San Diego has built a reputation for being the craft beer capital of the United States, which is no surprise to locals. 

There are two sides to every coin, and in San Diego, it might be difficult to imagine the two sides of the travel coin — one marked by air arrivals and the other by sea — looking more different than they did in 2011. Crippled by circumstances largely out of its control, the Port of San Diego is reporting some rather deflated leisure cruise statistics, while the airport is experiencing some relative stability. 

San Diego’s craft brewing industry has seen unmitigated growth through the recession. Breweries all over the county are expanding, new entrants are constantly emerging and national press has showered the community in hype paralleled only by its success at recent industry-wide competitions. 

Assiduous entrepreneur James Brennan — co-owner of San Diego exclusive nightclub Stingaree, as well as restaurants Searsucker, Burlap and Gingham — is planning on opening 15 restaurants in the next few years.