Featured articles
Food & Drink
Food & Drink
Food & Drink
Featured articles
Everything SD
Everything SD
Everything SD
Featured articles
Things to Do
Food & Drink
Things to Do
What's next
Featured articles
podcast-ep
video
podcast-ep
Featured articles
Features
Features
Features
Featured articles
Everything SD
Everything SD
Food & Drink
Ready to know more about San Diego?
SubscribeReady to know more about San Diego?
Grooming can make or break the man. Having the proper shaving cream, aftershave, and hair products can help streamline a morning routine.
Best Mens Grooming Products
Grooming can make or break the man. Having the proper shaving cream, aftershave, and hair products can help streamline a morning routine. It’s 2023, and it’s the perfect time to switch things up and try new products. Maybe you’ve been eyeing a new balm. Or what about a finishing spray? Whatever you want to try, we’ve got it here. Here are 30 of the best men’s grooming products of 2023.
Blu Atlas is one of the best new men’s personal care suppliers in the business. With industry-leading five-star reviews and endorsements from Men’s Journal and Forbes, it’s safe to say that this newcomer is here to stay and making a lasting impression on the men’s personal care industry.
This company makes all of its products in New York, where they are co-developed with respected formulators and renowned dermatologists. Blu Atlas’s Shave Cream is the brand’s entry into men’s grooming, and we can already tell it’s one of the best. It is 100% vegan, all-natural, fragrance-free, and has a money-back guarantee. Plus, it’s designed to reduce inflammation. So, say goodbye to nicks and cuts. Pair with Blu Atlas’s Aftershave for the best results.
If you’re serious about getting into men’s grooming products, let us introduce you to American Crew—one of the leading suppliers of the best men’s grooming products. American Crew’s Classic Grooming Spray is a variable hold finishing spray that is the perfect assistant to taming hair of all lengths and even complements existing hair products.
If you already style with another product, you can spray American Crew’s Grooming Spray to use as a finisher to hold your hair in place. If you prefer only using one product, then this spray can act as a one-stop-shop. Just spray onto damp or dry hair and comb or brush into place to create a soft, natural hold. With some practice, you can achieve salon-quality looks.
Redken has been an industry favorite salon and barber supplier for decades. You’d be hard-pressed to find a hairstylist that isn’t familiar with their shampoos, conditioners, or styling sprays. Luckily for men, Redken has relaunched their men’s line with Redken Brews in 2018—and they already have some of the best men’s grooming products.
This NYC-crafted, barber-inspired line pays homage to Redken heritage when it first introduced professional grooming for men in 1967. Redken Brews stays true to those roots, with innovative beer-inspired, malt-infused hair care formulas. Our favorite style from the new line is the Redken Brews Fiber Cream. It provides a medium hold and undone finish for all types. It’s perfect for shaping and texturing hair for loose styles and longer hair. Taming that luscious mane just got a bit easier.
Another great entry in the men’s grooming lexicon is Brickell Men’s Products. Like the other grooming lines mentioned so far, Brickell’s specializes in men’s personal care. The brand uses natural and certified organic ingredients and has been featured in GQ, Men’s Health, and Men’s Journal. We think Brickell’s Texturizing Sea Salt Spray is a great introduction to see what the brand is all about, and it just happens to be one of our favorite styling sprays.
This product is a refreshing spray that lifts and volumizes hair, enhances natural curls and waves, and creates a natural beach hair look thanks to the thickening sea salt. Infused antioxidant powerhouse vitamin E nourishes the scalp and strengthens the area around hair follicles. Meanwhile, hydrolyzed proteins increase hair moisture retention, elasticity, and softness while adding a natural bounce to your existing curls and waves. Brickell makes it easy for anyone that wants the surf’s up look without living on the coast.
If you ever have had your haircut by a barber and pleaded with them to know their secret, they may have been tight-lipped about the answer behind their magic. Well, we have some good news. They were probably using Layrite Deluxe Grooming Spray.
This versatile, all-in-one grooming spray gives you way more control in styling your hair without leaving behind a heavy feeling. It works to create a thickening look to thinning hair, too. It’s perfect for all lengths of hair and all hair types—thick, thin, or hard to control—and complements any preferred hairstyle. Use it as a primer before blow-drying or just spray on damp hair and style.
No matter what you’re using it for you’ll find that it just works. Plus, it has a mild cream soda scent that’s a great alternative to all the chemical “unscented” sprays out there. After your first use, you’ll see why Layrite is often referred to as “The Barber’s Secret.”
