California has long been associated as a place with all of the natural conditions in place to be well. Enviable weather, miles of coastline, open spaces, and in San Diego in particular, sunny days nearly year-round.
And in San Diego’s northern parts, where I spend most of my time when I’m home, there are numerous opportunities to carve out a moment to unplug and reset. Currently, these are my go-tos in North County, San Diego that fill me up when I want to slow down.
In honor of the rain that has seemed to arrive early in the San Diego region this week, I’m resurfacing my 2019 piece published on Medium. It’s a beginner’s guide to visiting an art museum, which is a practical activity to do on a rainy day in San Diego given we’re blessed with more than 300 days of sun a year.
Not only that, but if you’re into stretching your cognitive limits, immersing oneself in art may help refine those soft skills too. Skills like critical thinking and empathy.
“It’s good to stretch ourselves,” by working through our discomfort with a work of art we don’t quite understand, notes Anita Feldman from the San Diego Museum of Art.
Art also gives voice to things that are hard to articulate. “An emotion, idea, experience,” says Katherine Hall of the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. “Art can succeed in this space.”
Pro tip for San Diego residents: Did you know you can get in free to many museums at Balboa Park? Make sure to bring your ID and check this link to participate in Residents Day at museums including Fleet Science Center, Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego Museum of Art and more. A couple of museums, including ICA San Diego, offer complimentary admission year-round. I’d recommend going early to beat the crowds, especially after January 5, 2026, when it’s been reported that Balboa Park will now charge for parking.
Update: November 2025
Since I published this post, I can report that I am still using La Roche-Posay’s Toleriane Double Repair line day (with UV) and night, though the cost is now $25 per product. I’ve long since returned from that trip to Japan I mentioned, and published a story for Adventure.com about traditional kominka homes throughout the country’s rural parts, and whether a growing movement to reinvent these abandoned, deteriorating homes into cafes and boutique accommodations will breathe new life into its economy.
In recent years, I have also expanded my skincare arsenal with a couple of products that travel well in any occasion, not just long-haul flights.
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the curious passport 