A selection of pieces from Omar Khâlid’s BRAKE AND TAKE OFF, prototypes for failure at 206 Arte Contemporáneo in Tijuana
It takes 18 minutes, a taxi ride, and ten bucks to find myself tucked away in a neighborhood off the bustling, pharmacy-laden corners of the city center of Tijuana. My destination: 206 Arte Contemporáneo, the unassuming hub of the city’s arts scene. I enter its disarming residential façade and traverse a humble stairway towards work that feels uniquely at home in a border town gallery.
Omar Khâlid’s Brake and Take Off Tijuana Art 2
206 is run by twin sisters Mónica and Melisa Arreola. This creative duo supports the greater Tijuana and Baja Norte art community through their mediums—architecture for both, as well as photography and music, respectively. Mónica showed her stoic and overcast photos of the buildings of Valle San Pedro, an abandoned town outside Tijuana, as part of the 2022 Whitney Biennial, while Melisa is the frontwoman for the band Cuarto Paisaje, a dreamy patchwork of indie rock and languid electronic effects. Their performances seem equal parts rock show and sonic installation.
Omar Khâlid’s Brake and Take Off Tijuana Art 6
In 2012, the Arreolas nabbed a space on the main drag of Avenida de Revolucion, which was still rebuilding after the 2008 reign of terror from narcos left many buildings on the strip abandoned. Two years ago, as rents soared downtown, they moved the arts institution to this new, light-filled space with views of the city.“
Today, there’s a unique opportunity to have an independent space that is not in downtown,” Mónica says. The move, perhaps inadvertently, brought a more plugged-in and intentional audience. There’s no stumbling onto this spot after a margarita at Caesar’s.
The current exhibition, which runs through July, is BRAKE AND TAKE OFF, prototypes for failure. It features the work of Omar Khâlid, a former student at the Autonomous University of Baja California. Of the works that the Arreolas host in the gallery, about “90 percent come from university [alumni],” Mónica says. Khâlid is soft-spoken but assured as we chat through his interpreter, Guillermo Estrada. Estrada is a fellow artist in the Arreolas’ orbit who moonlights as Memo Navajas in his band, Rancho Shampoo & The Indian Dub Orchestra.
“The idea of the work is the alien aesthetic,” Estrada explains, or “martiana” in Spanish. Looking around the gallery, you’re met with small, unframed vignettes of rust-hued extraterrestrial life forms and their broken-down airships. A prototype lies in the center of the space, untouched and unusable. Khâlid also created an alien script that adorns the walls, draped on canvas in a carven, stela-like style.The script translates to nothing, so the Martians keep their secrets, or viewers invent their own.
Danielle is a freelance culture journalist focusing on music, food, wine, hospitality, and arts, and founder-playwright of Yeah No Yeah Theatre company, based in San Diego. Her work has been featured in FLAUNT, Filter Magazine, and San Diego Magazine. Born and raised in Maui, she still loves a good Mai Tai.
From artsy, boutique hotels in New Mexico to a revolutionary restaurant in Baja, explore what’s new in these desert cities around San Diego.
Coachella Valley
Terra Palm Springs, Palm Springs
Serenity-seeking guests (and, presumably, the free-spirited ghosts of naked people) roam this 13-room wellness escape that was once a clothing-optional resort. Opened a year ago, it offers exclusive, 24-hour access to a Himalayan salt sauna, cold plunge pool, and rain room. For food and drink, it’s tonics and juice cleanses, plus poolside bites from Michael Beckman, exec chef of the nearby Workshop Kitchen + Bar.
Casa Palma Hotel & Bungalows, Palm Springs
Opened last year on the historic, two-acre Movie Colony neighborhood property originally built by actor Errol Flynn (it was called the Normandy then), this is a micro-hotel for people who love Taschen books. Casa Palma reimagined the place as a minimalist, veneers-white 33-room escape with pickleball; tennis; and a mountain view bistro serving breakfast, salads, and sandwiches.
“Surfing in the desert” sounds like an absurd ayahuasca notion, but the Coachella Valley already has one wave pool (Palm Springs Surf Club), and, soon, a 5.5-acre surf lagoon will anchor DSRT Surf, an incoming resort at the Desert Willow Golf Courses. Planned for completion in mid-2026, it’ll include a 139-room hotel, 57 luxury villas, and restaurants.
