With Memorial Day behind us, it’s safe to say it’s officially summer in San Diego. While the early June Gloom and sporadic rain drops may be currently interrupting our beach weekend plans, the weather is warming up and long beach days in the hot sun are just around the corner.

Summer may be the season of carefree fun, but before we get to that state of ease, we have some work to do. Let this blog be your source for summer-ready style - from your soft, bronze skin to your tight bikini clad body.

Get your body fit

It’s time to finally burn off the extra pounds you packed on over the winter holiday - and ignored straight through your New Year’s resolution and well into spring. San Diego’s newest downtown gym, FIT, is the absolute best spot to work out for your summer body. Check out the Padres game during an outdoor Yoga class, or stay inside and work up a sweat on your pick of new-age cardio machines.

Another great way to get in shape for summer is to find an outdoor walking or running track. I recommend the Mission Bay walk by the bay (way less crowded than the beachside board walk) as well as the downtown San Diego Harbor boardwalk, from Little Italy to Seaport Village. Here are some more ideas for outdoor San Diego walking trails.

Once you have a body to brag about, get yourself a hot bikini or one piece bathing suit. The San Diego bikinis I love this year are from Sauvage - a huge brand that just launched a new boutique on Prospect in La Jolla. They’re a bit pricey - but extremely flattering and stylish.

Get your skin soft and tan

No one wants to see dry, rough skin on the San Diego beaches. Head to one of the many great San Diego day spas for a hydrating body wrap or indulgent Vichy shower treatment. Spa services like these help to rejuvenate your skin with moisture while removing all toxins.

Other necessary summer-ready spa services are waxing - Bikini waxes for the ladies and chest and back waxes for the man - as well as massages to relax after your harsh summer-ready workouts at the gym. After your skin is refreshed, pick out one of the best tanning lotions and head to the beach, or stay inside and get a bronze base at one of the many tanning salons in San Diego. Get some help finding the best San Diego spas here.

Now, get to the beach

Once your body is tightened-up, softened-out and tanned (or tan-ready), head to one of the many beautiful beaches in San Diego. My favorite summer beach spots are in Del Mar and La Jolla - but there’s nothing wrong with a fun beach party down in Mission or Pacific Beach. This summer, leave the alcohol at home - or think of a good hiding spot - as the San Diego beach alcohol ban is in full effect. Keep up to date on California beach laws here.

Following the 2008 Solana Beach shark attack, it may be wise to keep a close eye on beach safety - from the water condition to the shark alerts and lifeguards on duty. Get an overview of recommended beach safety here.

From the San Diego Zoo to Quail Botanical Gardens, San Diego’s diverse entertainment scene boasts many great Mother’s Day celebrations. From the traditional to the completely atypical, San Diego offers ideas for moms on every angle of the spectrum.

Bring Mom to an elegant brunch at the Hotel Del Coronado.

Treat Mom to what she really wants—a Chocolate Festival at Quail Botanical Gardens.

Take Mom for a walk on the wild side at the San Diego Zoo Mother’s Day Sleepover.

Twirl Mom around for a great cause at the Mama Loves Mambo Mother’s Day charity event benefiting Mama’s Kitchen.

Surprise Mom for a day of beauty and pampering at one of San Diego’s famed spas and salons.

Shock Mom with an afternoon of shopping at one of San Diego’s new boutiques.

Toast to Mom on the Hornblower Mother’s Day Sunday Brunch Cruise.

There are so many entertainment options this Mother’s Day in San Diego—you have no excuse not to plan something. Be creative and cater your plan to something Mom will really enjoy.

Although this Cinco de Mayo won’t be the traditional sombrero and margarita filled extravaganza, I have a feeling this year’s celebration is going to be the best one yet. I’m going to the Jeans for Justice charity event in Rancho Santa Fe. A few good friends of mine are modeling the jeans, and another friend of mine donated his time to make a few pairs of jeans, or should I say—wearable art.

If you guys haven’t heard of this charity event, you should definitely check out their website. Basically, a lot of locals donated their used designer jeans to the organization Consciously Social—and from there, national and local San Diego artists volunteered to rip ‘em up and transform them into wearable art. There is going to be a huge fashion show with local models, and a live auction for the jeans.

