Coffee Hit the World Stage
The world got an up-close look at San Diego’s coffee industry when we hosted the premier specialty coffee expo World of Coffee for the first time this April. San Diego’s long and rich coffee history stretches back to the late 19th century. Things percolated fairly quietly for around a century before really picking up steam. Today, there are nearly 200 specialty roasters and cafes across the county, with many earning national accolades like the Good Food Award (Steady State Roasting, 2020; Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, 2023, 2021, 2019, 2017, 2016), Roaster of the Year by Roast Magazine (Mostra Coffee, 2020; Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, 2012), and the Specialty Coffee Association Coffee Design Award for packaging (Rikka Fika, 2026). Now that we’ve moved past the comically insufferable coffee snob era of the early 2000s, even java newbies can feel comfortable walking into pretty much any coffee shop in San Diego, asking questions, trying a few things, and feeling confident they’re going to get great service and a great beverage.
Beth Demmon is an award-winning writer and podcaster whose work regularly appears in national outlets and San Diego Magazine. Her first book, The Beer Lover's Guide to Cider, is now available. Find out more on bethdemmon.com.
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.
Summer has officially kicked off, and San Diego is celebrating the sunny season with a myriad of fun events. From San Diego Pride week and a fairytale performance at Civic Theatre to a Santigold concert and Comic-Con, there are dozens of opportunities to make memories worth adding to your scrapbook. Here are all the best things to do in San Diego this July:
Divine inspirations, operatic ballads, and symphonic pop production elevate Rosalía’s Lux to heavenly levels. Hear angelic vocals ascend—in up to 13 languages—during her performance at Pechanga Arena.
Enjoy a night of feel-good indie rock and sing-along anthems at the Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre courtesy of Young the Giant and special guest Cold War Kids.
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Santigold collects genres like gold stars: musical accouterments that brighten her uniquely alternative sound. See her live in concert with dancehall producer Troy Baker Sound at Humphreys Concerts by the Bay.
Two male government workers pursue a secret romance amid the Lavender Scare in the San Diego Opera’s production of “Fellow Travelers” at the Balboa Theatre.
Audrey Hepburn. Marlon Brando. Salvador Dalí. What do these icons have in common? Each was the enigmatic focus of a Cecil Beaton portrait. Step inside Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World, an alluring showcase of 20th-century style at San Diego Museum of Art.
Courtesy of San Diego Pride
More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Month
1
The Little Italy Mercato will trade morning rays for golden-hour glow through its free Summer Sera, an expansion of the neighborhood’s farmers market with live music, artisanal finds, and a fetching amount of pet activities.
11–19
San Diego Pride week starts with a Dyke March and ends with the two-day “Pride Shines On” festival. The days in between? Run a 5K, march in the parade, visit the rainbow-lit St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, and more.
19
Dress up for a Mediterranean-themed tea time at the Estancia La Jolla, a laid-back yet refined afternoon planned for the resort’s monthly Tea in the Garden series.
23–26
Nerd culture’s biggest gathering returns to the Convention Center. San Diego Comic-Con welcomes fans of everything from comic book cinema to ultra-rare collectibles for panels, exhibits, sneak peeks, and much more.
Ryan Hardison is a freelance arts and entertainment writer and recent graduate of San Diego State. When he's not staring at his laptop, he's likely eating an adobada burrito or getting sunburnt at the beach.
You’re coasting home after a weekend in Rosarito Beach—still riding the high of vitamin D and Baja Med—and then comes a slap back into reality: brakelights and gridlock exhaust.
Small wonder, given that San Ysidro is the busiest land border crossing in the western hemisphere (fourth-busiest in the world). Otay Mesa’s no breeze either; it’s the busiest commercial port in California and second-busiest across the entire southern border. Smart Border Coalition says that each day last year, 41,800 vehicles crossed into the US at San Ysidro; 17,800 crossed at Otay Mesa, along with 1,023,000 commercial trucks.
Diana Pazos, a San Diego resident and adolescent psychiatrist working in Tijuana, says the northbound border wait at the San Ysidro crossing is often three to five hours Saturday through Monday—delays that modern humans and multinational maquiladoras alike aren’t built to endure. At the current Otay crossing, “commercial trucks may be in line for six hours or longer,” she says.
Needing to bake a couple hours of commute into the States doesn’t just affect vacations; tens of thousands of people cross the border each day for doctor’s appointments, work, school, you name it. The clog has personal and commercial ramifications.
