“Sailing is not in the mainstream—and that’s something that interests me,” says John Trice, a commercial photographer and University Heights resident. “That, and my wife used to be a sailing instructor.” During the National Offshore One-Design Series in 2012, the San Diego Yacht Club invited Trice to shoot the regatta (happening again this month, March 14–16). For this shot, he was on one of the chase boats, right next to one of the marks the boats have to round. “With such a long focal length (200mm) and a wide open aperture (f2.8), the entire frame gets super compressed,” says Trice. “So anything in the immediate foreground gets really blurry. In this shot there was a swell between me and the J80 and so it almost looks like I’m below the surface of the water.” The result: We can feel the intensity of the race.
The Best Places to Dock and Dine in San Diego (and How to Get There)
Leave the car at the marina and sail right up to San Diego's best waterfront eateries
Bluewater Boathouse Seafood Grill
By Chase Scheinbaum
When Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed into San Diego Bay in 1542, he clearly realized this: It’s a lovely place to drop anchor and have a bite to eat. All these years later, it still is!
Arguably it’s even better now given that you can dock a boat steps from dozens of restaurants around San Diego Bay—and 60 if you include Mission Bay.
The point is this: Sunning yourself on the deck of a boat beats sweating in traffic. Throwing a line over a cleat beats scrapping for a parking spot. If you don’t have a boat, make a friend who does. Or take some of our other advice below, where you’ll also find everything you need to know about showing up dockside for a meal and sailing off into the sunset.
How it Works:
This page and this page have comprehensive listings of every eatery that boasts a dock for a parking lot, listed by area where you’ll be sailing, whether it’s the Bay, Coronado Island, Shelter Island, Mission Bay, South Bay, and so on. Many but not all restaurant docks are first-come, first-served, and prices vary; call the restaurant or marina ahead of time to find out.
It would be nice if water taxis crisscrossed the San Diego Bay on demand. Alas, they do not. The boat-less should consider a stand up paddleboard. Or a pair of swim fins. Or one of those inflatable donuts that are all the rage on Instagram.
The Best Places to Dock and Dine in San Diego (and How to Get There)
Festivals, food, and fireworks—the essential combination for celebrating Independence Day in San Diego. Here's what's happening around town this weekend.
By Lauren Craig
Stuff to Do
4th of July Celebration, Coronado* Start the morning with the annual 15K or 5K run/walk, watch the festive parade, and listen to a concert in Spreckles Park at 4:00 p.m. 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. | ecoronado.com/4th
Rancho Bernardo’s The Spirit of the Fourth*+ Take the family to Webb Park for a picnic for a full day of music, contests, and games for the kids to love. 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. | spiritofthefourth.org
San Diego County Fair, Del Mar*+ Spend the whole day with a patriotic opening ceremony, an afternoon parade, and a nighttime concert along with rides and ridiculous fried foods. 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. | sdfair.com
Scripps Ranch 4th of July Parade and Festival Show up early for the parade and enjoy the carnival games, food, and fun at the festival afterwards. 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. | scrippsranch.org
Old Town State Historic Park Make crafts and enjoy old-fashioned activities to celebrate Independence Day like the first San Diegans did. 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. | oldtownsandiegoguide.com
51st Annual Independence Day Celebration & Fireworks Spectacular, Escondido* Presented by the California Center for the Arts, celebrate the Fourth with food vendors, a community art sale, performances, and more. 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. | visitescondido.com
Honor our Heroes, Celebrate our Freedom, Vista*+ Come to the Moonlight Amphitheater for the “Light Up the Night” dinner, a performance by Get Back Loretta, and the honoring of three military heroes. 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. | cityofvista.com
IndepenDANCE family Fireworks Cruise* Cruise on the California Spirit and dance the night away, taking in the 360-degree views of the fireworks. 8:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. | eventbrite.com
* includes fireworks
+ tickets are required
Fireworks
Red, White, and BOOM! 8:30 p.m., LEGOLAND legoland.com
Annual Alchemy BBQ, South Park Load up a plate filled with BBQ selections for just $12, selections including beef brisket, chicken, and corn on the cob. 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. | alchemysandiego.com
The Shores Oceanfront Restaurant, La Jolla Dine on the beach and watch the fireworks while eating a three-course meal for just $48 a person and $14 for wine pairings. 5.00 p.m. to 10 p.m. | theshoresrestaurant.com
Red, White, and Brew Pubcrawl, Gaslamp Dress up and head down to over a dozen bars along the Gaslamp district in this festive pubcrawl for $2 Draft Beers, 2-1 Mixed Drinks, and $4 shots. 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. | pubcrawls.com
Festivals, food, and fireworks—the essential combination for celebrating Independence Day in San Diego. Here's what's happening around town this weekend.
