While the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new era of screen time Zoom teleconferencing, more Netflix than anyone thought possible and FaceTime as a way to socialize it also seems to have brought out a lot of authors and other creatives in our own backyard.
Here’s a look at the local books, murals and more of the past year, as well as the inventive ways that arts institutions have continued to provide programming during the pandemic.
January
Polar Bear Plunge: An estimated 400 people participate in the Polar Bear Plunge on New Year’s Day at La Jolla Shores. Sponsored by the La Jolla Cove Swim Club, the plunge is a 30-year-old local tradition in which La Jollans and others rush into the cold ocean for play or swim.
If 2020 has proved anything, it’s that La Jollans don’t lose their fighting spirit.
As the world battled the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, locals hopped online or otherwise did what they could for various causes whether it be neighborhood character, racial justice or adapting to ever-changing public health restrictions to keep their businesses open. All of this without in-person entertainment, meetings and events and while staying masked and socially distanced.
Through Dec. 26, residents of La Jolla’s 92037 ZIP code had registered 833 cases of the virus. San Diego County’s cumulative cases stood at 145,779 as of Dec. 27, with more than 1,400 related deaths.