• How Carlsbad Became the Golf Equipment Capital of the World

    How Carlsbad Became the Golf Equipment Capital of the World,Cole Novak

    “I started playing golf when I was 16,” David Moon says. “I’m married to the game, and I love this brand.”His affection for Honma Golf is understandable. Clubs from the BERES line, with smooth metals dyed silver, gold, and red, look more like pieces of jewelry than they do sporting goods. It’s Moon’

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  • Spin Nightclub Enters a New Era Under Local Nightlife Legends

    Spin Nightclub Enters a New Era Under Local Nightlife Legends,Cole Novak

    Spin Nightclub has been a cornerstone of San Diego’s nightlife scene for 18 years. It’s where genres collide, communities thrive, and music pounds through the early hours. But now, under the ownership of nightlife industry vets Brandon Colt and Brandon Garva, who bought the club last August, it’s en

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  • The Designer of Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch Takes Us Inside Her Home

    The Designer of Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch Takes Us Inside Her Home,Cole Novak

    “The banks deemed this home uninhabitable while we were trying to secure a loan [in 2018],” says renowned Southern California designer Raili Clasen. “It was vacant and decrepit for years, but the house’s bones were amazing.”Modest for the secluded and high-dollar neighborhood of Rancho Santa Fe, the

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  • Dry January: Relapsing and Rebounding

    Dry January: Relapsing and Rebounding,Cole Novak

    This is the second in a four-part series. See the first piece here and check back next week for updates on SDM staff writer Danielle Allaire’s month-long sobriety quest.People touch your life for brief moments, with varying degrees of intensity—and sometimes the short-lived ones hit the hardest. Str

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  • Volunteer Diaries: Father Joe’s Villages

    Volunteer Diaries: Father Joe’s Villages,Cole Novak

    For nearly 17 years, Jeff Javier, his wife Jina, and their two children have been at the heart of Father Joe’s Villages, San Diego’s largest homeless services provider, as dedicated volunteers. As the organization celebrates its 75th anniversary in 2025, its story embodies the compassion and commitm

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  • Hi-Fi Listening Bar Coming to Little Italy This Summer

    Hi-Fi Listening Bar Coming to Little Italy This Summer,Cole Novak

    If walls could talk, the ones at 2812 Kettner Boulevard could tell some gnarly tales. “I have pictures from Casbah owner [Tim Mays] with Kurt Cobain singing in that space; Alanis Morissette sang in that space,” explains Robert Richter.That space was the original location of San Diego’s iconic indie-

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  • Silver Bullet Brings a Fresh Take on Classic Rock

    Silver Bullet Brings a Fresh Take on Classic Rock,Cole Novak

    On a makeshift platform stage, San Diego rock band Silver Bullet stands poised before a packed crowd of 400 in a steamy backyard. Eager whispers ripple through the air—someone mentions that the leather-vested guitarist broke the stage at the band’s last show. Suddenly, a roar of instruments cuts thr

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  • Inside the 5,000-Square-Foot Modernist Home Built Into a Cliff

    Inside the 5,000-Square-Foot Modernist Home Built Into a Cliff,Cole Novak

    When Kerry Marsh turned 70 last July, his wife Corinne threw a party at their oceanview home in Del Mar. The laidback festivities made full use of its friendly, open spaces. While a favorite musician performed Willie Nelson’s “Always on my Mind,” the couple’s three grown children and a smattering of

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  • Inside Balboa Park’s $28M Botanical Building Renovation

    Inside Balboa Park’s $28M Botanical Building Renovation,Cole Novak

    There is a quiet bustling at the northern end of Balboa Park as a multi-year project nears its grand reveal. Groundskeepers, lighting techs, and botanists line the walkways as workers scale ladders to bring state-of-the-art lighting to a building that used to fall dark by dusk. A light mist travels

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  • How San Diegans Can Support Los Angeles Fire Relief Efforts

    How San Diegans Can Support Los Angeles Fire Relief Efforts,Cole Novak

    The worst wildfire in Los Angeles County’s history is still raging after three days of destruction. Nearly 30,000 acres have burned across Palisades, Eaton, and Hurst, reducing 2,000 structures–businesses, homes, schools–to rubble. Currently, 130,000 residents are under evacuation order and at least

