French poet Paul Valéry said that art “is never truly completed…but abandoned.” That seems especially true of theater, since no two audiences ever see the exact same play.
San Diegan playwright Ali Viterbi believes the audience is an essential part of her work. “Plays are never really finished, because they demand the audience back-and-forth,” she says. “That part is always changing and evolving.”
Her latest,In Every Generation, follows the Levi-Katz family across four time periods—1416 BCE, 1954, 2019, and 2050—by way of their Passover seders. The idea came when she observed how theatrical the holiday is. “It asks us to imagine ourselves into the story of Exodus from Egypt,” she says. “We retell this story every year. It’s tradition, but it’s also time travel. It connects you, kind of magically, to both the past and the future.”
She began writing in 2017, in the wake of the white supremacist march in Charlottesville, Virginia. “I had all these questions about what the future of American Jewish identity would look like, and about what happened to the Israelites after they escaped, when they were no longer enslaved but weren’t quite free, either.”
Tragically, we’re living in a time when speculative fiction writers are often quickly overtaken by reality. The next two years saw back-to-back mass shootings targeting the Jewish community, at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh and closer to home, at the Chabad of Poway. “The future that I’d imagined speculatively started to feel more real,” Viterbi says.
Still, she completed the play’s first draft and staged readings of it, with San Diego Repertory Theatre and other venues, revising as she went. For over ten years she has served as associate artistic director of the Rep’sLipinsky Family San Diego Jewish Arts Festival. She describes this work as a celebration of diverse new Jewish voices in the community, with a goal of developing works that go on to have a life in theaters across America.
Alongside those new voices, this year’s festival will hostIn Every Generationas a “rolling world premiere.” The National New Play Network adopted the play to debut three times in close succession, first at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theater, then here, finally in Washington, DC. This format allows each production to take notes and build from the previous, and for the playwright to continue revising based on the feedback it receives.
Its director in San Diego, Todd Salovey, says this method has paid off—that at first, Viterbi was reluctant to write about what Jewish life would be like 40 years from now. “But things have changed in our world,” he says. “She’s now exploring ‘How do you take a stand for your own ethnic identity at a time it might be dangerous to do so?”
Ali Viterbi, playwright of In Every Generation
What most impresses him aboutIn Every Generation, though, is Viterbi’s ability to present different perspectives on an idea, spoken from multiple characters who disagree with each other, and have each side of the argument sound equally compelling. “In this case, you’re getting to see a family whose love language is disagreeing with each other.”
Viterbi acknowledges that, even once her revisions are complete, if her play continues to be performed over the years, its reception will keep evolving as well. And that’s by design. She likens it to the Jewish study practice of havruta, which begins with one person reading a line from the Torah and asking a question, then someone else answers it and poses another question, and so on. “There is no answer,” she says. “It’s only in the asking of questions that you find some kind of resolution. It’s often very easy to tie a bow around our own narrative, but then we keep living.”
She hopes that San Diego audiences will feel invited to the Levi-Katz family’s seder, “celebrating this triumph of community in a time when that’s been hard to find”—not just to passively watch a finished product, but to be an active part of an ongoing conversation.
The Talmud itself precipitated Valéry’s sentiment by a few dozen generations, with a caveat. (It was speaking on the work of living, rather than making art—though for many there’s no difference.) “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief. Do justly now, love mercy now, walk humbly now. You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.”
In Every Generation is now playing at the Lyceum Theatre through June 19. Tickets are available at sdrep.org.
The cast of The Lightning Thief at San Diego Junior Theatre
Little does anyone know, but this average kid had famous ancestors, and they’re destined to do great things. That’s an evergreen theme in stories for young adults: Heroes come from unlikely places, inheriting a history previously unknown even to themselves. A connection to the Force, to the Wizarding world—or even the Greek pantheon.
Rick Riordan’s 2005 novelThe Lightning Thieffound an irresistible angle on this theme: At summer camp, 12-year-old Percy Jackson learns he’s the long-lost son of Poseidon, his friend Annabeth is the daughter of Athena, and they embark on a quest that leads them to the underworld and back.
Jason Blitman has been working on this show for the better part of six years—as the casting director of its original off-Broadway run, on a one-act touring version, and as director of this full-length version. Some of the cast were already familiar with the books. (Ava, who plays Annabeth, recalls going through a Percy Jackson phase and reading them all “in, like, a week.”) Some had even seen the play.