Paul Mitchell has been a leading brand in the salon supply industry for decades, and lucky for us—thanks to the internet—we no longer have to go to salons to get the brand’s great products. Paul Mitchell’s MITCH for Men sub-brand has recently launched the MVRCK line of boutique men’s grooming products that focus on bringing barber favorites home to your bathroom.
Like most grooming brands, we recommend a grooming spray as your first purchase into a brand’s ecosystem. They’re usually the most available and affordable product, and they work for almost everyone. MVRCK’s Grooming Spray is no exception. This flexible, lightweight finishing spray adds height and buildable hold to hair with natural shine. Just spray onto a finished style or apply directly onto the root to use as a texturizing spray. Like all of Paul Mitchell’s products, this grooming spray is vegan—something that is usually not found with salon-quality brands.
Every Man Jack has become one of our favorite brands in recent years. The brand has consistently grown its product offerings to include something for every man’s skincare, hygiene, and grooming regimens.
Every Man Jack’s Grooming Cream is derived mainly from plant-based ingredients is paraben-free, phthalate-free, dye-free, fragrance-free, and contains no harmful chemicals. And you guessed it! It’s good for you—and the environment. The medium hold, natural shine formula makes this grooming cream ideal for all hair and skin types. Plus, it’s cruelty-free, made in the USA, and sustainably made.
If you want your hair to complement your active outdoor lifestyle instead of making you look like a greaser (nothing wrong with that!), then you can’t go wrong with Every Man Jack’s Grooming Cream.
If you think this Styling Paste from Baxter of California looks a bit more luxurious judging by the bottle, then your eyes haven’t failed you. Baxter of California isn’t a fashion house playing around in men’s personal care, but they do have products that outperform top luxury brands in almost every men’s grooming category. Just in case you needed to justify the cost.
Baxter’s Styling Paste provides a medium hold and semi-matte finish in no time at all thanks to its easy-to-use liquid formula, making it perfect for both casual and polished styles. With key ingredients like cactus extract, agave, and ginseng, it also promotes healthy hair and scalp while leaving your hair with a fresh scent and moldable for any style of your choice. Works best on straight, thick, or short hair types.
Grooming is not just about styling your hair or getting a clean cut from your local barber. It also includes maintaining your facial hair, whether it be shaving for a classic, clean look or styling that beard you’ve been growing the past six months. Regardless of your facial hair preference, you’re going to need a shaving product.
Zingari Man’s The Master Shave Soap is a great way to start taking better care of that handsome face next time you take your razor to it. This rich lather locks in moisture for a smooth, frictionless shave. It softens your facial hair, allowing your razor to glide effortlessly across your skin while leaving it hydrated and moisturized in the process.
Gillette knows a thing or two about men’s grooming. Have you ever used a razor? Doesn’t matter what kind. All disposable, cartridges and safety razors can trace their lineage back to Gillette. Why you may ask? Well, it’s because Gillette invented the first safety razor with disposable blades over 100 years ago in 1901. When it comes to shaving, there was before Gillette and after Gillette. They changed the art forever—and all for the better.
To recognize 120 years of rich history, Gillette came out with a new line named in honor of the inventor of the modern safety razor, King Camp Gillette. The King C. Gillette Transparent Shave Gel is our favorite product in this new line due to its unique formula infused with aloe vera and white tea extract. It works for either shaving or edging, and is clear and non-foaming. You won’t find another shave gel that’s adaptable to your needs.
Bevel is one of the best new brands of the last ten years. They make great products ranging across every department in men’s personal care and always improve their offerings based on customer feedback. Bevel’s Pre-Shave Oil is now in a larger size for the same great price, which makes it an even better choice for those looking for shaving cream alternatives.
This priming oil helps soften your hair and skin by holding moisture in to allow your razor to glide more effortlessly. That means fewer nicks, cuts, and razor bumps and a much better shave. Bevel achieves this thanks to a high-quality formula made from lavender, castor oil, and olive oil with no silicones or mineral oils. It’s never been easier to have a good shave that also soothes and calms your skin naturally.
Aveda has been in the skincare game since 1978. For decades now, they have been a trusted source to heal, repair, and moisturize our skin. However, the brand—which is now owned by makeup conglomerate Estée Lauder—has long targeted its products to women. Fortunately, that is no longer the case.
