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Posts Tagged ‘California’

Best Beaches In Los Angeles

September 1st, 2010 No comments
Beach volleyball players; Huntington Beach, Ca...
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Los Angeles is a city with an abundant number of beaches, each of which has its positives and negatives. Various beaches are famous for different reasons and attract crowds with specific interests. With the array of types of beaches to be found and the various activities that are enjoyed at each location, the best beaches actually fall into several different categories, largely determined by common use.

The Best Beaches for Sand and Water Sports

Manhattan Beach – A historic hangout for the Beach Boys in their early years, this urban beach is attracts a range of visitors with unique interests. It is a great place to spend a quiet afternoon and people watch.

It is also purported to be the birthplace of beach volleyball and the location of one of the world’s most cut-throat competitions in the sport, the Manhattan Beach Open Volleyball Championships held each August.

Many visitors and Los Angeles residents consider Manhattan Beach to be among the best surfing locations within the city limits as well. It is the site of an annual Surf Festival held each August.

There are many other activities to keep you busy at Manhattan Beach, including swimming, fishing from the pier, and walking or biking along developed paths. There is an aquarium on the pier and the beach is also home to a sandcastle building contest each August.

Zuma Beach – Located 20 miles south of Los Angeles, this beach is a huge spot for surfers and one that real enthusiasts find well worth the drive. The beach is also considered one of the best spots for body-surfing and boogie-boarding.

Fishing and swimming are common activities for visitors and Zuma Beach also has several beach volleyball courts and walking paths. The site is also a prime location for whale watching in the winter months.

The Best Beaches for Kids

Redondo Beach – With a variety of activities to keep the youngsters entertained, Redondo Beach is considered one of the best in the Los Angeles area for kids. This urban beach is the site of a seaside community by the same name and one of the many State Beaches in California. It is bustling with activity on the weekend due to is convenient location and especially busy in the summer months.

Even with the high number of visitors, Redondo Beach has a great deal to offer for families looking for fun in the sun. Poor surfing conditions make this an excellent beach for swimmers.

There are paved paths along the beach for roller skating, skateboarding and bike riding. The pier is full of various activities and vendors, and a weekly farmers’ market is held each Thursday in Veterans Park just above the beach.

Santa Monica Beach – One of the most famous beaches in the Los Angeles area. Just a short drive from L.A., it’s a perfect place to spend the entire day with the family. The beach runs north of the Santa Monica Pier which is home to the Pacific Park Amusement Park.

The Santa Monica Pier seen from an altitude of...
Image via Wikipedia

The beach itself includes bike baths, walking paths and seven volleyball courts. Swimming and surfing are also popular, as is fishing from the pier.

The Best Getaway Beaches

Paradise Cove – A smaller, more secluded beach a short drive south of L.A., Paradise Cove offers an old-time beach experience. While this traditional beach is privately owned and a small admittance fee is required, it’s a perfect place to spend a day away from the touristy crowds.

Swimming, tide pooling, bodysurfing and beach volleyball are available. The beach is home to a restaurant as well.

Dockweiler Beach – Rarely crowded in spite of its convenient location, Dockweiler Beach is a three-mile stretch of L.A. coastline not surrounded by houses or other buildings.

The beach is the only place in Los Angeles County where you can still have a bonfire. It offers bike and walking paths, bicycle and skate rental, surfing, swimming, beach volleyball and hand gliding lessons.

The Best Social Beach

Venice Beach – Both an oceanfront community and a beach, Venice is among the most famous of the area’s beaches and a quirky hot spot for local residents and tourists alike. This sandy beach offers all the usually trappings, including bike and walking paths, surfing, swimming and beach volleyball.

The beachfront is a bustling center for all sorts of activities. Artists, vendors, restaurants and musicians line the walkways and streets along the beachfront every day, with weekends being even busier, especially in the summer. It’s a great spot for people watching in addition to a fun afternoon in the sun.

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Anaheim’s Cornucopia Of Attractions

July 10th, 2010 No comments

Anaheim, California is one of the best locations for a family vacation that exists in the United States. With an array of activities for young and old, the region offers fun and excitement for all members of your family. Whether you’re planning a family getaway or a romantic retreat, this Orange County gem will surely give you just what you’re looking for.

Perhaps the best-known attraction in all of Anaheim is Disneyland. This is one of the top reasons Anaheim is a prime family destination spot. Children long for the experience, and adults can feel like kids again when they visit Disneyland. But the theme park is only one among many activities for you to enjoy with your family.

Just a short drive from Anaheim, you’ll find Newport Beach, one of the best locations for whale watching in the world. Various whales of many species pass through the waters off the coast of California throughout the year. Newport Beach is only a short jaunt from Anaheim and gives you the opportunity to see whales, dolphins, and sea lions in their natural habitat.

Dana Point is another prime spot for whale and dolphin viewing. Dana is also a common destination for those interested in sport fishing. Dana Point is less than a 40-minute drive from Anaheim and can be a great day trip for you and your loved ones while visiting Orange County.

