Guides APRIL 3, 2014

Favorite Shots of Puesto

A few photos that didn't make the issue but are causing hunger in the office.

Favorite Shots of Puesto

April’s dining review highlighted the new Puesto at The Headquarters. Several photos were featured, but here are a few more that didn’t get printed. Handmade tortillas, griddled cheese, and inspiring interiors. Can we take a long lunch today? All photos by Sam Wells.

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Guides JUNE 11, 2014

Summer Snaps

We're on the hunt for the best summer outdoor photographs shot by our readers

Summer Snaps

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:

The Hills Are Alive

January 2014. Shot by Phillip Colla.

Summer Snaps

Torrey Pines State Reserve

Phillip Colla

A Pleasing Path

February 2014. Shot by Diana Alsindy.

Summer Snaps

Suspension bridge

Southwest of Coronado Island

March 2014. Shot by John Trice

Summer Snaps

Sailing off the coast of Coronado

John Trice

Under the Coronado Bridge

December 2013. Shot by Michael Jaffe

Summer Snaps

Under the Coronado Bridge

Mt. Palomar Observatory

November 2013. Shot by Brett Shoaf.

Summer Snaps

Mt. Palomar Observatory

Gaslamp at Dusk

October 2013. Shot by Justin Lee.

Summer Snaps

Gaslamp at dusk

Guides JUNE 11, 2014

Summer Snaps

We're on the hunt for the best summer outdoor photographs shot by our readers

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:

The Hills Are Alive

January 2014. Shot by Phillip Colla.

Summer Snaps

Torrey Pines State Reserve

Phillip Colla

A Pleasing Path

February 2014. Shot by Diana Alsindy.

Summer Snaps

Suspension bridge

Southwest of Coronado Island

March 2014. Shot by John Trice

Summer Snaps

Sailing off the coast of Coronado

John Trice

Under the Coronado Bridge

December 2013. Shot by Michael Jaffe

Summer Snaps

Under the Coronado Bridge

Mt. Palomar Observatory

November 2013. Shot by Brett Shoaf.

Summer Snaps

Mt. Palomar Observatory

Gaslamp at Dusk

October 2013. Shot by Justin Lee.

Summer Snaps

Gaslamp at dusk

Guides APRIL 17, 2014

Behind the Photo Shoot

A few photos from our recent home shoot in Mission Hills.

Behind the Photo Shoot

For April’s home story, we had the privilege of photographing artist Concetta Antico’s home in Mission Hills. Kimberly Cunningham (Senior Editor), Becca Teal Batista (photographer), Jenny Siegwart (photographer) and myself (Associate Art Director) spent half a day with Concetta and her family at their home, which boasts Craftsman details, a gazebo, antique finds, and other design treasures. Here, a few behind-the-scenes photos from our shoot:

Behind the Photo Shoot

Concetta Antico’s home

Jenny grabs the first shot of the day. The light was working in our favor for this charming outdoor vignette.

Behind the Photo Shoot

Concetta Antico’s home

Concetta’s cats were the most eager models of the day.

Behind the Photo Shoot

Concetta Antico’s home

Even the water was artful. We loved these pretty milk glasses!

Behind the Photo Shoot

Concetta Antico’s home

Becca perfects the styling of the dining table. The final photo of this room is my favorite from the story!

Behind the Photo Shoot

Concetta Antico’s home

We all gushed over this rug. There may or may not have been a few Instagrams.

Behind the Photo Shoot

Concetta Antico’s home

Becca shows Concetta how she’ll be posing for her “lifestyle” shot.

Behind the Photo Shoot

Concetta Antico’s home

Good light is a photo shoot’s best friend, and this one had lots of it! Doesn’t this look like the perfect place to sit on a spring day in San Diego?

Behind the Photo Shoot

Earthly Delights

Want to see Concetta’s artwork in person? Her next show, Earthly Delights, opens Saturday, April 26 in Mission Hills. For more details, check out Concetta’s gallery.

Studio S JULY 7, 2026

Xplosion Box: A Customized Keepsake Your Loved Ones Won’t Forget

A customized memory-filled explosion gift box is a creative way to show someone you care

Xplosion Box: A Customized Keepsake Your Loved Ones Won’t Forget
Hero image – Birthday Explosion Gift Box

Finding a gift that feels truly personal can be surprisingly difficult. In a sea of generic options — flowers, gift cards, candles, and the like — Xplosion Box offers something more lasting: a customized keepsake built around the photos, messages, and memories that matter most. 

Founded by Southern California entrepreneur Jay Vijay, Xplosion Box LLC creates fully customized explosion gift boxes that arrive professionally designed, printed, assembled, and ready to gift. Each box opens layer by layer to reveal personal photos, heartfelt messages, pull-out albums, origami-style photo pockets, and hidden notes, turning a simple gift into an emotional reveal. 