Aveda Men is a relatively new line that brings Aveda’s industry-leading skincare expertise to men’s grooming. The line’s Pure-formance Pomade helps mold and style short to medium length hair into a maintainable shape of your preference thanks to a built-in style-control agent that provides strong hold and lasting shine. Unlike most of the “unscented” pomades on the market that smell like harsh chemicals, Aveda Men crafted its pomade with a rich, spicy, and refreshing aroma scented with kunzea and citrus.
When trying to find the perfect hair product, it’s usually hard to find products that provide both medium control and no shine. Usually, the higher the hold the shinier your hair will be. And if you do find a product that grants a strong enough hold for your hair and doesn’t make it look greasy, it’s usually in a messy jar or super expensive. Well, Redken Brews proves that unicorns do indeed exist with its Liquid Matte Paste.
This hair product provides a great medium hold while adding no shine, all while being in a travel-friendly squeezable bottle. Miracles are a sight to behold, aren’t they? Plus, this liquid paste also lightly moisturizes and can be applied to damp or dry hair. Just squeeze into your palm, rub your hands together, work through your hair, and then style as needed. It’s that easy.
American Crew has reached legendary status over the last two decades. It is a classic salon and barber staple and can even be found in convenience and drug stores across the country. For most men, it is the only brand they have ever used for hair products. For the men who have tried everything, it is the brand they always go back to. American Crew has even saved hair gel from being a relic of the early 2000s, with its Medium Hold Spray Gel.
An aloe vera gel and PVP/VA copolymer make up the base of its sage extract, ginseng, and quillaja infused formula. This ingredient cocktail means it is easier than ever to style your hair with a medium hold and natural look. It’s alcohol-free and contains sunscreen to protect your hair from UV damage. American Crew recommends this spray gel as a blow-drying styling aid, or it can be used as your typical damp and dry hair spray.
The perfect companion to the “Barber’s Secret” we mentioned earlier is Layrite’s Cement Clay. As the name suggests, this clay pomade binds hairs together to thicken and shape your hair to stay in place throughout the day.
What makes it stand out from other cement clays on the market is that Layrite gave it an even higher hold, matte finish, and made it water-soluble. That means you don’t have to wash your hair three times to get it out of your hair. When used with Layrite’s Grooming Spray, it can help thicken the appearance of thinning hair. Works best for medium to thick hair of short or medium length. Style it messy or prim and proper.
Pomade today is not your dad’s or grandad’s pomade from yesteryear. Over the last twenty years, it has evolved from the waxy grease used for the second half of the last century into a product that is applicable to all hair types and hairstyles. This is thanks to a multitude of different brands making pomades out of fiber, gel, cream, beeswax, clay, and fruit (yes, fruit). With more brands than ever in the pomade game, you can even find niches within the pomade community. Such as handmade modern interpretations of classic formulas.
Seattle Pomade Co. makes its Grooming Clay by hand in the Seattle metro with a blend of natural ingredients like organic beeswax and organic shea butter. Since clays provide a higher hold than other pomades, that makes them the perfect choice for athletes and those who perspire more than others. You can now force your hair to cooperate without a sheen or glossy appearance while adding texture and thickness in the process.
Harry’s took the men’s grooming world by storm over the last decade with a razor subscription service that redefined what low-cost shaving could look like in the 21st century. Cartridges no longer had to be absurdly expensive, and neither did razor handles or shaving cream. Unlike other razor subscription services at the time, Harry’s made its blades in its own German factory. So, not only did Harry’s bring back affordability to shaving, it brought back the quality.
One of our favorite products of Harry’s men’s grooming revolution is its Post-shave Mist. This featherweight aftershave mist instantly refreshes and calms the face. It feels like it’s lighter than water and is more soothing than the most luxurious aftershave. The botanical extracts found in its formula include aloe, seaweed, and Thai basil. When combined, these cooling and hydrating ingredients provide a much-needed post-shave cool down to reduce discomfort and irritation. Trust Harry’s on this one. They know the way.
Paul Mitchell has long been known—and revered—for its amazing salon-quality hair products for both men and women. But through its men-oriented sub-brand MITCH’s new line, MVRCK, you can now have Paul Mitchell quality for all your grooming needs. Along with its LA-inspired hair products, MVRCK also brings that same dedication to high-quality shaving products as well. The line’s Shave Cream provides a rich lather for a smoother, closer shave while moisturizing your skin to minimize irritation. As always it is 100% vegan.