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  • Dry January: An Unsolicited Sojourn in Sobriety

    Dry January: An Unsolicited Sojourn in Sobriety,Cole Novak

    The sun just set on January 2, 2025. I closed my laptop for the day. I don’t know what to do with myself. I’ve committed to Dry January and already allowed myself a mulligan for the New Year’s Day holiday to have a glass of wine at lunch—and dinner. Today is the day I truly begin my search for tempo

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  • Our Favorite Hiking Gear for 2025

    Our Favorite Hiking Gear for 2025,Nicolle Monico

    It’s the new year, and if the path up Cowles Mountain is any indication, people are eager to get out there and get hiking. Plus, it’s a beautiful way to take advantage of the San Diego region, get free exercise and spend time outside. I already do plenty of hiking, so this year I’m adding a family c

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  • I Tried It: The All-Day Massage

    I Tried It: The All-Day Massage,Cole Novak

    Some people look for diamonds; others seek golden fame. Me, I’m trying to find the world’s greatest massage.For years, I’ve been searching for a consciousness-altering, life-changing touch. A healing pain. The kind of muscular manipulation they outlawed centuries ago. I’ve explored high-dollar spas

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  • 10 San Diego Fitness Classes & Activities for the New Year

    10 San Diego Fitness Classes & Activities for the New Year,Jordyn Berg

    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

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  • The SD Chapter of Great American Artist and Athlete Ernie Barnes

    The SD Chapter of Great American Artist and Athlete Ernie Barnes,Cole Novak

    Artist and athlete Ernie Barnes painted what he saw, and what he saw was America through a rare lens. Drawing from a childhood in the Jim Crow South and time on our nation’s biggest playing fields, Barnes displayed his own particular cultural vantage on his canvases. Once you encounter his paintings

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  • 15 Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend: January 9–12

    15 Things to Do in San Diego This Weekend: January 9–12,Cole Novak

    This weekend’s slate of events offers many simple pleasures: a night at the theater to see Cinderella; a nostalgic concert from Philly R&B crooners The Stylistics; and a death-defying monster truck marathon at Snapdragon Stadium. For those who are looking to make their mark in 2025, the San Diego Re

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  • Artist Nuge’s Work is a Rebellion Against His Architectural Background

    Artist Nuge’s Work is a Rebellion Against His Architectural Background,Cole Novak

    Dan Nguyen is having trouble with the Viper Pit. Its iridescent curves threaten to slip from his hands, even with his assistant, Christian Ramirez, shouldering half its weight as they attempt to mount it on a few freestanding photo boards. The metallic teal of a blue morpho butterfly, the undulating

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  • New $85M Chula Vista Film Studio to Bring Hollywood Jobs to San Diego

    New $85M Chula Vista Film Studio to Bring Hollywood Jobs to San Diego,Cole Novak

    Filmmaker Aaron David Roberts’ lifelong dream has been to set up movie studios in his hometown of San Diego. Now, that dream seems to be ready for lights, camera, action.Roberts is known for producing TV series such as Chartered and The Cast Members, along with movies including The Last Deal and Thr

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  • Unhinged, A Dating Series: How to Experiment with Dating Women

    Unhinged, A Dating Series: How to Experiment with Dating Women,Nicolle Monico

    San Diego local Rachel* was beginning to feel like a lesbian car salesman—girls only called her for a test drive. “My friend Jo* would reach out and flirt whenever she felt ready to sleep with a woman, but when things got more real, she would ghost me,” she recalls. “It was hard to feel like people

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  • 5 San Diego Sports Events to Watch: January 2025

    5 San Diego Sports Events to Watch: January 2025,Nicolle Monico

    New year, new San Diego sports. Not only does San Diego FC finally take the pitch this month, but also an innovative and interactive golf league with deep San Diego roots tees off. The changing of the calendar also brings some familiar events. The annual Farmers Insurance Open takes over Torrey Pine

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