If you’re looking for other day activities for the family to enjoy together, you should consider the Flightdeck Air Combat Center. The center offers the chance for civilians to climb into the cockpit of fighter jets. Flight simulators allow you to experience the realistic thrill of piloting an F-16 for anywhere between 40 and 70 minutes. Guests not participating in fight simulation can comfortably enjoy the show via video monitors from the Officers Club at the center. Reservations are required, and booking in advance of your trip allows you to take advantage of the occasional price discounts offered by the center.

For those interested in the performing arts, Anaheim offers a wide variety of live performances and musical arrangements. Theater performances include those hosted by the Orange County Center for the Performing Arts. Broadway-style shows, magic acts, and other events are held regularly at the center and tickets can be obtained in advance of your trip to Anaheim.

Smaller plays are held at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. Other programs are available at the Long Beach Performing Arts Center, and the drive between Anaheim and Long Beach is short and enjoyable. Enjoy a play, musical, or dance performance at any of these venues, and make memories to treasure for years to come.

You may be interested in planning your trip during the Orange County Fair. A trip to Southern California during the fair promises many family activities. The fair has all the trappings of a small county fair only with larger flare and style. Events include magic performances, live music, dancing, and great fair foods.

If you’re a sports fan you may want to catch a game or check out a practice session while in Anaheim. Catch a baseball game at Arrowhead Pond or Angel Stadium. Or take in a Ducks’ hockey game in Anaheim. The Honda Center is another prime spot for finding a game.

The Honda Center hosts many performances throughout the year as well. From pop, rap and rock concerts to ice dancing and skating shows, there is always something going on at the center.

Anaheim is within a day’s drive of many other Southern California locations. You may decide that Los Angeles is the order of the day. Or perhaps you’re interested in seeing Hollywood. Regardless of where you make your daytrip plans, you’ll find you can easily rent a car, enjoy a leisurely drive to a big city, and take in some of the activities offered there as well.

If you’re looking for a night of fun on the town, Anaheim has many enjoyable bars, clubs and restaurants. Dinner on the town with your family can be a nice, quiet way to spend the evening. Or you may decide that a show at Disneyland sounds like fun.

For those without small children, you may be interested in stopping in a few of the better bars in the greater-Anaheim area. The Anaheim GardenWalk is a great place for nightlife, featuring casual bars, modern dance clubs, and tons of restaurants. It can be a perfect place for you and your spouse to spend a night out alone during your vacation.

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Manhattan: A Unique California Beach

December 10th, 2009 No comments

There’s a lot of great things about Southern California: the sun, the sand, the surfing. It’s in our cultural heritage, our cultural perception that if it has anything to do with sun, sand, and surf, then it must be California. Most people don’t immediately conjure images of Hawaii or Miami — nope, that instant image plugs right into the So-Cal scene. This usually means Los Angeles. Of course, this probably has less to do with any inherent qualities and more to do with the fact all the cameras happen to be in Los Angeles.

What we perceive is seldom what is true. This drives our cultural perceptions about a great many things. But, sticking with this idea of beach culture and “California vibes” brings us back to LA. Sure, the old movie moguls moved out here because of the perpetually sunny weather. Yes, it was a great idea, but it was also a massive evasion. The moguls moved west to avoid copyright infringement suits back East. So, even in its inception, the movie industry was trying to balance practicality and evasion.

And we can’t forget about a quality that is all too human: laziness. Just because you want to make a movie set in Miami or the Bahamas doesn’t necessarily mean you have the money to fly there and shoot there. Here is how the LA basin comes in handy for make-belief. You take the camera and crew down to Manhattan Beach and pretend it’s the Bahamas or Africa or wherever. I think this get to something inherent in Southern Californian culture: make belief.

It’ a triple P. Pretending, projecting, and preening are all qualities associated with movie culture, otherwise known as Hollywood. So, it follows that LA and a culture of self-aggrandizement should go hand-in-glove. And so, since all the cameras and broadcasters are located in LA, the rest of the country — and the world — have come to think that LA is some kind of center. For what, is still debatable.

If you want to understand the reality of Los Angeles and its outlying suburbs and affiliates cities is to come live here. Yes, that is a harrowing proposition, but if you want to understand a culture, you must be immersed in it. Plan your stay for about two or three years. Any more and you’ll never leave, any less and you’ll think you should have stayed longer. The area has that kind of appeal. It lulls you into thinking you may be discovered just around the corner — even if you’ve never thought about acting in your life. It’s called LA-LA Land for a reason.

If you’re in Los Angeles by accident or design, be sure you take the time to visit Manhattan Beach, CA. Book a room, stay awhile and soak up those crazy vibes.

California Tan Tanning Lotion

November 15th, 2009 No comments

There are a range of benefits to California Tan tanning lotion which is why more and more individuals are beginning to give the item a go. There are several brands of tanning lotion available in California and choice can be really difficult. You will find it bewildering which one to pick with all the diverse product names, but it’s up to you at the end of the day.

