What's New In San Diego For Fall 2025

All October long, kids are invited to stay, eat and play for free as a part of the annual “Kids Free San Diego.” Offers include free hotel stays or amenities, free entrance to theme parks and attractions and free meals for children with a paid adult throughout the month and region. With over 100 offers to choose from, there is something for every child and child-at-heart to do this fall.

The San Diego Food and Wine Festival returns to the Embarcadero November 7-9 to showcase cross-border cuisine, celebrated chefs, winemakers and more. The festival also spotlights sustainability, features award-winning chefs including James Beard–recognized talent, and supports culinary education programs through scholarships that benefit aspiring hospitality professionals across the region.

Twitchcon 2025 will return to the San Diego Convention Center October 17-19 to celebrate the culture of live streaming, esports, internet culture, and entertainment. This year’s event expands on fan favorites like Creator Camp, Glitch Theater, Twitch Rivals, Artist Alley, and the famous Block Party, plus exclusive merch and elevated lounge experiences.

New Hotels & Renovations

Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina is continuing the celebration of the arrival of giant pandas in San Diego with the Pandamonium Package, created in partnership with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Available through the end of 2025, the package includes a stay in a panda-themed suite, complete with bamboo accents and plush décor, plus general zoo admission and an exclusive behind-the-scenes Wildlife Adventures ‘Inside Look’ tour.

As part of a property-wide transformation, Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego has debuted its fully redesigned deluxe guest rooms in the Seaport Tower. This milestone marks the first completed phase of the 1,628-room hotel’s top-to-bottom renovation, which will continue through 2026 with additional upgrades to guest accommodations, dining venues, meeting spaces, and rooftop recreation.

Arts & Culture

San Diego Design Week is September 17–21, spotlighting the role of human-centered design in shaping solutions to today’s social, environmental, and civic challenges. This year’s theme, Design for Impact, calls on creatives and changemakers to drive meaningful, measurable progress through bold and purposeful design. Through exhibitions, workshops, talks, and cross-disciplinary collaborations, the festival transforms the city into a vibrant design lab where innovation meets community.

La Jolla Playhouse's fall lineup features three productions, all of which are world-premiers. The Heart (Aug. 19–Sept. 21) is a gripping, emotionally charged musical following a life-saving heart transplant journey. All the Men Who’ve Frightened Me (Sept. 16–Oct. 12) is a genre-blending new play about a trans man who decides to carry his own child while confronting figures from his past. And Working Girl (Oct. 28–Nov. 30), a fresh and funny musical adaptation of the iconic 1988 film, with music by Cyndi Lauper.

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego will present “Alex Katz: Theater and Dance” from August 21, 2025-January 4, 2026. This exhibition is the first comprehensive exploration of Katz’s playful and inventive collaborations with choreographers, dancers, and members of avant-garde theater ensembles over six decades. The touring exhibition showcases nearly 90 rare archival materials, major sets and paintings, and previously unexhibited sketches from more than two dozen productions.

Dining & Libations

From the team behind North Park’s Cori Pastificio Trattoria comes Dora, opening this Fall in UCSD’s Theatre District. Named after Chef Accursio Lota’s grandmother, Dora will bring coastal Southern Italian cuisine to La Jolla with house made pastas, breads, gelato, and Mediterranean seafood rooted in Sicilian tradition. Just steps from the La Jolla Playhouse, Dora will also offer pre-theatre menus inspired by current productions, creating a seamless journey from table to stage.

Vulture, the newest concept from the team behind Kindred and Mothership, is now open in University Heights. Vulture reimagines mid-century Continental fine dining through a bold, plant-based lens—complete with tablecloth service, rich sauces, and theatrical tableside presentations. Helmed by Executive Chef Pancho Castellón and Head of Pastry Amy Noonan, the menu features standout dishes like Steak Diane made with lion’s mane mushrooms and a reworked Caesar with chickpea-based Parmiagiana and seaweed caviar.

Awards & Recognitions

The 2025 Michelin Guide recently named the newly opened Lilo as San Diego’s newest one-star Michelin restaurant. Lilo is an intimate, design-forward tasting restaurant from Eric Bost and John Resnick, the team behind Michelin-starred Jeune et Jolie and Campfire, serving 12-course dinners to just 22 guests per evening. With Lilo’s addition, San Diego County now boasts five Michelin-starred establishments: the three-star Addison by Chef William Bradley, and one-star restaurants Valle (Oceanside), Juene et Jolie (Carlsbad), and Soichi (University Heights). Beyond the starred restaurants, San Diego has earned recognition for nine Bib Gourmand eateries and several recommended restaurants, totaling well over a dozen Michelin-recognized establishments.

Transportation

San Diego International Airport’s Terminal 1 transformation will reach a major milestone in September with the completion of phase 1. The reimagined terminal will welcome travelers with 19 gates, a new elevated departures roadway, an outdoor check-in pavilion, and a variety of shopping and dining experiences.

Sustainability

As part of its sustainability efforts, Town and Country Resort has introduced an on-site beehive in partnership with Encinitas Honey to support local pollination and eco-friendly practices. The resort is incorporating the honey into dishes and drinks across its restaurants, including specialty cocktails at ARLO and sweet treats at Lapper Sports Bar + Kitchen. Additional bee-inspired offerings include a limited-edition honey blonde ale with Pure Project Brewery and BeeKind organic toiletries in all guestrooms, further highlighting the resort’s commitment to environmental stewardship.

