Word On The Street

After spending the weekend hanging out with some of San Diego's most amazing people I am more convinced than ever that something exciting is happening in our fair city. People are beginning to realize how much potential San Diego has...

It seems San Diego has long suffered from an identity crisis. It's not Los Angeles. It's not Seattle. It's not San Francisco. It's not Portland. It's not Austin. It's not Boulder. It's not New York City. So what is it?

San Diego is San Diego: A multicultural city with diverse political ideologies; A city facing some serious socioeconomic issues; A city on the front line of the immigration debate; A beautiful city, where people love to be outside, challenged with environmental issues from the ocean to the desert... These are the things that make this city so interesting a place to be right now.

San Diego needs therapy to help it see itself for what it is: a nexus.

I spent time this weekend with the head of an environmental non-profit organization, a molecular biologist, a violinist, a couple who built their own home and is highly engaged in their community, a guy visiting from Guadalajara, a number of smart and super-modelish women and men, an African American poet, a lawyer, a small business owner, I could go on and on... The point is that there are really interesting people here, doing very interesting progressive things, but you have to be out in the community to meet them.

San Diegans need a paradigm shift in their thinking about San Diego. I vote for a little more self-love. Let's embrace our challenges as our strengths in order to form our identity , like Austin embraces Texas, like Seattle embraces Starbucks, like Los Angeles embraces traffic... You get the idea.

Let's say no to self-hate, frankly I'm way over it. Dissing San Diego is LAME. Being engaged in San Diego community is COOL. So, if you need a fun way to start being engaged in San Diego, you can go check out two COOL new local San Diego bands that I just discovered: The Red Feathers, and Vision of a Dying World...baby steps.