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Expanded comments, videos and anecdotes on North County Times
Peggy Chapman (Human Resources Director, 1995-2012): They [the staff] would ask questions what’s our vacation policy gong to be, we posted on a wall near my office all the questions people had and all the answers we came up with. Some of us had different benefits, we had to sort all of that out, what were the titles going to be, as things came up we dealt with them. Dick High used to say, it’s just us chickens to figure out. We basically got to build this newspaper from scratch and that was pretty cool.
Jim Trageser (Web editor, feature editor, 2003-2006, 2007-2012): I remember Working out of Oceanside to put out the Blade, and then running over to Escondido to teach them pagination. We were Apple’s first large installation on the powermacs. We had technicians from Cupertino every day, trying to get them working right. There were a days we almost didn’t have a T-A.
Jamie Lytle (Photographer, 1995-2012): When we merged, Dick High started giving us frickin’ raises which was great.
Laura Groch (Features Editor, Copy Editor 1995-2012): I remember the first Christmas bonuses, when we actually were getting Christmas bonuses. the way they handled it was that Rusty, who had not been my boss, gave me the bonus, instead of Rich Petersen. It went to the other editor to show this is all one family now.
Bill Wechter (Photographer, 1995-2012): In those early days, through that time period, the North County Times, at least the first several years, for photographers, there was always this battle for space int he paper. the philosophy was 8 or 9 stories, so there was a big battle for art. to get a 4 column picture was the biggest deal, this one is so good you gotta do this, you gotta do that. That was the early days. It was just a philosophy that Dick High had, you needed so many elements on section covers.
Trageser: I think Dick was right to bring Kent in from outside. That’s what allowed the North County Times to become its won animal different from the Blade and T-A.
Hayne Palmour IV (Photographer, 1995-2012): The Harmony Grove fire, started in Escondido roared into Carlsbad, terrible fire burned hundreds f homes. Every time one of those fires happened the news room kicked into gear. We really shined. What we did well was keep the community informed on what was happened. The energy level went up several notches each time these big fires happened, everybody knew what we had to do and went as long as we had to go to make it happen.
Kent Davy (Editor, 1995-2012): I remember Jaimie Lytle coming back and bringing back fantastic fire photos at the same time. He’d been on hot embers and the soles of his shoes had melted.
Rusty Harris (Managing Editor, 1995-2010): The fire was really bad for 3 days. The second night of the fire, I get this phone call, it’s Kent. He was actually traveling through California by that time by car, the first words out of his mouth were, “Do I still have an office to report to?”
I laughed and said, “Of course!” However I knew that he had rented a condo in La Costa. I said, “You might want to check to make sure your condo hasn’t burned, because that’s where most of the damage is.”
Jay Paris (Sports writer, 1995-2012): [Chargers General Manager] Bobby Beathard at the time lived in Leucadia and I lived in Encinitas. We would often carpool to work together. We could use the carpool lane I-5 from Via de la Valle, we’d meet at Java Hut. We would sit in the car and talk, he would give me stuff I could use later. (He was also the absent minded professor, a few times I got left out at Chargers park because he’d leave without me).
That relationship centered around both of us being North County guys — both of us liked to play in the water and play in the waves, and that was the basis of getting the scoop later on, reading Bobby and knowing his body language, knowing what a bad liar he was. He kind of tipped his hand without doing it.
He didn’t say it [that he was firing Ross] outright, but you could tell he was hiding something. He wouldn’t say anything, you’d read it through the sign language. I called one of the assistants at the time. I used the old trick, ‘I’m going to write this tomorrow, cough if I’m going to look like an jerk.’ That was big.
Peggy Chapman (Human Resources Director, 1995-2012): We had planned to get a paper out, regardless of whether we had power. We had bodies on standby, we had a plan to put a generator in and run a copier of printed pages. [Publisher[ Dick asked all the managers to be at work on New Years Eve, just in case there was a disaster. One employee, at 9 p.m., when New York didn’t have a disaster was so disappointed. 10 came, no disaster. 11 came, no disaster. Midnight came, our lights stayed on.
Everyone left and I was stuck with all this food to clean. I was like, “Happy New Year.”
Kent Davy (Editor, 1995-2012)We were at a performance, a fund raising performance, and Judy Collins was performing. I got a call from the newsroom, “We need you to come over here.”
A distraught man had climbed up on an overpass bridge there in Escondido and stayed up there for a number of hours and had traffic tied up in all directions for hours. We had a photographer, I don’t remember who the photographer was, somebody was on the scene and had snapped a photograph of a man as he jumped and caught him in midair. I got called over to talk to the Saturday or Sunday crew about what to do. After a lot of handwringing over if this is news, I eventually gave the OK to run that as the lead shot on the front page. Dick told me, “I wouldn’t do that but you make the decision you need to.”
We ran it, and the community outrage was phenomenal. Hundreds and hundreds of angry phone calls, cancelations. I spent a lot of time trying to absorb that. Ultimately, while running that photograph in certain metropolitan papers would be OK, running it in a community newspaper exceeded the bounds of propriety and taste and did nothing but offend a great many people. People would call and say, “Do you realize this is the only thing my daughter saw when she picked up the paper on Sunday morning?” The man’s children came from Virginia a week or two later and met with me. The anger and animosity towards me for having made that decision always stuck with me.
Kent Dave (Editor, 1995-2012): [Business reporter, later managing editor] Dan McSwain’s reporting on the electric crisis in 2000 was arguably nation leading. We were clearly the first paper in California to describe what was going on in the whole electricity debacle.
There was an economic conference, some training session, up in the Bay Area, and I told Dan, who was then a business reporter, that I’d like him to go. He talked to some professors how said there is a huge story on the horizon and this whole deregulation process that’s going through. Dan was prepared for that and turned into probably the most knowledgable electricity writer in the entire state. We led the state over and over again breaking stories, like the description of the various trading stories Enron had, I think Dan had that 3 or 4 months before anyone else did. My recollection is that some of the key players in the industry in fact ultimately did give us credit, said to their peers there is a paper that has really covered this thing and done a great job.