MVRCK recommends combining its shaving cream with its Blade Slip to help the cream last even longer during the shave. Like any premium shaving cream, we recommend lathering with a shaving brush and shaving with the grain first, then reapply the shaving cream before going back over against the grain. You’ll never shave the same way again.
If you’ve tried Zingari Man’s Shave Soap and fell in love with the quality it provided, then let us introduce you to step two of the barbershop two-step guide to perfect shaves. Zingari Man’s Recovery Splash is the best way to end your shaving routine, especially if you’re following up a clean slave with the brand’s shaving soap. This post-shave lotion soothes, smooths, and conditions tender skin without irritation while working to heal razor nicks, ingrown hair, and cuts.
Since Zingari Man crafts its products without alcohol, those with sensitive skin aren’t barred from getting the best shave of their lives as they would be with other brands. We can’t prove it, but starting your day off with an invigorating shave will have you feeling your best.
If shaving leaves your skin extra irritated even before you put the razor down, then it can be hard to justify keeping a consistent grooming routine. Luckily, Brickell Men’s line of products has just what you need to keep the irritation and discomfort at bay. Brickell’s Instant Relief After Shave is a light, fast-absorbing aftershave lotion that’s packed with 98% natural ingredients like aloe vera, vitamin E, coconut oil, sugar cane, and lavender.
This premium blend calms, hydrates, and protects your face and neck without clogging or further irritating your freshly shaved skin. Most aftershaves just provide the feeling of relief through cooling agents like mint, alcohol, or menthol. Brickell uses botanical extracts to reduce razor burn, repair skin, and remove bacteria from pores—all without using alcohol or harsh chemicals.
Chances are you’ve seen Cremo products stocked on the shelves at your local drug store and glanced right over them on your way to pick up a more familiar brand. And that’s a shame because Cremo produces “astonishingly superior” products at extremely affordable prices. One of the brand’s products we can’t recommend enough for you to pick up on your next grocery run is the Cooling Beard Wash & Softener.
This barber-grade product provides a cool, refreshing way to soften and moisturize even the toughest facial hair. It works to restore the natural moisture found in your skin and facial hair, promoting healthy beard growth. Plus, it keeps your face—and beard—smelling fresh and clean with its citrus and mint scent.
It is always a pleasure when you have the excuse to use some of the best men’s grooming products from Baxter of California. It’s like staying at a nice hotel and taking all of their travel-size care products home with you. If you do that (we do, too), then stop sleeping on Baxter immediately.
One of the California brand’s best products is its Thickening Style Gel. This gel provides high hold and shine that is usually only found in pomades. And unlike other gels, it doesn’t leave your hair crunchy or flaky. Instead, it strengthens your hair and stimulates natural growth thanks to infused ginger, birch juice, and vitamin B5. This product is ideal for all hair types and can even be used with pomade if you need all the hold you can get.
When learning to shave in high school, you probably trained with disposable razors and foaming shave cream. While that is good for beginners, it doesn’t mean you should still be using that after graduating from college or getting your first well-paying job. So, ditch that crappy razor and canned shaving cream, traditional shaving is back from the dead to help you look your very best.
After you replace that plastic razor with a proper safety razor, you’ll need a shaving soap, and there’s no better introduction than Lather & Wood Shaving Co.’s Premium Shaving Soap. This hand-crafted sandalwood scented tallow-based shaving soap will only come out to pennies a day. Apply with your favorite shaving brush (you did get one of those, right?) and try out that new razor. Old school is new school, and your best shaves are only ahead of you.
American Crew really hasn’t changed its product much since they first released in the mid-1990s. Not that it’s a bad thing, but we’re suckers for a new line with fresh takes on modern classics. American Crew’s Acumen is just that. Developed for the brand’s 25th anniversary in 2019, Acumen is American Crew’s biggest launch since its inception in 1994. The line is built off of over two decades of expertise to bring a new line that focuses on high-quality formulations.
We think one of the best new products from Acumen is the Firm Hold Grooming Cream. American Crew has been trusted for a generation to style men’s hair, and this new grooming cream ensures another generation will as well. This moisture-rich cream-gel provides a sleek firm hold with a high shine finish that innovates on top of American Crew’s mainline products to bring the same frizz-free hair you’re used to in the brand’s ecosystem.
