Urbanist Guide


Besides the Weather

It's no secret San Diego has the best weather.
Each month we ask one of our favorite San Diegans:

What else makes this city great?


David Malmuth and Pete Garcia

  Partners, The I.D.E.A. District, ideadistrictsd.com
Live: Del Mar (Dave), Bankers Hill (Pete) • Work: Bankers Hill • How long: We’ve been working in Bankers Hill ever since we started working on I.D.E.A. District, about a year and a half ago.

Where did you grow up?

David: I grew up in Southern California. I was born in L.A. and lived there until I was 18, and then I was in Northern California and the Midwest for a while. I came back to Southern California 25 years ago, and I’ve been living in San Diego for the past 16 years.

Pete: I was born and raised in Cuba and came to the United States by myself at age 13 in 1961.


When did you move to San Diego, and why?

David: I've had a love affair with San Diego for most of my life. My dad had a business down here, he was running a steel mill in Mexicali. When I was very young, we lived in either Mexicali or Calexico, and in the summers we had a place in Point Loma. My folks split and I ended up moving to L.A., but my dad stayed in San Diego. So I had been visiting San Diego in various forms for 50 years.

Pete: I lived in Florida and got an engineering degree from the University of Florida. Then, for a while, I was in business with my father and I decided the state of Florida wasn’t big enough for both of us. So I opened a map of the United States and I had three criteria: it had to be warm, it had to be on the ocean, and it had to be as far from South Florida as possible. And guess what? That was San Diego. I came here in 1973 and I’ve been here all along, doing projects throughout the US and Latin America. I lived in Bankers Hill for 15 Years.


Besides the weather, why do you continue to call San Diego home?

David: This is a city that has great natural gifts, but it also has the potential to become more than just beauty. We believe that because it’s a relatively young city, there’s huge potential and opportunity for people to influence its trajectory. It’s very motivating to have a chance to participate in the maturation of a city that I think can be a model for 21st century, creative, economic development. It has great intellectual and creative horsepower. Sometimes we’re not all working together, but with I.D.E.A. District, we think we found a way to get all of that horsepower working together and we think we can make a difference in the way that this city grows.

Pete: I’ve been here since 1973, so I’m woven into the fabric of the community. I have designed and built many institutions in San Diego – buildings in San Diego State, UCSD, power plants, hospitals – and I’m very involved in community service. It’s a wonderful, unique city. We are a bi-national region and we’re at the doorsteps of the Pacific region – it’s very local and very international at the same time.

David Malmuth and Pete Garcia

Leslee Schaffer

  Executive Director, San Diego Architectural Foundation, sdarchitecture.org/
Live: Golden Hill • Work: Downtown/Golden Hill • How long: 15 years, with the first 5 and the last 10 bookending a 6-year stint in L.A.
Where did you grow up?

I was born in Rhode Island and lived there until I was 9, when my Jewish mom – who we’re convinced had gypsy DNA coursing through her veins – moved us to Tampa, Florida. My first case of culture shock.


When did you move here and why?

I was introduced to sailing, and spent a few seasons “working” (i.e. playing) on a charter boat, island hopping throughout the U.S. and British Virgin Islands during the winter and heading back to my Ocean State roots in Newport, RI for the summer and real life. Then, I was lured to San Diego by my sister, who had moved here a year earlier and fallen in love with the place, and thought I would too. She thought right.


Besides the weather, why do you continue to call San Diego home?

Can’t beat the proximity to an ocean (a non-negotiable). Then there’s the desert, mountains, L.A. (love it) and the all-important presence of family and friends. Aside from those selling points, the evolution of art, architecture/design, music and food/restaurant scenes since I first arrived have been profound. San Diego is getting to be known more for its movers and shakers, forward-thinkers and growing culture than for its island-time sleepiness and natural splendor. It continues to evolve and intrigue, and I can’t help but wonder how much awesomeness will come out of our community in the next few years.
Leslee Schaffer

Pall Jenkins

  The Black Heart Procession, theblackheartprocession.com/
Live: Bay Park • Work: BHP's studio SDRL in Kearny Mesa • How long: 35 Years
Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Chula Vista and went to Hilltop High. Growing up in Chula was a dream and a nightmare. I could write a book about it. It’s close to the border. Good tacos. Back when I was young, you might get stuck with a knife if you were walking alone in the wrong area. But it also has nice, safe areas; you just get to see it all. Tom Waits was from near Chula (he also went to Hilltop); same with Jim Morrison, Vinyl Communications and Bob Barley. Bob Barley was a pioneer in Chula and even ran for office. He would have punk shows in his backyard and ran a record label and store, but it had to close because this was long before punk was cool and manufactured in sweatshops for Hot Topic. Great old days! A cool thing about Chula Vista now is Dominik Cruz, who trains out there and holds the Bantamweight belt in the UFC.