Dick High (Publisher, 1995-2007): The energy crisis in California started in San Diego county a year earlier. It started here. Dan had, he worked full time on it for about two years. He had it so well covered, where the money was going who’s making it,who’s getting fooled, it was just superb coverage and it became a state story the next year, and to my great chagrin the LA Times won a Pulitzer for it, and Dan should have had it. I know the [California Public Utilities Commission] was reading us every day.
Randy Dotinga (Reporter, 1995-1999):In the late 1990s, a cat lived at the Escondido library. “Library Cat” was a local celebrity in Escondido and the paper wrote about him all the time.
One day, a little girl with her little dog are walking in front of the library, right by the sliding glass doors, and the dog sees library cat over by the checkout counter. Library Cat sees the dog, and the dog sees Library Cat.
The cat attacks the crap of the dog.
The cat knows how to use the sliding glass doors – the cat leaps off the counter, waits for the doors to open, and attacks the dog. The dog starts screaming, the girl starts screaming. There’s a commotion, and the dog is injured.
The library has to figure out what to do with the cat. Do you get rid of the cat? The library has meetings, and they decide to keep the cat. Library Cat remains in the library.
Some time passes.
A courts reporter named Rik Espinosa starts working at the North County Times. And Rik has a mental health assistance dog, and the dog’s job is to put a ball in Rik’s lap when he was going to have a panic attack, to warn Rik of pending panic attack. The dog goes with him to the courthouse, the dog goes with him on his duties covering things.
So one day, Rik Espinosa needs to do some research. Where do you go if you need do some research? The library. So Rik goes to the library with the assistance dog. He goes to the checkout counter – and Library Cat sees Rik and the dog. And Rik and the dog see Library Cat. And Library Cat attacks the assistance dog. And Rik Espinosa promptly has a panic attack. Rik hurts his back trying to protect the dog and the dog is injured, too. So Rik goes to his doctor and the dog goes to the vet.
Let’s say you’re Rik Espinosa, you hurt your back, and your dog has been attacked by Library Cat. What would you do?
You would sue the library for $1.5 million plus the cost of the vet and dog visits. This becomes a big news story, and it’s covered all over the place, including the North County Times.
Some time passes and Library Cat remains in the library. Then one day comes a woman decides to take the dog for a walk. They decide to go to the library. They’re outside the library, they look in the window. She says something like this: “Let’s see if we can see the famous Library Cat. There’s Library Cat. Do you see Library Cat, Fluffy? Fluffy!!”
Library cat attacks Fluffie.
At this point Library Cat’s day are numbered. Library Cat is sent out to the country to live out his days away from the library and away from Rik Espinosa and away from little dogs. The city eventually wins the lawsuit, the judge throws it out.
Rik goes away, Library Cat goes away, the North County Times goes away. At least one of those three was a big pain in the big pain in the ass.
Peggy Chapman (Human Resources Director, 1995-2012): It was super scary, there were so many unknowns, we didn’t know, would they have health coverage, would they have workers comp, they needed immunizations. I remember watching Hayne sign a will, because they didn’t have one.
Cyndy Sullivan (Photographer, Photo editor, 1995-2007): When they went off on that second trip, it didn’t seem like it was going to be quite as life threatening. That turned into full on guerrilla war. It wasn’t going to be hearts and minds any more, there were a couple of times during that coverage that we though we were going to lose them. I remember speaking to Hayne on the phone when he was in Fallujah, I could hear gunfire in the background and then the phone went dead, I remember being panic stricken, but we didn’t have a plan in place. We had feet on the ground in Iraq, but we needed feet on the ground in San Diego – we needed to make sure their safety was secure. I remember calling a friend of Haynes at CNN, if she might be abel to help us with an extraction plan if we needed it . That’s how little we knew about that.
Hayne Palmour IV (Photographer, 1995 – 2012): [Before leaving for Iraq] There was a lot of stress and a lot of fear. It was an extremely stressful couple of weeks. You’re being told by everybody that Saddam has weapons of mass destruction, chemical and biological, trying to picture what you’re going to be going through embedded with Marines in the desert. Every imagination I came up with was so far from reality when it happened.
I had friends that were crying, “Why are you doing this, you could get hurt.” Then I had journalist friends, “Wow, what a great opportunity.”
I remember when the marines were fighting to get into Baghdad, the last big battle. We were watching artillery rounds going over our heads, and at some points I could hear Marines yelling. I could hear the artillery explosions, shooting, sometimes even yelling. We were far enough away from it that we were hunkering down. So there I am, we’re just covered in dirt. I got the computer out, the satellite, each time we could get on, we’d barely have enough power, I’d check my email real quick before the the whole thing died. There was this email from Cyndy Sullivan, “the wife of Corporal whatever just had a baby, if you find him, here’s a picture of baby.” And I opened the picture of the baby. The captain is right next to me, “You got a corporal so-and-so?” He said, “Yeah.”
They went and got him.
I said, “You corporal so-and-so? Your wife just had a baby. Here’s your baby.”
He looked at it and stared at it for 30 seconds, he said, “Thank you sir.” and walked back to his position. I thought, that was so now. Has that ever happened before in any other war? The guy is on the line, a battle is raging not far away, and some guy with a laptop: “Here’s your baby.”
Jim Trageser (Web editor, feature editor, 2003-2006, 2007-2012): Queen Latifah and said they’d only do one interview in the area and they did it with us. I got backstage passes and took my 15-year-old daughter and she didn’t hate me for a whole week.
Jamie Lytle (Photographer, 1995-2012): At El Camino high school, there was kind of like a race riot going on. A tension between the blacks and the hispanics, there was a full-on lockdown. We ran there and Hayne was already there, all the Oceanside cops were in there, they’re in their riot gear and marching in line, and I get there all of a sudden these teachers started attacking me — grabbing and pushing me – and the cops were like, “Don’t touch him.”
