Best Friend to Joshua Trees Is there anything to be done about the plight of the Joshua tree? While state and federal agencies dither over whether the imperiled desert dweller deserves endangered species protections, one …

Are you locals? Anika: Yes, I grew up here. Sarah: I am originally from Davis, California. [Anika and I] met in college up at SLO. I just moved here from San Luis Obispo for work, …

Are you originally from San Diego? No but I have lived here for 30 years. I moved here straight out of college just to surf. My girlfriend and I packed up our car and drove …

How long have you been surfing? Since I was 5. My dad used to take my brother and I to Scripps and put us on little foam boards. We would stand up and surf the …

On Sunday, September 12th, Grossmont High School sent an email to students and parents outlining changes to the school’s dress code. The email began, “In an effort to improve the atmosphere for learning in the …

When did you begin surfing? I started when I was around six or seven. My childhood memories of surfing were either between the jetties or down at the end of Seacoast. I have lived in …

Location: Pillbox, Solana Beach Occupation: Writer Favorite surf spot: Cardiff Craziest surfing experience: “One time while I was surfing at reef in La Jolla, I saw a guy’s board hit him in the eye and …

How long have you been surfing? “7 years now. The first time I ever surfed I hated it. My dad got me out on a surfboard for the fist time at Doheny State Beach. It …

Darian Alexandra moved to Pacific Beach from northern Indiana on Christmas day 2014 with the sole purpose of learning to surf. She was stung by a stingray her first day in the water. But she …

Favorite Surf spot?: PB Point How long have you been surfing? “Since I was 7 yeas old. I’m on the Mission Bay High School surf team, and I’ve been competing in surf competitions for a …

Favorite surf spot? “The OB Jetty. The waves are really good! How long have you been surfing? I started surfing about 8 years ago. In the beginning, my dad would take me out surfing and …

“Shoot, yeah, I probably shouldn’t be right here at the San Diego River mouth — probably not the best idea. I mean, it’s immune-system-strengthening. “My favorite spots are here in O.B. when it rains. I …

The Tijuana Slough is known for its massive break. Coupled with a rocky reef and heavy pollution from the Tijuana River, it can be dangerous and during the winter months it’s often closed due to …

Breakdance with Olympic prospects Kearny Mesa/Old Town Breakdancing will be an official sport at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and local b-girls and b-boys have been practicing breakdance maneuvers in hopes of repping Team USA. …

Nick Manverg: “Surfing at Windansea is almost more stressful than school or work. It’s a little hectic. On a good day it is really crowded and kind of insane. I have seen guys get into …

Kelsey Gonzalez’s mom used to push her into waves and encourage her to surf the white wash. Her mom later took her to Bali on a surf trip. “I used to wear this shirt all …

Jake Wilsie believes that younger surfers need to respect the older locals. “It’s little stuff like leaving trash on the beach or yelling at older guys in the water. [At South Mission] you are going …

“My first experience at Hospitals [La Jolla] was crazy. It’s a reef break. It breaks really aggressively and it’s not forgiving. The learning curve is a little more painful. "Some of the biggest waves I …

Arturo Baravalle taught himself by watching YouTube videos and getting in the water as much as possible. “When I started, I went to friendly surf spots, like Tourmaline. I stayed away from the crowds.... My …

Charley Stevens nearly chopped off an ear while surfing in Carlsbad. “I was about 13. The crease where my skull and ear connects got clipped by the fin of my surfboard. My ear was hanging …

Thomas’s 7´4˝ surfboard was shaped by Tim Bessell of La Jolla. "I probably have 20 surfboards in my quiver.” “On a day like today, a beautiful day, really great waves, there were only two of …

My dad took me and my buddy out to Crystal Pier in PB. It was in the middle of a big storm. There was nobody out in the water. It was like being in a …

Julie Schuman, a Cardiff native, admits that stand-up paddleboarders can be tiresome due to their tendency to drop in on other people’s waves. “I know what the rules are out there,” Schuman says. “I don’t …

Christmas Jerk I managed to avoid being homeless on Christmas Eve 1979, but just barely. Unemployed since that summer, I found a cheap flophouse on 12th and Island where 70 bucks a month got me …

Baja is back Hip and delicious. There’s no reason not to get in your car and go. By Elizabeth Salaam, July 24, 2013 | Read full article I was hit with the realization that half …