Besides the weather, why do you continue to call San Diego home?

Let me start by saying that I walk around and all these happy people make me sick in their swimsuits and sunglasses. And I don’t have a very attractive body, so it just makes me feel worse. If I ever move, it’ll be to a place where people wear more clothes. 

But I have great friends here and I love to play music with them. The music scene has lots of talented people. I have the opportunity to tour, so I still get to enjoy other cities and countries. We have great food and nice places to enjoy the day. I go to shows at Casbah and Soda Bar, and when I was younger I used to go to the Ché Café. I sometimes go to Hamilton’s, Tower Bar, Starlite, Turf Club, Riviera, Whistle Stop and Livewire. But most of the places I go to drink now I will not tell you about because I want to be able to enjoy them!
Pall Jenkins

Kory Stetina

  Co-Founder, LoveLikeBeer (pop-up vegan beer dinner), lovelikebeer.com
Live: Normal Heights • Work: University Heights, a short bike ride from home at 3rdSpace. • How long: 25 years (with a 4 year hiatus in Phoenix and London)
Where did you grow up?

My parents moved us to Encinitas (Olivenhain) from Mission Viejo when I was about 2 years old. I had a quintessential '80s childhood in coastal suburbia: skateboarding, bike racing and epic outdoor laser tag battles. We were pretty much like the Goonies, but with regular, everyday adventures instead of treasure hunts.
 
 
When did you move to the city and why?

The decision to move me here in the beginning was not mine obviously, but I support the decision retrospectively. When it became my choice later on in life (circa 2002 after some time away), I knew there was no other place I wanted to be. Sure, free rent for a few months at my parents’ helped, but when my friend toured me around and caught me up on the creative bloom occurring in neighborhoods like North Park and Hillcrest, this new version of San Diego I was seeing really felt like home, perhaps even more so than before. That sense of belonging and the feeling of community I experience here have not faded and the urge to jump to other flourishing cities like Portland or San Francisco has never grown compelling, despite my love for them and all they have to offer. 

I’ve always really appreciated San Diego’s ability to stay fun and relevant, yet simultaneously grounded and down to earth. We seem to be able to match much of the creativity and ambition of many larger, perhaps better known cultural cities, but we tend not to take ourselves too seriously and this keeps the city from consuming itself and becoming tragically hip or ridiculous. Perhaps it's that bit of beach culture permeating at all times that continually insulates the city and keeps it casual, no matter how adventurous or bold we are at the exact same time. It’s a very comfortable environment for me.
 

Besides the weather, why do you continue to call San Diego home?

Given this week is San Diego Beer Week, its pretty hard not to mention that first and foremost. Even without this ten-day, “week-long” blowout, I’d already be mentioning that the city’s food and drink are a major force in my decision to be here, but it's inescapably clear this time of the year. San Diego is the heart of the craft beer renaissance, and I feel very lucky to be here witnessing it. I sense it as being very historically and culturally significant. 

Besides the city’s talented brewers who inspire me year-round, there are many local chefs and restaurateurs here that capture my heart with our classic, big and bold west coast flavors. Combine those huge flavors with some of the best beers in the world and produce that can be easily sourced locally, and you have a pretty rare and dynamic combination. It's also getting easier and easier to dine artfully here as a conscious consumer regardless of your particular inspiration (vegetarian/vegan, organic, local, etc.), and that’s very exciting to me. We’re becoming more demanding as consumers, both in the sophistication of our palates and in our awareness of a larger perspective. I can’t see myself leaving because I really want to stick around to see where this all goes. 

I also have a special connection to the music scene in San Diego, with its subtle yet consistently significant place in punk and rock history. We’ve had some incredible musicians and bands call our city home and create a great place to see live music, even if on a whim.  

And although I can’t mention the weather, let’s just say I love the fact that I can regularly play Frisbee outdoors, and easily maintain a raised bed of veggies and homegrown hop vines.
Kory Stetina

Kevin deFreitas

  Architect, Kevin deFreitas Architects, AIA, defreitasarchitects.com/
Live: Point Loma • Work: Point Loma. My commute is 7 steps and 2 skips in a northerly direction from my front door. • How long: 18 years
Where did you grow up?
 