San Diego International Airport (SAN) has activated a cutting-edge hydrant fueling system as part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability and operational excellence. Hydrant fueling systems streamline the refueling process by delivering fuel directly from storage facilities to aircraft via underground pipelines. The new system reduces aircraft turnaround times, minimizes fuel truck traffic, and lowers carbon emissions.

For more information on San Diego’s offerings, including exciting vacation packages and valuable coupons for attractions, restaurants and more, visit the San Diego Tourism Authority’s website at www.sandiego.org.

Queen Mary, Once A Sinking White Elephant, Shows Signs Of Remarkable Revival

The Queen Mary has for years been a landmark in the city of Long Beach, an iconic ocean liner serving as a majestic sentry at the port and a popular attraction for both tourists and locals.

But the aging ship has in recent years become more of a white elephant, in need of millions of dollars in repairs just to stay afloat.

Years of mounting financial woes, a pandemic shutdown and the need for an overhaul made for an uncertain future for the Queen Mary. Financial audits showed the ship was running a deficit, and at least one report warned that it was at risk of sinking if it didn’t get that crucial repair work.

But now, the 90-year-old ship seems to be headed for smoother sailing, with financial records showing it is finally turning a profit for the city of Long Beach.

On the ocean liner that has been turned into a hotel and tourist attraction, rooms are being booked, visitors are touring the ship, and the Queen Mary’s operator said the number of visitors had been outpacing the figures from before the COVID pandemic, signaling a new, hopefully better, era for the famous ship docked in the Long Beach harbor.

But the recent financial turnaround will do little in the short term to address the extensive repairs needed to keep the ship afloat and open to the public.

The Queen Mary closed for more than three years because of the pandemic, and stayed closed due to those much-needed repairs. But once the ship reopened in April — this time under the city’s direction instead of a leaseholder — visitors began to return in greater numbers. Although the ship still needs significant mending, new paint, new floors and other work to keep the ship safe for visitors was completed. The ship has about 200 rooms and several large halls that can be booked for weddings and other gatherings.

“Even though it’s been here since 1967, it was kind of a relaunch — a new Queen Mary if you will,” said Steve Caloca, managing director of the ship under the contracted operator, Evolution.

It was a slow reopening, with just over a dozen rooms booked in the Queen Mary in all of April. But financial records obtained by The Times show the number of bookings quickly multiplied in the following weeks.

By July, more than 4,300 room nights were booked in the Queen Mary, and the ship’s operator has seen at least 3,730 bookings a month since.

“We reopened after a 3½-year hiatus, which is nice, and we’re making money, which is nice,” Caloca said.

The Queen Mary was still operating in a deficit during the first two months it reopened, according to financial information provided by the city. By June, however, the ship’s revenue had begun to outpace its expenses.

According to city records, between June and October of last year, the ship generated more than $12.6 million in revenue and more than $3 million in profits.

It’s not just rooms in the ship’s hotel that are bringing in visitors and their cash, Caloca said.

“We were getting the word out that there are things to do here,” he said. “It’s not just a beautiful ship.”

The Queen Mary began to offer old and new tours of the 1,019.5-foot ship, and hosting events to draw in locals, such as $10 entry fees on Tuesdays, he said.

A game room and revamped observation bar are available for overnight and day guests, and the ship also rolled out the commodore’s office, where officers are available to answer guests’ questions about the ship.

“We asked, what can guests do now that they’re staying at the Queen Mary; what kind of content can we provide?” Caloca said. “We’re able to create things for people to do here in Long Beach.”

For the city, it means the Queen Mary has generated more revenue in the last few months than it did for an entire year before the pandemic shut it down.

“Because of these new investments and amenities, we witnessed more visitors within six months of opening than we did in a full year prior to the pandemic, and I’m proud to share that the Queen’s profits in 2023 finished strong by coming back into the black for the first time in years,’’ said Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson.

But the ship has also needed, and continues to need, repairs and maintenance, Caloca said.

Much of the work done on the ship has centered on keeping it safe for visitors, as well as regular upkeep like painting, new flooring and lighting, and replacing new boilers and electrical transformers on the ship.

For the Queen Mary, which has been in dire need of repairs and work for years, turning a profit in 2023 is a significant turnabout in its recent history.

Financial audits of the ship obtained by The Times show that from 2007 to 2019, the Queen Mary saw losses of more than $31 million.

A profit could mean the ship could get some much-needed TLC to keep it financially, and literally, afloat.

“When we get excited about the money, it’s not that we made a profit,” Caloca said. “It’s that we made money, but now we can put it back on the ship that we love so much.”

The city of Long Beach took over the Queen Mary in 2021 after worries that the aging ship was not being maintained. One 2017 study of the vessel found that it needed up to $289 million in upgrades and renovations, including work to keep parts of it from flooding.

Court documents and inspection reports also found that it needed $23 million to keep it from capsizing.

Making the ship a profit center for the city has been a challenge for several lease operators that have been hired to operate the ship over the last few decades — including the Walt Disney Co.