There’s something about the look you get from an evening at the beach. You get some rays from the sunset, exercise from some mild waves, and what we think is the best casual look you can get for your hair—the beachy look. If you’re not sure what we mean, imagine what your hair looks like after spending some time in the ocean. The salt water provides a natural textured hold with a natural matte finish, but once you shower it’s all gone.
Up until recently, men had to go to the beach to get that look, but now you can have that look everywhere thanks to Every Man Jack’s Texturizing Surf Spray. This spray is infused with salt water to provide that natural, textured beachy look you used to have to hang ten for.
Detroit gets a bad rap, and it really shouldn’t. Detroit-style pizza, the birth of modern American automobiles, and the home of Detroit Grooming Co. This hometown grooming company has products to suit all your beard or hair styling needs—regardless of your hair type or hairstyle.
The brand’s products are made in the USA and made of high-quality all-natural ingredients full of essential oils, vitamins, antioxidants, and proteins that work to condition and repair your hair.
If you want to pick up something from Motor City, we recommend Detroit Grooming Co.’s Putty. This premium texture paste has a medium hold and natural finish that defines your hair and allows you to shape it to last all day.
If you heeded our recommendations and added some MVRCK by MITCH grooming products to your cart, don’t check out yet because here’s one more. MVRCK’s skin tonic is a refreshing and energizing light facial mist for men that wakes up the skin without leaving it feeling dry. It contains cooling menthol and refreshing agave citrus that works as pre-shave, post-shave, or as a stand-alone facial toner. And as always, it’s 100% vegan.
After washing your beard with Cremo’s Cooling Beard Wash & Softener we mentioned above, you’re going to need to moisturize. Thankfully, you’re not going to have to go far to get what you need. Cremo’s Beard & Scruff Cream is a plant-based formula that moisturizes and softens stubble, scruff, and beards. It is lightweight, non-greasy, and can even work as a styling cream for shorter beards.
If you suffer from a thin beard—let’s face it, not everyone can grow a full beard that rivals Nordic gods—then you need King C. Gillette’s Beard Thickener. This oil strengthens and coats every hair to help your beard look and feel noticeably thicker, while also conditioning to soften and smooth your facial hair for a more comfortable beard. Its lightweight formula is infused with vitamin B3, pro-vitamin B5, argan oil, and caffeine to cool and refresh your skin.
To end things off, we just had to share another product from Detroit Grooming Co. This truly unique pomade is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. It is water-based with a stronghold and gloss finish. If you think those things aren’t usually seen together, you’re right, and we’re still wondering how Detroit Grooming Co. has defied the laws of nature. Not only can this style your hair better than the rest, but it can also wash out easier than them too, and it smells and looks like passionfruit juice. We’re still trying to figure out how it’s possible.
.
The San Diego home remodeling company works on full homes, kitchens, bathrooms, home additions, ADUs, garages, landscapes, and hardscapes.
Most homeowners want two things before they commit to a remodel: a realistic sense of cost and a clear picture of what the finished space will look like. Milan Design + Build helps deliver both through its online remodeling estimator and personalized design consultations, supported by a showroom experience and 3D renderings.
“The online estimate gives homeowners a starting number in about a minute, and the showroom and 3D renderings let them see materials and layouts before anything is built,” says David Noriani, CEO of Milan Design + Build. “Keeping design, permits, and construction with one team helps us manage expectations and keep everyone working toward the same vision.”

Modern design is a particular focus for Milan, with an emphasis on clean lines, natural light, functional layouts, and carefully selected materials. The team adapts each design to the homeowner’s lifestyle and the character of the property. Milan Design + Build combines thoughtful design with construction expertise, creating spaces that are as functional as they are beautiful.
The online estimator covers kitchen remodels, bathroom renovations, full-home remodels, and ADU construction. At Milan’s showroom on Carroll Road, visitors can review real materials, finishes, and design options, meet the design-build team, and discuss project scope, budget, and timing. Consultations can also be held virtually for homeowners who prefer to start remotely.
At Milan Design + Build, one integrated team works on the entire project. Design and construction aren’t divided between separate firms. The process begins with a consultation and feasibility review, followed by design, space planning, and 3D renderings developed from detailed measurements and digital scans. The team also coordinates architectural plans, structural engineering, city approvals, and material selection, with construction overseen by a dedicated project manager.
Homeowners can explore their remodeling options, get an initial estimate, or request a design consultation at MilanBuild.com.