I go into the principal’s office to complain, and the principle has all the journalists in the room when all the stuff was happening. I was like, “Look the teachers are physically attacking me for taking pictures at this thing.” I walked in and start screaming. That was a crazy one, the El Camino High riots.
I was a little shaken up. I decide those teachers aren’t going to get away with attacking me like that, I decided to get a lawyer and teach those teachers. I asked the frickin’ reporters who cover the courts, “Who’s the best lawyer you know?”
The next day I hear we’re suing the Oceanside School District for $1.2 million. The lawyers took it and ran with it. I was like, I don’t want this to be news. That was a crazy thing. The attorneys wanted a bunch of money and Dick High wasn’t going to help with that. They dropped the suit, they wanted money.
As soon as they heard, I had school board members calling me and apologizing, so it got their attention.
Kent Davy (Editor, 1996-2012): She was diagnosed in the summer of 2006 and at first we thought the diagnosis was lymphoma, and treatable. Like 2 weeks later or so it was confirmed as lung cancer. That diagnosis was like I had been hit with a shovel in the face. Dick High, who I think is among the most generous and compassionate people I have ever known, gave me leave to take care of Joel, take as much times you need. Joel lived from that August to the following July, died in July of 2007. Dick granted me basically leave to spend as much time as I need to taking care of her, taking her back and forth in the doctor, if we had no one here at the house, to stay with her and be her caregiver. I would say through a large part of that year she was sick, I was pretty scarce in the newsroom. A whole bunch of really competent people stayed and took care of things and put out good newspapers while I was gone.
Kent Davy (Editor, 1996-2012): John Van Doorn, John came from, was a big city newspaper man, very storied career Ernie Pyle winner worked form New York Times, news day, wanted me to hire him as writing coach, eventually as after a bunch of expensive lunches, if you want to come to work, I’ll hire you as a business writer. Eventually moves to being a senior editor and being a columnist.
Bradley Fikes (Reporter, 1997-2000, 2001-2012): John Van Doorn was business editor then. He was just like the epitome of old school journalist — very crusty on the outside, very caring underneath.
Gary Warth (Reporter, 1995-2012): The wrath of John was as an editor. My first experience with him was this guy who was so tough on people, to the point, I could see people reading (his comments) and breaking down and crying and becoming waiters and waitresses, “Is English even the writer’s first language,” might be something he would write in the comments.
Davy: He used to love being a key player in the birthday celebrations in the newsroom and carry the cakes in.
Laura Groch (Features Editor, Copy Editor, 1995-2012): Steve Whitmore, he was I think the Escondido city editor at the time, it was his birthday. Periodically we’d go through this thing of celebrating birthdays all the time, and the cake came in the other side of the room. Van Doorn took it upon himself while everyone was singing.
Davy: He’s got this great big cake with candles, someone yells, “Don’t drop it,” and John stumbles and the cake goes into the air.
Groch: That cake went flying through the air and landed on the floor, everyone was like, “Did he throw that cake at him?” Everybody was stunned for a second.
Warth: Any time someone had a birthday and there was a cake, it was his duty to carry it. John ever after had cake carrying duties.
Hayne Palmour IV (Photographer, 1995 – 2012): The ’07 fire, that was really intense. Ireland and I, he and I were out there east of Ramona. We got caught, I’m thinking way more safety now, I’m thinking and marking open areas are to run to safety, this fire seemed particularly fast, and the only way out was that two-lane highway. So it roared past us, we were in a field, literally the grass burned right up to my car.
He took video that came out to be the most intense video. He shot video as we were trying to drive. We had to make our way back to Ramona to get to cell range to make deadline, so we had to go. It was very intense, as you’re driving this road, everything’s glowing or burning, you just don’t know what the next turn takes you into as far as the fire, and it was scary. And it was brand new Prius I had, the last thing I wanted to do was melt the paint or screw it up in some way. I had surf racks on it. Always in fires, trees fall or power lines fall over the road. We saw low hanging power lines and the surf rack grabbed it, and ripped the surf wrack for it, gouged a scratch in it. I’m out looking for my brand new $300 surf rack.
Monica Hodes (Copy Editor, Night Editor, 2002-2012): I have a vision on the nights of the fires, printing out all the photos and sitting in my office chair with like 16 photos spread out on the floor in front of me having Kent (Davy) and Dan (McSwain) help me pick out which photos go where, labeling them, throwing them at the paginator, this one goes there, that one goes there. Tons of photos on the floor, and we’d lay out the pages on the floor, and the progression of how the paper was going to look. We had 25 pages on the wall of proofs of the paper.
Amanda Selvidio (Wire editor, assistant editor, 2006-2012):
When I started working there as a copy editor in April 2006, we had to manually input local temperatures for the weather page every day. It seemed like it took forever, but it was a known thing that readers take the weather page very seriously. We even had designated people call in to report the day’s temp and next day’s forecast for a few select cities or towns, such as Valley Center.
As the years went on, the paper got smaller and we were forced to move the weather page to A2. We had to fit a column, lottery numbers and Today in History on the same page, so this meant we had to cut the number
of temperatures and forecasts for cities in the nation and world. We might as well have had a weather committee because it took weeks, no probably months, to get it down just right, and there were a bunch of people involved at one point, including Kent (Davy), Dan (McSwain), me and Barbara (Trageser), who were wire editors, and Edwin (who built the page almost everyday). Just when we thought we had all the most important and requested cities, I’d get a call from a reader asking us to include yet another obscure location. Finally we got it, but it really felt like a never-ending cycle which probably would have continued for years to come.
Zach Fox (Reporter, 2007-2009): The first day that it opened — it might not have been the first day, night not have been the first day, might have been some tests – somebody lay on the tracks in a place to kill himself and I guess misaligned and had his legs chopped off. Colleen (Mensching) was reporting on it and trying to get information on this victim, calling hospitals.
