What makes San Diego America’s Finest City? It’s the people, art and movements redefining the region’s cultural identity. The Finest is a podcast that highlights the emerging voices and dynamic forces reshaping community and expression.
Latest episodes
-
33 min
Bonus: Voice of San Diego Podcast on HBO's 'Neighbors' and orphaned bear cubs, plus great local dive bars
We're sharing an episode of the Voice of San Diego podcast that we think The Finest listeners will love. The VOSD team discusses HBO's "Neighbors," including an episode featuring a…
-
29 min
How Taylor Guitars changed the guitar industry — and helped revitalize an African forest in the process
Taylor Guitars is one of the world's best-known acoustic guitar makers, with roots in San Diego and a history of changing how guitars are designed and made. But founder Bob Taylor'…
-
37 min
Physics Girl spent her life explaining science. Then science couldn't explain her illness
Dianna Cowern, better known as Physics Girl, built a career explaining science to millions of people. But after a mild case of COVID, she developed debilitating symptoms that left…
-
20 min
Nicole Hernandez's music crosses borders, languages and genres
San Diego musician Nicole Hernandez grew up in Tijuana with a Cuban father and a mother from Sinaloa, Mexico. The music she heard growing up, from salsa and reggaeton to hip-hop, n…
-
30 min
What we lose with remote work — and could working together (at a baseball game) fix it?
A viral beach meetup in Pacific Beach brought hundreds of remote workers together to work in the sun. It also raised a bigger question: If working from home gives us so much freedo…
-
33 min
A comic book challenges the way California tells its history (July 2025)
The Kumeyaay have long told stories through rock art, vivid images carved into stone that preserved culture, memory and meaning. Today, that tradition continues in a new comic book…
-
32 min
The US has a loneliness problem. Maybe we need book clubs more than ever | Live at the KPBS San Diego Book Fes…
At the KPBS San Diego Book Festival, we brought together three organizers from very different book clubs to talk about the communities they've built around reading. Enid Sherman ha…
-
24 min
'End of the 8': How a group of friends made San Diego's newest sitcom
What started as a few skits between friends has grown into one of San Diego's most talked-about independent creative projects. The creators of "End of the 8" take us behind the sce…
-
53 min
Best of KPBS Podcasts - Port of Entry & The Finest
Best of KPBS Podcasts brings the best of KPBS storytelling to our listeners. Each episode features curated highlights from across the KPBS podcast lineup, paired with conversations…
-
35 min
What makes art human? Inside animation's AI reckoning
Every new technology changes the way art is made. Generative AI is pushing those questions into the spotlight faster than many artists expected. As with other big leaps in industry…
-
37 min
Why everyone is reading romantasy (July 2025)
We’re revisiting a classic episode from Season 1, reported from Comic-Con 2025.Romantasy has become one of the fastest-growing book genres in publishing — a blend of epic love stor…
-
30 min
Finding your own form of protest: Koy Sun on art, resistance and slowing down
How can we speak up in a way that feels authentic? How can we build something instead of just reacting? Whether it's marching in the streets, advocating for our collective rights o…
-
30 min
Why Americans 'fear, loathe and deny' aging — and how one thrift store wants to change that
Downsizing is rarely just about getting rid of stuff. It's about grief, family, identity and deciding what parts of a lifetime move into the next chapter. In this episode, we visit…
-
26 min
'Nature-deficit disorder' and the surprising science of paying attention outdoors
Twenty years after coining "nature-deficit disorder," author Richard Louv is still asking a simple question: What happens when we lose our connection to nature? On a hike through V…
-
28 min
A Costco tattoo, a rotisserie chicken and a community
What can a warehouse store tell us about community? At UC San Diego, the Costco Club has become one of the campus’ most recognizable student organizations, bringing people together…
-
26 min
The songs we write when life doesn't come with answers
At a live taping of KPBS' Sun Drenched Sounds music series, three San Diego artists share music and the stories behind it. Divina talks about building her own sound through live lo…
-
26 min
Mahjong is having a moment. What that says about how we connect
Why is everyone suddenly playing mahjong? From neighborhood meetups to viral social media posts, interest in the game is growing fast. This episode explores mahjong's history, its…
-
33 min
The Pokémon economy: The real cost of catching 'em all
Pokémon started as something simple: trading cards on the playground, Game Boys passed around between friends and the dream of catching 'em all. Thirty years later, it's the highes…
-
28 min
An electric streetcar network once crisscrossed San Diego. What if we got it back?
Long before San Diego became defined by freeways, parking shortages and long commutes, electric streetcars connected the region's urban core to beaches, business districts and grow…
-
28 min
The rise, fall and comeback of pro skateboarder Brandon Turner
San Diego skateboarder Brandon Turner moved up quickly in the sport, moving from local skate spots to major sponsorships and world tours. From skateboarding prodigy to rock bottom,…