Andy’s Orchirds Leucadia Garden Sacred Spaces San Diego

Photo Credit: Mateo Hoke

Beyond an unassuming red gate in Leucadia lives a Willy Wonka–esque wonderland of plants: orchids and ferns clinging to the limbs of an 80-year-old sycamore tree that shades the entrance, orchids growing 20 feet tall, orchids hanging wet and mossy with chocolate chip–sized flowers in a claustrophobic greenhouse labyrinth of more than 750,000 plants from every corner of the world. If you’re a fan of flora, this is a house of worship.With more than 7,000 different species, Andy’s Orchids is known as the largest rare orchid collection in the US—and possibly the world, says owner Andy Phillips.“We’re definitely the most diverse,” Phillips adds. “Nobody grows the way I grow.”

Andy’s Orchids Leucadia Garden Sacred Spaces Plants – 7

Photo Credit: Mateo Hoke

Inside, it’s hot and fragrant. Plants, many in bloom, hang thick on the walls and crowded high on racks running the length of Phillips’ hot houses, forming a song of colors, shapes, and patterns only nature could be creative enough to compose. Some flowers emanate a piña colada perfume; others, the scent of apricot candy.Phillips walks the rows, pointing out peculiarities, naming where each plant originated. Brazil. Honduras. New Guinea. Sulawesi Island in Indonesia. The man is an encyclopedia of epiphytes, or plants that grow on the surface of other plants.“It’s very three-dimensional,” Phillips says. “I grow the way nature intended. Nature is three-dimensional.”

Andy’s Orchids Leucadia Garden Sacred Spaces Plants – 6

Photo Credit: Mateo Hoke

Born and raised in La Jolla, Phillips, 60, found his passion at a young age.“I was a plant nerd as a little kid,” he says. His mother was from Mexico. At 13, he returned from a trip to visit her family with more than 1,100 plants, some of which he still has.Today, orchids are his life. He’s converted the property his grandparents bought in 1932 for $500 into a successful online business. In-person appointments can be arranged for serious buyers. Phillips also hosts open houses four times a year. They’re a rare chance to see rare plants.“It’s a Noah’s Ark of diversity,” Phillips says. “My philosophy is that things might disappear in nature, and once they’re gone, they’re gone forever. But if someone propagates them, they can be reintroduced.”Andy’s Orchids will host its next open house Sept. 15–17.

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jurickson profar

James Tran

“Sometimes you know… I’m looking for hits,” says Jurickson Profar, poring over a selection of bats deep in the guts of Petco Park. “So I come in here and feel it out, listen to the bat… I feel it, hear it.”

The 29-year-old Curaçaoan left fielder is standing in a room few people besides players ever see. Where sewing machines on tables patch names of new arrivals. Wardrobe racks are lined with jerseys. Profar stands among sky-high stacks of bins filled with official Padres caps, bats, gloves, belts, socks, cleats, shin guards, wrist guards, pro gear—a dizzying collection of game-day memorabilia any fan would kill for.

“It’s exciting,” Profar says. “I’m a curious guy. So I like to always come in here and check what we got new.”

Let’s be honest, the Padres aren’t known as a colorful club. The clubhouse is brown carpet, brown doors, brown walls, brown trim, a splash of mustard. But hang a right on a Friday afternoon and it’s an almost disorienting blast of color. Bright, fresh, and polarizing. The team’s City Connect jersey—a blended cocktail of bright pink and electric banana yellow, garnished with mint—was designed to pay homage to our city’s unique border setting. They’re more Baja than Balboa Park. A sunset off the coast of el otro México perhaps, or a quinceañera.

Like all great art, the uniforms evoked strong and conflicted emotions. Some hailed it as the most stylish MLB uniform in eons. Others railed against its Miami-ness, how it evoked a rec league team sponsored by Taco Bell. Love it or hate it, these jerseys and hats made noise—and dollars. The Padres sold nearly a quarter million worth of City Connect swag on the very first day the uniform debuted.

“This is my favorite uniform to wear, by far,” Profar says. “Curaçao is a colorful island, so I love the colors.”

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