By Lauren Craig
Stuff to Do
4th of July Celebration, Coronado* Start the morning with the annual 15K or 5K run/walk, watch the festive parade, and listen to a concert in Spreckles Park at 4:00 p.m. 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. | ecoronado.com/4th
Rancho Bernardo’s The Spirit of the Fourth*+ Take the family to Webb Park for a picnic for a full day of music, contests, and games for the kids to love. 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. | spiritofthefourth.org
San Diego County Fair, Del Mar*+ Spend the whole day with a patriotic opening ceremony, an afternoon parade, and a nighttime concert along with rides and ridiculous fried foods. 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. | sdfair.com
Scripps Ranch 4th of July Parade and Festival Show up early for the parade and enjoy the carnival games, food, and fun at the festival afterwards. 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. | scrippsranch.org
Old Town State Historic Park Make crafts and enjoy old-fashioned activities to celebrate Independence Day like the first San Diegans did. 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. | oldtownsandiegoguide.com
51st Annual Independence Day Celebration & Fireworks Spectacular, Escondido* Presented by the California Center for the Arts, celebrate the Fourth with food vendors, a community art sale, performances, and more. 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. | visitescondido.com
Honor our Heroes, Celebrate our Freedom, Vista*+ Come to the Moonlight Amphitheater for the “Light Up the Night” dinner, a performance by Get Back Loretta, and the honoring of three military heroes. 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. | cityofvista.com
IndepenDANCE family Fireworks Cruise* Cruise on the California Spirit and dance the night away, taking in the 360-degree views of the fireworks. 8:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. | eventbrite.com
* includes fireworks
+ tickets are required
Fireworks
Red, White, and BOOM! 8:30 p.m., LEGOLAND legoland.com
Annual Alchemy BBQ, South Park Load up a plate filled with BBQ selections for just $12, selections including beef brisket, chicken, and corn on the cob. 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. | alchemysandiego.com
The Shores Oceanfront Restaurant, La Jolla Dine on the beach and watch the fireworks while eating a three-course meal for just $48 a person and $14 for wine pairings. 5.00 p.m. to 10 p.m. | theshoresrestaurant.com
Red, White, and Brew Pubcrawl, Gaslamp Dress up and head down to over a dozen bars along the Gaslamp district in this festive pubcrawl for $2 Draft Beers, 2-1 Mixed Drinks, and $4 shots. 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. | pubcrawls.com
Entrepreneurs typically launch businesses because they’re passionate about a product or service, not because they want to manage its finances. While working to carve out a niche in their respective industries and drive their companies forward, many business owners find themselves bogged down by day-to-day accounting. Their existing accounting tools don’t provide the necessary visibility or insight, and they don’t have the time or resources to hire additional staff or a chief financial officer. That’s where NOW CFO comes in.
For more than 20 years, NOW CFO has been pairing businesses across the country with experienced accounting and finance professionals. Its outsourced model allows clients to customize solutions that match their individual needs, size, and financial challenges, whether that’s fractional or interim support, project-based services, or full-time placement.
NOW CFO’s clients range from startups preparing for rapid growth to established companies that need additional financial leadership without the commitment or expense of building an in-house team. However, many of these companies don’t fully understand their needs until they experience a “trigger” event: preparing for an acquisition or capital raise, navigating a first-time audit, or another period of transition. With a team of over 300 consultants nationwide, NOW CFO can start quickly and match the right expert to the right business.
“It’s important for companies to have financial visibility, and we can help them avoid a lot of the potholes that companies often run into,” says Mariah Block, a partner at NOW CFO’s San Diego branch. “Roughly half of our clients have an in-house finance person or department, and we’re resourced for more bandwidth when they need an extra set of hands at the staff or senior accountant level, or the controller or CFO level. Some clients use this a few hours a month and others use multiple people close to full-time. Our model is solution-based and customizable. We’re like a faucet you can turn on and off.”
With NOW CFO, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Solutions are based on the client’s individual goals, challenges, needs, and budget, meaning a client never pays for more than they need. Whether it’s a few hours of executive-level guidance or a full accounting team to support daily operations, NOW CFO meets businesses where they are and grows alongside them.