Photo Credit: Patrick Chin
New Mexico
Hotel Willa, Taos
Last spring, the Casetta Group (the same folks who own SD’s Pearl Hotel) resuscitated an old motor lodge in Taos, a longtime beacon for creatives, and named it after Willa Cather (who finished her novel Death Comes to the Archbishop in town). The 51-room Hotel Willa has adobe architecture, an artist residency, a pool with a giant weeping willow nearby, and a seasonal restaurant from husband-and-wife duo chef Johnny Ortiz Concha and artist Maida Branch.
Arrive Albuquerque, Albuquerque
Originally built in 1965 as the Downtowner, a classic, six-story inn on the motel-culture strip of Route 66 in downtown Albuquerque cycled through several identities before last year, when Palisociety reimagined it with the Secret Gallery (featuring modern work from Southwest artists), a cocktail bar, a restaurant, and 137 dog-friendly rooms. Like any good desert road trip hotel, Arrive Albuquerque hotel is a cheeky, midcentury affair centered around an umbrella-shaded pool scene and those strappy ’80s patio loungers.
Courtesy of Leo’s Santa Fe
Leo’s, Santa Fe
After forming Vital Spaces, an org that leased abandoned warehouses and rented them at a low cost to artists, furniture designer Jonathan Boyd launched Leo’s, a no-signage, no-reservations restaurant last August with James Beard Award–winning chef Zakary Pelaccio. It focuses on Thai and Malaysian dishes—catfish sum tum, pork belly with garlic prik phao, fried chicken with tofu-mustard sauce and jiao chili sauce—plus natural wines and inventive cocktails. It promptly landed on Esquire’s Best New Restaurants of 2025.
Arizona
Trailborn Grand Canyon, Williams
Trailborn is the base camp of hotel groups. It’s focused on America’s grand outdoorsy arenas, with spots in the Rockies; the Blue Ridge Mountains; and now, Williams, a mile from the Grand Canyon Railroad Depot. This kitchy, 96-room roadside hotel offers a moody, wood-paneled steakhouse; adventure excursions; free breakfast inside a bustling “camp hall;” and front-row access to the fanfare of Route 66’s centennial celebration this year.
Early this year, Paradise Valley (the mountain-wrapped town neighboring Scottsdale) will welcome the 40-acre Kimpton Miralina, with six pools; more than 400 rooms and villas; and three restaurants, including Hecho Libre, a new Baja-inspired concept from fellow Beard semifinalist Wes Avila (known for Angry Egret Dinette and MXO in Los Angeles).
International Dark Sky Discovery Center, Fountain Hills
As cities grow and stargazing becomes an endangered pastime, an org called International Dark Sky Places works to protect the best areas in the world to behold night skies. One of them is Fountain Hills on the outskirts of Phoenix. This summer, it’ll get even better with a $28 million discovery center featuring a massive telescope, a planetarium, science exhibits, and a stargazing terrace.
Courtesy of Cote Korean Steakhouse
Nevada
Cote Korean Steakhouse, Las Vegas
Cote is the only Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse in the US, an idea from Seoul-born and James Beard nominated chef and restaurateur Simon Kim. Part of The Venetian’s $1.5 billion renovation, it’s a show—18,000 square feet, with stadium seating, VIP skyboxes, a crow’s nest DJ booth, a glowing central bar, 1,200 wine bottles, and the inimitable buzz of energetic impulse spending.
F1 Arcade, Las Vegas
2025 was a big year for Formula 1 racing—the sport celebrated 75 years with a Brad Pitt film (for which Rancho Bernardo–based Sony Electronics created a one-of-a-kind camera that took viewers inside the cockpit), and Caesars Palace welcomed a 21,000-square-foot F1 Arcade where fans can flex their inner Lando Norris with 87 racing simulators.
GSR Arena, Reno
When built in the 1970s as the MGM Grand, the Grand Sierra Resort was one of the biggest hotels in the world with over 1,000 rooms. Almost 50 years later, it’s nearly doubled its occupancy and is undergoing a billion dollar upgrade. The star will be the $435 million, 10,000-seat GSR Arena, which broke ground in September. Once completed (hopefully in fall 2027), it’ll be home to the University of Nevada men’s basketball team.
Courtesy of Dendric Estate
Utah
Dendric Estate, Kamas
Utah’s High West Distillery was a groundbreaker, the first legal distillery in Utah when it opened in 2006. Now High West’s master distiller Brendan Coyle has left to open his dream project with his wife, Carly. They purchased 20 acres in Kamas Valley at the foothills of the Uinta mountain range, where they’re growing high elevation apples and flipping them into bone-dry boozy cider with Dendric Estate. You can tour the estate or wait for the onsite tasting room, planned for 2027.
