San Diego

The 14th-Annual San Diego Beer Week, presented by the San Diego Brewers Guild, begins on Friday, November 4th and we're excited to support the annual celebration saluting the Capital of Craft!

Every great ballpark deserves an equally great place to go before, after and well... this is the San Diego Padres here, so during a game where it's better to drown your sorrows in cold pints of craft beer and smoking hot grilled wings. That's what Bub's delivers. It's probably the best sports bar in San Diego and a place we like to frequent even when the Padres aren't playing.

When most people come to San Diego, they probably think of one of maybe three areas to stay - Downtown / Gaslamp Quarter, La Jolla, or Coronado. However, there's an alternative that is perfect for your next guys trip that offers fewer crowds, lower prices, and easy access to the water. Point Loma is located right on San Diego Bay just west of the Airport and across the channel from North Island Naval Air Station so it is also extremely easy to get to.

There is a wide diversity of options when it comes to date night ideas but on New Year's Eve it gets a bit more complicated since way too many businesses look at this as an option to jack the prices up while cutting corners. This has made it quite challenging some years for Heather and I's anniversary but this year she suggested we try a magic show dinner theater that had opened up down the block from our loft in the San Diego Gaslamp. What we experienced last night was an awesomely fun evening of magic, food, and drinks.

You may have heard of Prince St Pizza as an iconic New York City pizza shop that has rapidly joined the ranks of regional favorites that are now available nationwide through Gold Belly. However, they have also been aggressively expanding with retail locations too. Most recently, that list of places that you can get authentic New York pizza now includes San Diego! I don't say this lightly but I was actually pretty impressed with these guys and as any fan of pizza in the Big Apple knows... it's all about the water.

I love New Orleans, in fact I'm absolutely enamored by the food, music, and culture of Southern Louisiana and it's a surprisingly diverse combination of influences. It's a chaotic gumbo of sometimes conflicting perspectives but very few people are able to communicate why this area is so intoxicating... Chef Quinton Austin though clearly gets it.

Are you thinking about moving to San Diego? If so, you're in for a treat! San Diego is one of the most beautiful cities in the country, and it's also a great place to live and work. However, before you make the move, there are some things you should know. In this blog post, we will discuss seven of the most important things to know before moving to San Diego. Keep reading to learn more!

If you love hanging out and drinking premium spirits and craft cocktails... maybe even discovering a new favorite brand that isn't quite fully out on the market yet, then this is the festival for you. The San Diego Spirits Festival is now in it's 13th year and has moved from downtown San Diego to La Jolla this year, running Sept 24 and 25.

When vacationing in an RV, you don't have to worry about where you're going to stay and adding those costs into your trip. In many cases, if you plan on a mancation involving the great outdoors, you'll be able to stay closer to nature when you bring along an RV.

To many people, the desert is an inhospitable wasteland but to me it is an open canvas just waiting to be explored. Lucky for me, this romantic ideal is shared by others as well! For many years, vacationers have made the journey to the desert so they can bake in the hot dry sun and relax in the pool, play golf, and generally escape reality for a few days. With La Casa Del Zorro, Heather and I had the chance to spend four nights at the resort with the first two being just us (and Niki Belle) in one of their casitas with a private pool. 

A convertible is something special that almost begs to be driven somewhere special. That's what we did recently when Buick dropped off their new Cascada and said "have at it!". The following are some of our favorite road trips in San Diego that are perfect for enjoying with the top down.

We are thankfully in a renaissance of  smaller trucks and the 2019 Ford Ranger is among the most highly anticipated. It is also one of the best equipped, with awesome numbers and robust capability. With a truck like this though, it's about more than just raw numbers... it's about what you can do and where it can take you. The FX4 trim level that we were provided is not the Raptor or even a competitor to the Toyota's TRD Pro or Chevy's ZR2 off-road trucks but it delivers a solid and comfortable experience both on and off road. This makes it an excellent road tripping vehicle. To test it out, we decided to explore historic Nate Harrison Road and climb to the top of Mount Palomar in San Diego, California.