In 2005, Queen’s Seaport Development Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and was found by Long Beach to owe $3.4 million in back rent. In 2009, the hotel was also at about a 50% occupancy rate.

Now, the profits coming in can also be geared toward new activities and entertainment to keep attracting guests into the Queen Mary, Caloca said.

This summer, operators hope to reopen a movie theater at the ship, which can double as a lecture hall and host other events, Caloca said. Another 100 rooms are expected to open by April.

“It’s not just, ‘Let’s fix it so it doesn’t break,” Caloca said. “It’s also, ‘Let’s fix it and make it so people want to come.’”

BY SALVADOR HERNANDEZ, https://www.latimes.com/

Travelore News: Thousands Of Los Angeles-Area Hotel Workers On Strike

Thousands of Los Angeles-area hotel workers went on strike on Sunday demanding pay hikes and improved benefits in a region where high housing costs make it difficult for low-wage earners to live close to where they hold jobs, union officials said.

Unite Here Local 11, which represents 15,000 workers at more than 60 major hotels in Los Angeles and Orange counties, declared the strike a day after the workers' contract expired. It marks one of the largest strikes to hit the U.S. hospitality industry in recent years.

The labor dispute comes during the July Fourth holiday weekend as Southern California's busy summer travel season goes into high swing. It overlaps with a Hollywood screenwriters strike that was headed into a ninth week, already taking a toll on the Los Angeles economy and showbiz production.

Hotel workers, including housekeepers, dishwashers, cooks, waiters, bellhops and front-desk agents, struggle to afford housing in cities where they work, and many were idled during the COVID-19 pandemic while industry profits soared, the union said in a statement.

"Our members were devastated first by the pandemic and now by the greed of their bosses," union co-president Kurt Petersen said in a statement.

An industry bargaining group representing more than 40 hotels accused the union of political posturing, pursuing the strike as an organizing tool and failing to negotiate in good faith.

Several thousand workers walked off the job starting Sunday morning at about a dozen hotels, and the numbers are expected to grow as the strike wears on, union spokesperson Maria Hernandez said.

Among the hotels targeted the first day, she said, were the InterContinental, Hotel Indigo, Millennium Biltmore and JW Marriott LA Live in downtown Los Angeles, as well as the Fairmont Miramar in Santa Monica, the Sheraton Universal in Universal City and Laguna Cliffs Marriott in Dana Point.

The industry bargaining group said its hotels would remain open with management and non-union staff filling in for striking workers.

The union reached a contract deal on Friday with the largest of its employers, the Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites in downtown L.A., averting a strike against that property, Hernandez said.

She urged the industry's negotiating coalition, the Coordinated Bargaining Group, "to follow the lead of the Westin Bonaventure."

TWO SIDES FAR APART
The bargaining group was negotiating on behalf of 44 unionized hotels, with the remaining 21 expected to go along with whatever settlement is reached, according to the Los Angeles City News Service.

The union said its workers earn $20 to $25 an hour and is demanding an immediate increase of $5 an hour and an additional $3 an hour in subsequent years of the contract, plus improved healthcare and retirement benefits.

Both the union and management said the hotel group has countered by proposing wage hikes of $2.50 an hour in the first 12 months and $6.25 over four years for most workers. Wages for housekeepers in Beverly Hills and downtown Los Angeles who currently earn $25 an hour would rise 10% next year and to more than $31 by 2027, under the industry's offer.

Unite Here also is seeking creation of a hospitality workforce housing fund, which according to management would be funded with a new 7% tax on guests staying at unionized hotels.

The union cites survey results showing 53% of hotel workers have either been forced to move in the past five years or will move in the near future due to soaring housing costs. Many workers report having to commute hours from areas where they live far outside the cities where they work, the union said.

Los Angeles has been a flashpoint for labor strife on several fronts this year, including the protracted writers strike and a three-day walkout in March by education support staff for the Los Angeles Unified School District.

The union representing 22,000 dockworkers at the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and other West Coast terminals reached a contract deal in June after 13 months of protracted labor talks, averting a strike that could have disrupted U.S. supply chains.

Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Gabriella Borter in New York; Editing by Mary Milliken and Josie Kao, Reuters

The Queen Mary Will Reopen To The Public In June

After millions of dollars in repairs, reports, and drama surrounding a company who didn’t quite know what to do with it, the iconic Queen Mary ship is finally reopening to the public next month. But as the Long Beach Post reports, that reopening is coming with a price.

While the ship will technically open on May 12th, that will only be for hotel guests who are staying aboard. The full reopening will take place in June with weekend brunch starting again the following month. And while the reopening will see the addition of a new bar and two new restaurants to the ship, there’s repair work to be done. To complete it, the city of Long Beach went to the Port of Long Beach for help.

The city and the port came to an agreement that seems to benefit both sides. The port gained control of 14 acres around the ship in exchange for giving the city $12 million for the ship’s reopening. While the city says it’ll release details of just how the $12 million will be spent later this year, they’re receiving a $7 million advance from it, presumably for the long list of repairs still needed. The city estimates that it will use the $12 million over three years, but the port won’t see its money repaid for over a decade.