This PR guy was always giving us flack, he was like, “I don’t know who you’re talking about, give me a name,” and Colleen yells back, “He’s the one who just came in with no legs!”
Chris Nichols (Reporter, 2008-2012): That was one I helped out with quite a bit. I think maybe the most vivid memory when it come to that story was staying overnight at the home of a family who lived right on the edge of an evacuation zone that had been set up the night before the actual burning of the bomb house. Hayne Palmour and I convinced the family to let us stay there so that we could witness and have a birds eye view of the burning early the next morning when we would have been shut out from entering the neighborhood by that time. Our only choice was to find someone who let us camp out in their living room and on their patio. We had a great perspective of the burning of that infamous house. Hayne found this particular family and just used his charm and persuasion. They were a large family that seemed more than interested in the story. They were very gracious and fed us and kept us entertained and let us use their home to cover that story.
Monica Hodes (Copy Editor, Night Editor, 2002-2012): One night one of the reporters in the corner started screaming and there was a bat flying around in the newsroom that night. It had gotten in through the back door and hallway that people used to take a smoke break. we were trying to capture a bat under this trash can, added to the fun chaos every night. I believe it was Deborah Brennan was the first to spot the bat. That’s a little wildlife action.
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Discover eateries, outings, and shops within this inland North County community
Just south of Lake Hodges near 4S Ranch and Poway, Rancho Bernardo is a suburban community that blends residential neighborhoods with industrial pockets, elevated by a decidedly diverse food scene.
Over 60 years ago, this North County neighborhood was once part of a family ranch. Since that time, big tech companies have taken up residence here, including Amazon, Sony Electronics, Oura Ring, HP, Teradata, and ASML. Rancho Bernardo Inn serves as a community hub, with locals frequently meeting at the hotel’s restaurants, golf course, and spa.
Whether it’s work or a round of golf that brings you to Rancho Bernardo, we’ve taken care of the agenda planning with our guide to the area’s best restaurants, activities, and shops.
Sample ingredients plucked straight from Rancho Bernardo Inn’s onsite garden and served at their signature restaurant Avant. One of the neighborhood’s most upscale dining options, they serve a French-inspired menu with nods to California, including many seafood options. Don’t miss their more casual sister restaurant Veranda for al fresco dining.
17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive
Wood-fired pizzas and handmade pastas are standouts at The Kitchen, Bernardo Winery’s counter-service restaurant specializing in Sicilian flavors. Charcuterie boards and bruschetta make for great starters or snacks while wine tasting.
13330 Paseo Del Verano Norte
Fast-casual and family-owned eatery Bushfire Kitchen recently opened a location in Rancho Bernardo, serving sandwiches, bowls, salads, burgers, protein plates, and housemade empanadas. Bushfire prepares comfort food with healthy ingredients, and offers plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.
11962 Bernardo Plaza Drive, Suite 110
Some might call The Cork & Craft an overachiever. This gastropub has an in-house craft brewery and winery: Abnormal Beer and Wine. The more, the merrier. Their sushi menu is definitely worth exploring, but don’t miss other specialties like garlic noodles, chicken wings, and pork belly.
16990 Via Tazon
You don’t have to leave Rancho Bernardo to get a white tablecloth steakhouse experience. Carvers Steaks & Chops has prime rib (their best seller), filet, ribeye, porterhouse, New York strip, and other cuts, served alongside crab-stuffed mushrooms, wedge salad, French onion soup, potato skins, and other steakhouse specialties.
1940 Bernardo Plaza Drive
This no-frills Burmese restaurant is known for its traditional tea leaf salad that’s topped with sesame and sunflower seeds, garlic chips, peanuts, tomatoes, jalapeños, fried yellow beans, and fermented green tea leaf dressing. Tucked into a nondescript strip mall, Burma Place is a great takeout option when you want to eat garlic noodles, fried rice, chicken curry, and samosas from the comfort of your couch.
16719 Bernardo Center Drive, Suite A
Find authentic Vietnamese cuisine at Phở Ca Dao, including favorites like phở noodle soup, vermicelli noodles, broken rice dishes, and spring rolls. One of eight locations throughout San Diego, this family-owned chain uses robot servers for food delivery.
11808 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 100
It’s all about the sauce at fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant The Kebab Shop. Smothering your chicken shawarma, gyro, or falafels in garlic yogurt, cilantro jalapeno, fire chili, and dill yogurt sauce is practically a rite of passage. The hardest part is deciding whether to order a wrap, bowl, or salad.
11980 Bernardo Plaza Drive
Get a taste of South Asian flavors at Casa Lahori, a Pakistani restaurant noted for its grilled meat kabobs. Other best-selling dishes include beef nihari, chicken biryani, and shahi paneer— best enjoyed with naan bread.
11975 Bernardo Plaza Drive
Grill your own meat on the tabletop at Kangnam Korean BBQ, an interactive, all-you-can-eat experience that’s well-suited for large groups. Marinated beef bulgogi, grilled galbi short ribs, and spicy pork are served alongside traditional banchan dishes like kimchi, japchae glass noodles, and flavorful stews. Weekday lunch specials provide a nice discount on these filling meals.
11828 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 117–119
Dig in to your favorite curries and kebabs at Curry & More Indian Bistro. Most entrees are served with a choice of two side dishes, including basmati rice, potatoes with cumin, daal, naan, or mixed greens. Help offset the spice with one of their sweet mango or strawberry lassi drinks.
11808 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 123
Kai Oliver-Kurtin is a San Diego-based writer who covers travel, dining, events, and culture. Her writing has been published in USA Today, Condé Nast Traveler, Fodor's Travel, Marie Claire, and HuffPost, among others.