This is a double-edged sword for up-and-coming actors, who might assume they should imitate the performance they’ve already seen. But Blitman encouraged everyone to find their own take on their characters. While casting, he looked for people with a strong sense of who they were as individuals, who wouldn’t be afraid to make bold choices.
The cast of The Lightning Thief at San Diego Junior Theatre
It seems his message has sunk in. Quincy, who plays Percy Jackson, says the play has taught him that when it comes to acting choices, it’s better “to be strong and wrong than to not try at all.”
Likewise, Ava says she’s learned that everything a character does must have a purpose. “Even little things, like crossing downstage or just getting to the spot you’re supposed to be in, have meanings behind them. It’s kind of like real life: You don’t just walk to the middle of the room randomly so you can start your conversation; everything you do, you do for a reason.”
Blitman specializes in teaching theater by and for young people, and he believes much of that discipline is about cultivating their sense of empathy—to fully imagine themselves in another person’s circumstances and adopt their perspective—as well as what it means to work as a team and take constructive feedback.
Taking on these roles in particular is a way of proving to themselves that they, too, can overcome monsters—the minotaurs and cyclopes are literal, yes, but they’re also “a not-so-secret metaphor for the monsters in the real world,” Blitman says. “The characters are 13 years old and dealing with problems that are bigger than themselves.”
That doesn’t meanThe Lightning Thiefis only for kids, he argues: “I think adults sometimes look at theater for young audiences and think, ‘Oh, this isn’t for me. But we were all young once; we can all relate to what it was like to be an outcast. Plus, it’s fun, contemporary, and has a really great pop-rock score.”
It may also inspire you to learn more about Greek mythology, as it did Quincy. “There are so many references in the script about things I didn’t know about,” he says. “It makes me curious. I was already a bigPercy Jacksonfan, but there’s always more to learn.”
The Lightning Thief runs April 29 through May 15 at Casa del Prado Theatre. Tickets are available at juniortheatre.com.
Dan Letchworth is the copy chief of San Diego Magazine. His print column Dansplaining explores San Diego trivia, and his theater review blog Everyone’s a Critic was a finalist for best online column in the 2019 National City & Regional Magazine Awards.
Looking for ways to get outside and enjoy the last days of summer this holiday weekend? Let our articles be your guide. Start off with pool days around the county—these eight hotels are offering day passes open to the public. Then, refuel alfresco at these local restaurants with cool outdoor patios. But on Monday, why not pack a picnic and take advantage of our low-crowd public beaches instead—the labor movement fought hard for that day off!
Local business owners in Barrio Logan launched this new weekly outdoor experience in an effort to support the neighborhood’s independently owned shops and eateries. At Walk the Block, Logan Avenue businesses will line the block with outdoor retail, music, and dining. Masks are a must and social distancing guidelines will be enforced.
Catch drive-thru art exhibitions, virtual demos, self-guided tours, and much more at this annual celebration of San Diego’s design community, presented by Mingei International Museum. Throughout the course of five days, the event will showcase over 100 events that highlight the many artists and media that make up both the San Diego and Baja design communities.
Join the Craft Collective for a woodworking class for the kids. Using STEAM, the class teaches students about wood as a material, walking them through exercises that practice problem solving, craftsmanship, and more. Woodworking not your thing? The SD Craft Collective offers a wide range of classes all month long. Check their site to find the craft project that fits you.
Tap into your inner Van Gogh at Pinot’s Palette’s outdoor painting classes. These sip-and-paint classes take you step-by-step to create a colorful canvas you can take home. Not ready to meet in person? They also offer virtual classes with kits packed with everything you need!
San Diego Repertory Theatre presents a virtual performance by Hershey Felder, live from Florence, Italy, in George Gershwin Alone. The one-man show tells the famed composer’s life story, taking audiences through beloved songs from An American in Paris and Someone to Watch Over Me to the masterpiece “Rhapsody in Blue.”
Help the North County museum celebrate 20 years from the comfort of your own home. The anniversary gala will hold a silent auction, speeches from the museum’s core members, and a sneak peek at what’s to come for the future.
Watch classic films and blockbusters like Groundhog Day, Black Panther and Back to the Future while sailing around the bay. This new open-air and socially-distanced cinema is aboard the top deck of the Inspiration, the largest yacht in Hornblower’s fleet. Ticket prices include dinner, and you can upgrade the package to include Veuve Clicquot Champagne and premium seating.