The Inn at Sundance Mountain Resort, Sundance
In 2020, Robert Redford sold his famed, conservationist-minded mountain ski resort to Broadreach Capital Partners and Cedar Capital Partners, who promised to keep his “build some, preserve more” vision going. Since, it’s earned a Michelin Key. This month, The Inn at Sundance Mountain Resort—a 63-room, ski-in/ski-out inn—opens with views of the 12,000-foot Mount Timpanagos. Perched right out front, the Outlaw Express chair lift takes you to the Mandan summit in seven minutes (getting there used to take 20). There’s a wrap-around porch, relaxation pools, a sauna, outdoor showers, and a cold plunge at The Springs.
Canopy by Hilton Deer Valley East Village, Park City
Four years after hosting the Winter Olympics, famed ski-only resort Deer Valley is undergoing a massive expansion of its East Village, including eight new hotels (the Grand Hyatt is already there, and the Four Seasons and others are incoming). Scheduled to open this summer, Canopy will be Hilton’s 180-room, ski-in/ ski-out property with après-ski and rooftop lounges. Deer Valley has also added 2,000 additional acres of skiable slopes, 100 new runs, and 10 new chairlifts.
Baja
Diego, Valle de Guadalupe
In the 2010s, Ensenada-born chef Diego Hernández was a headliner in the food-culture revolution in Valle de Guadalupe with Corazón de Tierra—named number 30 in the 2018 “World’s 50 Best Restaurants” list. It closed in 2020 (damn pandemic!). Last January, he returned with an eponymous 40-seat restaurant, Diego, inside Valle’s Museo de La Vid y El Vino, relying on onsite gardens and in-house butchery to prepare seasonal, multi-course tasting menus and à la carte dishes nodding to his Corazón roots.
Kadún, Cabo San Lucas
Over the years, the trend in Cabo resorts has been to get away from the action with secluded beachfront hideouts. Well, not all who travel to Cabo want to be tucked away. Last October, Mexico Grand Hotels (known for elaborate luxury resorts like Marina Fiesta and El Encanto) opened a smaller but still opulent thing: Kadún, a 110-room hotel with a rooftop pool and sundeck. It’s within walking distance to the Cabo Marina (the Vegas of Baja’s southern tip) and Medano Beach (one of the only swimmable beaches in Cabo).
Courtesy of Carnival Cruise Line
Ensenada Bay Village, Ensenada
Carnival Cruise Line has a vested interest in building up the ports it parks in. It’s established spots in Grand Turk, Roatan, and Cozumel, and its next elaborate disembarkment project is a $26 million beachside playground in Ensenada, planned for completion in 2027. Expect a sort of Pinocchio’s Island isthmus packed with zip lines, dune buggy rides, river rides, an adult pool, thermal springs, a spa, and wine and cheese pairings from Valle de Guadalupe (the wine region is 15 minutes inland).
Troy Johnson is the magazine’s award-winning food writer and humorist, and a long-standing expert on Food Network. His work has been featured on NatGeo, Travel Channel, NPR, and in Food Matters, a textbook of the best American food writing.
Amelia Rodriguez is a writer and journalist and winner of the San Diego Press Club's 2023 Rising Star Award and 2024 Best of Show Award, she’s also covered music, food, arts and culture, fashion, and design for Rolling Stone, Palm Springs Life, and other national and regional publications. After work, you can find her hunting down San Diego’s best pastries and maintaining her five-year Duolingo streak.
A wooden sign and an unpaved road got you here, and now you’re looking out at a desert transformed into rolling fields of fruit while a tasting room manager explains that, yes, it is possible to filter wine with green beans. You can sense it: Something special is happening here in Valle de Guadalupe.
Amelia Rodriguez is a writer and journalist and winner of the San Diego Press Club's 2023 Rising Star Award and 2024 Best of Show Award, she’s also covered music, food, arts and culture, fashion, and design for Rolling Stone, Palm Springs Life, and other national and regional publications. After work, you can find her hunting down San Diego’s best pastries and maintaining her five-year Duolingo streak.
Executive editor Mateo Hoke reflects on the unexpected magic of the Baja peninsula, where danger, beauty, and creativity collide just beyond the border
Around here, we are lucky—damned lucky—to have such a cool neighbor as Baja, sprawling south from our sleek San Diego lives.
