I learned how to write an essay at age seven.
Lenticular clouds above the mountains east of Julian, California.
An outing with our nephew to Galleta Meadows art exhibit in Borrego Springs, California.
San Diego Reader cover story by yours truly about my friend, Mrs. Parker.
Heritage of the Americas Museum, Cuyamaca College, El Cajon, California.
Contribute or take home free seeds at Ocean Beach Seed Library
The Gavidor Family crest. By Irvin C. Gavidor.
Just another day in San Diego traffic. A double rainbow over Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California.
ARTS (A Reason to Survive) HQ in National City, California.
A monarch caterpillar munches milkweed in an Encinitas garden.
Antique farm equipment along the trail at Los Jilgueros Preserve in Fallbrook.
Recent Articles
San Diego Magazine Neighborhood Issue 2026: City Heights
Photo credit: Ariana Drehsler
The best things to do, eat, see, and explore in this diverse San Diego neighborhood with Southeast Asian, South American, and African roots
San Diego Magazine Neighborhood Issue 2026: Poway
Photo credit: Ariana Drehsler
The laid-back, historical neighborhood offers hiking trails, family-friendly eateries, and the annual Poway Rodeo
San Diego Magazine Neighborhood Issue 2026: La Jolla
San Diego Magazine Neighborhood Issue 2026: La Jolla
Photo credit: Ariana Drehsler
Need help deciding which of La Jolla’s seemingly endless beaches to lay your towel out at today? Each little sandy sliver between the neighborhood’s sea cliffs has its own name and character: the Cove for swimming, Children’s Pool for seal-watching, Wipeout Beach for skim-boarding. Head to La Jolla Shores for that wide, sandy, picnic-with-the-family feel, and if you know what you’re doing, go surfing at Windansea or Bird Rock (if you’re a beginner, opt instead for the Shores, where most of San Diego learned to surf).
San Diego Magazine Neighborhood Issue 2026: Alpine
San Diego Magazine Neighborhood Issue 2026: La Jolla
Photo credit: Ariana Drehsler
You don’t have to go far to get your forest fix in San Diego County—just take the 8 East past El Cajon and gain altitude in the Cuyamaca Mountains and you’ll hit Alpine, a quasi-rural community of 15,000 with sweeping views. Surrounded by national forest land and two reservations and perched at 2,000-feet elevation, Alpine is only about 30 miles east of downtown San Diego, perfect for a day trip when you’re in the mood for a small-town outing (or a stop along the way to the desert or Viejas).
San Diego Magazine Neighborhood Issue 2026: Imperial Beach
A Brief History of the Coronado Bridge—and How It Nearly Went Wrong
Photo credit: Ariana Drehsler
Imperial Beach may not yet be in the echelons of Malibu or Newport when it comes to tourist-beckoning beach cities, but the southwestern-most town in the United States is working to get there. “Imperial Beach is primed and ready for change,” says chamber of commerce president Sandi Crosby, who has lived in Imperial Beach for 20 years.
A Brief History of the Coronado Bridge—and How It Nearly Went Wrong
A Brief History of the Coronado Bridge—and How It Nearly Went Wrong
Photo courtesy of Mosher Drew Architects
San Diego’s epic, photogenic bridge was nearly an eyesore.
If earlier developers had succeeded, the Coronado Bridge would’ve been a mass of chunky, criss-crossed trusses and trestles jutting into our view of San Diego Bay, scarring the skyline with industrial steel. But serendipitous delays (and firm resistance from a local architect) changed the plans.
The Local’s Guide to Golden Hill
The San Diego Designers Building the City’s Cool Factor
The Local’s Guide to Golden Hill
Photo credit: Becka Vance
The western slope of Golden Hill was once a large rancheria, with a Kumeyaay village at what is now 20th and B streets. Developers cleared the village in 1887 to make way for mansions—the sobering backstory behind the eclectic mix of Victorian, Spanish colonial, classical revival, prairie, Swiss chalet, Orientalist, Tudor, art deco, and craftsman homes that now define Golden Hill.
First Look: Le Coq Restaurant
The San Diego Designers Building the City’s Cool Factor
The Local’s Guide to Golden Hill
Animae chef Tara Monsod helms the Puffer Malarkey Collective’s new French steakhouse in La Jolla.
The San Diego Designers Building the City’s Cool Factor
The San Diego Designers Building the City’s Cool Factor
The San Diego Farmer Quietly Reviving Ancient Heirloom Beans
Thoughtful details and sustainable approaches set Tecture, Urban Timber, and Austin McAdams Design & Fabrication apart.