Born and raised in beautiful Escondido. Only lived in one house, with one address and one phone number until college.
 
 
Why did you move closer to the city?
 
I have always loved cities. Studying architecture in Berkeley and Florence, Italy completely sealed the deal. When Kara, my wife, and I graduated from college we headed for the Big City, renting a bootlegged loft at 13th & F where our son John-Paul was born. An incredible opportunity came up to purchase our first home, a 5,800 square foot, dilapidated warehouse on the reincarnation block at 10th & K, where our oldest daughter, Madeira, was born. My dad had just retired as an elementary school teacher, and he has an awesome set of tools so we put them to work with copious amounts of elbow grease, rehabbing the circa 1921 motor pool brick building into a spacious loft for our family, plus two rentals. 

We felt like pioneers since there were no families with young children living downtown (at least voluntarily) at the time. We had a swing hanging from the 22-foot tall ceilings, played rousing games of indoor Wiffle ball, and saved up for our big annual splurge, a 14-foot tall, Noble Fir Christmas tree. We installed kid carriers on the backs of our bikes and rode all over downtown. Our children felt like landed gentry. They learned to swim in the swanky tropical paradise called the Marriott pool and joined the elite of downtown’s homeless at the Nordstrom café promptly at 7 pm, where we enjoyed severely discounted "day old" pastries and 50 cent coffee on the outdoor terrace, soaking in the impressive display of city lights and views down to Mexico.

We stayed downtown until about halfway through the construction of Petco Park, which was literally 60 feet away across the street. All the city services that ran through the footprint of the ballpark needed to be relocated. This work took place when demand was at its lowest to minimize disruptions to local businesses – from midnight to 5 am. We learned that in the still quiet of the night, city workers only drive in reverse. Kara was pregnant with our third child, Juliet, and after a couple months of sleepless nights listening to the constant chiming of the backup alarms on city vehicles we decided it was time to consider another neighborhood. Kara teaches at Point Loma Nazarene University, so that is the direction we headed and have been there ever since. The experience downtown was magical. When we go downtown, it has been so utterly transformed that it is hard to recollect how our old stomping grounds looked back in the '90s. Absolutely amazing.
 
 
Besides the weather, why do you continue to call San Diego home?
 
There is a pile of reasons our family continues to call San Diego home, but here are my top 5:

1. I am one of five siblings and Kara is one of four, many who also live in San Diego. Along with both sets of parents and +/- 13 nieces and nephews, the gravitational pull of a large extended family we love and enjoy is simply too strong to abandon.
 
2. San Diego is an extraordinary landscape. The topography is interrupted by numerous canyons that break up the urban grid to introduce these irregular little fingers of nature throughout the city. Our house backs up to one of these canyons, where see skunks, raccoons, opossums, flocks of wild parrots and, on rare occasion, foxes and coyotes.
 
3. As an architect, the city is relatively new. We don't have the heavy and oppressive historical baggage of older, more established cities like Chicago, San Francisco or New York that dictate patterns, style and solutions. There is a culture of casualness, experimentation and freedom that professionally is incredibly inspirational.
  
4. I love the fact that San Diego is a huge small town, and I never apologize for this condition. The place is knowable, which is an opportunity, not a fatal flaw. Attend a Padres game and you will run into several people you know. Meet someone new and toss out a few potential mutual acquaintances and there is bound to be a hit. This sense of community is what makes a place home and is the reason I will be buried in this city I love so much.

5. I can’t resist a really good taco shop, like Lucha Libre, Las Cuatro Milpas or La Fachada.
Kevin deFreitas

Howard Blackson

  Principal + Director of Planning , Placemakers, placemakers.com/
Live: North Park • Work: North Park • How long: Nine years
Where did you grow up?
 
I'm from San Diego and grew up in Spring Valley back when it was on the edge of town. We moved just before high school and I earned my undergrad degree from University of Texas, and then my Masters in Urban Design from the University of Westminster, London. I have lived in the South Park end of North Park for the past nine years. It's the neighborhood where my mom grew up.
 
 
Where do you work?
 
Fortunately, I work from my home office and hold my meetings at Vagabond. For public events, Sam Chammas not only opens Whistle Stop, but he also gives 25% of the bar tab to support the event and non-profit groups. 
 
