It’s hard to overstate how radically the 1915 Panama-California Exposition catapulted San Diego into the future. The Panama Canal had just opened; the halves of the world were finally connected and the cultural possibilities (and tourism dollars) seemed endless. After passing through the canal on th

An audial mashup of Beethoven and Beyoncé, the historical handcraft exhibition Staying Power and the annual Kook Run are just a few of the highlights in this weekend’s event roundup. Experience the filmography of Georges Méliès through a larger-than-life retrospective or take in the soothing vibraph

Enjoy tributes to legendary musicians, artists and athletes this weekend in San Diego. Concertgoers can experience folk rock at its finest during the multimedia production of The Simon & Garfunkel Story and see Keena’s Echoes of the Queen channel the Tejano stylings of Selena Quintanilla. Art enthus

February brings half-off museum admission, a theatrical ode to Julia Child, a community festival in Encanto, a Lunar New Year celebration, and more. Here are all the best things to do this month in San Diego: Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do Concerts & Festivals

Laurel Canyon is the legendary corner of the Hollywood Hills that is a secluded, woodsy neighborhood retreat for film stars and musicians, writers and dreamers since the 1960s. Quantifying a deeply casual style, Laurel Canyon is ground zero for boho chic and the location of some of L.A.’s most wonde

Luke Mizel just wanted to be Spider-Man. The 23-year-old Escondido native was trawling YouTube at 13 when he discovered parkour, a sport that evolved from military training in France in the early 1900s—palm-sweat-inducing stuff that involves people jumping off buildings, saving themselves by grabbin

Catch Matthew Quirk on Wednesday, January 21 at Warwick’s in La Jolla as he discusses and signs his new book, The Method. So, the guy comes out of the closet, and he’s got both passports and a gun with a silencer…” Matthew Quirk pauses his muttering into his phone to wave at a family passing by him

Peruse pictures of vineyard estates in California, and you’ll see Tuscan dwellings of stone, tile-roofed stucco mansions, and wood-sided barnhouses. Christian and Anna Zaleschuk’s hilltop home in Fallbrook, however, crushes those clichés like grapes. The Zaleschuks had lived for several years on a f

Originally built in 1938 for actress and singer Virginia Bruce, a classic blonde film stars of the 1930s, this Pacific Palisades estate is an equally classic version of California’s iconic Colonial Revival style—bringing a nostalgia for a traditional East Coast aesthetic to the West. With exceptiona

For more than 80 years, the North Chapel has been one of Liberty Station’s defining silhouettes. Opened in 1942, the multi-faith chapel  has hosted Navy services, weddings, memorials, and countless community milestones during wartime years. Its story stretches from religious services for military me

New year, new fitness goals, right? Like many people, we’re starting the new year with a focus on health and staying active. No matter what your fitness objectives may be, there are plenty of activities around town prepared to help you achieve them. From more traditional gym settings to unique ways

I’ve had a lot of massages in my life—Thai sessions that had me approaching joint dislocation, Balinese flower-oil rituals, quick chair sessions at the airport—but never one that came with a power switch. When I heard San Diego was welcoming its first fully robotic massage experience, I booked immed

This compact but exquisite Venice residence was designed and built for architect Leo Marmol (FAIA by his firm) Marmol Radziner as an early exploration into luxury prefabricated homes in the early-2000s, just closed on the last day of 2025 after barely a month on the market (in an all-cash deal) for

George Saunders may be the most beloved short story writer in the country. His short stories have appeared in The New Yorker, Atlantic, Harper’s McSweeney’s, andGQ. His 2017 novel Lincoln in the Bardo also won the Booker Prize and his new novel Vigil is destined to be a bestseller. He’s also known f

When we talk about a city’s culture, we’re talking about about people. Year-round, SDM editors analyze the flares and shifts and leaps and fissures in the culture of here. Then we find the humans tinkering in the heart of those moments, and we tell their stories. We document the ineffable charm of S

Taking the concept of a chic Modern Farmhouse one step further, Villa Verde is an exceptional new offering on Sonoma’s Eastside. The work of Ridge Design + Build—a firm with deep roots in Wine Country and a reputation for impeccable quality—designed this private gated compound, clad in spruce and st

Much coveted by the serious architecture collectors of Los Angeles, the Mid-century homes of architect John Lautner [1911-1994] are both bold and experimental. Even his most modest projects possess a restless, sweeping energy much like the work of his mentor—Frank Lloyd Wright. Lautner spent much of

Attention architecture collectors, the legendary Stahl House (AKA Case Study House No. 22) has come on the market after 65 years of one-family ownership and care. Conceived by its visionary owners Bud and Carlotta Stahl for an “unbuildable” lot overlooking L.A., it was designed and engineered in 195

Angelo Sangiacomo—born in San Francisco’s Richmond District and the son of Italian immigrants—rose to become one the City’s largest landlords, developing dozens of rental properties during his long (and occasionally contentious) career. When it came time to build a home for his family, he had the vi

Edward H. Fickett [1916-1999] was a prolific L.A. architect—whose reputation was—until recently, very much under the radar, probably because he was responsible for designing over 50,000 tract homes that would eventually cover the L.A. basin in the post-WWII building boom. As such, Fickett was succes