The Campaign for La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) will fuel scientific innovation and medical advances
La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) is going public with a bold bet: a $55 million campaign to propel medical research into a new era. The Campaign for LJI will fuel discovery, empower scientific innovation, and expand the impact of immunology on human health.
The Institute quietly kicked things off in 2023, guided by its Board, campaign volunteers, and early believers. Nearly 80% of the $55 million goal is already in hand. Now LJI is opening the doors and inviting the whole community to carry their visions across the finish line and back discoveries that change how LJI researchers understand, treat, and prevent disease.
And there’s a bonus. To mark the public launch, LJI Board member and Campaign Honorary Chair Anthony R. Carr is offering a special matching gift so new donors can double their impact. Full details are here.
Immunology has already rewritten human history. Advances in immune science helped wipe out smallpox, pushed polio to the brink of elimination, and revolutionized how we prevent and treat infectious disease. Today, immune-based therapies are opening doors for patients with cancer, autoimmune disorders, and other serious illnesses once considered untreatable.
For nearly four decades, LJI scientists have stood on the front lines, driven by one insight: the immune system shapes disease in virtually every organ in the body. By decoding how the immune system works and how to harness it to prevent and treat disease, LJI researchers are chasing the Institute’s ultimate mission: Life Without Disease®.
To make that mission real, the Institute pairs world-class scientists with cutting-edge technology, speeding up breakthroughs and turning discoveries into transformative new therapies that ease suffering worldwide.
The Campaign for LJI supercharges that momentum, uniting the vision of the Institute’s scientists with a community that believes in research. Focused on advancing LJI’s most promising areas of study, the campaign aims to help build a future free from the burden of disease, a goal that demands bold ideas, lasting partnerships, and generous philanthropic support.
The Campaign for LJI will advance research across three critical pillars:
1. President’s Priority Fund. Flexible, unrestricted dollars let big ideas move now, not later. Scientists can launch high-risk, high-reward projects, bring experts together across disciplines, build transformative technologies, and train tomorrow’s scientific leaders.
2. Center for Sex-Based Differences in the Immune System. Male and female immune systems don’t respond the same way, and LJI researchers are tracing the fundamental differences down to individual cells and molecular pathways. The Campaign will speed up this pioneering work, revealing hidden drivers of disease and paving the way for more precise, biologically informed therapies for autoimmune disorders, infectious diseases, cancer, and beyond.
3. Center for Vaccine Innovation. Immunologists, bioengineers, and vaccine experts are teaming up to design the next generation of vaccines and immune-based therapies. With donor support, LJI scientists can engineer longer-lasting and more personalized vaccines, pinpoint the cellular mechanisms driving protective immunity, and refine delivery methods to prevent autoimmune disease and treat cancer.
As the campaign enters its public phase, LJI welcomes new partners and supporters to join this landmark initiative. Community support is essential to accelerating scientific discovery, and there are many meaningful ways to help shape the future of immunology. Donors may direct their gifts to any campaign priority or other area of interest. As a comprehensive campaign, all gifts to LJI count toward the campaign goal, regardless of designation. Join the campaign, and multiply your impact with our limited-time matching opportunity.
To explore the campaign, visit imagine.lji.org.
Scripps orthopedic surgeons are investigating stem cells as an alternative to joint replacement
Shiley Center for Orthopaedic Research and Education at Scripps Clinic recently received a $12.7 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to investigate whether they can transform stem cells into tissue that can repair some types of knee injuries. Currently, if a patient has lost most, if not all, of the cartilage in their knee, then their doctor will recommend a total joint replacement. Joint replacement is safe and effective, but patients who’ve only lost part of their cartilage often don’t qualify. A stem cell-based treatment would provide these patients an option that doesn’t involve donor tissue. Click here for more on the preclinical trial process.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
Artwork throughout the Lusardi Tower at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas promotes hope and healing
The recently opened Lusardi Tower at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas is a state-of-the-art addition to the hospital staffed by dedicated team members who’ve helped make Scripps one of the nation’s leading healthcare systems. Complementary to that medical excellence, the Lusardi Tower also represents the latest expansion of the Scripps Arts for Healing Program. The philanthropic initiative strategically places nature- and community-based artwork throughout the hospital to support health and well-being. Both Scripps Encinitas and Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla have healing arts programs as part of new building projects and growth on the campuses. Click here to read more about the Healing Arts Program and how residents from a nearby retirement community showed their support.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
From century-old Craftsman homes to vegan fantasy bars, dive bars, and a tiki room built for exactly two people, this is one of San Diego’s great little neighborhoods
You may not realize it, but Balboa Park is bigger than Central Park (in fact, 1.5 times larger). Pressed right up against its southeastern edge is a little architecture farm built on old trolley bones, where houses look like someone was collecting architectural styles and local businesses are still run by people who seem personally invested in keeping this place interesting.