 
Why do you continue to call San Diego home (Besides the Weather)?
 
Because this is where I'm from... it's as simple as that. It's fun to watch our city learn how to be urban again, and one day East Village's condos, Little Italy's restaurants and Gaslamp's bars will coalesce with a great urban waterfront to form a world-class city. Culture takes time to cultivate. I'm watching with great interest as our old surf, sun and sailing culture begins to add beer, bikes and breakfast to the mix.
 
San Diego will only get better with age as it is still a relatively young city and with a long history of people scratching out a living here. My neighbors are an eclectic mix of highly educated scientists, hip entrepreneurs, developers, environmentalists, new retirees and long-time residents who can age here due to their really low property taxes. My kids, fourth generation San Diegans, get to grow up with sand between their toes and freckles on their noses, being raised by a working mom who looks great in a bikini. I am very fortunate to be here today.
Howard Blackson

Phil Beaumont

  Director, Museum School of San Diego, museumschool.org/
Live: Sherman Heights • Work: Bankers Hill • How long: Since the Sun Cafe was still the Sun Cafe
If you're not from here, when did you move here and why?
 
After doing four years in high school in Orange County, I came to look at universities in San Diego. When I drove down the 163 through Balboa Park, I figured, if the freeways look this nice, it must be nice all over. Quick first impression that didn't steer far from the truth.
 
Why do you continue to call San Diego home (Besides the Weather)?
 
It is far enough away from L.A., yet close enough to Tijuana; lodged between a desert and an ocean; a whole string of friends who immerse themselves in a variety worlds...music, art, food, architecture, education, hoops, humor and life; the tourists who travel thousands of miles to visit our wee town that reckons it is a city, including the one I married; and the the Museum School, to which I seem attached at the hip. 
Phil Beaumont

Jared and Jonathan Mattson

  Musicians, The Mattson 2, mattson2.com/
Live: Cardiff • Work: We're musicians. We work everywhere. • How long: We've been performing gigs in the greater San Diego area for 10 years. Our parents would even drop us off at gigs some times.

Where did you grow up?

We grew up in Encinitas. Skating, surfing, music. Lou's records, Rico's Taco Shop. Pretty good place to live.

Why do you continue to call San Diego home (Besides the Weather)?

For some reason San Diego is an unsuspecting city for good culture. Its rad underground music scene, great food (Mexican,) and great record shops and clothing stores put it over the top. Plus, the rich skateboard culture has always inspired us. And we know the area. It’s a good thing to know a city like this.

Its not a New York or LA, but it doesn't need to be. Those already exist. San Diego is its own thing.

 

 

 

Jared and Jonathan Mattson

Danielle Gano

  Owner, Elle Communications, ellecomm.com/
Live: South Park • Work: Barrio Logan • How long: 5 lovely years
If you're not from here, when did you move here and why?

I moved here 9 years ago in pursuit of sunshine and a college degree. Like any confused teenager who hasn’t found themselves yet, I was looking for the perfect place far from home to do just that. I’d never been to San Diego before the day I moved here, but in my mind it was heaven on Earth and, it turns out, it is.

Why do you continue to call San Diego home (Besides the Weather)?

 

Since launching Elle Communications a few years ago, this city has also proven to be incredibly supportive of young entrepreneurs and, for that, I am eternally appreciative. I opened a second office in LA last summer and spend three days a week in the hustle and bustle of that great big city, but every Saturday morning I fall in love with San Diego all over again as I head back down South on the Surfliner. I’m quite sure that there is no better way to spend a weekend than Coronado Dog Beach, garden projects in my yard, Urban Solace or Farmhouse dinners and Sunday morning at the Hillcrest Farmer’s Market topped with a Joe’s on the Nose Aloha Latte.

Danielle Gano

Ron Miriello

  Owner, Miriello Grafico, miriellografico.com
Live: San Diego and Italy • Work: Barrio Logan • How long: 4 years
Tell us where you grew up. If you're not from here, when did you move here and why?

I started in New Jersey and got torn away to Denver when I was nine. I stayed there through Colorado State University years, one of which I spent in Tuscany, where I fell in deeply love with Italy. Now I spend as much time there as I can. San Diego + Italy = a good mix for me.

Why do you continue to call San Diego home (Besides the Weather)?