Practice your tree pose and sip mimosas at Brunch & Bend at The Lot. Join YogaSix on the lawn for a one-hour yoga flow session, followed by refreshments and all your brunch favorites.
Social distancing and a ban on large gatherings hit San Diego’s thriving theater industry hard. Every single one of the county’s 25 active professional or preprofessional companies either canceled their traditional shows through the summer or postponed them to next year. But a ton of our local talent is adapting and finding creative new ways to put their art out into the world—some through individual songs, monologues, or interviews, and others with complete plays! So if you want to re-create a bit of that theater experience at home, just put on your fancy clothes, dim the lights, silence your cell phone, and check out these upcoming live or time-limited streaming productions.
Available to stream any time June 26–28 (this Friday through Sunday) | Tickets $20 per householdThe Dazzle is a quixotic, “almost true” story of two brothers (Francis Gercke and Tom Zohar) living in 1920s Harlem whose lives are suddenly turned upside down by an eccentric socialite (Jessica John). It was part of Backyard Renaissance’s regular season schedule, and the cast, crew, and director Rosina Reynolds soldiered on with it despite the lockdown, conducting production meetings and rehearsals over Zoom, and set design in solo shifts. They used a multi-camera setup to film a socially distanced performance reading, then edited it together into a cohesive production available to stream this weekend only.Plus, make it a double feature with a filmed production of their 2017 San Diego Critics Circle Best New Musical winner, Tarrytown. This modern interpretation of the Legend of Sleepy Hollow stars Bryan Banville, Kay Marian McNellen, and Tom Zohar, directed by Francis Gercke and Anthony Methvin. Gerke says, “We had very limited seating, so very few people got to see it. But those who did come, ended up coming back multiple times. We’ve had a lot of people tell us that they wish they had been able to see it. We couldn’t think of a more perfect show to remind people what artists can do, in the midst of some pretty incredible challenges.”
Streaming live on June 27 (this Saturday), 7 p.m. | Tickets free (donations welcome)Trinity artists are holding live play readings via Zoom every other Saturday, and this week it’s Blackademics by Idris Goodwin, directed by Kandace Crystal. It’s a satire about two friends meeting for dinner at a trendy new restaurant to commiserate on their experiences as black women in academia, all while their meal service becomes increasingly surreal. Starring Emily Candia, Jaeonnie Davis-Crawford, and Ashley Graham.
Available to stream anytime through June 29 (this Monday) | Tickets $10This West Coast premiere by Eric Pfeffinger was originally planned to be fully staged in the regular season; instead, North Coast Rep has undertaken their first digital production using advanced Zoom editing technology. It’s a comedy about a liberal couple and a conservative couple who have to strike an unlikely friendship after a medical mixup forces them together. Artistic director David Ellenstein says that “audiences will be experiencing a professionally produced piece, and not simply a staged reading.” Directed by Jane Page, starring Allison Spratt Pearce, Terrell Donnell Sledge, Max Macke, Jacque Wilke, and Martin Kildare.
Streaming live every Wednesday through July 29 at 7 p.m. (next show July 1) | Tickets freeThe fictional Southern California community of Beachtown is facing a pandemic, and you, a resident, are invited to attend a live Zoom meeting of the city’s Road to the Future Task Force as they debate when and how to begin opening back up for business. The “meetings” are free to join, and participation is welcome (but not mandatory). This immersive, interactive, one-of-a-kind experience has been running for a few weeks now, and every week is different, so citizens are encouraged to attend more than once. The project is the brainchild of SD Rep’s very funny playwright-in-residence, Herbert Siguenza, who plays a senator. Sandra Ruiz, Salomon Maya, Mondis Vakili, and Marci Anne Wuebben also star, as various chairpeople, medical experts, and lobbyists who all have their own agendas at work.
Some programs available now, with more to come in July and August | Tickets range from free to $25The playhouse’s annual celebration of nontraditional and site-specific performance art is a natural fit for going digital, and they’re rolling out groundbreaking new work to experience in a variety of ways all summer long.Closing July 12 is Binge, by far the most intimate of all the play-enjoying methods on this list: a one-on-one performance “tailor-made to fit the life of each individual audience member,” where your very own artist companion prescribes which television shows to watch. For something a little less personal, check out Ancient, a video installation meditating on the beauty of the routine. If you need to stretch your legs, take a walk around your neighborhood while listening to Blindspot Collective’s Walks of Life, each episode of which imagines what drama might be unfolding inside the houses you pass by. Or, if you can’t get enough Herbert Siguenza, join him, Richard Montoya, and Ricardo Salinas (aka the nation’s premier Latino performance trio) for The Totally Fake Latino News with Culture Clash, ten-minute snippets of social satire; the first of six episodes is available now.
