Golden San Diego | City Journal
In Top Gun: Maverick, the 2022 sequel to the movie Top Gun, Tom Cruise reprises his role as the raffish fighter pilot who stole both his instructor s heart and America s back in 1986. Joining Cruise s Maverick is not Anthony Edwards s Goose (long gone) or Val Kilmer s Iceman (a mere cameo) but the original film s true costar: the city of San Diego.
From its shots of the clear skies over Naval Air Station Miramar to the breathtaking ocean views at Point Loma to the city s beachside Craftsman houses, the original movie s portrayal of San Diego reflected California s status as a global icon. The city was youthful, brash, optimistic, and thoroughly American a testament to the nation s late Cold War confidence. Thirty-six years later, Maverick again hits the sand, races his Kawasaki motorcycle down the coast, and gets the girl. The sequel features a richer plot and more mature characters than did its predecessor, but San Diego remains just as romantic as the first time around. Director Joseph Kosinski set out to depict the perfect version of California, he told the press, replacing the orange haze of the original movie with Pacific Ocean blues and Torrey Pines greens. While the aesthetic has evolved, the city s patriotism, celebration of martial competence, and positive spirit persist.
These days, however, the country finds itself on less stable footing. Rather than awaiting the crack-up of a geopolitical rival, it is watching a new one consolidate power. The idea of a presidential candidate from either party tallying 500-some electoral votes, as Ronald Reagan did in 1984, is now unimaginable. And California itself has changed: its elections have become intraparty affairs, with zero Republicans winning a statewide race since 2006; its economy, while generating returns for the well-to-do, leaves many families struggling to afford homes. What was once the promised land for America s middle class has become a site of mass exodus.
Yet Top Gun: Maverick s portrayal of San Diego as an optimistic beacon turns out to be surprisingly accurate. The city isn t free from difficulties, but it is better governed than its coastal counterparts. In San Diego, a multiethnic, civic patriotism flourishes alongside a relatively functional economy, making it the Golden State s true standout city.
Weeellll, it’s not too bad I suppose. The Padres won and the weather today was spectacular even for April in San Diego. It’ll do for the time being.