But it finally looks as if Long Beach is totally behind making the ship profitable this time around. While some residents were calling for the city to get rid of the Queen Mary, reports found that it would take too much time and money to do it. But this time around, the city is hopeful that the ship will generate enough revenue to make it profitable.

“We’re going to help grow tourism and hospitality. We’re going to look for things on the ship that generate revenue so we can use the revenue to create more revenue that can be reinvested in the ship,” said one city council member.

Source: https://jalopnik.com/

Splash Mountain At Disneyland To Close In May

Splash Mountain's closing date has officially been revealed.

The ride’s last day will be May 30 before officially closing on May 31 in order to begin transforming the ride into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, Disney officials announced.

The log flume ride, opened in 1989, received criticism over the years as it features characters from Disney’s controversial 1946 movie “Song of the South.” A Change.org petition in 2020 called for Disney to change the ride’s theme to the “Princess and the Frog”, which features Disney’s first African-American princess, Tiana.

Disney officials also gave a sneak peek into what riders can expect from the upcoming Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, including “familiar faces from the film such as Princess Tiana, Prince Naveen, Mama Odie, Louis, Eudora, Charlotte, “Big Daddy,” the King and Queen of Maldonia and Prince Ralphie.”

The new ride will open to the public in 2024.

Queen Mary Ship Closed To Tourists To Get ‘Critical Repairs’

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — The historic ocean liner Queen Mary, which has been a Southern California tourist attraction and hotel for decades, is being prepared for “critical repairs,” according to officials in the city of Long Beach, which owns the ship.

The ship will remain closed, except for film location work, until the $5 million worth of repairs are completed, a city statement said Thursday.

“One of the most critical repairs identified in the engineering reports was the removal of deteriorated lifeboats. The lifeboats exert stress on the side shell of the ship which has created severe cracks in the support system,” the statement said.

Two of the original lifeboats will be retained and 13 will be stored while the city gauges interest from museums and other organizations in preserving them.

Repair work will also include installation of new permanent bilge pumps and improvements to a water intrusion warning system, among other items.

The city, which regained control of the ship last year, said the needed repairs are a result of decades of deferred maintenance by the ship’s previous operators.

The city has already done electrical work to re-illuminate one of the ship’s funnels, which are a distinctive nighttime focal point.

The Queen Mary was launched in 1934 and arrived in Long Beach harbor at the end of its final voyage in 1967.

Disneyland Reopening Marks California’s COVID-19 Turnaround

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Disneyland swung open its gates to cheering visitors donning sequined Minnie Mouse ears and snapping selfies Friday, marking a dramatic turnaround in a state so overwhelmed with coronavirus cases just four months ago that patients were being treated in outdoor tents.

California’s world-famous theme park, which reopened after an unprecedented 13-month closure, is admitting only state residents and operating under a limited capacity for now.

Once inside, guests decked in Disney gear waved excitedly at employees tidying up the park’s hallmark Main Street, which was lined with hand sanitizing stations and signs reminding people to wear face coverings.
After spending the year mostly teaching her third-grade class from a tent in her backyard, Libby Birmingham was thrilled to be there. The 38-year-old, who attended the park regularly before the pandemic
with an annual pass, took the day off work to make the trip down from Pasadena with friends.

“Disneyland is like my happiest place, to be totally honest,” she said. “It’s one of those places that I can always enjoy, and it lets me be the kid — not always be in charge of the kids.”

The reopening highlights a big shift for the nation’s most populous state from just months ago when COVID-19 cases were surging, hospitals were running out of ICU beds, and hundreds of people died from the virus each day.

Now, California boasts the country’s lowest rate of confirmed coronavirus infections and more than half of the population eligible for vaccination has received at least one dose. Children have been returning to in-person classes, shops and restaurants are expanding business, and Gov. Gavin Newsom set June 15 as a target date to further reopen the economy, albeit with some health-related restrictions.

“It has such a symbolic nature to really quantifying that we’re finally rolling out of COVID,” said Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of state tourism promoter Visit California.

Theme parks were among the last California businesses allowed to reopen, in contrast to states with fewer restrictions such as Florida, where Disney World’s Magic Kingdom resort has been up and running, though at lower-than-usual capacity, since July. Another major U.S. amusement park, Ohio’s Cedar Point, opened last summer and will do so again for the upcoming season — only this time, it won’t require masks on rides.

At Disneyland, visitors must wear masks and can remove them to eat only in designated areas. Hugs and handshakes with characters are off limits, and parades and fireworks shows have been shelved to limit crowding.

On Friday, an updated Snow White ride drew throngs of visitors who were methodically spaced out in a winding outdoor line to prevent congestion indoors. Other areas of the park had fewer people. In a section devoted to Star Wars, there was ample space for children to run freely, and visitors waved from a distance to Rey, who flashed a smile and waved from a platform overlooking the park.

Outside a popular boat ride, Allison Sanger and her 4-year-old daughter, Emily, stopped by a cordoned-off patio to chat with a parasol-twirling Mary Poppins and Bert. The 28-year-old said she was glad her daughter could get close enough to see the characters and snap photos even with the new rules.

“We honestly have so many memories here,” she said. “We missed our memories and our magic.”

There was even a marriage proposal.