Available to stream any time July 6–19 | Tickets $15–35 per householdDiversionary was in the middle of rehearsals for their regular-season production of Plot Points in Our Sexual Development when California’s stay-at-home order hit back in March, but rather than call the whole thing off, they filmed their last rehearsal and released it for home viewing for a limited time. It went over so well that for two weeks in July, they’re bringing back an archived recording of their 2016 Craig Noel Award–winning, world premiere musical The Boy Who Danced on Air. It tells the story of two young men caught up in the illicit Afghan trade of Bacha Bazi, in which poor boys are purchased by wealthy older men and forced to dress as women and dance at parties. The Union-Tribune hailed it as “solid, subtle, sad, and often inspiring work that’s smartly staged by director Tony Speciale with a first-rate cast.” Tickets are available on a sliding scale, with discounts for families who’ve been financially affected by the pandemic.
Troy Iwata and Sittichai Chaiyahat in The Boy Who Danced on Air, streaming soon from Diversionary Theatre
Dan Letchworth is the copy chief of San Diego Magazine. His print column Dansplaining explores San Diego trivia, and his theater review blog Everyone’s a Critic was a finalist for best online column in the 2019 National City & Regional Magazine Awards.
Finding a gift that feels truly personal can be surprisingly difficult. In a sea of generic options — flowers, gift cards, candles, and the like — Xplosion Box offers something more lasting: a customized keepsake built around the photos, messages, and memories that matter most.
Founded by Southern California entrepreneur Jay Vijay, Xplosion Box LLC creates fully customized explosion gift boxes that arrive professionally designed, printed, assembled, and ready to gift. Each box opens layer by layer to reveal personal photos, heartfelt messages, pull-out albums, origami-style photo pockets, and hidden notes, turning a simple gift into an emotional reveal.
The brand was built for people who want to give something meaningful without spending hours printing photos, cutting paper, folding cardstock, or assembling a DIY project. Customers simply choose a box, upload their favorite photos, add personal messages, and the Xplosion Box team transforms those details into a polished keepsake that feels thoughtful, personal, and beautifully made.
Xplosion Box offers personalized gift boxes for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduations, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Christmas, proposals, bridesmaid gifts, long-distance relationships, and thoughtful “just because” moments.
Customers can choose from flexible customization options starting at $27. The Mini Surprise Box includes 10 photos, three message cards, and one hidden secret note, while the Mega Surprise Box offers a fuller keepsake experience with 40 photos, three message cards, and one hidden secret note.
What sets Xplosion Box apart is its high level of customization combined with convenience. Filled with personal photos, custom text, decorative details, and layered surprises, each box gives customers the freedom to create a gift that feels one-of-a-kind — without having to make it themselves.
At its core, Xplosion Box helps people turn favorite photos, stories, and words into something tangible: a keepsake that can be opened, revisited, and remembered long after the occasion has passed. asion has passed.
Siblings make better music. That’s the hot take, and there’s some logic and science behind it. The Bee Gees, Jackson 5, Billie Eilish and Finneas, AC/DC, Van Halen, The Allman Brothers—heck, even the Hanson brothers, why not? Beyond just a shared sense of taste and nonverbal communication developed over decades of living and evolving together, there’s a thing called “blood harmony.” The genetically similar throat cavities, vocal cords, speech patterns, and resonant bone structures all blend each unique voice into a more homophonic sound than what comes out of two non-related singers.
Those throat cavities are working wonders for emerging San Diego band We the Commas—three brothers (from oldest to youngest) Lenny, Jordon, and Cam Comma.
Raised in Vista and Carlsbad, the family opted out of cable TV (video games got a pass). Without binge-watching to fill bored hours, the trio turned to music. Guitar Hero led to GarageBand and finally to live instruments—guitars for Lenny and Cam, drum set for Jordon. In their sound, the influence of Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, The Who, and Dave Matthews Band is obvious, and so is surf culture, specifically that laid-back chill of North County surf culture.
