Wilmington Through a Local’s Eye: Christine Dionese
City Living Network and Christine Dionese are proud to launch Wilmington Days, Where the Beach Meets the City.
Christine Dionese, known for her career trajectory in integrative, epigenetic lifestyle medicine and helping to pioneer the medicinal food scene in Southern California has added a new job description to her resume, Wilmington Days’ Founder and Editor-in-Chief!
When you meet Christine you immediately sense how she values being part of the local community. Her lifelong career in holistic medicine has always been about teaching others that they can design a health-forward lifestyle beyond their wildest dreams and here she is, doing it herself with the debut of Wilmington Days.
When Christine moved from San Diego to the east coast she fell in love with the vibrant, close-knit community vibe of Wrightsville Beach and the city of Wilmington.
Here she shares her local’s eye favorites from where the beach meets the city!
Adapt Kitchen & Juice Bar
Organic coffee is a must in my life. THe first time I visited Adapt Kitchen & Juice Bar was when I moved here from San Diego — and little did they know they would instantly quell my homesickness by offering two of my favorite SoCal brands: Moon Juice and Sun Potion! I love that Adapt is in alignment with the frequency of nature — local organic ingredients, colorful superfoods, and teas and elixirs for newbies and savvy health-foodies alike. If you’re a local they’ll know your name and most likely your order after one or two times visiting!
Casa Prana
If you’ve met me, you know I take chemical-free living seriously. Casa Prana, a sustainable salon is Wilmington’s first 100% vegan, cruelty-free salon and spa. (They’re even a 5 Star ocean-friendly establishment certified and a Green Circle certified salon). I think of Casa Prana as a holistic oasis in the city — not only do their hair specialists offer whole-person hair, scalp and skin care, you can also visit for reiki and chakra transformation, foot reflexology, and lymphatic drainage!
Tidal Creek Food Co-op
Tidal Creek Food Co-op is one part grocery store and cafe, one part learning center, and all parts community-driven. For every $1 spent, about 68% returns to the community through donations and payroll! It’s really cool to shop and see a product on the shelf whose company is owned by your neighbor too. Stop by the cafe and try the Tropical Dragon or the Tonic Youth!
Airlie Point Yacht Charters
I have a thing for “nautical romantic” so Airlie Point Yacht Charters is at the top of my list for outdoor recreation. Depending on your mood, you can charter one of their immaculately restored boats like the “Duchess” for an easy cruise around the sound, or get away from the weekend tourists and head out to Masonboro or Lea Island. Bonus, you don’t have to lug your own paddle boards, Airlie has them onboard! Prefer to fish? They’ll even help you get fishing licenses for the day!
The Cargo District
I love the juxtaposition of modern industrial design on top of Wilmington’s historical aesthetic. The Cargo District delivers essentials I miss from SoCal like mixed-media hyper-local art and architecture, ultra-clean food options, creative work spaces, and thoughtfully curated gift shops.
Kid-Friendly Beach City Vibes
Since we’re just meeting, you’ll soon learn my 11-year-old daughter Milan goes just about everywhere with me. If you’re like me and you love to roll with the kiddos, everywhere I highlighted above opens their arms to your kids.
Visit Wilmington Days and show Christine some love:
