Located on Camino del Rio North street is Crack Taco Shop. The taco restaurant takes the corner space overlooking a parking lot full of customers. The walls are dipped in vibrant colors that include a portrait of Saint Mary in a psychedelic image. There is a sign that reads “Live Love Taco” beside the register. From the welcoming staff to the delicious cuisine, the little taco shop was an amazing recommendation from RelayPlay.
Residing in Denver, Colo., Edward Aminov sat in his home’s kitchenette to discuss RelayPlay via Zoom, a company he co-founded with his previous roommate Ron Baldwin.
“RelayPlay is a way to get personalized and unique experiences recommended to you every weekend by local experts,” said Aminov.
Instead of having to scroll countless hours on the internet for things to do in the San Diego area, RelayPlay customizes plans for you or your group to enjoy based on your profile.
I chose to create a profile on RelayPlay because I wanted to discover new things in San Diego other than the normal tourist attractions. So, I made an account on the San Diego RelayPlay website and created my profile. I answered questions like:
- Which do you prefer more, crowds or quiet environments?
- What are the most important details you would like to know before attending an activity or event?
- Rating categories (sports, music, dining, etc.) by how much I like or dislike them.
RelayPlay can also inform clients about pricing of the recommended events so users can budget beforehand.
Every Wednesday, your personalized experiences are sent to you on the RelayPlay website by a local expert. My expert, Lauren, suggested I try Crack Taco Shop because I placed Mexican food as one of my interests.
RelayPlay, like all creations, began with an idea sparked from curiosity.
A few months before the coronavirus paused the world, Aminov and Baldwin were living together in San Diego struggling to find new things to do. They asked themselves, “What can we do that is different?”
Through research on social media accounts, they noticed certain friends in San Diego who always knew what was going on in the community outside of normal tourist destinations. That’s when the light bulb appeared. They wanted to make this “friend” available for everyone by finding local experts.
Personally, I graduate this week from PLNU, and with assignments stacked up, an internship and a part-time job, I haven’t found time to enjoy my last weeks as an undergraduate student with the friends I made during my attendance. Through RelayPlay’s suggestion to visit Crack Taco Shop, I was able to enjoy some of the best tacos I ever tasted and finally get to see some friends before we all leave.
These are the experiences Aminov and Baldwin want to make a reality for those who use their website.
With weekly updates of new occasions to try and adding new designs to make the website stand out, RelayPlay moves forward in possibly expanding the platform to be offered in the top 100 cities in the U.S.
“Our priority as RelayPlay is to elevate experiences and to truly provide that personalization that all of us love,” said Aminov.
It is free to sign up on the RelayPlay website. But, you don’t have to sign up; people visiting the website can still be introduced to new experiences.
Because of Aminov and Baldwin’s creation, countless people are making memories that will last a lifetime. It is only a matter of time before RelayPlay might be the new way of planning a weekend getaway or even a vacation.
By: Kylie Miller
Katie Kepler 
Steve Anderson