But change is coming. Construction has begun on a new border crossing in Otay Mesa, which is expected to significantly reduce wait times across all San Diego border crossings, bolster binational trade, and improve the air pollution levels in the area.
Nikki Tiongco, an 18-year Caltrans veteran who oversees the Otay Mesa East project (aka Otay 2) for the agency, says the new border crossing will also be among the most high-tech, efficient, and secure border crossings in the nation.
“We have already completed the roadway network within the Otay Mesa East region,” says Tiongco. Part of this project included building State Route 11, an extension of SR 905, which has been open to the public since August and will feed traffic to the new entry port. Otay 2 comes with a 21st century upgrade, too. Miles of fiber-optic cables have been installed underground, which gives the port the brainpower to efficiently sort and streamline traffic as cars approach the border. (Unlike the San Ysidro border, where lanes get organized by vehicle type, Otay 2’s lanes will be interchangeable. For example, if the system indicates that a high number of commercial trucks is heading to the border, passenger lanes could be converted to cargo lanes in real time.)
Otay 2, driven by a binational collaboration among government agencies (Caltrans, SANDAG, General Services Administration, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection), receives both federal and state funding, plus hefty contributions from Mexico. So far, funds from the $1.3 billion project have helped build new bridges and roadway interchanges that will guide traffic to the crossing. At this stage in the process, Caltrans is “laser-focused on building the facility itself,” Tiongco says.
Now, to the juicy part: the prospect of a “20-to-30-minute border wait time” at Otay 2, according to Tiongco. Currently, there are three standard ways to cross the border at San Ysidro: Ready Lanes, General Lanes, or SENTRI Lanes. Most travelers use either the Ready or General lanes. SENTRI Lanes require a form of pre-approval from the US federal government plus an additional fee. According to CBP, the average wait time in 2025 at the San Ysidro crossing, was as little as 15 minutes in the SENTRI Lanes, 45 minutes in the Ready Lanes, and 1.5 to 2 hours in the General Lanes. Those are best-case scenarios that vary based on lane type and time of day.
Otay 2 is about 12 miles east of the San Ysidro crossing and 2.5 miles east of Otay 1. Those not wanting to spend that much extra time on the road to drive to the new border crossing, despite the allure of an under-30-minute wait, are still expected to see some benefits. Tiongco says Otay 2 will “provide a relief valve” overall by spreading the burden across the three border crossings. As a result, SANDAG says, wait times at San Ysidro and Otay 1 could be cut in half.
It’s not just your time waiting at the border that matters. Multinational corporations that relocated their manufacturing plants (maquiladoras) to Northern Baja have claimed for years that the long delays at Otay 1 eat away at their profits. More than 600 maquiladoras, used by companies such as Samsung and Panasonic, currently use Otay 1 to transport products to US and international markets. Ambassador Alicia G. Kerber-Palma, the consul general of Mexico in San Diego, says the project will facilitate more than $60 billion in cross-border trade annually.
Previous reports say that Otay 2 also has the capacity for around 12,000 passenger cars and 1,500 commercial trucks daily. A shiny, new element to this port: Commercial and personal vehicles that choose to cross will pay a dynamic toll on both sides of the border. The fee will increase during busy hours and decrease during slower periods, Tiongco says. Caltrans estimates that the toll could range from $4 to $30 for passenger vehicles and higher for commercial trucks. Drivers will be able to see current rates before they reach the actual border crossing.
And, with these changes, there are environmental benefits, too. “With shorter wait times at all three ports, there’s less idling and congestion, which should significantly reduce air pollution on both sides of the border,” says Kerber-Palma. The main factor driving improved air quality would be decreasing dirty emissions from idling diesel trucks. This county’s air could use some sprucing up, anyway. A 2026 report from the American Lung Association named San Diego as the fifth-most particle-polluted county in the US. The bulk of that dirty air comes from the heavy-duty trucks and ships that pass through the area.
Otay 2 is not only expected to curb the acceleration of air pollution in San Diego; if the state’s legislature passes California Senate Bill 10, the border crossing could also restore local water quality. This bill would use a portion of Otay 2 toll revenues to fund ongoing maintenance of the South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant. Current media reports say, however, that it’s increasingly unlikely that SB 10 will become law.
Otay 2 has been in the works for over two decades and is finally nearing the finish line. Construction estimates show that it should be up and running in 2029. Tiongco says this border crossing is “a good example of how the state, federal and local governments are working together and with Mexico to advance our mutual goals in the region.”
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