Most of these suntan lotions are available with tingle factors, bronzers, cooling effect and a combination of all of them. California Tan tanning lotions are promoted in all the media and the campaign has attracted many additional users.

California Tan tanning lotions are meant to be used on a daily basis, because they can help the skin maintain its moisture level in order to produce a healthy glow. They are able to protect your skin from the harmful rays of the sun even without any additional protective chemicals. So you can use California Tan tanning lotions to advance skin care, for tanning is itself one method for the skin cells to be protected from the sun in that tanning encourages the production of melanin, which aids in the successful and harmless assimilation of ultraviolet radiation.

In fact, California Tan tanning lotions are able to make sure of a natural and ideal tan without the danger of drying out the skin. Tanning lotions are meant to be used outdoors. The principal constituent of the tanning lotion should make sure that the skin is protected against the hazardous rays of the sun while the other constituents hydrate and nurture the skin throughout the tanning period.

Good tanning lotions are also effective moisturizers of the skin and prepare it for revealing to ultraviolet rays. Moreover, California Tan tanning lotion also contains antioxidants which may help in the elimination of wrinkles and fine lines in the skin, so that the skin will appear younger. Ingredients comprise natural items made from plant extracts plus the vitamins A, E, and C. The overall effect of applying California Tan tanning lotions is to produce a radiant, natural look and a fresh, smooth feel to your skin. On the other hand, be aware that recurrent tanning is harsh on some skin types.

It is vital to keep in mind the three chief functions of the California Tan tanning lotion, which are hydration, nutrition, and oxygenation. By nutrition is meant the need to supply vital vitamins to the skin cells, which will sustain its regeneration and oxygenation as well. Hydration refers to the correct moisturization of the skin. Lastly, oxygenation means supplying enough oil for the skin to deal with tanning efficiently. Tanning lotions are safe to use since medical research has been scrupulously conducted on it.

When selecting the California Tan tanning lotion that works best for your skin, it is important to know your skin type. What may work best for your friend may not really be very for good on you. Is your skin oily? Dry? Normal? Or is it a combination of any of them? It is also quite important to picture the result which you want.

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Encinitas – California’s Sleepy Beach Town

November 4th, 2009 No comments

Encinitas has a different vibe than any of the beach towns north of San Diego – but what is it that makes it so captivating, so special? Many feel its because Encinitas is still lost in time back in the 1960s when California was a much simpler place with small roadside motels along Highway 101. Encinitas hotels didn’t exist back in the 60s, nor were there any Encinitas Bed and Breakfasts or hotels in Del Mar or the Cardiff Lodge.

Encinitas is home to romantic bed and breakfasts, Stone Steps Beach, The Roxy Restaurant where you can buy a glass of rum and an ice cream cone, cute boutiques, funky old hotels on the historic Pacific Coast Highway, Moonlight beach, the La Paloma theater (still featuring weekly surf movies) and romantic Encinitas bed and breakfasts. Encinitas is so laid back that it is often referred to as “San Diego’s Sleepy Surf Town.”

Students, tourists and surfers jam Karina’s Mexican Restaurant for lunch and dinner. The wide sidewalks along the old historic Pacific Coast Highway through “downtown” Encinitas are lined with outdoor restaurants, a seaside “bazaar” and boutique shops. No other beach town in the San Diego area has such a great selection of restaurants – from Mexican take-out to fine Italian dining. If you come to visit, make a reservation at an Encinitas B&B or Carlsbad Bed and Breakfast and bring your appetite!

Moonlight Beach is one of the top five San Diego beaches and is only a block from downtown Encinitas, an easy walk from the Inn At Moonlight Beach Bed and Breakfast Inn. You won’t find a better beach to work on your tan, go boogie-boarding, enjoy a picnic or play a pick-up game of volleyball. Or, you may like to try your hand at surfing or body surfing, people-watch, work on reading that novel or simply relax. There is lots of parking, clean bathrooms and showers, a great children’s playground and cute little lunch shop.

Ann Dunham is the hostess of the romantic Encinitas B&B (Bed and Breakfast) called the Inn At Moonlight Beach. This lovely boutique inn is far more intimate than a Del Mar B&B or Encinitas hotel. The inn is situated on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Moonlight Beach and is often called the San Diego Beach Bed and Breakfast, said to be more romantic than Del Mar Hotels and more lovely than the Carlsbad Bed and Breakfasts.

The four suites at the Inn At Moonlight Beach are decorated like the rooms you’d find in a French Seaside hotel or inn along the Mediterranean. Each suite has a private bath and refrigerator. What makes Ann’s Encinitas bed & breakfast really special is that she bakes delicious home-made, warm-from-the-oven pastries for breakfasts every morning.

Terry Hunefeld retired as CEO of a San Diego coaching company to follow his love of exploring the ocean to study seabirds and marine animals. Hunefeld and his wife Ann Dunham own the Inn At Moonlight Beach in Encinitas near Del Mar and San Diego. For more information visit: Solana Beach Bed and Breakfasts or Carlsbad Bed and Breakfasts.