“We pride ourselves on providing our clients with the right resources at the right rate and being able to evolve as their needs evolve,” says Block.
And clients appreciate on-demand access to cost-effective support designed to improve performance and profitability.
Luxury car storage service Auto Concierge has partnered with NOW CFO to support growth over the past year. The arrangement began with a staff accountant who covered a leave of absence, but as the client’s needs changed, they also added a controller role. This allowed Auto Concierge to put effective processes in place and navigate operational challenges. Lori Church, Auto Concierge’s chief operating officer, says NOW CFO has been an “outstanding resource” and a “true strategic partner.”
“From the controller to the bookkeeper, every professional they’ve placed has brought a high level of expertise, responsiveness, and professionalism to our organization. Their team took the time to understand our business of high-profile clients and needs, adapted quickly to our fast-paced environment, and became a trusted extension of our team,” she says. “As Auto Concierge continues to grow, having a reliable financial partner like NOW CFO has allowed us to strengthen our financial and business operations while remaining focused on delivering exceptional service to our clients.”
We're on the hunt for the best summer outdoor photographs shot by our readers
By Laurie Nicoud
Calling all local photographers! We’re on the lookout for summer outdoor shots of San Diego to feature in the magazine’s “Picture Perfect” section. Have an epic shot of the Del Mar Fair? A landscape scene from Crystal Pier? A dramatic view from your Iron Mountain hike? We want to see them all! Email your stunners to [email protected].
And take a look at Picture Perfect favorites for inspiration:
We're on the hunt for the best summer outdoor photographs shot by our readers
By Laurie Nicoud
Calling all local photographers! We’re on the lookout for summer outdoor shots of San Diego to feature in the magazine’s “Picture Perfect” section. Have an epic shot of the Del Mar Fair? A landscape scene from Crystal Pier? A dramatic view from your Iron Mountain hike? We want to see them all! Email your stunners to [email protected].
And take a look at Picture Perfect favorites for inspiration:
If you’re anything like us, it can be easy to get so caught up in taking care of everyone else, that your own needs get lost in the ether. But while this may be a cliché, that doesn’t make it any less true: You can’t give your best self to other people unless you’re taking care of yourself.
Sometimes, that looks like stopping in for your regular acupuncture or chiropractic appointment. Other days, it means giving your body the fresh, organic fuel it needs to truly feel and function at its best. And some other times still, it involves leaving your responsibilities behind for a weekend to pamper yourself at an incredible resort and spa.
Only you can decide what your truly need. We’re just here to help you find the best ways to get it.
Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa
Island living meets desert luxury at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells. When you step onto the 11-acre property, you’ll be surrounded by sweeping view of the Santa Rosa Mountains with olive trees and fragrant citrus groves decorating the grounds. In other words, everything about this relaxed but refined resort is primed to help you let go of the stress from home and enjoy easy sun-soaked days and gorgeous starry nights.
The rooms blend calming, woven textures with Tommy Bahama’s signature tropical prints and feature private lanais, making it easy unwind the moment you walk in the door. If you book one of the four Villa Suites, you’ll be treated to exclusive Tommy Bahama furniture and unique personal touches to further that feeling of instant ease.
At the award-winning Spa Rosa, the expert team will help reset and recharge your body and mind using methods and rituals inspired by the desert. The 12,000-square-foot retreat includes outdoor soaking pools, eucalyptus steam rooms, and outdoor cabanas, as well as massages, facials, and body masks—all aimed at creating a day dedicated to you. We’re particularly partial to the Day Long Escape, an indulgent all-day affair of CDBs soaks, renewing scrubs, life changing massages, and transformative facials.
Following your treatment, continue the experience with a meal on the patio at Grapefruit Basil. We love the Hamachi Crudo, a light, citrus-forward dish featuring premium yellowtail, house-made ponzu, creamy avocado, and fresh seasonal garnishes.
Whether you’re strolling the gardens, relaxing beside its saltwater pools, or indulging in a restorative treatment, you’ll be able to escape in style and relax in luxury at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa.