I remember the first time I drove the length of the peninsula. Crossing into Tecate knowing I had a thousand miles of trouble and rapture ahead of me, I was content. The long, feverish vein of Highway 1 unraveling before me like a dare and plenty of country music on the radio? Surely this is what dreams are made of.
I soon found out. Highway 1 is a raving, dangerous road requiring concentration, skill, and luck. Goddess help you if you’re careless—the narrow asphalt twists like a rattlesnake that’s been spotted. Eighteen-wheelers come at you around blind turns with barely enough lane for one. Vehicles of questionable roadworthiness demand a pass. Checkpoints. Searches. Propinas. But if you’ve got a lunatic’s stomach and you’re willing to wrestle the beast, the rewards are many.
Ping-ponging between coasts, watching a sun wet with golden glitter rise over the gulf at dawn, only to smother itself into the Pacific come nightfall from some no-name beach found at the end of a scrub brush–shrouded turnoff in the desert. Nights under a billion cold stars. Waking in a truck bed; coffee on a small gas stove. Sweaty mornings watching whales breaching, their breathy spouts blessing the dawn with holy water. Endangered California condors in the high country; Seussian forests of endemic Boojum trees near Cataviña. No algorithm can match this.
If you do it right—with respect to the land, the people, and the uncertainty—this place can prove a pilgrimage. A baptism. A reset from polite society. It is a land that reporter Fernando Jordan called “el otro México” in his 1951 book of the same name. The other Mexico. A place Jordan saw as radically different—geographically, culturally, and historically—from the rest of the country. To Jordan, Baja California represented a Mexico that had been neglected and misunderstood for centuries yet was rich in natural beauty, mystery, and potential. He was right. His book remains a classic.
Like San Diego, Baja is blessed with variety. Deserts, mountains, coast. But San Diego this is not. Baja is a dagger of dusty granite thrust down into the Pacific like a sheath on California’s waistband. Savage, sunburned, reckless. It’s a place where wild animals and wild ideas thrive.
But before you get to the chaos, there’s Valle. A sane jaunt south and you’re steeped in a different kind of alchemy, spun from agriculture and intention, where improbable grapes grow in a valley of avant-garde experimentation and audacious plates can be found at the end of rivulet-scarred gravel driveways. It’s an artful retreat from the peninsula’s ruggedness where something unrestrained still lives—you can taste it in the terroir and see it in the architecture. The community in Valle de Guadalupe is doing surprising, creative, and delicious things. If you haven’t been recently, consider this an invitation.
Few places on Earth encompass as much fire and flavor as Valle, which is why, for our annual travel issue, we’re focusing on this nearby piece of paradise and checking in on the rest of the peninsula from Tijuana to Cabo, where the good people of Baja are cooking up new concepts and bucket-list meals. So pack a cooler and tent, gas up the RV, or simply pop down for a weekend. With this as your guide, you’re sure not to get lost—unless that’s what you’re itching for. In that case, get gone. There’s no shortage of reasons to cross the border and to cross it often.
The Best Gym in San Diego Isn’t Really a Gym Anymore
Earlier this year, Fit quietly dropped "athletic" from its brand, from Fit Athletic Clubs to simply Fit, and started calling itself something new: a social wellness club.
There’s a version of San Diego that lives in two extremes. On one side, the 5 a.m. crowd: biohackers, marathoners, people who’ve already logged a cold plunge before your alarm goes off. On the other, the after-dark crowd, the ones chasing sunset happy hours and late dinners with friends. Everyone seems to be either optimizing or unwinding, and most of us feel like we’re failing at both.
Fit, San Diego’s reigning Best Gym for the third year running, has built its entire identity around erasing that divide.
Walk into one of Fit’s three San Diego locations on a Tuesday afternoon and the lines blur fast. Someone’s mid-set on the squat rack. Someone else has a laptop open at a café table a few feet away, half-working, half-people-watching. A group is trading plans for the weekend’s event by the recovery lounge. Nobody’s in a rush to leave.
“We’re not competing for the same people,” says Emily Waybright, Public Relations Manager at Fit, addressing the arrival of a national luxury gym chain in San Diego this year. “We don’t really feel like we’re in the gym category. It’s this unique thing.”
That unique thing has a name now. Earlier this year, Fit quietly dropped “athletic” from its brand, from Fit Athletic Clubs to simply Fit, and started calling itself something new: a social wellness club.