The San Diego Farmer Quietly Reviving Ancient Heirloom Beans
The San Diego Farmer Quietly Reviving Ancient Heirloom Beans
Known as the Bean Man, Mike Reeske grows more than 20 varieties in Valley Center.
Could Dry-Farming Wheat in San Diego Seed a Local Grain Economy?
Though San Diego is home to the greatest number of small farms of any U.S. county, wheat isn’t on the menu. Two artisan bakers are working to change that.
Families of Fish
FOR THESE THREE WOMEN, LOCAL SEAFOOD IS IN THEIR DNA
A Few More Stories
The Locals’ Guide to Visiting Old Town, San Diego
The Locals’ Guide to Visiting Old Town, San Diego
Photo Credit: Ariana Drehsler
Tucked into a gentle slope beneath Presidio Hill and overlooking the former mouth of the San Diego River, Old Town is where the city began. Here, some of San Diego’s oldest streets wind through a state park and spill into blocks brimming with festive shops, tucked-away courtyards, and local-favorite restaurants.
The Locals’ Guide to Visiting Ramona, CA
The Locals’ Guide to Visiting Old Town, San Diego
Photo Credit: Ariana Drehsler
Ramona sounds like a country song come to life: dusty backroads winding through mountain hollows, feed stores and barns dotting the hillsides, the steady hum of tractors, and a thriving population of beefy pickup trucks. Nestled in the foothills of the Laguna Mountains, where Route 67 meets Highway 78 about 35 miles northeast of San Diego, the town takes its name from the black-haired heroine of Helen Hunt Jackson’s 1884 novel Ramona Forever.
The Locals’ Guide to Visiting Encinitas, CA
Photo Credit: Ariana Drehsler
Encinitas is practically shorthand for iconic beaches. Swami’s, Moonlight, and Stonesteps all offer postcard-worthy views and the kind of waves that launch surf careers. But it’s not all saltwater and sand up here. This laidback coastal city was formerly the global capital of poinsettias, thanks to Ecke Ranch, which bloomed from the 1920s through the 2010s and once put the area in competition with Holland for “Flower Capital of the World.”
The Locals’ Guide to Visiting Hillcrest
Photo Credit: Ariana Drehsler
Hello Hillcrest, you fabulous forest of fun. Nestled between Mission Hills, Balboa Park, and North Park, Hillcrest holds it down as SD’s glitteriest ’hood and the anchor of our Pride festivals and proud LGBTQ history.
The Locals’ Guide to Visiting Chula Vista, CA
Photo Credit: Ariana Drehsler
Stretching from highway 54 to the border, Chula Vista is the heavyweight of San Diego’s South Bay—a sprawling city of 275,000 with one foot in the past and the other stepping forward. On the west side, you’ll find old-school charm: a historic downtown, cozy neighborhoods, midcentury homes, a breezy marina, and sweeping views of the bay. Head east past the 805, and you’re in master-planned suburbia—rolling hills, tidy cul-de-sacs, shopping plazas, and a rash of new builds.
As Climate Changes Makes Desert Water Scarce, the Debate Over Livestock vs. Wildlife Heats Up
Man-made guzzlers are often the only sources of water for bighorn sheep and other endangered animals in Southern California deserts. Now, the unprecedented drought across the West is putting them at risk.
Ukrainians ask San Diegans for body armor, bandages
Ukrainians ask San Diegans for body armor, bandages
Ukrainians ask San Diegans for body armor, bandages
No diapers or used clothes, please
Feed the Digester
Ukrainians ask San Diegans for body armor, bandages
Ukrainians ask San Diegans for body armor, bandages
Marine helicopter gets water to Borrego's sheep
Power San Diego hopes to wrest utility control away from SDG&E
Power San Diego hopes to wrest utility control away from SDG&E
Power San Diego hopes to wrest utility control away from SDG&E
Power San Diego hopes to wrest utility control away from SDG&E
Needs 80,000 signatures to get on November 2024 ballot
Hilary filled Clark Dry Lake 7-10 inches in August
Power San Diego hopes to wrest utility control away from SDG&E
Power San Diego hopes to wrest utility control away from SDG&E
Not long enough for rafting or for the shrimp
And a few more from the archives...
National City's give-away produce stand booms
National City's give-away produce stand booms
National City's give-away produce stand booms
Donovan prisoners taught manners
National City's give-away produce stand booms
National City's give-away produce stand booms
Animation and Adolf Eichmann
National City's give-away produce stand booms
The glamour track is mountain lion
The glamour track is mountain lion
The glamour track is mountain lion
The glamour track is mountain lion
A year in an immigrant's shirt
The glamour track is mountain lion
A year in an immigrant's shirt
The Bugs Are in the Tanks
The glamour track is mountain lion
A year in an immigrant's shirt