With respect to Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the proceeds generated by the jeans and ticket sales benefit the San Diego Center for Community Solutions. The event is at a beautiful estate out in Rancho Santa Fe. It’s not only a great cause, and great event—but it’s going to be a great way to spend Cinco de Mayo. I hope to see a lot of benevolent San Diego shoppers there!

Maybe I should break out my sombrero and tequila a week early to break even. What do you think?

Tourists from all over the world choose California as a vacation destination. But many tourists differ when it comes to what city to visit in California. San Diego and San Francisco are both regarded as great cities to spend a vacation, but all San Diego travel accommodations are better than anything San Francisco has to offer. I will show you the top 10 reasons why San Diego is a better tourist city than San Francisco.

Sightseeing & Tours

1. Take a tour of the San Diego Harbor. The Harbor Cruise is a great family attraction.
2. Old Town is San Diego’s most ancient neighborhood. Enjoy an abundance of authentic Mexican restaurants, shops, and street fairs. Take the trolley tour to soak it all in.
3. Tijuana is just around the corner. Hop on the trolley and zip across the border for tacos and sightseeing.

Entertainment

4. Balboa Park boasts more than 25 attractions and museums. Bring the family by day for California history and Aerospace adventures; and friends by night for the “Culture and Cocktails” art exhibits.
5. San Diego is home to three famous parks: Sea World, San Diego Zoo, and the Wild Animal Park.

Beauty & Shopping

6. Couture fashion is taking this beach town by storm, inside and out. First pamper yourself at one of San Diego’s spas and salons, and then give your wardrobe a makeover shopping at San Diego’s finest mall stores and boutiques.

Nightlife

7. Downtown San Diego is booming with hot nightlife spots from dive bars, to posh lounges, and dance clubs.
8. From fresh sushi with friends to romantic gourmet cuisine, San Diego restaurants offer it all.

Beach & Bay

9. Pacific Beach, La Jolla, and Del Mar showcase the best sand and surf in California
10. Mission Bay offers an unmatched acquatic park- smooth sailing for water sports.

I admit eating a bowl of clam chowder and gazing out at the Golden Gate Bridge is a great experience, but I’d still rather be riding my bike down the Pacific Beach boardwalk in 75 degree weather any day. Sorry San Francisco, San Diego is the best tourist city in California.

Not the newest of news, but something interesting I came across that transpired recently in a local mall. Anyone catch a cell phone shot?

“Would You Rather…” is a somewhat-meaningless modern interpretation of the traditional “question and answer” game. Rather than providing your own answer to the question, this new game offers up two alternate answers, one of which the contestant must choose. A typical episode is usually hypothetical, and almost-never dramatized. Such as, “would you rather chug two gallons of water in three minutes, or not have a drink of water for three days?”

After reading about two San Diego models performing a fur-feud episode, I realize that, sometimes, there’s nothing fictional or funny about this game. In a press release titled Sexy Fur Foes Team Up With PETA to Bare the Truth About Bloody Burberry a PETA official states that professional models Meggan Anderson and Christina Cho (seen here as a “caged chick”), as seen on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, MAD TV, and Veronica Mars, would “Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur.“.

San Diego’s own Fashion Valley Shopping Mall, home to hundreds of plaid-fur-hunting housewives, was the chosen locale for a PETA protest, led by the brave and bare models. The San Diego Burberry Location was, exclusively, the target of the model’s mantra. I think it’s great that a seemingly-transparent and hypothetical game, when mixed with two naked models, can produce positive results for animal safety, the environment, and San Diego fashion.

So with today having been Black Friday and all, the biggest shopping day of the year, it’s likely that from here till New Years shopping will be on the rise. So where in San Diego are the best deals and unique gifts to be found?

I’m familiar with the Cedros Design District which has its fair share of awesome little shops and galleries, the upscale boutique shopping in La Jolla, and the standard malls such as UTC, Fashion Valley, and Horton Plaza.

What other options are you considering for getting a great deal, something special, and hopefully avoiding the otherwise endless lines and frantic crowds?

Here’s a shortlist of some shopping resources:

• San Diego Shopping Links
• San Diego Clothes Stores
• Rules about Gift Certificates