“We’re like the Black Beach Boys,” Cam says. (Note: Three of the five founding members of the Beach Boys were siblings—the theory gets stronger.)
Their debut EP pretty clearly lays out how they see their sound—titled SARB, an acronym for Surf Alternative R&B. That resonates in the song “Sherry,” with its easy-listening, windows-down-on-the-101 vibe. It also works in the louder, surf-punkier “Pissed Off.” Despite some advances in reducing core stereotyping tendencies, people still tend to autofill Black musicians into rap and R&B. The Comma brothers immediately circumvent that by declaring themselves out the gates.
“SARB makes it so [listeners are] open to all of the things that we want to do,” Lenny says. “From there, you can put a label on whatever you think it sounds like.”
Courtesy of We the Commas
People—and musicians further up the stream—are taking note. In 2023, they co-wrote the song “I Keep Fallin’” with Eric Cannata, guitarist for multi-platinum SoCal band Young the Giant. In early 2024, they were tapped to open the national tour of Brooklyn’s jazz-pop heroes, Sammy Rae & The Friends. Comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias invited them to warm up his show at Pechanga a couple months later.
“We really believe genuinely, with our whole hearts, minds and souls, that this is going to work the way that we think it’s going to,” Cam says, grinning ear to ear.
Currently, the Commas live together in Vista, and the dream, wholeheartedly, is more alive than ever. They’ve put out two dozen singles and a trio of EPs: SARB (2020), Old School Love (2021), and Aeroplane (2024); this year alone brought the release of three new singles, including “Let Me,” a silky-smooth entry in their growing collection of love songs.
“We fully realized the magic is in all of us together,” Lenny says. “We know that this doesn’t happen without each person, and we have respect for each other because we need each other.”
As they grow as brothers and as a band, the Commas try to always remember what unified them in the first place.
Ryan Hardison is a freelance arts and entertainment writer and recent graduate of San Diego State. When he's not staring at his laptop, he's likely eating an adobada burrito or getting sunburnt at the beach.
Up and down the coast, this weekend’s event lineup includes several causes for celebration. First, ensure your fascinators and colorful derby suits are ready for Opening Day and the Tacos & Tequila Festival at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. Within the arts sphere, Centro Cultural De La Raza’s Boarder Crossings exhibition, Arcadia at Cygnet Theatre and La Jolla Playhouse’s brand-new musical, The Family Album, represent just a handful of new exhibitions and productions popping up locally. Plus, the citywide partying includes the 6th annual Filipino American Friendship Festival and several San Diego Pride festivities, headlined by the two-day festival at Balboa Park.
ARTIFACT at Night: Southern BBQ at Mingei International Museum
July 17
Enjoy a meal infused with comfort food and cookout classics this Friday during the July edition of ARTIFACT at Night. Patrons will be served a four course Southern BBQ menu (with optional beverage pairings) that includes bites like peach tea glazed pork belly, slow smoked short ribs and house made hot links. Plus, for dessert, ARTIFACT’s take on peach cobbler will feature a butter pecan crumble with vanilla whip. Reservations are $89 per person, with seatings from 5-8:30 p.m; for this dinner, menu modifications cannot be accommodated.
1439 El Prado, Balboa Park
Tacos & Tequila Festival at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club
July 18
On day two of the summer racing season, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will celebrate a flavorful culinary pairing during its 21-plus Tacos & Tequila Festival in the Seaside Cabana. This Saturday from 2-6 p.m., attendees can sample a lineup of Mexican beers, top-shelf tequilas, frozen and handcrafted margaritas and tacos from local vendors. General admission is sold out, but early admission ($65), which comes with two taco tickets, five drink tickets, a souvenir cup and early entry at 1 p.m., can be purchased here.
2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard, Del Mar
Courtesy of Live Nation
Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Weekend
San Diego Pride
Through July 19
Show out for the city’s LGBTQIA+ community throughout San Diego Pride. During the week, check out free events in Hillcrest like the faith-centered Light up the Cathedral (Wednesday at 7 p.m.) or the Spirit of Stonewall Rally (Friday at 6 p.m.). Over the weekend, the Pride Parade (Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), beginning from University Avenue, as well as the Pride Festival at Balboa Park (Saturday from noon to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m.) will further prove how in the face of bigotry, “Pride Shines On” in SD. Festival ticket options include single-day passes ($45), weekend passes ($74) and weekend VIP ($268).