From San Diego’s coastline to Los Angeles stadium and fan zones across the region, here’s how to experience soccer’s biggest event
When three nations and 16 cities come together to host the FIFA World Cup 2026, the scale stops feeling like a tournament and starts feeling like geography. A continent becomes the stage as borders soften into corridors. And Southern California—shaped by migration, sport, entertainment, and constant movement—sits inside that landscape with all eyes on it.
San Diego and Los Angeles have always felt connected. Hop on the Pacific Surfliner, and the trip unfolds in one continuous stretch of coastline, passing beach towns, neighborhoods, and city centers.
Traveling from San Diego, everything still feels slightly suspended as the Pacific Surfliner follows the coast north with ocean on one side and a slow suburban blur on the other. San Diego stays in exhale. Los Angeles is already building toward something louder.
This summer, Los Angeles will host eight matches of the FIFA World Cup at Los Angeles Stadium, including the US Men’s National Team opener on June 11, while the region stretches into 39 days of programming across stadiums, parks, transit hubs, beaches, and neighborhoods. Instead of one massive fan hub, Los Angeles is embracing a citywide celebration, with fan zones spread across its entirety.
But this pattern has been rehearsed here for decades. In 1994, Southern California became one of the defining stages of the World Cup, when matches at the Rose Bowl placed global attention on the region and turned local stadiums into international landmarks, confirming its ability to hold the world at scale.
What distinguishes Southern California is not just infrastructure, but cultural permeability. Fashion, music, film, art, and sport constantly overlap here, creating an environment where identity is flexible and always in motion. From the Venice boardwalk, where skate culture shaped modern street style, to global soccer stars rubbing shoulders with Hollywood celebs, to authentic Spanish cuisine moving up and down the I-5 corridor, everything circulates.
The World Cup is not introducing anything new here, it’s showing up for the summer and showing out, revealing what this city has always known about itself. What follows is a look at the fan zones and how Los Angeles turns itself into a city-wide stage for the tournament, one neighborhood at a time.
As the heart of Los Angeles, Union Station is an official Fan Zone June 25-28 during the World Cup, but in practice it never really stops being one.
It is the city’s circulation point, its meeting ground, its pressure valve. Commuters, travelers, match-day crowds, and everyday Angelenos all move through the same space, and everything mixes, overlaps, and scales in real time. In a way, this is where the World Cup stops arriving in Los Angeles and starts moving through it.
The Pacific Surfliner from San Diego to Los Angeles makes that shift feel almost too easy. No stress or gridlock anxiety, just a straight line up the coastline with ocean on one side and everything slowly becoming more built on the other. It’s one of the rare ways into LA that doesn’t feel like arrival as friction. You can sit with a laptop, watch the Pacific drift past, grab coffee from the café car, and let the city come to you in pieces.
That’s the beauty of arriving at Union Station. Instead of feeling like you’re on the edge of the city, you’re immediately surrounded by it. And, inside, the station already reads like a World Cup nerve center: banners, movement, multilingual energy, the sense that something global is about to funnel through this exact point. The Heart of the City Fan Zone only sharpens that feeling, with simultaneous match screens, DJ sets, meet and greets, and immersive activations built around marquee games like USA vs. Türkiye.
From there, the city splits outward.
ROW DTLA feels like the first exhale after arrival. A converted industrial campus turned creative district where restaurants, retail, and open-air courtyards form a self-contained ecosystem. If you’re looking for the perfect first meal in LA, make it lunch at Pizzeria Bianco. The thin-crust pizza is reason enough to go, but the space leaves just as much of an impression.
What I liked most about ROW DTLA is how quickly it resets you after the train. One minute you are stepping off at Union Station, and the next you are in a space that feels like its own version of LA, a city inside a city with some of the most curated shopping I’ve ever seen.
Bodega hides itself behind a convenience-store front, a sneaker and streetwear space disguised as something ordinary, like LA refusing to make anything feel too obvious. The whole campus moves like that, part retail, part gallery, part neighborhood you are only temporarily inside.
Isabella Dallas is a freelance writer for San Diego Magazine and the Arts and Culture Editor at The Daily Aztec in her final year at San Diego State University. She previously worked as an editorial intern for SDM, but when she’s not writing, you can find her trying the best coffee spots in SD, devouring the latest rom-coms, and indulging in anything and everything pop culture.
We rounded up the city’s best events, activities, and restaurants to celebrate Dad on June 21
Father’s Day is often the overlooked summer holiday that doesn’t quite get the extravagant brunch treatment or overflowing bouquets that Mother’s Day does. Sure, there’s the annual pair of socks, Padres hat you’re convinced he doesn’t already own, beer subscriptions, phone case doubling as a wallet, plus the classic “Best Dad” keepsakes. But this year, let’s flip the narrative with events, activities, and specials made with Dad in mind.
Whether he wants a quiet dinner, a big screen full of San Diego sports and wings, or a weekend that somehow includes NASCAR, a jazz festival, and a Broadway reimagining, there is something for every dad. Here’s your guide to a memorable Father’s Day in San Diego.
Jump To: Activities | Bars & Drinks | Dining Specials
Nothing says “Happy Father’s Day” like the sound of engines ripping across Naval Base Coronado. NASCAR is turning this into a historic race weekend that feels less like a casual outing and more like a full-scale San Diego moment people will be talking about long after June is over. This is the first time a NASCAR Cup Series race has ever taken place on an active military base, which instantly puts it in “you had to be there” territory.
It’s fast, loud, and very on-brand for a Father’s Day where Dad suddenly becomes an expert on tire strategy, pit stops, and track positions. The bar might be set unreasonably high for every Father’s Day that follows, but that’s a next-year problem, right?
Price: Tickets available on Ticketmaster
Dates: June 19–21 | Weekend Schedule
Address: Naval Base Coronado
At Humphreys, Father’s Day gets a little more sophisticated. Roger Friend and an all-star lineup of jazz musicians bring decades of international experience to the bay, where dads can lean into their musical side with head nods and shoe taps. It’s smooth, layered, and exactly the amount of jazz you didn’t realize your playlists were missing.
