Culture of San Diego
Present-day culture includes many historical and tourist attractions, a thriving musical and theatrical scene, numerous notable special events, a varied cuisine, and a reputation as one of America's premier centers of craft brewing.
Present-day reflections of that tradition include tributes to military history such as the USS Midway Museum and Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, as well as numerous smaller memorials throughout the city.
One can find Mexican, Italian, French, Spanish, Thai, Filipino, Vietnamese, Greek, Latin, German, Indian, Central and East Asian, Middle Eastern and Pacific Islander food throughout the city.
The city's long history and close proximity to Mexico has endowed the area with an extensive variety of authentic Mexican restaurants.
San Diego's warm, dry climate and access to the ocean have also made it a center for fishing and for growing fruits and vegetables.
These include Jack in the Box (1951), Pat & Oscar's (1991), Souplantation (March 1978), Rubio's (1983), Roberto's Taco Shop (1964), Alberto's (1975), and Anthony's Fish Grotto (1946).
San Diego County has a vibrant craft brewing community featuring more than 100 active local brewpubs and/or microbreweries.
"Ray at Night" at North Park host a variety of small-scale art galleries on the second Saturday evening of each month.
Once dubbed the "Next Seattle" during the independent rock craze of the early to mid-1990s, San Diego's clubs and cafes have produced such pioneering rock acts as Blink-182, Stone Temple Pilots, Pierce the Veil, P.O.D., Switchfoot, As I Lay Dying, Three Mile Pilot, Rocket From the Crypt, Pinback, Thingy, Drive Like Jehu, Unbroken, Swing Kids, Creedle, Battalion of Saints, Manual Scan, Beat Farmers, the Paladins, the Bigfellas, Morlocks, Crash Worship, Greyboy Allstars, Boilermaker, the Black Heart Procession, the Luke Walton Band, the Album Leaf, Tristeza, and Pitchfork, among countless others.
Renowned singer-songwriter Tom Waits also spent a long period of his life in Southern California at the start of his career, including San Diego.
[18] Figures in the culture like DJ Artistic have held influence within the San Diego region, whereas rappers like Nick Cannon went on to experience wider success as mainstream entertainers.
La Jolla Playhouse at UC San Diego produces both original and touring works and is directed by Christopher Ashley.
Both the Old Globe Theatre and the La Jolla Playhouse have produced the world premieres of plays and musicals that have gone on to win Tony Awards on Broadway.
