"I have missed four flights already today," Oliver Lang tells me with a heavy sigh as he adjusts the straps on his canvas backpack. He is on his way to Frankurt, Germany to play in …

While most coastal communities have a defined beachy-boho coastal style, Ocean Beach has always been one-of-a-kind. Known mostly for its peace-and-love, hippie vibe, OB is one of the few San Diego communities where you will …

Upon meeting Steve Lettow at his El Cajon home, I immediately notice two pink flowers and a small green leaf tangled in his hair. When I point them out, he says, “Sometimes it’s worse. When …

I love La Jolla in early August. The weather has yet to reach the sweltering early-September temperatures and the heavy crowds of June and July have thinned out a bit. There is some terrific shopping …

Pacific Beach isn’t only for surfers. Drive down Garnet and you’ll find groups of skaters. Head down to the boardwalk and they are sprinkled amongst the beach cruisers, joggers, and Segway-riding tourists. According to Izzy …

As a high school student, Tina Ash wanted to be a nurse. “Our local hospital sponsored a nursing shadowing day for area high school students. I was assigned to shadow the oncology ward. In-patient oncology …

Many of the Comic-Con attendees I have spoken to this year have said that their favorite aspect of the four-day event, apart from cosplaying, is hanging out at the clubs and on the streets of …

Mission Beach is one of the few cities were you can get away with wearing a bikini to the grocery store, out to lunch, or on a leisurely bike ride. It’s the go-to wardrobe staple …

Comic-Con is here and the streets of the Gaslamp are overrun with zombies, Assassin Creed junkies, comic book lovers, Pokémon characters, and various superheroes. It is, hands down, the very best opportunity for some amazing …

After spending nearly a decade as a stay at home mom, Kelly Grosse decided to jump back into the work force. Only, she had no idea what she wanted to do with her life. After …

The pay grade of a professional musician may be one of the most varied out there. A musician’s income can range from millions to getting paid in beer to perform at a pub. The Bureau …

California is a good place to live if you are considering pursuing a career in modeling,. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2013 California is the third highest paying state for models. …

There is nothing better than a best friend that has similar dimensions and the same style sense, because inevitably two closets become one. Jamie Trumper’s and Coral Treamer’s wardrobes are interchangeable. The best friends meet …

The laid-back beach community of Pacific Beach has its own unique sense of style. Wardrobe basics consist of everything from bikinis and board shorts to maxi dresses and crop tops. On a perfect, 75-degree afternoon …

Looking to score the quintessential San Diego summer job as a lifeguard? Join the club. To qualify, you need more than a beach body and a whistle. Lifeguard hopefuls need to take several classes in …

There are a couple of different San Diego spots I head to anytime I am suffering from a particularly awful day — the La Mesa Library, Mission Trails, Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, the AmVets off …

Finding success as a real estate agent seems simple enough. It’s not brain surgery. People are always buying and selling homes. However, nearly half the agents who receive their real estate agent license fail within …

For Spring break, my family, a few friends, and I drove nine hours to camp amongst the cliffs and Fremont cottonwoods of Zion National Park in Utah. It was breathtaking. The second day we were …

Jake Ducey is the modern, 22-year-old, version of Tony Robbins — minus the hot coals. While he has yet to make any movie appearances and does not have quite the same name recognition as Robbins, …

Some of the best shopping found in Hillcrest begins on the 3800 block of Fifth Avenue and runs through the 3900 block of Fifth. On that stretch you will find Buffalo Exchange, Lost and Found, …

Living the life of an at-home professional can be daunting. While the perception of telecommuting is a pleasant one that evokes images of coffee house visits and sitting behind a computer while wearing flannel pajamas …

My friend Tim is a dreamer. Every other week he has a new career. Six months ago, he dropped 2K on a camera bundle with the goal of becoming a professional photographer. That camera is …

I’m not a cat person — mostly due to a silvery scar on my arm that I got as a child from the claws of my neighbor’s grumpy tabby cat. Also, cats make me sneeze …

It's difficult to find people on college campuses that aren’t wearing yoga or sweat pants with their hair swept up in unkempt, sloppy buns. Like most schools, comfort reins supreme on the campus of Cuyamaca …

Instagram, the Facebook-owned photo-sharing app popular with selfie-taking teenagers, has become something unexpected — a shopping site. Now, instead of merely following your favorite celebrities, friends, and family members, you can follow hip boutiques that …