Price: Tickets available on Ticketmaster
Time: 6 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Address: 241 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego
Belmont Park is rolling out a Father’s Day lineup that basically turns Mission Beach into a living garage scene, with a free car show featuring everything from polished 1960s Camaros to classic Bel Airs and lowriders. If he has a ride of his own, vintage car owners can join the lineup for $35 per vehicle. After the chrome tour, it’s straight into a Mission Beach classic: boardwalk strolls, fish tacos on the sand, and rides at Belmont Park.
Price: Free to attend | Register vehicle here
Time: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Address: Belmont Park, 3146 Mission Boulevard, San Diego
I think it’s an unspoken rule that dads love Bob Dylan. Mine is already figuring out how he’s getting to San Diego for this. But this isn’t just a Father’s Day activity, it’s a cultural event that happens to land on Father’s Day weekend and immediately becomes the plan. Bob Dylan at The Rady Shell means you’ll be surrounded by city lights sparkling across the harbor, legacy music, and at least one moment where Dad leans over and whispers, “You know, this guy wrote everything.” And honestly? He’s not wrong.
Price: Tickets available on Ticketmaster
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Address: 222 Marina Park Way, San Diego
The San Diego County Fair returns with fried everything, questionable decisions, rides that definitely looked safer in the 2000s, and Dad’s very confident plan to “just walk around for an hour” that somehow turns into an entire day. It’s also the biggest, longest-running community event in San Diego County, running Wednesday, June 10 through Sunday, July 5, with a “Once Upon a Fair” theme. It basically becomes part of the Father’s Day season whether you planned it or not. So, consider this your annual reminder that “happily ever after” can, in fact, involve Cajun honey dogs, cinnamon rolls, a Ferris wheel you swore you wouldn’t go on, and Dad somehow knowing exactly which booth has the best Spam wonton tacos.
Price: Tickets available here: website
Date & Time: June 10 – July 5 (closed Mondays & Tuesdays) | 11 a.m.
Address: 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd, Del Mar
Isabella Dallas is a freelance writer for San Diego Magazine and the Arts and Culture Editor at The Daily Aztec in her final year at San Diego State University. She previously worked as an editorial intern for SDM, but when she’s not writing, you can find her trying the best coffee spots in SD, devouring the latest rom-coms, and indulging in anything and everything pop culture.
The annual event honors middle market companies creating jobs, scaling up, and investing in the region
San Diego is known for its startup culture and innovation economy, but what happens when the company moves beyond its early-stage years? The San Diego Business Impact Awards aim to answer that question, spotlighting the middle market businesses helping drive the region’s economy.
Hosted by San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and JPMorganChase, the second annual awards celebration takes place on Thursday, July 23, from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. at Scripps Research Auditorium. More than 200 executives, entrepreneurs, and business leaders are expected to attend the networking and cocktail event honoring some of San Diego County’s fastest-growing companies.
Businesses headquartered in San Diego County that have operated for at least two years are encouraged to submit their nomination by Thursday, June 18 at 4 p.m. Companies across industries—from technology and life sciences to tourism and consumer products, as well as pre-revenue startups—are eligible for recognition.
For EDC President and CEO Mark Cafferty, the event is as much about building connections as celebrating success. “We’ve had a longtime partnership with JPMorganChase; their work aligns with our efforts to support underserved communities and drive talent development,” says Cafferty. “And the networking was invaluable last year. I’m still in touch with people I met at last year’s awards.”
EDC is an independently-funded nonprofit that works directly with San Diego companies to help them grow the local economy, make the region as a whole more competitive, and attract and retain top-tier talent with quality jobs. Through EDC, companies can get help starting or expanding their business with support for things like site selection, permit navigation, and regulatory guidance, plus connections to local resources and potential business collaborators.
The San Diego Business Impact Awards began as an idea with one of EDC’s longtime strategic partners, JPMorganChase. The two organizations share a commitment to San Diego and are dedicated to bolstering middle market businesses.
“We’re blessed with a robust innovation economy and startup community,” says Aaron Ryan, San Diego Region Manager for JPMorgan’s Commercial and Investment Bank and vice chair of the firm’s’ San Diego Market Leadership Team. “But one of the segments of the business community we felt was overlooked was emerging middle market companies—the businesses that are no longer small but not yet large.”
Ryan says supporting those companies is critical as they scale and decide where to invest, hire, and grow.
San Diego’s high cost of living remains one of the region’s biggest business challenges, making talent recruitment and retention increasingly competitive. But local leaders point to the region’s quality of life, climate, and collaborative business community as advantages that continue to attract employers and workers.
“In order to support thriving households, there has to be enough high-quality jobs for people to be able to afford to live here,” Cafferty says. “Once a company grows and excels past that middle market point in their growth cycle, they become much more likely to pay higher wages and compete globally.”
Both Cafferty and Ryan proudly tout the unique collaboration that exists among San Diego County businesses. Bringing together top universities producing high-quality talent, cutting-edge research institutions, a robust military and defense presence, leading ocean science and environmental organizations, and a binational, cross-border identity creates a distinct business ecosystem that defines and strengthens the San Diego region.
Last year’s San Diego Business Impact Awards celebrated nearly 60 honorees from 49 industries, representing a total of 8,232 jobs across eight sectors, including: software and technology, healthcare and life sciences, consumer goods, professional services, finance, construction and manufacturing, defense, and hospitality and tourism. On average, honoree companies doubled their revenues over the previous year, employed more than 145 San Diegans each, and offered an average annual compensation of $192,415.
Top honorees included defense contractor Innoflight, environmental consulting firm Bancroft Construction Services, life sciences startup Element Biosciences, defense technology contractor GALT Aerospace, organic grocery store chain Jimbo’s, and biopharmaceutical company LENZ Therapeutics. During the event, Innoflight Founder and CEO Jeff Janicik held a fireside chat offering his insights on investing in the community and embracing San Diego culture.