Look for the online list of Best Of voting winners soon. We have printed and re-stocked extra copies of this week's print version where the Best Of voting winners are listed. Best place in San …

Cheerleading Is More Dangerous than Fighting Cage-fightin’ rock stars. It’s Wednesday at 1:00 p.m., and I am waiting for amateur mixed martial arts fighter Jaime Reyes at the Lakeside Cafe. When he walks past me, …

Leavin' On a Jet Plane Tax dollars fund airport blitzkrieg. The stealth campaign that spends your money to buy your vote. CEO Thella Bowens proudly pointed to the poll's key finding: that public support for …

Smugglersville “The cops mess with us. The thieves mess with us. Everybody messes with us.” I was hobbling back from the store with a liter of milk, when I saw three young men sitting on …

San Diego State's growing contempt for undergrads “We have pulled resources out of undergraduate education in order to build expensive, elite PhD programs that cater to very few students proportionately." By Joe Deegan, March 27, …

The slow end of the Kalasho regime At a city council meeting in September Elia spoke publicly to Kalasho: “Ben, you need help. It hurts me to see fellow Chaldeans spiral like this. It might …

Spruce Street suspension bridge brings out demented thoughts It’s early, the marine layer still a veneer over the city, when we park the car just shy of the suspension bridge. The day promises to be …

Cartel tunnels to Otay Mesa are infrastructural marvels The amount of warehouse space in Otay Mesa has nearly quadrupled since the mid-’90s, and the expansion has been almost as frenetic in Garita de Otay. Forklifts, …

Movie lover's paradise Meanwhile, Blockbuster and Hollywood Video have shuttered their local outlets. Owner and buyer Guy Hanford understands why. “When you went into a Blockbuster or Hollywood to rent a film, you never engaged …

High on fitness Patrick Henderson Pyles Peak Corner of Golfcrest and Navajo Drives Mission Trails Cowles Mountain is a very popular, very crowded hike — especially if you’re taking it from the Golfcrest/Navajo staging area. …

A San Diego Charger football game is one thing, fandom is something elseSilva's powder blue coffin was trimmed with gold — Charger colors. His body was dressed in a jersey honoring his favorite player, Lance …

A quiet street and an old hotel Jacumba is a kind of living ghost town out in southeast San Diego County, on the Mexican border, in what’s called, the Mountain Empire district. It has come …

East Shepherd Canyon East Shepherd, or Greenbelt, trail is interesting in all seasons, with a combination of native coastal sage scrub and nonnative plants in the canyon. Walk north on Santo Road for about 160 …

-(Jan. 31, 2018)

Birds sing, elephants dance, and monkeys paint, but only humans turn those activities into art. And only humans evince a bottomless hunger for it: hence the endless parade of pictures on Instagram, stories on Netflix, …

Drums, giants, and Mother Goose Stargazing in Anza-Borrego 652 Palm Canyon Drive Borrego Springs This year, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park was officially designated an International Dark Sky Community, thanks to years of concerted effort to …

Thanks to our constant sunshine, San Diego is one the most photogenic cities in the country. And then there are the views from of our coastlines, inland valley, desert, and mountains. We don’t lack for …

The Jamul Indians’ next 12,000 years will be air conditioned.

Every Power Rangers toy known to man The exact moment the sleigh bells stopped jingling — by Chad Deal Sister Santa’s once-a-year smile I adored American Christmas — by Tam Hoang We were ruthless Christmas-letter …

When I married my husband Aaron I was well aware of his political leanings, his thoughts on religion, and that he was a saver not a spender. What I did not know was that he …

When Christmas season rolls around I like to become a tourist in my own city. My kids are out of school, my husband takes a week or two off of work, and the family and …

A small crowd gathers in the courtyard outside the Border Angels headquarters located at the Sherman Heights Community Center on Island Avenue four blocks south of State Route 94 and five blocks east of Interstate …

Climb the California Tower in Balboa Park Balboa Park’s California Tower at the San Diego Museum of Man was closed to the public in 1935, but after extensive construction and safety renovations it reopened for …

Last year, when my 16-year-old was a freshman in high school, we attended his school’s open house. I was interested in meeting his teachers and getting an idea of what his school day was like. …

Name: Darian Alexandra Age: 23 Location: Pacific Beach Occupation: Server at Kono’s Cafe Darian Alexandra moved to Pacific Beach from northern Indiana on Christmas day 2014 with the sole purpose of learning to surf. She …