Hillcrest & Balboa Park
Young the Giant at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
July 15
Envisioned as an expression of “radical empathy,” Victory Garden—released in May—is Young the Giant’s way of addressing life’s woes with a glass-half-full approach. Though the whole project is enveloped in an air of gratitude, the one-two punch of standout tracks “Bitter Fruit” and “Already There” share a faith that the world, and the joy it contains, is within our grasp. The indie rock-filled lineup for Wednesday’s concert (6:30 p.m.) at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre will also feature Cold War Kids and Beach Weather. Tickets start at $40 for this concert.
5500 Campanile Drive, Rolando
Evanescence at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
July 17
The essence of Evanescence is built on a duality: soft and tender reflections and thrashing anthems about wars fought on personal battlefields (i.e. “Bring Me to Life”). Whenever Amy Lee has hold of the microphone, the stakes feel urgent, and on the gothic rock band’s newest record, Sanctuary, Lee received ample room for both her soul-stirring vocals and intimate piano playing. Their concert this Friday (7 p.m.) at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre will open with performances by heavy metal band Spiritbox and alternative rock duo Nova Twins. Tickets start at $24 for this concert; $1 from each ticket sale will go towards PLUS1.
2050 Entertainment Circle, Chula Vista
Filipino American Friendship Festival at NTC Park
July 18
This Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the API Initiative will celebrate its sixth annual Filipino American Friendship Festival. But that’s not the only number of significance for the festival’s 2026 event, which marks 80 years since The Republic of the Philippines gained independence from the United States, closing the country’s history of colonial rule. The free festivities at NTC Park will include live music, cross-cultural dance performances, games, karaoke, community resources, health and wellness vendors, and a delectable lumpia eating contest.
Ryan Hardison is a freelance arts and entertainment writer and recent graduate of San Diego State. When he's not staring at his laptop, he's likely eating an adobada burrito or getting sunburnt at the beach.
If you’re anything like us, it can be easy to get so caught up in taking care of everyone else, that your own needs get lost in the ether. But while this may be a cliché, that doesn’t make it any less true: You can’t give your best self to other people unless you’re taking care of yourself.
Sometimes, that looks like stopping in for your regular acupuncture or chiropractic appointment. Other days, it means giving your body the fresh, organic fuel it needs to truly feel and function at its best. And some other times still, it involves leaving your responsibilities behind for a weekend to pamper yourself at an incredible resort and spa.
Only you can decide what your truly need. We’re just here to help you find the best ways to get it.
Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa
Island living meets desert luxury at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells. When you step onto the 11-acre property, you’ll be surrounded by sweeping view of the Santa Rosa Mountains with olive trees and fragrant citrus groves decorating the grounds. In other words, everything about this relaxed but refined resort is primed to help you let go of the stress from home and enjoy easy sun-soaked days and gorgeous starry nights.
The rooms blend calming, woven textures with Tommy Bahama’s signature tropical prints and feature private lanais, making it easy unwind the moment you walk in the door. If you book one of the four Villa Suites, you’ll be treated to exclusive Tommy Bahama furniture and unique personal touches to further that feeling of instant ease.
At the award-winning Spa Rosa, the expert team will help reset and recharge your body and mind using methods and rituals inspired by the desert. The 12,000-square-foot retreat includes outdoor soaking pools, eucalyptus steam rooms, and outdoor cabanas, as well as massages, facials, and body masks—all aimed at creating a day dedicated to you. We’re particularly partial to the Day Long Escape, an indulgent all-day affair of CDBs soaks, renewing scrubs, life changing massages, and transformative facials.
Following your treatment, continue the experience with a meal on the patio at Grapefruit Basil. We love the Hamachi Crudo, a light, citrus-forward dish featuring premium yellowtail, house-made ponzu, creamy avocado, and fresh seasonal garnishes.
Whether you’re strolling the gardens, relaxing beside its saltwater pools, or indulging in a restorative treatment, you’ll be able to escape in style and relax in luxury at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort & Spa.
Healcove Chiropractic
There’s no shortage of ways to stay active in San Diego—but if you really want to enjoy everything the city has to offer, you’ve got to make sure you’re giving your body its tune-ups. Enter: Healcove Chiropractic. The board-certified chiropractors and wellness professionals at Healcove are experts at addressing that stage where you’re not injured, exactly, but you’re not at 100%, either. Maybe you’re feeling a bit tense or stressed out. Or it could be that you’re not quite moving the way you want to. Sometimes, it’s just that the accumulation of days, weeks, or even years of daily strain is starting to take a toll. No matter what stage you find yourself at, the Healcove Chiropractic team can provide integrated, preventative care centered on long-term, science-backed approaches that ensure you can always stay active and live the life you want to live pain-free.