This year, organizers hope to continue highlighting the middle market players driving economic impact across the region. Nominations are now open through June 18 at 4 p.m. Get your tickets to the San Diego Business Impact Awards celebration to enjoy drinks by Snake Oil Cocktail Co., light bites, live music, and networking.
San Diego’s biggest food and drink festival is back for a week-long celebration of SoCal’s best restaurants, chefs, and wineries from Sept. 30–Oct. 4
Maybe it was when Breaking Bad stars Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul drank mezcal with chefs from San Diego and Food Network on the cliffs over Blacks Beach. Or the dinner outside under lights with Alex Morgan, celebrating some of the country’s most badass women chefs. Or the celebrity pickleball tournament hosted by NFL Hall of Famer Drew Brees, where the star of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia made thwacking sounds with locals. Or when Iron Chef winner Beau MacMillan commandeered (some say “stole”) a golf cart and delivered drinks and ice to chefs.
Whatever it is, Del Mar Wine & Food seems to have become the food and wine festival for people who don’t usually like food and wine festivals. The most San Diego thing.
Two years ago, Thrillist named it one of the best food festivals in the country. Last year, 10,000 people came out to experience it, including Guy Fieri. Afterward, the founders spent a couple days trying to put their finger on why it felt so special. They had to name it, lean into whatever that was.
“It all came back to play,” says one of those founders, SDM co-owner Troy Johnson, a longtime San Diego food writer and Food Network judge. “Making world-class bread is serious, but breaking bread shouldn’t be. We gather all these incredibly talented people who take their craft very, very seriously—work their butts off all year to make some of the best food and drink in the country—and then we all just kinda play in the grass. We believe it’s possible to create something of incredible value and make the experience of that thing a laidback, easygoing, unpretentious experience. That’s what this is, and who we are in San Diego. The whole reason we did this was to shine a national spotlight on the people who make our food and drink culture hum.”
The festival dropped its 2026 lineup today.
Headlining the fest are Food Network chefs Jet Tila, Maneet Chauhan, and Aarti Sequeira; Top Chef winner and Michelin-starred Buddha Lo; Iron Chef alum Beau MacMillan; MasterChef winner Kelsey Murphy; MasterChef Latinos winner Michelle Mathelin, chef and Guy’s Grocery Games judge Catherine McCord, chef and former Masterchef Mexico judge Benito Molina, Top Chef alum Jackson Kalb, Michelin-starred chef Drew Deckman, Michelin-starred chef Javier Plascencia, James Beard award-winning chef Brady Ishiwata Williams, and James Beard-nominated chef Mawa McQueen.
The party kicks off on Wednesday, September 30 at Monarch Ocean Pub with Signature San Diego, a walk-around tasting of the city’s greatest bites, from Baja seafood to bold Mexican flavors. From there, the energy carries into a celebrity pickleball tournament hosted by Drew Brees at Barnes Tennis Center on October 2, pairing friendly competition with an all-inclusive tasting experience in support of Feeding San Diego.
The main event is the two-day Grand Tasting at Surf Sports Park on Oct. 3 and 4. The city’s top chefs, food people from TV lands, and local tastemakers gather on the weirdly perfect grass to serve up everything from juicy Wagyu burgers and beef tallow fries to yellowtail tuna tostadas and veggies dressed up in their Sunday best. Wine and cocktail pairings are designed to round out the whole experience, including activations from Aperol Spritz, Hendrick’s Gin, Tequila Ocho, Mezcal Vago, Rioja wines, and Temecula producers.
A VIP lounge offers exclusive access to curated small plates from Michelin-level chefs and pour from some of SoCal and Napa’s finest wineries and drink makers. The Official After Party at Guesthouse La Valle on October 3, a spirited walk-around tasting just steps from the Grand Tasting, where cocktails take center stage through imaginative bites inspired by the smoky, citrus-forward, and bittersweet flavors of classic drinks.
Zones return with activations including the Big Queer Food Fest celebrating queer chefs and queer-owned businesses; the Wellness Zone led by Novo Dia offering a built-in reset with non-alcoholic mocktails, movement-driven activations, and wellness-forward moments. Coastal lifestyle and locally made brands are also integrated throughout the festival.
“We are excited for the fourth edition of the Del Mar Wine & Food Festival this fall, which has quickly become one of the largest food and wine experiences on the West Coast,” says co-founder Chris Finn. “As the festival continues to grow, we are constantly looking to add events, experiences, and partners that will resonate with our San Diego community, and embody the Southern California way of life.”
Returning as the festival’s partner is local nonprofit Feeding San Diego. To date, Del Mar Wine & Food has raised $100,000 to support their ongoing fight against hunger across the region.
Stay tuned for additional events hosted by festival partners including Rob Machado, San Diego Wave, San Diego FC, Town & Country, and San Diego Mojo.
The 2026 Del Mar Wine & Food Festival will take place September 30–October 4 throughout San Diego County.
The week culminates with the Grand Tasting at Surf Sports Park (formerly the Del Mar Polo Fields) at 14989 Via De La Valle, Del Mar.
A wide variety of exclusive dinners, drink tastings, and other lifestyle events will be announced soon and available for purchase individually on Del Mar Wine & Food Festival’s website. These festivities include chef-curated dining experiences across San Diego’s hottest restaurants, a celebrity pickleball tournament, wine tastings, and more.
The Grand Tasting takes place this year on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4.
General admission for the single-day Grand Tasting starts at $185. An Early Access option is also available at $235, which includes an extra four hours before general admission to meet, mingle, and feast. For a two-day pass, General Admission starts at $275, while Early Access is $375.
VIP tickets begin at $425 for a single day, offering access to pre-festival experiences, exclusive food vendors, a dedicated VIP area, and more. For the full weekend in VIP, passes are priced at $765.
Buy tickets today at DelMar.Wine.