The brand was built for people who want to give something meaningful without spending hours printing photos, cutting paper, folding cardstock, or assembling a DIY project. Customers simply choose a box, upload their favorite photos, add personal messages, and the Xplosion Box team transforms those details into a polished keepsake that feels thoughtful, personal, and beautifully made.

Xplosion Box offers personalized gift boxes for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduations, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, proposals, bridesmaid gifts, long-distance relationships, and thoughtful “just because” moments. 

Customers can choose from flexible customization options starting at $27. The Mini Surprise Box includes 10 photos, three message cards, and one hidden secret note, while the Mega Surprise Box offers a fuller keepsake experience with 40 photos, three message cards, and one hidden secret note. 

What sets Xplosion Box apart is its high level of customization combined with convenience. Filled with personal photos, custom text, decorative details, and layered surprises, each box gives customers the freedom to create a gift that feels one-of-a-kind — without having to make it themselves. 

At its core, Xplosion Box helps people turn favorite photos, stories, and words into something tangible: a keepsake that can be opened, revisited, and remembered long after the occasion has passed. asion has passed.

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Everything SD APRIL 17, 2014

Behind the Photo Shoot

A few photos from our recent home shoot in Mission Hills.

For April’s home story, we had the privilege of photographing artist Concetta Antico’s home in Mission Hills. Kimberly Cunningham (Senior Editor), Becca Teal Batista (photographer), Jenny Siegwart (photographer) and myself (Associate Art Director) spent half a day with Concetta and her family at their home, which boasts Craftsman details, a gazebo, antique finds, and other design treasures. Here, a few behind-the-scenes photos from our shoot:

Behind the Photo Shoot

Concetta Antico’s home

Jenny grabs the first shot of the day. The light was working in our favor for this charming outdoor vignette.

Behind the Photo Shoot

Concetta Antico’s home

Concetta’s cats were the most eager models of the day.

Behind the Photo Shoot

Concetta Antico’s home

Even the water was artful. We loved these pretty milk glasses!

Behind the Photo Shoot

Concetta Antico’s home

Becca perfects the styling of the dining table. The final photo of this room is my favorite from the story!

Behind the Photo Shoot

Concetta Antico’s home

We all gushed over this rug. There may or may not have been a few Instagrams.

Behind the Photo Shoot

Concetta Antico’s home

Becca shows Concetta how she’ll be posing for her “lifestyle” shot.

Behind the Photo Shoot

Concetta Antico’s home

Good light is a photo shoot’s best friend, and this one had lots of it! Doesn’t this look like the perfect place to sit on a spring day in San Diego?

Behind the Photo Shoot

Earthly Delights

Want to see Concetta’s artwork in person? Her next show, Earthly Delights, opens Saturday, April 26 in Mission Hills. For more details, check out Concetta’s gallery.

Guides APRIL 16, 2014

Wave Wonder

Meet local photographer Ken Lewis

Wave Wonder
Wave Wonder

Ken Lewis photo

We see a lot of excellent photography at San Diego Magazine—from restaurant spaces to sunsets to home decor—but I recently came across some wonderful shots during a little time away from my desk. My friend, local San Diegan, and talented photog Ken Lewis showed me some of his local beach shoots, and I immediately knew more people needed to check out his skills. Here’s the lowdown on Lewis:

I’m from: San Diego, CA, born and raised

My day job is: Marketing Manager

A personal project I am working on: Life. Trying to find that balance between work and having time to live the best life possible with my wife and children. I do know that the world is much more beautiful outside of a cubical.

Favorite spot to photograph: Windansea in La Jolla. It has always held something special for me ever since I learned to body surf there as a kid. My dad lived there and was a spear fisherman there in the 50s-60s and showed me the beauty of where we live.

What inspires you: The ocean. I’ve looked at the ocean from above and under its waters since I was a child and it is something that never ceases to amaze and inspire me. Once you know that love and respect of the sea, you’re changed forever. People inspire me as well. There are some great people who have lived amazing lives and have great stories and wisdom to share. You can find many of them at your local beach or bar!

What do you like to do in your free time: Surfing and body surfing are my favorite things in the world to do. I’ve met my extended family because of it and have loved it for over 30 years.

To see life through Lewis’ lens, follow him on Instagram @hanger18.

Wave Wonder

Ken Lewis photo

Wave Wonder

Ken Lewis photo

Wave Wonder

Ken Lewis photo

Wave Wonder

Ken Lewis photo

Wave Wonder

Ken Lewis photo

Wave Wonder

Ken Lewis photo

Partner Content JULY 10, 2026

Health & Wellness Summer 2026

It’s a Self-Care Summer. Because your best self is our favorite self.

Health & Wellness Summer 2026

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.

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1230 Columbia Street, Suite 800,

San Diego, CA