I believe the closest beach is Huntington. I know a lot of people like this beach but personally I like some of the other ones around better. I would pick Newport or Laguna over Huntington. I actually like the beaches down in San Clemente the best but that's not very close to DLR.
I love Huntington. Used to live in Manhatten Beach. I go for the beach experience not the surrounding shopping experience. Santa Monica always has the most interesting people.
Huntington and Newport are great suggestion. Seal Beach is another good one in the area.
Huntington has great surfing, as well. It is referred to as "Surf City USA." It also has a nice Main Street with shops, restaurants, galleries, etc... to just wander and enjoy.
I love Huntington. Used to live in Manhatten Beach. I go for the beach experience not the surrounding shopping experience. Santa Monica always has the most interesting people.
We absolutely loved Huntington Beach. A very easy half hour drive from the DL area, it was clean, plenty of parking and we ended up going twice. We loved our lunch at Ruby's Diner which is at the end of the pier. We had a table by the window which was a real treat for us since we live in Colorado and don't see too much in the way of ocean views! We ended up spending most of two days during our weeklong trip at Huntington and hope to go back next trip.