Do you hate to shop at malls in California? Never fear–and never step inside. There are many beach shopping plazas, outdoor markets and options that allow you to soak up every ounce of fresh air that blows east from that sweet Pacific Ocean breeze in California. The most popular events are the 100+ farmer’s markets held throughout the state. Some overlook the ocean and many are located on city streets and shopping plaza parking lots. Selling food, handcrafted items such as jewelry, ceramics and beach-themed gifts such as surfboard shapes, swimsuits and Hawaiian print shirts and skirts, shopping doesn’t have to be stuffy.
If you went to a California beach on typical summer weekend recently, you would have experienced large crowds along the coast from San Francisco to San Diego. People come by the millions to the beach during those summer days to experience weekend getaways. Hotels fill up, the skies are blue and everyone returns home after a few hours or days a little more tanned, relaxed and ready for the week ahead. If you are like me, sitting at your office desk and sighing about the weekend, take a moment to look at a photo you took, or think about how nice it was. Those mini-breaks can sustain you till the next great weekend vacation. (Note: Even though I spent my time in Cleveland enjoying rock & roll, baseball and museums, the pleasure it brought was equally fulfilling. And when I returned to L.A., I saw millions of cars clogging the freeways in bumper to bumper traffic, heading for the beach. My on location reporters told me the beaches were packed, and brought me the photos to prove it.)
Some people find there’s nothing more refreshing than a summer day with the sunshine beating down on your body, warming every fiber of your being. A few places have recently created laws akin to prohibition, however. One such city, Huntington Beach, recently enacted a policy prohibiting nudity in one’s own yard. Because there are so many naturists from around the globe that seek the California sun, we’re always trying to update the California Nude Beaches List.
Ever want to go to Ocean Beach? You may be thinking of “OB” in San Diego or the San Francisco version. What about Mother’s Beach? That could be Marina del Rey, Long Beach, Huntington Beach or other beaches along the coast named for their inlet locations and gentle waters. While it may seem redundant to discuss or write about beach names that often take on the city location name such as Pismo Beach beaches, Pismo Beaches or Pismo Beach’s beaches, the names are fun and and are often served up with a Latin twist. Pacifica, Playa del Rey, Solano Beach, Encinitas, Bodega Bay, Oceano, Guadalupe, Ventura, Laguna Beach and San Clemente are California beaches that sport the Spanish influence so prominent in a region. Most the Spanish beach names actually translate into words with meanings in English. How hard is it to name a beach? While many names are only recognized locally and culturally among segments of the population such as surfers, ask a local what a beach is called and you may get an interesting answer.
What does it take to become California’s top surfer girl? It doesn’t require coming from the West Coast of the USA. You don’t need diamonds to make it rich. What it takes is practice, practice and stamina, among other things to become the top female surfer. It’s an honor that Stephanie Gilmore of Australia earned through hard work, skill and endurance in the 2007 Honda U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. “I’m so stoked,” the tired, but ecstatic surfer champ said as she took 10 before her next competition in a series of contests that travel from beach town to beach town around the globe.
What California beaches do you know about? we asked people in Cleveland this week as we played “tourist” and were wow’ed! by all the incredible things going on in a city that’s pretty easy to get to from California. (Cleveland is a hub for Continental Airline.) Visitors in Cleveland came from places such as California, Oklahoma, Texas, Washington D.C., Maryland, New York, Michigan, and Boston, Mass. The Boston Red Sox played the Cleveland Indians and whomped them, so many visitors who came for the baseball game were ecstactic to see Boston win. But as for California, people interviewed at the Rock Hall of Fame have visited beaches in California with names: Santa Monica, Venice, Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Diego. How do they feel about these places? They think the weather is great but the traffic sucks, especially around L.A. Most like California beaches, but feel the East Coast beaches are every bit as nice. It seems California isn’t the only game as far as beaches go.
It’s hard to believe the US Open of Surfing has come and is ending soon. In my opinion, it is one of the top Southern California beach events. We grabbed several videos of the mellow crowds and surfers during the mid-week competition. The finale weekend gets crazy…so you really have to go early if you plan to park nearby. Location: Huntington Beach Pier, Pacific Coast Highway & Main Street, HB, CA. Where to park? Beach lots till they’re full. City streets…then walk.
One of California’s “funnest” harbors is in Long Beach. It’s no wonder. With claims such as having the largest municipal harbor in the USA (home to around 4,000 or so boat slips), the historic Queen Mary ship (on the auction block in Aug. 2007- do you want to buy it?), and a water taxi service operated by the City of Long Beach, this forward thinking destination makes traveling fun. We like to do overnighters, staying at either the Queen Mary, a downtown hotel on Ocean, or the Hyatt Regency overlooking the harbor. A visit to Long Beach would not be complete without a daytrip to Catalina Island. The minimum visit by boat is approx. 4 hours (nearly an hour going and returning). While this sort of posting normally gets placed in beachcalifornia hotel reviews blog, Long Beach is worth a day trip for those staying at Disneyland, Santa Monica or Orange County beaches.