Zach Bolger, 35, said he met his girlfriend, Mackenzie Brown, 26, some three years ago at Disneyland trading collectible pins. The couple returned to the park Friday, and Bolger pulled out a ring box near Snow White’s wishing well. Brown cried tears of joy.

While California continues to “strongly discourage” anyone from visiting the state as tourists, the travel industry is banking on pent-up demand from its own nearly 40 million residents for a comeback. An advertising campaign encourages Californians to travel within the state, mirroring a pitch made after 9/11.

In a state with so many people shut in for so long, even in-state tourism could be a huge boost. Disney’s California parks have long had a loyal local fan base while its Florida locations rely more heavily on international tourists, said Carissa Baker, assistant professor of theme park and attraction management at University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

Disneyland is a major economic engine in California, drawing nearly 19 million in attendance the year before the coronavirus struck, according to the Themed Entertainment Association. It and other such attractions were shuttered in March 2020 as Newsom imposed the nation’s first statewide shutdown order.

For now, the park and neighboring Disney California Adventure are restricted to operating at 25% capacity under state health rules. Disney is only taking reservations from state residents, though California also allows fully vaccinated out-of-state visitors to attend theme parks.

The reopening was also welcomed by park employees eager to get back to work and owners of hotels and shops in the surrounding city of Anaheim. The city’s convention center saw more than 300 cancellations since the pandemic and so far has rebooked a quarter of them, said Jay Burress, president of Visit Anaheim.

At an early morning flag ceremony, Disney chief executive Bob Chapek thanked the park’s employees, many who greeted each other with fist-bumps and bright-eyes, though their smiles were concealed by constellation face masks. He asked them to “bring the magic back” for visitors who were kept away during the 412-day closure.

“We’re not just another theme park,” Chapek said. “We’re something special, and we’re something special because of all of you, because you bring magic to the world.”

California OKs Reopening Of Ball Parks, Disneyland

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California has cleared a path for fans to hit the stands at opening-day baseball games and return to Disneyland nearly a year after coronavirus restrictions shuttered major entertainment spots.

The state on Friday relaxed guidelines for reopening outdoor venues as a fall and winter surge seemed to be ending, with COVID-19 infection rates, hospitalizations and deaths plummeting and vaccination rates rising.

New public health rules would allow live concerts at stadiums and sports arenas to reopen with limited attendance April 1. Amusement parks also will be permitted to reopen in counties that have fallen from the state’s purple tier — the most restrictive — to the red tier.

In all cases, park capacities will be limited, and COVID-19 safety rules such as mask-wearing requirements will apply.

The move followed a week of milestones, with California ramping up vaccinations for the poorest neighborhoods, counties reopening more businesses and Gov. Gavin Newsom passing a measure aimed at encouraging schools that have restricted students to online learning to reopen classrooms this month.

“Steady opening is consistent with the data. As cases decline, we want to return to work and school,” said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, clinical professor of preventive medicine at the University of Southern California. “Outdoor activities in particular have always been low risk. Opening these sites makes sense.”

The reopening can’t come too soon for Kenny King Jr., a resident of Pleasant Hill in the San Francisco Bay Area who became an annual Disneyland passholder a decade ago. He typically takes his family to the Southern California park five times a year, but the last visit was just over a year ago for his birthday.

King, 38, said he’s excited to return with his 8-year-old daughter, who had just started enjoying rides such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain, and to take his 2-year-old son, who was mesmerized by the lights and sounds when he visited last year.

“That’s something that we just made our family thing — Disney trips,” King said. “We’ll sit there at the house sometimes and we’ll be like ‘man, I just miss Disneyland.’ ”

Also applauding were the thousands of workers who were laid off by Disneyland, Universal Studios Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm and other big locations. Ten thousand lost their jobs alone at Disneyland and its related attractions in Orange County, not to mention the knock-on effect to nearby restaurants and hotels.

Andrea Zinder, president of the local United Food and Commercial Workers Union that represents Disney workers, said employees are “excited to go back to work and provide Californians with a bit more magic in their lives.”

Most of the major theme parks are in Southern California, which is still in the purple category. However, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties were expecting to reopen within the next few weeks as their COVID-19 numbers fall.

Only 16 of 58 counties currently are in the red tier, and two small counties are in the orange tier. None are yet in the yellow tier, the lowest and least restrictive.

Theme parks in the red tier will be limited to 15% capacity.

Outdoor sports will be limited to 100 people in the purple tier but will increase up to 67% in the yellow tier.

The San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Angels and Oakland Athletics all announced they will have fans in the stands for opening day April 1. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants both start their seasons on the road and said they would announce their plans later.

Teams and event organizers can only sell tickets regionally in the purple tier. In the other tiers, teams and organizers can sell tickets to anyone living in California. No concessions will be allowed in the purple tier, while in others, concession sales will only be available at seats.

Richard Haick of San Pablo, California, already bought ticket vouchers for the Oakland A’s return and hopes to take his 10-year-old son to a game soon. His son plays Little League baseball and is very excited to attend games.

“It’s nice to have, even in a reduced capacity, some sense of normal,” said Haick, a 45-year-old photographer.