Healcove Chiropractic
There’s no shortage of ways to stay active in San Diego—but if you really want to enjoy everything the city has to offer, you’ve got to make sure you’re giving your body its tune-ups. Enter: Healcove Chiropractic. The board-certified chiropractors and wellness professionals at Healcove are experts at addressing that stage where you’re not injured, exactly, but you’re not at 100%, either. Maybe you’re feeling a bit tense or stressed out. Or it could be that you’re not quite moving the way you want to. Sometimes, it’s just that the accumulation of days, weeks, or even years of daily strain is starting to take a toll. No matter what stage you find yourself at, the Healcove Chiropractic team can provide integrated, preventative care centered on long-term, science-backed approaches that ensure you can always stay active and live the life you want to live pain-free.
This starts by providing truly individualized care. Every patient can expect a thorough 60-minute consultation session that includes a posture and movement screening. This allows the team to develop a completely personalized plan. That plan might include chiropractic care, acupuncture, or massage therapy, as well as functional fitness training, vibration and sound therapy, and Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization, a clinical rehabilitation method that retrains the body’s stabilization systems. Whatever the team recommends, you can be sure that it’s tailored to meeting your body’s needs today and the future.
There’s a reason that San Diego Magazine named Healcove the “Best Chiropractor in San Diego”—don’t wait until you’re struggling with an injury to find out why. Book an appointment today for holistic, integrated care that helps ground and heal your body before it reaches a crisis point.
Juice Holler
West Coast wellness culture meets the community feel of Southern Appalachia at Juice Holler. Juice Holler’s menu consists of made-to-order smoothies and smoothie bowls, as well as grab-and-go cold-pressed juices, wellness shots, salads, and more. It operates from the blissfully simple premise that fueling up with food and drink that’s guilt-free and good your body should be simple, accessible, and, above all else, delicious. And if you haven’t yet made it out to the Encinitas café, which opened just this year, let us be the first to tell you: Juice Holler delivers on each and every of these fronts.
We love the Supercharger smoothie, a mood-lifting and body-fueling option made with banana, almond butter, blue spirulina, maca, grass-fed whey protein, raw cacao nibs, medjool dates, and coconut milk. We’re also partial to the Thrive Alive smoothie bowl, where avocado, mango, sea moss, spirulina, mint, coconut milk, and agave are mixed and topped with coconut, chia seeds, strawberry, mango, and chocolate drizzle. The wellness shots include the Detoxifier, a cleansing blend of kale, cucumber, lemon and spirulina, plus a shot specially designed to fight inflammation (named, fittingly, Anti-Inflammation). Probiotic overnight oats, lemon turmeric bars, and strawberry shortcake chia pudding are other standouts on the grab-and-go menu.
Much of the vibe feels beachy North County chic—think green tile with orange and pink accents, grounded with greenery and natural wood—but Juice Holler founder Kelly Sergott, a longtime Encinitas local, has also enfused the space with her Kentucky roots. In Appalachia, a holler is small valley between hills and mountains, where nature reigns, community is king, and nourishment comes right from the land. At Juice Holler, Sergott has created a holler for the busy modern times, using local ingredients to create a spot for people to come together and enjoy fresh, fast, feel-good fuel for their day.
Everwell Acupuncture
We’ve all had that experience with a medical professional where we’ve felt rushed, ignored, or misunderstood—and ultimately, like we didn’t get the answers that we needed. But at Everwell, the holistic acupuncture practice located in Solana Beach, the care team wants to transform your understanding of what healthcare can look like.
Patients at Everwell experience care rooted in intentional listening and radical empathy—and trust us, those aren’t just corporate buzzwords. This place actually puts those ideas into practice. You will always be given the time you need to tell your story— initial in-take appointments are two hours long—and you can rest assured that your story will be believed. Every single question and concern will be addressed by a dedicated practitioner who wants to find the specific solutions that work best for you, and you’ll receive care that’s aimed at healing the body, mind, and spirit.
Everwell’s highly trained, doctorate-level practitioners blend evidence-based acupuncture with the practice of classical Chinese medicine. (If you’ve never tried acupuncture before or aren’t sure if the team will be a fit, we’d highly recommended Everwell’s complimentary 20-minute consultations.) Research shows that by stimulating specific points on the body, acupuncture activates a natural healing response in the body, helping to restore balance, regulate the nervous system, and improve overall wellbeing. This allows the practice to address an incredibly wide range of conditions from chronic pain and autoimmune disorders to digestive issues, from stress and burnout to headaches migraines, fertility and postpartum struggles, hormonal imbalances, sleep concerns and more.
At Everwell, you can expect to feel heard, trusted, respected, and cared for. This is a space that doesn’t want to be just another healthcare provider you visit; it wants to provide patients with dedicated partner who will be there for their entire health journey.
