Which Beach as a Side Trip?

[Jo-Anne]

Hi There - My DH and I will be in Southern California 7/27-8/1. We'll be staying in Torrence since that is where he will be attending a seminar. I will be going to DL at least one day, but also wanted to visit a scenic beach. We're not swimmers or body surfers, but would love to roam a beach and relax a little. Can anyone suggest an area that is not too long of a drive, is scenic and not overly crowded!? Thanks, Jo

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

<font color=navy>Hi Jo-Anne,

I live right by Torrance. You'll be right next to Redondo Beach, and the Redondo Beach Pier -- be sure to have dinner at Tony's on the Pier (we took Dan Murphy there one night & he really enjoyed it). If you time it right, you can watch the sunset while you eat. You can also open the windows and hear the waves as they hit the beach.

Although Redondo Beach is a really nice beach, and has a great sidewalk that we call the Strand (I've ridden the bike from Torrance Beach - Santa Monica Beach - 40 miles round trip, and we did it from 8am - 3pm, stopping at all the piers along the way - you can rent bikes in Hermosa Beach), it is a west-coast facing beach, and often catches the fog (if you're lucky, though, you'll see the dolphins swimming out there).

A more sunny beach, but you need to take the fwy to get there, is Seal Beach, and a little further south (maybe 45 mins by fwy) is Newport Beach - really nice atmosphere, gentle waves, nice shops. If you go up to the "Other things to do in So Cal" thread posted at the top of this board, you'll see a couple of write-ups on Newport Beach.

 

[Planogirl]

What about Venice Beach? I was reading an article about Venice the other day and it sounds like an interesting area.

What I really need is a good map because I have no idea where all of these places are located relative to each other.