This is South Park.
To understand why it feels the way it does today—less like one commercial strip and more like a handful of tiny villages—you have to go back to the trolley.
The land that became the original South Park Addition (the subdivision’s original name) was surveyed in 1870 and officially filed in 1890, but the neighborhood really started becoming a neighborhood in the early 1900s. The Bartlett Estate Company began developing and marketing the tract in earnest around 1906, pairing lots and new homes with something extremely useful if you lived outside Downtown in the horse-and-buggy era: an electric streetcar.
On May 1, 1906, the South Park and East Side Railway made its first trip. Developers didn’t just build near transportation; they helped pay for the transportation, then used it to sell the dream. Downtown had industry, noise, and congestion. Out here were palms, sidewalks, utilities, room to breathe and a four-cent ride back to the city.
It worked. Homes began filling in around the streetcar route, and little commercial clusters grew around the places where people got on and off. That transportation pattern is still written into South Park’s geography. Some of the neighborhood’s odd street geometry is also due in part to the trolley—the old line cut across parcels instead of politely obeying the grid, leaving behind pieces of land that later businesses learned to build around. Places like Station Tavern sit on the former easement and station site of San Diego’s No. 2 trolley line.
Then San Diego went big for the 1915 Panama-California Exposition in neighboring Balboa Park. The exposition transformed much of the park and helped push the city through another burst of building and growth. South Park was right there to absorb some of that momentum.
And the people building houses here had taste.
Walk the residential streets now and it can feel like somebody planted an architectural sample garden: Craftsman, Prairie, Mission Revival, Tudor Revival, Spanish Colonial Revival. Creedence Clearwater Revival. All the revivals. The neighborhood includes work by Irving Gill, one of the defining architects of early modern California; Gill-designed Prairie homes still stand along Granada Avenue.
The city formally designated the South Park Historic District in 2017, recognizing roughly 400 properties and a period of significance stretching from 1906 through 1949. In other words, a lot of what makes the place feel old is actually old.
While the trolley eventually disappeared, the basic idea behind it didn’t. South Park is still a neighborhood organized around little pockets of human activity: a couple blocks where you can buy a record, drink a beer, find a 60-year-old lamp, eat a vegan burger beneath gothic beasts, browse a bookstore, and walk home past a century-old Craftsman.
The 30th-and-Fern area may be the clearest example. Several surviving buildings there date to South Park’s early development, including the old Fire Station No. 9, Rose Grocery building, and Burlingame Garage. What began as infrastructure for a young streetcar suburb became the neighborhood’s commercial heart.
That history is also partly why buying a house here can be competitive. There isn’t some endless supply of vacant land waiting around the corner for another subdivision. Much of the neighborhood filled in generations ago, and the architecture itself is part of the appeal.
San Diego Mag’s been documenting the city for 78 years. And we’ve been looking for a partner who loved the city enough to help us tell its stories. Redfin is that partner. They’re helping us tell the story of some of the city’s most unique neighborhoods. They launched Redfin Early Access this year to get their people in first and to see certain coming-soon and exclusive listings on Redfin before they appear on other major real-estate sites.
First up: South Park.
Here are some of the people and places worth knowing here:

Start with Judy “the Beauty” Forman, because it’s difficult to explain South Park without her. The former social worker bought Big Kitchen in 1980 and turned a neighborhood breakfast joint into a gathering place for artists, musicians, activists, politicians, eccentrics, and pretty much anyone who needed somewhere to belong. As Judy puts it, “I built this for people who others passed over.”
One of those people was a young single mom named Whoopi Goldberg, who worked as a dishwasher here before the Whoopi Goldberg part of her career happened. Today Big Kitchen still serves breakfast and lunch Thursday through Monday.
3003 Grape Street
Whistle Stop reopened in 2001, right as South Park’s little independent-business ecosystem was finding a new generation. Owner Sam Chammas—also connected to Live Wire and, later, Station Tavern—helped turn it into the kind of neighborhood bar where the calendar can jump from a DJ night to live bands to some strange communal event nobody at a normal sports bar would propose.