The quicker pace of reopening is tied to a new plan to vaccinate California’s most vulnerable residents. Once 2 million people across 400 ZIP codes in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods receive at least one vaccine dose, it will be easier for counties to exit the state’s most restrictive tier. Once 4 million people in those neighborhoods are vaccinated, counties will be able to open up even more.

It all puts California in a drastically different position than a year ago, when Gov. Gavin Newsom imposed the statewide stay-at-home order that restricted travel, shuttered businesses and forced millions of people onto unemployment. California still has among the most severe restrictions of any state and continues to discourage out-of-state visitors.

The state is pinning its hopes of a full reopening on inoculating enough of its 40 million residents to halt widespread COVID-19 infections.

More than 10 million doses had been given only three months since the first shot was given, the Department of Public Health said.

Just over 3 million people have been fully vaccinated, or about 10% of the population 16 and older.

There are hopeful signs. This week, the seven-day average rate of positive results from tests dropped this week to 2.2%, a record low.

Although pressure has been building to reopen the economy, health officials said the changes in guidelines were a cautious and measured rather than a wholesale approach.

“We will .... keep our foot on the brake, not the gas, our eyes on the road, hands on the wheel and navigate based on data and science,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of the state Health and Human Services Agency.

By ADAM BEAM and KATHLEEN RONAYNE
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Associated Press writer Janie Har in San Francisco contributed to this story.

Disneyland Ends Annual Passes 10 Months After Virus Closure

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Disneyland is ending its annual pass program 10 months after the theme park shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic, the theme park said Thursday.

The park in Anaheim, California, said it would begin issuing pro-rated refunds to eligible passholders.

“Due to the continued uncertainty of the pandemic and limitations around the reopening of our California theme parks, we will be issuing appropriate refunds for eligible Disneyland Resort Annual Passports and sunsetting the current program,” Ken Potrock, president of Disneyland Resort, said in a statement. He said the park will develop new membership offerings for when it can reopen.

Disney officials would not say how many people hold these passes or how much the move will cost the company.

The announcement comes the same week that Disneyland allowed county health officials to use its parking lot for a large-scale coronavirus vaccination site.

Disneyland closed in March and has not reopened since because coronavirus metrics in the county where the park is located have not declined to the levels required by the state.

California health officials have said large amusement parks like Disneyland can only reopen once transmission reaches minimal levels, and then park capacity will be limited to 25% and reservations required.

California has seen a surge in coronavirus cases in recent months that has prompted a shutdown of many businesses and nighttime curfews in much of the state.

What's New In San Diego, Fall 2020

 