Billy Stewart wants to know if I am ready to accept Jesus Christ into my heart. He stands under a cluster of palm trees along the Prado in Balboa Park. A navy-blue ball cap with …

Hilary Kearney reminds me of a modern Joni Mitchell. She wears her stick-straight, shoulder-length, blond hair in a side-swept part. When I first met Hilary, she was barefoot and standing in her kitchen. Minutes earlier, …

My friend Natalie recently broke up with her boyfriend. In an effort to get her to move on, I attempted to set her up with a good guy friend of mine. They have a lot …

Tracy Yang wanted to give me a gift for taking her photograph at City College. The 18-year-old music major shuffled around in her bunny rabbit purse, a bag she purchased while visiting China, searching for …

On any given night in San Diego you can find a food truck gathering; whether it is in the parking lot of a local high school, on a military base, outside your favorite bar, or …

On a recent Saturday night at North Park's U-31, the usual beard-wearing, IPA-drinking scene was turned upside by MayStar's Club Fashion Whore. Fashion Whore is a monthly runway show taking place on the second Saturday …

Punky hair colors are popping up on celebrities ranging from risk-takers like Kelly Osborne and Katie Perry to the more conservative Lauren Conrad and January Jones. The trend is starting to seep into the mainstream. …

“You're never too fat for a new purse.” ― Nia Vardalos I gained a couple of pounds over the holiday season. As a result of my refusal to go up a dress size, I have …

I try to live my life in accordance with the famous quote attributed to Walt Whitman: "Be curious, not judgmental." On a recent visit to Balboa Park, camera in hand, I came across a plethora …

18-year-old Natasha Tang lives in Milwaukee. After taking a summer road trip with her boyfriend to California she is now considering transferring to SDSU. With her parents in tow, I found Tang touring the campus. …

When I scored tickets to ARTessence’s CAPTIVATE: Cirque de l’Artisan, a fashion show in Middletown promoted as “providing the experience of a party and a show in tandem: live graffiti artists, professional dance teams, aerialist …

Fashion was all over the map in 2013. I like to think of it as the year of individual style. We saw a lot of camo-inspired gear — combat boots and military jackets. There was …

You can’t go wrong with black. It’s slimming. It’s simple. It’s sleek. It’s the shade that Audrey Hepburn is remembered most for wearing in Breakfast at Tiffany's. Her little black dress is a look that …

My favorite part of the cold-weather season, if you call 65 degrees "cold," is not hot cocoa or crackling fires, it’s digging my boots out of storage. I’m kind of obsessed with shoes. My husband …

On a recent visit to UCSD I was much more impressed by the students' majors than their wardrobes (as it should be). There were a whole lot of yoga pants and sweat pants ensembles going …

How some graffiti vandals became graffiti artists, thanks in part to City Heights’ Writerz Blok art park.

Last weekend I went to a masquerade party at Snooze in Hillcrest. It ended up being a bit of a disaster — not the event itself, as Snooze raised over $2,000 for Feeding America San …

The greatest advice my fashion-savvy mother ever gave me in regards to style was to make your accessories count. Accessories should be the ingredients around which to base your outfit. If you are going to …

I worked in retail as a teenager. Holidays were hell — long lines, grouchy customers and insane messes to clean up. I haven’t set foot in a mall on Black Friday, or within the month …

Sometimes I miss Midwest winters. I got a nice dose of reality when I went home to Chicago for a weekend visit during in October. I had to wear a winter jacket — the entire …

I caught 25-year-old Leanna Pollen on her way to work at Kate Spade on Girard Avenue. She resembled a young Jackie Kennedy dressed in a classic black and white color palette. The feminine shape of …

It’s Halloween season, the time of year when much of the population dresses the way San Diego cosplayers do on a regular basis. This weekend I attended a friend of a friend’s Halloween soiree in …

When fall rolls around, most Americans look forward to crackling fires, hot cocoa, and the changing leaves. There’s not a whole lot of that going on here in San Diego. But the fashionistas among us …

It’s almost Halloween which means that soon, the streets of Pacific Beach and the Gaslamp will be full of lingerie-wearing ladies come October 31st. Sexy costumes are to Halloween what ketchup is to french fries. …

Everyone and their mom is wearing tribal print clothing. It’s on backpacks, sweatshirts, shoes, and leggings. It’s to 2013 what Hypercolor shirts were to 1991. I recently ran into two men wearing the trend. Each …