We just finished working on a branding initiative for San Diego, where we did a deep-dive into this question- What makes SD special?  It came down to moving the perception of San Diego as a place to “lay-back and check-out” to a place “to lay-back and CHECK-IN”. Great ideas emerge when we’re in a positive place in our minds and hearts, surrounded by beauty and friendly, collaborative people. That’s the essence of the idea behind the moniker we developed - San Diego | Where Ideas Emerge. It was special to turn our branding brains on our home. That’s also a main reason I stay here. Plus, I have a great community of creative friends that I enjoy co-creating with. That’s what led to the 100 Worlds Project sculpture show at JETT Gallery running through March 26.

 

Ron Miriello

Terri Beth Mitchell

  Designer, Event Director, PR1ZE, TEDxAmerica's Finest City, tedxamericasfinestcity.com/
Live: Hillcrest • Work: Hillcrest • How long: 3 years
TELL US WHERE YOU GREW UP. IF YOU'RE NOT FROM HERE, WHEN DID YOU MOVE HERE AND WHY?

 

I'm from a far away land called the Midwest. I took the military enlistment route out of town, and was stationed at another location in the Midwest for several more years. After the Air Force, I did the exact opposite - I went to art school. I hung out with the art kids, sketched hairy naked girls in drawing class and found my calling as a designer - gaining the confidence to escape the landlock (both physical and mental).

 

To decide where I wanted to move, I got a big map of the world. I closed my eyes and threw a dart at that map. The dart landed somewhere in the middle of the Indian Ocean. So I chose San Diego instead. I felt SD had room to grow, and room for me. Everything about it exuded positivity and a way of living I had never experienced before. 

 

WHY DO YOU CONTINUE TO CALL SAN DIEGO HOME (BESIDES THE WEATHER)?

 

First of all - the rent. I love the challenge it presents every month. Will I, or won't I? Keeps me on my toes. 

 

Actually, the first time I had ever been to San Diego - and California, even - was the day I moved here in August of 2007. I packed my car full of the only possessions I was bringing with me, and as I drove west on the 8 into SD, I felt like I was entering a paradise. Turns out I was. When you stop referring to the town you grew up as "home," and start thinking of your current address as such - you know you've found your place. There's a certain newness about San Diego that I appreciate. We're still young, still hopeful, still growing. Still evolving. There are possibilities unseen. I relate to that, and I hope I always will.

Terri Beth Mitchell

Marco Li Mandri

  President, New City America, Executive Director of The Little Italy Association www.littleitalysd.com, newcityamerica.com/index.asp
Live: Kensington • Work: Little Italy • How long: Since 1995. However, I am native San Diegan.
Tell us where you grew up. If you're not from here, when did you move here and why?

I am a native San Diegan and went to public schools from Kindergarten through getting a BA at UCSD.

Why do you continue to call San Diego home (Besides the Weather)?

My wife Laura and our five kids, plus my and her family are all here. The San Diego/Tijuana region has tremendous potential but has never lived up to anywhere near the City it could become. We have consistently underestimated the people of this region and their desire to become a major urban area. Little Italy is one of the best examples of managed urban neighborhood redevelopment in California - and it happened here in San Diego. The weather is nice, but I actually prefer the weather in the Bay Area to San Diego.
Marco Li Mandri

Tim Pyles

  Disc Jockey, FM 949, thelocalpyle.com/
Live: Rolando Park • Work: Middletown & Mission Valley • How long: Since 1985
Tell us where you grew up. If you're not from here, when did you move
here and why?

I grew up in La Jolla after very short stints in Garden Grove and West Covina near LA, but I originated from Minneapolis, Minnesota, my birth state. My time in San Diego began when I was just four years old, my parents landing in La Jolla (or The Jewel,) where they still live to this day.  Growing up in one of the most beautiful places in our county was pretty darn good. I'd say my favorite place in LJ would have to be Marine Street, a sublime beach spot! La Jolla was my youth, but the city became my playground after High School. I had a Vespa and a parka– we went everywhere! I loved growing up in LJ, but felt it was sheltered from the rest of the city, I had to get out!
 
Why do you continue to call San Diego home (Besides the Weather)?