Attractions & Events   "Kids Free San Diego" returns in October with special savings and fun for the entire family. During the entire month of October, nearly 90 San Diego hotels, restaurants, attractions, museums, tours and transportation companies offer families the opportunity to unwind in San Diego without having to worry about breaking the bank. "Kids Free San Diego" provides parents an opportunity to save with a variety of unique free incentives for kids, ranging from complimentary attraction and museum admission to meals, welcome amenities at area hotels and more.   The popular USS Midway Museum, set along San Diego Bay, will extend free kids' admission through Dec. 15, 2020. As part of the Midway’s 75th anniversary celebration, up to two children (ages 6-12) will receive free admission to the USS Midway Museum with one full-paid adult admission ticket. The offer is available on the museum’s website as well as at its ticket booth on Navy Pier. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park recently launched the Sun Up Cheetah Safari, an exclusive private tour that includes brunch with a view and an exciting Cheetah Run experience. Guests can start the day with this one-of-a-kind activity featuring a guided introduction to the park’s wildlife and rare opportunity to see a cheetah run at top speed, followed by brunch with one of the best views of the park. Groups of up to four household members can enjoy the Safari Park to themselves before it opens for the day, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Reservations are required. One of the PGA Tour’s four major championships, the prestigious 2021 U.S. Open returns to the internationally recognized Torrey Pines golf course in La Jolla. The 2021 U.S. Open marks the second time Torrey Pines’ South Course will host the national championship. Torrey Pines’ South Course hosted the 2008 U.S. Open, which was the first major golf event in San Diego. The 2021 U.S. Open will be the 13th U.S. Open played in California, and it will mark the fifth site in the upcoming eight U.S. Opens that is currently open to the public. Dates of the 2021 U.S. Open are June 17-20.   New Hotels & Renovations   The Town and Country San Diego in Mission Valley recently completed a $90 million renovation incorporating its rich 50-year history with a fresh mid-century feel. Opened August 2020, the practically new property includes 675 renovated guest rooms and suites, three stylish new restaurants and a new 10,000-square-foot pool complex with a four-story, looping 150-foot waterslide, the longest hotel waterslide in San Diego County. The signature ARLO restaurant celebrates San Diego’s Cali-Baja culinary culture with fresh local ingredients and regional flavors from both sides of the border. Town and Country’s 258,000-square-feet of newly renovated meeting space includes the Golden State Hall, 40,700 square-feet; Town and Country Ballroom, 24,000 square-feet, and plenty of other meeting rooms for groups to spread out. In June 2020, the Bahia Resort Hotel on Mission Bay completed a multi-million-dollar renovation. The hotel’s 313 guest rooms received major upgrades with new design improvements complementing the Bahia’s beach-meets-Morocco theme. In addition to reimagined guest accommodations, the renovation includes upgrades to the Bahia’s dining areas, grounds and event spaces. Guests can relax in style on the Bahia’s private beach, which was refreshed with upgraded beach cabanas and an additional seating area with lounge beach chairs and umbrellas. Future event attendees can enjoy the refreshed Mission Bay Ballroom’s 20,000 square-foot space, featuring panoramic views of Mission Bay as well as new carpeting, wall coverings and large chandeliers. Formerly known as the Hilton San Diego Resort & Spa, the waterfront San Diego Mission Bay Resort completed a $21 million renovation in early 2020. Located on scenic Mission Bay, the Mediterranean-style resort transformed its 357 guestrooms with enhanced technology, expanded amenities, all-new custom furniture, original artwork, and new bathrooms with tubs and custom tiled showers. The resort offers a 4,000-square-foot outdoor pool area and poolside grill, five tennis courts, spa and fitness center, onsite watersports rentals, gift shop and restaurant. Additionally, the property has more than 16,000 square feet of interior meeting and function space and 9,600 square feet of outdoor meeting space. Opened in early 2020, The Legacy Resort Hotel & Spa is a new luxury hotel and conference center with unique attractions set in Mission Valley. The Legacy Resort features 126 guestrooms, The Spa with a variety of internationally inspired spa treatments, and two restaurants including Theresa’s Restaurant serving authentic Italian steakhouse cuisine. On the 18-acre setting, guests can visit the Legacy Center, which offers unique attractions and exhibits. Highlights include a 100-foot long, 16-foot tall Western Wall that replicates and pays tribute to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem and a 28-foot diameter, interactive globe that transports guests by simple touch panel to the nations of the world where they can learn about the region, its people and culture. The resort also offers a pool with poolside dining, a 500-seat theater and flexible indoor and outdoor meeting space.   Arts and Culture Happenings   The San Diego Symphony’s permanent bayside concert venue, The Shell, will debut in 2021 along Embarcadero Marina Park South. The new venue features a highly innovative, architecturally striking and acoustically superior outdoor stage that allows the symphony to showcase a wider variety of musical presentations and enrich the patron experience with improved sightlines, expanded concession area and permanent bathrooms. The Shell is the new home of the symphony’s popular annual Summer Pops series. This year’s intended lineup, which planned to feature The Beach Boys, Jennifer Hudson, Sergio Mendes and other beloved musicians, will hopefully return for the 2021 season.   The Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park is slated to reopen in Summer 2021 after completing a major reconstruction project. The $52 million project will transform the museum along Plaza de Panama and create a newly designed community gathering space with a new plaza level and garden courtyard open to the public. The project will also feature a new education center and quiet, spacious upper level galleries devoted to exhibitions with a library open to visitors. Restored historic spaces include the museum’s upper terraces, which will be opened to the public for the first time in decades, offering views of the Plaza de Panama, El Prado and California Tower. The museum’s historic Bell Tower will also be opened and accessed by a new grand staircase. Also planned are a multipurpose theater space for performances, lectures, concerts and special events; a newly designed Shop Mingei store, and full-service cafe with coffee bar. The much-anticipated Comic-Con Museum is slated to open in late summer 2021 in Balboa Park. The new museum will be a place where audiences can connect with the magic of Comic-Con year-round. Museum-goers can expect 25,000 square-feet dedicated to rotating exhibits; a 6,000-square-foot education center; a 4K video theater and presentation space; a gift shop filled with comics, graphic novels, branded souvenirs and more; learning-focused labs, and classes and seminars. The new Comic-Con Museum will be set in the former Hall of Champions near the Pan American Plaza. The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) La Jolla campus is slated to reopen in Fall 2021 after completing a major expansion project. Since its founding in 1941, MCASD has evolved into an iconic San Diego cultural institution and leading visual arts organization of national and international renown. The expansion will nearly double the building’s size from its existing 57,000 square-feet to 101,200 square-feet total, allowing for the dedicated display of MCASD’s celebrated permanent collection of more than 4,700 objects in all media alongside the presentation of temporary exhibitions. The expansion’s design calls for two levels of light-filled galleries, offering a wide range of volume and character, from soaring ceiling heights to intimate niches. Vertical windows will welcome the site’s distinct natural light and spectacular coastal views into the museum. A large, flexible multipurpose gallery on the lower level will also provide capacity for public programs, artist talks, performance art, music, and other immersive educational activities.   