It’s a small wording change with a bigger idea behind it. Fit was never built around escaping the workday. It was built around the people who genuinely like what they do, and who want workouts, work, and friendships to happen in the same place instead of three separate ones. Because sometimes red light therapy with a stranger turns into weekend plans.
Fit’s philosophy traces back to its founder, who started the brand nearly two decades ago after failing to find a gym he actually wanted to belong to. He looked instead to the old-school country club, where people came for a shared interest and stayed for the community. His version was made for a younger generation, minus the golf, plus the loud music.
Which makes it a little ironic that the very award putting Fit back in the spotlight this year is Best Gym.
What does the best traditional gym look like when the definition of a gym is becoming less traditional? It’s a fair question, and Fit’s answer is that the fitness industry itself is shifting. The 45-minutes-in, 45-minutes-out model is giving way to something closer to a genuine third space, the kind of role the office and the bar used to play before remote work and changing nightlife habits rearranged how people spend their time
For Fit, community isn’t a marketing add-on to fitness. It’s the through-line. Members aren’t just paying for a treadmill; they’re paying for an entire day of social wellness that’s built on performance, recovery, connection, and a plan for the next event on the calendar. That’s a much harder membership to walk away from.
Ambition and ease aren’t opposites here, they exist side by side, where passion and play share the same morning. On September 12, Fit is hosting Sol, a full day wellness festival at Fit Social. The morning focuses on wellness classes and vendors and then the evening is a full party with multiple DJ sets and an open bar. Think of it as a kick-off to locals’ summer in San Diego.
Ready to see what a social wellness club actually looks like? Visit fitclubs.com, or follow along at @thefitclubs on Instagram.
We all have that friend who was there first, who knows the spots before the influencers, before the Michelin Guide furtively dines, who lives like locals do, and seem to make friends at each coveted location.You annoyingly see a gorgeously arranged plate sans filter on Instagram at a restaurant that doesn’t even have a geotag. Then, a story from a hotel with views that aren’t out-of-this-world in another country—like say, Mexico.With so many exciting new things coming out of Baja these days, we looked to those people—the region’s tastemakers, local experts, and even a few of our San Diego friends—to give us the inside scoop on new, noteworthy, trendy, or hidden gems across the border.Here are 12 places to go in Baja right now as recommended by Monica Arreola, co-owner of Arte Contemporaneo in TJ; Dang Nguyen, consultant for Coyote Projects hospitality group in Baja; Hank Morton (founder and president) and Geoff Hill (director of brand & marketing) of Baja Bound; and our friends at the tourism authority on the latest developments.
Where to Go in Tijuana
Nook Hotel Tijuana Baja California Mexico
Courtesy of Nook Hotel
Nook Hotel
A block away from the much-more famous—though slightly dustier—Caesar’s Hotel, is this boutique gem. With pastel, Mondrian-like paintings hung over their gallery walls and chic, nouveau furnishings throughout, it gives more Downtown L.A. than Zona Central. It’s also open 24 hours for your carousing convenience.
Less Jon Voight, more Juan Voight. This caballero-inspired border saloon is so new, you won’t even be able to find the address without a DM. Reach out for a reservation, snag the code, and find yourself in a glow-up version of every ranch hand’s dream home (on the range), with marble countertops, ornamental horseshoes, and leather coasters. Try tipples like the Desperado, a concoction of agave spirits, Benedictine, and Fernet Branca.
Casa Tijuana Restaurant Baja California Mexico
Courtesy of Casa Tijuana
Casa Tijuana
Don’t have friends in Tijuana who can invite you over for a home-cooked meal? Think again. Chef Juan Cabrera Barrón would like to welcome you into his. Enter Casa Tijuana, a restaurant in an actual house, in a thriving neighborhood on the outskirts of town, where the dining room is every room. Bedecked with personal effects from Barrón’s own life, the cozy, abuelita décor style belies the food’s modern edge. Labeling itself as Mexican comfort food, this local eatery has a bite to satisfy every palette. Pro Tip: Work up an appetite perusing local, modern artists’ work at 206 Arte Contemporaneo then take a five-minute drive here to dish on all your favorite pieces—and dishes.