I sometimes get in trouble for publicizing the hidden gems beaches in California. El Segundo is one such beach where locals prefer you don’t talk about their spot. Parking could be an issue if too many people came to this L.A. beach. Hidden in “plane” view near LAX, it is an unassuming beach at the bottom of a parking lot between several better known spots, Dockweiler State Beach and Manhattan Beach. For years, I wasn’t aware of Torrance Beach till a local told me I needed to provide coverage. Likewise, El Segundo Beach is one of those places you can drive by a hundred times and never notice. Yet it has its charms. The surrounding neighborhood of homes range from quaint cottages to expensive, newly-built properties. The beach features an adjoining paved path that runs for miles, providing bicycling, skating and jogging opportunities.
It always amazes me when I visit the Central (California) Coast beaches to see the cars in a steady stream, driving along the sand. There are surfers, sunbathers, windsurfers, and All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) pleasure seekers buzzing along on this one coastal plain that’s sandy, sunny, usually windy and open to all sorts of entertainment, including horseback riding. When you ask locals about Southern California beaches in L.A. and Orange County, most seem somewhat ambivelant. Why? Those beaches don’t offer all the entertainment and recreation to be had on the Central Coast beaches. For beach lovers seeking pure beach, this is the spot!
The TV news crews were out today, interviewing beach attendees about the pigeons and birds that flock around the Pismo Beach pier and beaches. Most people said the birds have always been an integral part of the local beach scene. The birds don’t really bother them. The birds are creating major pollution in the water, however, according to water quality reports. The water has even been deemed not fit to go into several times this year. What to do? Should the birds go…our the people stay out of the water? Maybe like Yosemite where bears roam, people can learn to clean up their food and trash and keep it away from the birds to help alleviate the problem.
Summer’s halfway gone…at least by “back-to-school” standards. While the days are long and the sun sets after 8 p.m., summer’s heading toward its end at the California Beaches. Those in the know can recall that the best beach sunbathing begins around September and runs through October. That’s when the crowds thin, the heat waves come and the hotel prices go down a bit in many beach cities (not in Carmel-by-the-Sea). Bay area folks seem to know about the great fall temps and they book their retreats and holidays for September / October in places like Carmel, where bookings remain strong. But for the mass of sunbathing beaches in Southern California, Orange County, Los Angeles and San Diego, the end of summer isn’t such a bad thing at all.
Long Beach recently got negative publicity for ranking lowest in water quality of the Los Angeles beaches. Yet as we search today’s reports on (www.healthebay.org), we see the over 90 percent of the beaches in LB are ranking with a score of A instead of F. Then, a beach that we just visited that overlooks the Port of L.A., Cabrillo Beach, ranked very low near the lifeguard tower and parking lot where kids were swimming in the serene looking waters not far from huge tankers from China. Healthebay.org is a good source for checking out histories of beaches and their water quality. Unfortunately, it takes real people to trek to each beach and gather water samples. The lag time between test results and posting may not always protect you from bad water. But at least the web site and track records serve to alert the public to long-term problem areas.
As you travel the California Coast, you may discover some beaches that are either closed because A) a person has put up a gate or B) there are signs about the beach protecting some sort of bird or animal. Places where you’ll find signs include Malibu (people signs to keep other people out), Lompoc’s Ocean beach, a protected nesting area for birds, Piedras Blancas near San Simeon’s Hearst Castle for elephant seals that molt and even Northern California’s Sea Ranch where you need to keep your distance for the sea lions and elephant seals. If the closures are a bit discouraging, there usually are beaches nearby where you can gain access.
California Fairs — What is a county without a fair? Throughout the USA, fairs are a way to bring people together with animals and celebrate food, farm and fun. In big cities such as L.A., TV ads make fun of city people who’ve never seen a cow or know where their milk or beef comes from. That’s the beauty of fairs in places where there is too much city life and not enough connection with the earth. Add to the farm and harvest aspects of a fair some horse racing (such as Del Mar), or concerts with famous bands and you have yourself a merry little time. We attended a typical California fair yesterday and found just as we entered the gate (where 20,000 visitors passed through in one hour), a family that goes to the fair each year. The kids have grown from babies to teens but have always embraced the chance to share the fair. It’s a bonding experience, says one teen boy, who stands with his mom, aunt, grandma, cousins and siblings. Fairs are a bit corny (as in roasted corn and corn dogs), they’re a bit hammy (as in pig races) and they’re tons of fun. The fair usually offers an affordable day of merriment, as long as you watch the rides, the vendor sales and expensive meals. But compared to Disneyland with its $60 admission, a $10 entry fee doesn’t look so exorbitant.