Typically, visiting a steakhouse like Ruth’s Chris is something reserved for special occasions like celebrating a new client or a birthday - but why not plan a “because I love you!” date night for someone you love? That’s what I did with Heather a couple of weeks ago before leaving on another week-long trip.

A trip to a salon might seem like a strange idea for a guys weekend activity but that's just what we did recently at the newly opened 18/8 Fine Men's Salon in North County San Diego and it was a blast! If the idea of doing something to make yourself look and feel good seems like something more for the girls than the guys, you should think again.

Years ago, the concept of the "metrosexual" was talked about, but today it's just something that a lot of guys enjoy without worrying about labels. As such, entrepreneurs are starting to create specific locations that cater to guys with an environment that is for the average guy. While there are GREAT places like Grooming Lounge in DC and SIR Spa in Chicago, I haven't found a mass-market product with locations across the country that was designed to pamper guys with not just a great haircut, shave, or facial but a chance to relax before hand while sipping a beer and watching the game. 

It’s important to think about some cool ideas to do together as a father and son. While some of these Father-Son Trip ideas are better for dads to take their kids. some are better for adult relationships. One thing is constant. That universal constant is that these are inter-generational trips that will provide an opportunity for a father and son to bond outside of the normal day-to-day experience. Conversations will happen, skills will be learned, hugs will be had, and at the end of the experience, both parties will have had an incredible experience that only the two of them share.

Quality time is crucial for creating memorable experiences during these trips, enhancing the bond between father and son.

Tijuana (and most of Mexico) has gotten a bad reputation over the past few years for being a violent war zone that is unsafe for tourists. In a way though that makes it sort of intriguing when paired with the fact that it is rapidly becoming known as a foodie destination. My friends that I asked in San Diego though were mixed on their opinions, but everything was put in perspective when I spoke with two guys from Tijuana. I told them that I used to live in Chicago and their reaction was, "Woah! That place isn't safe!" Their reaction was shocking to me. However it's understandable, because like us they relied on media stories, rumors, and exaggeration and got the wrong impression about a place they've never been. This is a really important lesson to consider, because the only way to really see what a place is really like is to actually go visit, explore, and experience it for yourself.

That's exactly what we did - in a safe, controlled way, led by Derrik Chinn of Turista Libre for a tour of three taco restaurants and an ice cream parlor in Tijuana.

There are two things in life that I love the most (outside of my wife of course!) - Traveling and Food. That's really one bigger thing: exploring new cultures. That's why I love trying new restaurants that work hard to transport you to new times and places like Havana 1920 does. Havana 1920 is a new Cuban-themed cafe and bar in the heart of San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter - very close to the convention center as well as most of the bigger hotels. Here's what we loved about it!

One of the hottest food trends right now is birria - no it isn't new but it is newly popular outside of the Mexican community and innovative food pioneers have taken it to new levels, far far beyond the classic birria taco. In fact, on this food tour of three San Diego birria restaurants, we tried it in tacos, pizza, ramen!

Father's Day is coming up and I think I speak for most men and we'd love a great big hunk of meat for dinner. There's a wide spectrum of options out there today from high-end steakhouses to grabbing a steak at the diner down the street but the middle space seems filled with marginal options. Sure, these chain restaurants are good but inevitably they miss the mark when it comes to quality, preparation, and atmosphere. That's why I was truly surprised after my visit to Black Angus Steakhouse here in San Diego earlier this week. Despite being part of a chain that's operated in the western United States for more than 50 years it felt like an independent location with good quality food and a fun atmosphere that while kitschy - felt genuine.

Most people outside of San Diego know Cutwater Spirits as simply canned cocktails but unlike many other canned cocktail companies, their passion for premium spirits and creativity is manifested also by the awesome craft cocktails that they offer at their Tasting Room & Kitchen here in San Diego. We are happy to support any new concoction that they come up with but this one is special since it will also be supporting The Center SD, one of the nation's top LGBT community centers.