Where to Go in Rosarito
Splash Baja California Rosarito Restaurant Mexico
Courtesy of Splash Baja Restaurant
Splash
Seemingly carved out of the cliffs, this old casita-turned-restaurant is a classic spot to post up on your way to Valle, or before hitting traffic on the way back home. Though erring a little toward the Americanized palate, “El Cielito Lindo” is on heavy mariachi rotation for some traditional fun and their margaritas don’t disappoint.
Winner of 2023’s “Best Seafood Restaurant” from Galardón Gastronómica, this unassuming Puerto Nuevo eatery highlights the region’s freshest seafood with modern techniques, plus all the al fresco, the-UV-index-is-peaking-but-that’s-what-sunscreen-is-for, summer vibes.
K41 (also known as the Mexican mile marker, Kilometer 41) is the X marking the spot for finding some of the region’s best sushi alongside a much-need, post-surf sesh brew in Playas de Rosarito. A restaurant focusing on fresh catches from its shores and four in-house brands under the collective: Cerveza Surf, Colectivo Sagrado Mezcal, Amor del Mar Vino, and Kaffiso 100 percent Café Orgánico.
Where to Go in Valle de Guadalupe
Bloodlust Restaurant Valle de Guadalupe Baja California Mexico
Courtesy of Bloodlust
Bloodlust
Mimetic architecture never tasted so good. Shaped like an entire bulb of ajo (garlic), this wine and vermouth bar specializes in natural wine and sophisticated plates without the pretense of some other Valle notables. Be sure to check their ‘gram so you can coordinate your visit with a live band playing in their amphitheater or a vinyl selector manning the decks indoors for a meal fit for an audiophile.
Danielle is a freelance culture journalist focusing on music, food, wine, hospitality, and arts, and founder-playwright of Yeah No Yeah Theatre company, based in San Diego. Her work has been featured in FLAUNT, Filter Magazine, and San Diego Magazine. Born and raised in Maui, she still loves a good Mai Tai.
San Diego is full of people who deserve a few thousand words on what they make, who they bring together, and how their work changes the city around them. The artists, makers, advocates, and behind-the-scenes talent below are a small part of that larger ecosystem.
To help us narrow our list, we looked for names that kept coming up, work that reflects the diversity of our region, and people building something bigger than themselves.
Jackie is a long-time freelance journalist covering cannabis, food/restaurants, travel, labor, wine, spirits, arts & culture, design, and other topics. Her work has been selected twice for Best American Travel Writing, and she has won a variety of national and local awards for her writing and reporting.
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.
Matt Eisenberg is an award-winning writer and photographer based in San Diego. A former ESPN editor, his work has also been published by CNN, Bleacher Report and the New York Daily News.
Aaryn Belfer is a writer and editor specializing in nonfiction across art, architecture, and culture. Once upon a time, she wrote a provocative column for San Diego CityBeat (RIP). She was a runner up in the 2025 Matchbook Stories contest at the San Diego Central Library and is irrationally happy about it. Currently in her Soft Girl Era, Aaryn has expensive taste in (mostly flat) shoes and will choose a great art exhibit or live jazz concert over almost anything else. Except, possibly, Javier Bardem.
Lili Kim is a content coordinator and writer for San Diego Magazine, with experience highlighting local businesses and communities. When not writing or shooting film, she is likely brewing her seventh cup of tea of the day or strolling along Sunset Cliffs.
Emma Veidt is an editor at San Diego Magazine. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees from the Missouri School of Journalism. She loves running, hiking, and rock climbing, but really, she mostly loves encounters with the street cats around North Park.
Gail Czyszczon is owner/copywriter at Z3 Writing and best-selling author of a children’s book series. As a strategic communications professional and editorialist, she's passionate about discovering untold stories and themes that ignite fresh conversation and true change in communities.
Growing up, Laika Nur, MD, Scripps Clinic sports medicine specialist, loved watching beach volleyball when the Association of Volleyball Professionals tour came to her hometown of Chicago. A talented volleyball player herself, she remembers sitting in the stands all day, and once, even got a couple autographs. Years later, Dr. Nur was attending a professional event focused on women’s sports, and the discussion turned to a new professional women’s volleyball league. The general manager and coaching staff for San Diego’s team, the Mojo, happened to be in attendance, and Dr. Nur took the opportunity to ask them if they needed a team doctor. Flash forward to the Mojo’s inaugural 2024 season, when Dr. Nur officially became the team physician. Click here to read more about Dr. Nur and how she incorporates lessons she learned on the court into her practice.
For more nutrition, wellness, and healthy living tips, sign up for the San Diego Health newsletter here.