This starts by providing truly individualized care. Every patient can expect a thorough 60-minute consultation session that includes a posture and movement screening. This allows the team to develop a completely personalized plan. That plan might include chiropractic care, acupuncture, or massage therapy, as well as functional fitness training, vibration and sound therapy, and Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization, a clinical rehabilitation method that retrains the body’s stabilization systems. Whatever the team recommends, you can be sure that it’s tailored to meeting your body’s needs today and the future.
There’s a reason that San Diego Magazine named Healcove the “Best Chiropractor in San Diego”—don’t wait until you’re struggling with an injury to find out why. Book an appointment today for holistic, integrated care that helps ground and heal your body before it reaches a crisis point.
Juice Holler
West Coast wellness culture meets the community feel of Southern Appalachia at Juice Holler. Juice Holler’s menu consists of made-to-order smoothies and smoothie bowls, as well as grab-and-go cold-pressed juices, wellness shots, salads, and more. It operates from the blissfully simple premise that fueling up with food and drink that’s guilt-free and good your body should be simple, accessible, and, above all else, delicious. And if you haven’t yet made it out to the Encinitas café, which opened just this year, let us be the first to tell you: Juice Holler delivers on each and every of these fronts.
We love the Supercharger smoothie, a mood-lifting and body-fueling option made with banana, almond butter, blue spirulina, maca, grass-fed whey protein, raw cacao nibs, medjool dates, and coconut milk. We’re also partial to the Thrive Alive smoothie bowl, where avocado, mango, sea moss, spirulina, mint, coconut milk, and agave are mixed and topped with coconut, chia seeds, strawberry, mango, and chocolate drizzle. The wellness shots include the Detoxifier, a cleansing blend of kale, cucumber, lemon and spirulina, plus a shot specially designed to fight inflammation (named, fittingly, Anti-Inflammation). Probiotic overnight oats, lemon turmeric bars, and strawberry shortcake chia pudding are other standouts on the grab-and-go menu.
Much of the vibe feels beachy North County chic—think green tile with orange and pink accents, grounded with greenery and natural wood—but Juice Holler founder Kelly Sergott, a longtime Encinitas local, has also enfused the space with her Kentucky roots. In Appalachia, a holler is small valley between hills and mountains, where nature reigns, community is king, and nourishment comes right from the land. At Juice Holler, Sergott has created a holler for the busy modern times, using local ingredients to create a spot for people to come together and enjoy fresh, fast, feel-good fuel for their day.
Everwell Acupuncture
We’ve all had that experience with a medical professional where we’ve felt rushed, ignored, or misunderstood—and ultimately, like we didn’t get the answers that we needed. But at Everwell, the holistic acupuncture practice located in Solana Beach, the care team wants to transform your understanding of what healthcare can look like.
Patients at Everwell experience care rooted in intentional listening and radical empathy—and trust us, those aren’t just corporate buzzwords. This place actually puts those ideas into practice. You will always be given the time you need to tell your story— initial in-take appointments are two hours long—and you can rest assured that your story will be believed. Every single question and concern will be addressed by a dedicated practitioner who wants to find the specific solutions that work best for you, and you’ll receive care that’s aimed at healing the body, mind, and spirit.
Everwell’s highly trained, doctorate-level practitioners blend evidence-based acupuncture with the practice of classical Chinese medicine. (If you’ve never tried acupuncture before or aren’t sure if the team will be a fit, we’d highly recommended Everwell’s complimentary 20-minute consultations.) Research shows that by stimulating specific points on the body, acupuncture activates a natural healing response in the body, helping to restore balance, regulate the nervous system, and improve overall wellbeing. This allows the practice to address an incredibly wide range of conditions from chronic pain and autoimmune disorders to digestive issues, from stress and burnout to headaches migraines, fertility and postpartum struggles, hormonal imbalances, sleep concerns and more.
At Everwell, you can expect to feel heard, trusted, respected, and cared for. This is a space that doesn’t want to be just another healthcare provider you visit; it wants to provide patients with dedicated partner who will be there for their entire health journey.