Unfortunately, only service animals are allowed at the venue. All attendees must be 21 years or older.
Isabella Dallas is a freelance writer for San Diego Magazine and the Arts and Culture Editor at The Daily Aztec in her final year at San Diego State University. She previously worked as an editorial intern for SDM, but when she’s not writing, you can find her trying the best coffee spots in SD, devouring the latest rom-coms, and indulging in anything and everything pop culture.
Enjoy the holiday with the city’s best restaurants offering seasonal brunch buffets, prix-fixe menus, and à la carte specials
Consider this your annual reminder that Mother’s Day is not the time to improvise. What’s in: roses, peonies, and a card attempting to summarize a year’s worth of gratitude in three paragraphs or less. What’s out: pretending you “didn’t know it was this weekend.” In a city currently operating at full brunch capacity, San Diego responds as it always does—oceanfront tables, excessive buffet spreads, and sparkling wine refills. Whether it’s waffle stacks, chilled seafood displays, or carving stations doing the most, these San Diego restaurants have you covered.
Brunch Buffets | Mother’s Day Specials & Prix Fixe Menus | À La Carte Brunch
All moms deserve elegance on Mother’s Day. Celebrate a beachfront with a beautifully timeless and tasteful brunch at the Crown Room in Hotel del Coronado. Indulge in options like lemon vanilla pancakes with berry compote paired with crispy bacon, made-to-order omelets or your very own egg benedict station, shucked oysters, whole in-house smoked brisket, Peach Melba Verrine, and more. Guests over 21 can enjoy a complimentary glass of Champagne.
Price: $235 per adult | $125 per child (6 – 10) | Ages 5 and under are free
Hours: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Address: 1500 Orange Ave, Coronado
Reservations: Hotel del Coronado
Mimosas, marina views, and a Mother’s Day where the only thing on the agenda is enjoying it? We’ll cheers to that. Located at the Catamaran Resort, this Mother’s Day brunch literally has it all, from sushi rolls and nigiri to a charcuterie spread stacked with salumi, prosciutto, cornichons, pepperoncini, cherry peppers, and grainy mustard, plus waffle and omelet stations, cedar-planked salmon, and panko and herb-crusted mac and cheese. Kids can also create a bouquet for Mom that’s just chaotic enough to be adorable.
Price: $120+ per adult | $60+ per child (5 – 12) | Ages 4 and under are free
Hours: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. (last seating at 2 p.m.)
Address: 3999 Mission Boulevard, San Diego
Reservations: Oceana Coastal Kitchen
Mother’s Day at Arlo transforms into an enchanted garden that’s equal parts lush and indulgent: a raw bar, fresh salads, delicate pastries, 12-hour braised short ribs, roasted prime rib, and Szechuan pepper–crusted swordfish from the Santa Maria grill. Spoil moms, grandmas, aunts, and every beloved mother figure with live music, a roaming mimosa cart, floral bouquets, and of course, a little retail therapy courtesy of the Kendra Scott trunk show—necklaces, bracelets, earrings, or, let’s be real, all of the above.
Price: $99 per adult | $40 per child (5 – 12) | Ages 4 and under are free
Hours: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Address: 500 Hotel Circle N, San Diego
Reservations: OpenTable
Forget the CVS roses (respectfully). Rumorosa’s Mother’s Day brunch is back for its third year, pairing complimentary flowers with sun-drenched marina views. It’s coastal-modern meets Baja soul, where the food is bright and very much not an afterthought. Last year’s spread leans into Carrot Cake Waffles, a made-to-order omelet station, Café de la Olla French Toast, Roasted Lamb Tostadas, and other “yes, I’ll have everything” moments.
Price: $90 per adult | $40 per child (5 – 12)
Hours: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Address: 1380 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego
Reservations: OpenTable
A boozy brunch overlooking Mission Bay with Mom? Say less. Celebrated at Tidal with a lavish spread of cheeses and charcuterie, a seafood bar stacked with oysters, shrimp, crab legs, and ahi specialties, and chef-attended carving stations with slow-roasted prime rib. Made-to-order omelets and pancakes, maple-glazed pork belly, roasted Baja grouper, vibrant seasonal salads, and brunch classics round it out, finishing with an abundant mini dessert selection.
Price: $125 per adult | $50 per child (5–12) | Ages 5 and under are free
Hours: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Address: 1404 West Vacation Road, San Diego
Reservations: OpenTable
Mother’s Day at Animae is anything but expected. Tucked into the Marina District, this world-class steakhouse leans West Coast with a playful Asian twist. This year, treat Mom to a dim sum–style experience: a slightly more elevated, endlessly flowing take on the buffet, where indulgent small plates arrive tableside, perfectly complementing the Art Deco interiors and designed to be picked at, shared, and fully obsessed over. It’s less set menu, more choose-your-own flavor adventure.
Price: $104 per person
Hours: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Address: 969 Pacific Hwy, San Diego
Reservations: OpenTable
Isabella Dallas is a freelance writer for San Diego Magazine and the Arts and Culture Editor at The Daily Aztec in her final year at San Diego State University. She previously worked as an editorial intern for SDM, but when she’s not writing, you can find her trying the best coffee spots in SD, devouring the latest rom-coms, and indulging in anything and everything pop culture.
Scripps study shows that some patients may be able to taper their dose and maintain results
While glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agents have been used to treat Type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years, their recent emergence as weight-loss wonder drugs marked a new frontier in medicine. But their effectiveness has left some patients wondering what to do once they’ve reached their goal. Stopping the medication could mean regaining some, if not all, of the weight. A Scripps Clinic internal medicine physician recently conducted a small study of whether GLP-1 patients who had reached their goal weight could maintain that weight by taking their regularly prescribed injection every other week instead of weekly. Spoiler alert: 30 of 34 patients did. Read more about the study here and what that may mean as pharmaceutical companies roll out oral GLP-1s.
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