Tourists and locals sometimes just like to take a boat ride. Nevermind that they call it a taxi service. For under $10, you can take trips around some of California’s bays. San Diego Bay Ferry between Coronado & San Diego, Balboa Ferry, Long Beach Aqualink, and Alameda or Oakland Ferry (about $1 more for round trip fare), have the coast covered from the southern border to the bay area. Smaller water taxi services in Oxnard’s Channel Island Harbor and intermittent service in places such as Eureka (between Woodley Island and downtown Eureka), offer additional options. These are the poor man’s pleasure trips out on the water. More expensive excursions can range from boat rentals to luxury cruises.
Who you gonna’ call for entertainment when they’ve seen it all at the beach? Call a Monkee, of course! California summers put tourists and locals on overdrive with the free outdoor concerts. For instance, Monkee Micky Dolenz performed free at Fashion Island in Newport Beach on July 11. Wednesdays during the summer you can see an all star line up of musical artists at this venue, or head up coast to Seal Beach where you can see sunset concerts at the pier. In Santa Monica on Thursday nights the Santa Monica Pier Concert Series features Grammy nominees with Latin, Salsa, Blues and a variety of sounds. The outdoor concerts throughout California during the summer months are amazing. If it’s Sunday, then you gotta’ see Surfing Sunday Concerts in Huntington Beach. There are hundreds of free concerts each week. But some of our favorites are at the beach where the weather is cool and breezy. We list them as we find them on the Calendar of Events.
Countless restaurants (hundreds) in Southern California have ocean views. But our favorites are those that offer outdoor dining, the ocean in view and no car traffic nor cement walls & enclosed building spaces between you and the beach. There’s something really special about these beach cafes and restaurants, though they are few. One of the coolest is The Beach House in Cardiff-by-the-Sea. It’s been a while since I tried the food, but I will never forget the outdoor tables near a bank of boulders (where the ocean on rare occasion has been known to splash). Right in front of you the beach-goers pass by and surfers catch waves not far offshore. Really cool! In San Clemente the gem is right on the pier. The Fishermans Restaurant & Bar is awesome. With history, a hearty menu and daily drink specials, how much better can life be, than being above the sea with your meal. Finding these spots is not rocket science, but the effort requires getting out and trying them. And be forewarned, they may not be intimate dining spots for a romantic date, as they are susceptible to weather conditions and some people can’t handle a cool breeze or some wind.
It has been over 100 years since the Red Car operations began transporting people from “the mountains to the sea” in an extensive 1,000 mile rail system that once served Los Angeles and the Southern California beaches. With the cost of gas on the rise, you can only imagine how popular this red car train might be today. The problem with a large number of public transportation systems is that they are not money-makers, however. The Pacific Electric Red Car was reportedly not a profitable proposition even in the height of its popularity. The system was finally shut down around 1961. Cities such as Huntington Beach have at their disposal $250,000 (supplied by another government-subsidized agency, Orange County Transportation Authority) in grant monies to study the viability of rebuilding such systems, though they now face challenges with right of way issues. A perfect example of the popularity of a beach train is available in San Diego County, where the Coaster runs from Oceanside to downtown San Diego’s Amtrak station. And you need only visit San Pedro, another beach town, to see an actual red car in action. Visitors and locals can hop aboard a short rail system (one of approx. 18 historical rail systems in the US) to gain a feel for what it was like to ride the red car. A Red Car Museum in Seal Beach pays tribute to the Golden Days of trains, though the vehicle sits on a patch of grass, land-locked in what was once the beach train right of way.
Summer is the season for romance at the beach, a la Shakespeare. It’s simply classic! Long Beach Shakespeare Company’s free outdoor performance of Romeo & Juliet on the grass lawns of Aquarium of the Pacific is sponsored courtesy of a L.A. County Supervisor Don Knabe (way to go!) As the sun goes down on a breezy, easy, lazy Long Beach Saturday or Sunday evening, it’s a real treat to get out and sniff the barbecue seafood aromas coming from restaurants that line Rainbow Harbor where the make-shift theater is located. I came by boat (Aqualink bus service from Alamitos Landing), and paid the same price as Aquarium parking ($6), minus the wait in summer beach traffic, to experience Shakespeare Southern California beach-style. Located at 100 Aquarium Way, Long Beach, CA, the show begins at 6 p.m. with jesters and juggling, then moves into the play at 6:30 p.m. Check the web link for performances and dates. (www.lbshakespeare.org)