When I was younger, it seemed that all the creative types wanted to get out of San Diego. Move to NY, SF or LA, anywhere but here!  I've always loved this town. It still has a charm that no other city offers. It's a big city with a small town vibe. But change is happening and a transition from the old guard to young energy is taking over.  We have so much to offer now, music, art and culture. From art galleries to new music venues, this town is hot. People are moving here and making it better. I still can't believe we are the Micro-Brew Capitol of the country! The eye's are on us from Beer to Wavves, as in the band, not our beaches, although they are pretty nice too...
Tim Pyles

Joel P West

  Musician, The Tree RIng, treeringmusic.com/
Live: Golden Hill • Work: Golden Hill • How long: 3 years

Tell us where you grew up:

 

I grew up in the Oregon rain forest where my father was the director of a summer camp.  It was beautiful, quiet, and miles from any town. I moved to San Diego because, like any teenager, I was sure that anyplace opposite to where I lived would be superior.  I was into skateboarding and music so I fled the rainy farm town where I went high school to attend college in a sunny coastal city.  I didn't realize that I would end up not really caring about all of the things an outsider thinks that Southern California is and instead finding community with some amazing people that have compelled me to work hard on creative projects.  And the funny thing is, now that I've settled in, I watch the weather report anxiously for rainy days and escape to the mountains as often as possible.
 
Why do you continue to call San Diego home (Besides the Weather)?
 
I call San Diego home in spite of the weather because it's got big city perks but feels like a small town in a lot of ways.  I can ride my bike anywhere I need to go and I see the same friends all day, all over.  We don't have a thousand amazing artists, musicians, restaurants, shops or venues, but we have some good ones and they are well-appreciated.  People here are thoughtful and inspire me to do meaningful things and I don't think that could ever be traded for cooler bars, different scenery, or anything.  The tightly-knit creative community here is supportive rather than competitive and if you want to start something, people will rally behind you.

 

Joel P West

Grant Barrett

  Editor, Author, and Radio Talk Show Host, Voice of San Diego, Wayward Radio, waywordradio.org/
Live: University Heights • Work: Point Loma • How long: 3 Months!
IF YOU'RE NOT FROM HERE, WHEN DID YOU MOVE TO SAN DIEGO AND WHY?

Born and raised in Missouri, and then spent most of 16 years in New York City, most recently in Brooklyn -- though that includes a gap in the middle I spent in the US Virgin Islands and another gap I spent in Paris.

My family moved to California last year so I could work alongside some folks in a startup, but this year, we've moved to San Diego, where I've joined the folks at voiceofsandiego.org and I can now, finally, record face-to-face alongside my radio partner, Martha Barnette, for our radio show A Way with
Words, http://waywordradio.org/.
 
BESIDES THE WEATHER, WHAT ELSE MAKES THIS CITY GREAT?
Not sure, we're too new.  It sure isn't the driving.  Perhaps a secret great trait is the nature that pops up within the urban areas; hummingbirds, seagulls, snails on walls, and strange fruit that I've never seen before.  Heck, even the nuisance of cleaning up the date trees in front of our house is pretty cool:  fruit falling from the sky!  Neat.
 
Grant Barrett

Lady Dottie

  Singer, Lady Dottie & The Diamonds, myspace.com/ladydottieandthediamonds
Live: Golden Hill • Work: Everywhere • How long: 15 years
WHEN DID YOU MOVE HERE AND WHY?
I grew up in Alabama and came to San Diego twenty-some years ago via Atlanta, Georgia and New York.
 
BESIDES THE WEATHER, WHY DO YOU REMAIN IN SAN DIEGO?
When I was a little girl in the cotton fields I saw a plane flying overhead... it was flying west and I said someday I'm flying to California... and here I am. I never looked back. I found diamonds here.
Lady Dottie

Sam The Cooking Guy

  Cook, Sam The Cooking Guy, thecookingguy.com/
Live: Carmel Valley • Work: San Diego • How long: 20 years
WHEN DID YOU MOVE HERE AND WHY?
We ended up in San Diego 20 years ago, after a series of hops around North America. We went from Vancouver, to Toronto, to Denver, to Colorado Springs, to Phoenix and then here. We could have landed anywhere, but San Diego became home because my wife's brother and his family lived here– and family is a good thing. Well, in my case it's a good thing.
 
BESIDES THE WEATHER, WHY DO YOU REMAIN IN SAN DIEGO?
There's no reason I need to be in San Diego for my work– the stuff I do (TV and books) can pretty much come from anywhere. I choose to call San Diego home because I can't think of anywhere else I'd want to live. Oh sure, there's a lot of places I love to visit– but in terms of a livable existence none come close. And besides the weather, San Diego is starting to become a cool place to live, eat and just hang in. Other cities are cool, but the people are often a bunch of d-bags. I really love the attitude of the people here.
Sam The Cooking Guy