High-flying hipsters are heading to San Diego to take in the city's SoCal style and artsy scene.
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Where San Diego -- California's second-largest city -- is bordered by Mexico on the south, by the Pacific Ocean on the west and by mountains and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park on the east.
Surf city With imposing Pacific rollers and more than 30 beaches, San Diego has a vibrant surfing culture. Watch buff surfers ride their short boards at Windansea Beach in La Jolla -- mentioned in The Beach Boys' hit "Surfin' U.S.A." -- or at Swami's Park and Beach in Encinitas. Tempted to give it a go? Surf Diva ( www.surfdiva.com) on La Jolla Shores Beach offers private lessons and weekend clinics for wannabe surfettes. At the end of the day, find a quiet sandbank on Pacific Beach and wait for the sunset -- if you're lucky, you might see the "green flash," where the sun looks green for a second or two just as it dips below the horizon.
Where to shop San Diego's hippest boutiques are found downtown in Little Italy. Pop into Niche Boutique, which carries clothing, lingerie and accessories by such brands as Development, Porridge and Lure. It's the only store in San Diego that sells Kites, a line of super-girlie dresses by Brazilian-born local designer Carla Manuel. Her designs were worn by actresses Vanessa Parise and Taryn Manning in the upcoming Toronto-filmed romcom Jack and Jill vs. the World. Down the street is Mixture (www.mixturedesigns.com), a funky decor store in a roomy brick loft with exclusive lines like Moooi from the Netherlands and Bellato and Scavolini from Italy, as well as pieces by local artists. For those quintessential SoCal staples -- bikinis and flip-flops -- head to Quiksilver ( www.quiksilver.com ).You might even see the queen of bikini bods there: Elle Macpherson has beenspotted flipping through the clothing racks. Work out any shopping -- or surfing -- kinks with the Milk and Honey Cocoon Treatment at Spa Velia (www.spavelia.com). Its exfoliating sugar scrub is followed by a warm honey massage and milk soak. (Yum!)
Culture club With 85 cultural institutions -- including museums, art galleries and theatres -- Balboa Park is a mecca for art lovers ( www.balboapark.org ). The Mingei International Museum -- which showcases folk art from around the world -- and San Diego Museum of Art are must-sees. On the first Thursday of every month, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (www.mcasd.org) hosts Thursday Night Thing, a series of events where aficionados can mingle with local musicians, DJs, artists, poets and film directors at the downtown gallery.
Image courtesy of Joanne Dibona