The room still has that laid-back, slightly sweaty house-party quality. Check what’s happening before you go, because Whistle Stop changes personality depending on the night: sometimes neighborhood beer, sometimes everyone dancing beneath the disco ball like work tomorrow was canceled.
2236 Fern Street
Station Tavern may be the most literal example of old South Park becoming new South Park. It opened in 2009 on land once crossed diagonally by the No. 2 trolley line, and architect Lloyd Russell incorporated that history into the design rather than pretending the weirdly shaped lot wasn’t weirdly shaped. The project won the San Diego Architectural Foundation’s Grand Orchid Award the same year it opened.
Sam Chammas built the place as an open-air burger-and-beer spot with big communal tables, a backyard, room for kids, and room for dogs. It still works exactly that way: get a burger, get the tots, let everybody spread out, stay awhile.
2204 Fern Street
Kindred arrived in late 2015 looking nothing like the beige-and-leafy vegan restaurant stereotype. The place went full gothic fever dream—heavy music, wild cocktails, decadent plant-based food—and eventually collected national vegan accolades plus local Restaurant of the Year and design honors.
And in 2026, it got even weirder. Hidden behind a chain-mail passage inside Kindred is Throne Room, a medieval-fantasy cocktail chamber whose mythology grew out of a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired map the Kindred team created for a 2017 Coachella pop-up. The 90-minute experience has scroll menus, plant-based mezze, cocktails and zero interest in pretending restaurants need to behave normally.
1503 30th Street

Vinyl Junkies has good music-scene DNA. Founder Eric Howarth previously ran indie label Hi-Speed Soul, whose roster included acts like Nada Surf and Swervedriver, then teamed with Casbah owner Tim Mays after the pair had spent years putting on Vinyl Junkies record swaps.
They opened the South Park brick-and-mortar shop in 2017, and it remains a buy-sell-trade temple for people who understand that owning music on a physical object is irrational in exactly the right way. Go flip through the new arrivals. Leave holding something you had absolutely no intention of buying.
2235 Fern Street
Bad Madge is what happens when “vintage store” doesn’t quite explain the situation. Owner Tanya McAnear and her team fill the shop with furniture, clothing, barware, records, art, jewelry, collectibles, and various objects that seem like they may know things about their previous owners. The shop opened in 2011 and has made reuse and upcycling part of its identity ever since. Go in without looking for anything specific—specificity will only slow you down.
2205 Fern Street
Across the neighborhood’s vintage-and-vinyl universe sits Thread + Seed, a local boutique built around clothing, denim, gifts, and personal styling. Its South Park shop has an especially deep denim program—petite, tall, wide-leg, straight, flare—and the store also offers one-on-one styling built around color and body type. In other words, this is where you go after deciding the jeans currently on your body have betrayed you. South Park understands that sometimes personal renewal begins with pants.
2220 Fern Street
Seth Marko started The Book Catapult as a book blog in 2006. In 2017, he and his wife, Jennifer Powell, turned it into an actual bookstore in South Park, specializing loosely in fiction, local interest, and children’s books while maintaining the more important bookseller skill: putting something into your hands that you didn’t know you needed.
There are staff picks, author events, signed books, and the dangerous possibility of walking in for one title and emerging with four. Because no one ever died thinking, “I shoulda read less.”
3010-B Juniper Street
Chefs, restaurateurs, sommeliers, and craft mixers - meet our 2026 Tastemakers, the minds behind the magic.
Chef Roberto Alcocer showcases all that Mexican cuisine and culture has to offer at Oceanside’s Valle. The Michelin-guide recommended restaurant takes inspiration and techniques from all over Mexico—with a heavy Baja influence—and blends them with local San Diego ingredients to create original and delectable contemporary Mexican cuisine. The seasonal tasting menu allows Chef Alcocer to experiment with the freshest available ingredients, creating dishes that defy guests’ expectations, while the wine list features more than 100 labels from Mexican artisans. Even the restaurant’s walls are a celebration of Mexican culture, all decorated with work from artists of Baja.
“My favorite part of being a chef of Valle is being able to showcase the Mexico that I know to everyone who visits,” Chef Alococer says. “Not only through the food, but with the design, culture, and welcoming service.”
Lobster Taco: Flour sourdough tortilla with lobster shell bisque and local red spiny lobster

222 North Pacific Street, Oceanside, California 92054
866-723-8906 | valleoceanside.com