New Restaurants and Breweries   Opened in June 2020 in downtown’s Gaslamp Quarter, Lumi by Akira Back is an energetic rooftop concept featuring modern Japanese fare by Michelin-starred chef Akira Back. The restaurant’s unique atmosphere combines traditional Japanese architecture with modern design elements and pops of color enhanced by live DJ beats.  Lumi offers modern Japanese cuisine with Nikkei and Korean influences. Menu highlights include shared plates like rock shrimp tempura with spicy aioli and cabbage slaw as well as the “Akira Back Pizza” topped with tuna, yellowtail, serrano, red onion, beets, tomato, micro cilantro, and ponzu mayo. Lumi also offers a wide selection of nigiri/sashimi, specialty rolls and entrees like a 6 oz. seared salmon with baby bock choy, puff quinoa and gochujang miso sauce. Opened in July 2020, Huntress is the latest high-profile restaurant in the Gaslamp Quarter. Under the helm of Executive Chef James Montejano, who worked at the Michelin-starred restaurant Michael Mina, Huntress is a contemporary steakhouse serving the finest meats, seafood dishes and other signature classics. The dining room is modern and chic, designed with strong architectural elements such as a bold wall composed of framed butcher knives and a spectacular marble bar. The second floor mezzanine features a Japanese whiskey bar with one of the largest selections of whiskey in the nation along with an intimate wine tasting area. Diners can expect dishes like a prime 35-day, dry-aged porterhouse and miso Chilean sea bass with dashi consommé, floating vegetables and truffle prawn wontons.   Opened in July 2020 along downtown’s scenic Embarcadero, the architecturally striking Portside Pier offers stunning San Diego Bay views and four dining options for guests. The Brigantine Seafood and Oyster Bar features an extensive menu of surf and turf entrees, and the popular Miquel's Cocina serves authentic Mexican cuisine. Guests can enjoy tasty pub fare and local craft beers at the casual Ketch Grill & Taps and savor an expresso and creamy gelato at Portside Coffee and Gelato. The Portside Pier features an adjacent 90 x 15-foot dock providing guests and opportunity to dock and dine.   Opened in July 2020, The Presley is a spacious outdoor restaurant and bar in historic Liberty Station. The Presley features more than 2,000 square feet of outdoor dining space, three bars, swing seating, and fire pits. The restaurant serves elevated American classics like lobster roll sliders, grilled pork prime rib and wood-fired veggie skewers. The drink menu includes a wide variety of specialty cocktails, “frosteez” (frozen and blended drinks), local craft beers and wines. No meal is complete without the restaurant’s “Roast Your Own S’mores” or house-made ice cream sandwiches for dessert.   In July 2020, San Diego-based Puesto Mexican Artisan Kitchen & Bar opened its newest restaurant, Puesto Cervecería, in Mission Valley. Puesto Cervecería is Puesto's third San Diego venue, joining locations in Seaport Village and La Jolla. In addition to Puesto's famous Mexico City-style tacos, mariscos and shared plates, Puesto Cervecería features new menu items like wood-fired enchiladas and a full brewery focused on Mexican lagers.   In July 2020, Pure Project Carlsbad Brewery & Tap Room opened in the North County coastal community of Carlsbad. Founded in 2015, Pure Project is a popular local craft brewery whose mission is to “build community and a reverence for beer as an agricultural product by staying true to our ethos of quality ingredients, sustainability and attention to detail.” Pure Project is a member of the 1% for the Planet Network, donating 1 percent of topline sales to environmental organizations working to protect the planet. The Pure Project Carlsbad Brewery & Tap Room offers an upscale yet relaxed setting, onsite production in barrels and casks, and a rotating tap list featuring a wide range of offerings including favorite IPAs and barrel-aged creations.   Opened in August 2020 in trendy North Park, Fortunate Son pays homage to American Chinese takeout classics. San Diego native chef Tony Guan draws on his Chinese-American heritage and chases the elusive energy of wok hei with playfully updated ingredients complemented by traditional spices and techniques. Menu highlights include beef with shishito peppers, sweet and sour pork belly, General Tso’s cauliflower and chow fun. Dishes are accompanied by chef Guan’s large pantry of house-made condiments including fermented chili paste.   Airport News San Diego International Airport (SAN) added non-stop service to Newark, New Jersey via Liberty International Airport (EWR) on JetBlue on August 6, 2020. Flights are currently offered on select days with increased occurrence during upcoming months. San Diego International Airport (SAN) is adding once daily, non-stop service to Santa Barbara, California via Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) on Alaska Airlines beginning Nov. 20, 2020. San Diego International Airport (SAN) is adding non-stop seasonal service from Jackson Hole, Wyoming via Jackson Hole Airport (JAC) on Alaska Airlines beginning Dec. 17, 2020 through Apr. 11, 2021. Flights are daily, excluding Tuesdays and Wednesdays.   San Diego International Airport (SAN) is adding non-stop service to Norfolk, Virginia via Norfolk International Airport (ORF) on Southwest Airlines beginning Jan. 5, 2021. The route will operate one flight daily, excluding Saturdays. As part of the San Diego International Airport Arts Program, passengers and guests can enjoy California artist Margaret Noble and her featured work [Sky][Muse] while visiting the airport through Dec. 2020. Born in Texas and raised in California, Noble’s experimental artworks have been exhibited nationally and internationally. Her [Sky][Muse] series of audio-visual works is designed to ignite, delight and reframe the airport experience. [Sky][Muse] is a collection of animated “scrolls” accessible through personal devices such as phones, tablets and laptops. For passengers preparing to move through portals, time zones and geographies, these short digital works can enhance their travel by elevating their sensory experiences of color, light and sound.   Happiness is calling you back to San Diego. For more information on San Diego’s offerings, including exciting vacation packages and valuable coupons for attractions, restaurants and more, visit the San Diego Tourism Authority’s website at www.sandiego.org. For safe, healthy travel while in our destination, we encourage you to follow the guidance of our Safe Traveler Pledge.