the San Diego Airport

Frank Rogozienski

Arrive early for your next flight out of the San Diego airport. There’s a lot to see. Several new artworks have just been revealed as part of the Green Build. Our airport takes art seriously—Art Program Manager Constance White oversaw each work from conception to completion. The artists are from all over the world but every piece reflects characteristics of San Diego. Here are just a few:

The Journey

The Journey (artist: Jim Campbell) is the biggest scale piece. It stretches over the walkway throughout a large part of terminal 2. It’s made of 38,000 led lights and images float across the sculpture like birds and ocean waves, giving a sense of the outdoors and reminding you that you haven’t left San Diego yet.

Footprints in the sand

As you make your way through terminal two, the floor resembles footprints in the sand. We know it’s tempting but don’t go running around barefoot in the airport.

Sublimare

Sublimare (artists: Merge Conceptual Design) transforms the underside of the departure road into an ocean with huge aluminum kelp and fish shapes. No better way to grab a cab after arriving in SD than to be reminded of the city’s jewel. Soon the work will include a light projection that uses real time wave data from a buoy in the San Diego Bay to create patterns and color.

Taxonomy of a Cloud

Sunset cove is a beautiful new space that brings the outdoors in with palm trees, an expansive window wall, and clouds. Taxonomy of a Cloud (artist: Stuart Keller) is made of aluminum tubing and over 35,000 Swarovski crystals.

Palm trees

Don’t be fooled, those palm trees aren’t real. The trunks are ceramic and the frawns are freeze-dried frawns from Temecula.

Donde Esta

Donde Esta (artist: Erik Carlson) hangs on bathroom outer walls throughout; each has a different video from a specific spot in San Diego, and the coordinates are below. The images are revealed as you walk towards the bathroom entrance.

Reflection Room

My favorite new spot is the Reflection Room (artist: Norie Sato), the airport’s play on a chapel. This is a quiet space for people of all backgrounds; the sculptural piece can serve as a point of meditation or an altar. The room can also be divided, for a yoga class or other activity. The space isn’t quite done but hopefully it will be open in time for hectic holiday travel.

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SLS Hotel Beverly Hills pool deck

SLS Hotel Beverly Hills pool deck

A Taste of L.A.

Serious foodies will make a pilgrimage to L.A. this month for the third annual Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival (August 21–25, lafw.com). Dozens of celebrichefs like Giada, Morimoto, and Bayless, plus wineries like Leviathan, Justin, and Tablas Creek, will be at various venues around the downtown area and in Beverly Hills. For a stay worthy of such dining, rest your head at nearby SLS Hotel Beverly Hills, which itself has two world-class restaurants, the Philippe Starck-designed Bazaar and the superchic Tres by chef José Andrés. And if, after all this grazing and eating, you can stomach the thought of donning a bikini, head up to the SLS rooftop pool and take in one delicious view of the city. slshotels.com/beverlyhills

The Shoreline guest room

SLS Hotel Beverly Hills pool deck

Affordable Hawaii

Hotels along Honolulu’s Waikiki shore are going boutique and cheap

Say aloha (and by that, we mean goodbye) to Hawaii mega-resorts, as boutique hotels have been popping up all along Waikiki. The most recent arrival is Vive Hotel Waikiki, open July 15. Under Joie de Vivre ownership, there’s the new Coconut, where rooms come with kitchens, and The Shoreline (pictured left), which has hip decor and offers stays for as little as $139 per night. Waikiki: why not?

87

Number of restaurants and stores in SAN by 2014 (up from 55). Latest additions include Terminal 1’s Craft Brews on 30th Street and San Diego Bay News in the Commuter Terminal, serving coffee from Caffé Calabria. Stay tuned for Bankers Hill Bar, 100 Wines, Saffron Thai, Pannikin, Garden by Tender Greens, Stone Brewing Co., Warwick’s of La Jolla, and more.

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