Month: July 2018

Doheny State Beach

While sitting on the beach at Doheny State Park recently, my friend said to me that it felt like we were somewhere else, not California. As I looked around, I felt the same. The ocean had two different hues of blue with the lighter shade near the shore and the darker shade farther out. There was a distinct line between the two colors so it looked as if there was a reef. The air was hot and humid and we felt like we could almost be sitting on a beach in Hawaii or the Caribbean.   Taking a swim, the water temperature was warm too, well, warm for California standards at 72 degrees. I know, I know, a far cry from the 80 degree temperature in the Caribbean but refreshing enough for us!   So, as an avid daydreamer, I spent the rest of the day imagining I was somewhere else.

A line separated the light hue of the ocean to a darker one on the outside.

Doheny State Park
In reality, Doheny State Park is just south of the Dana Point Harbor.   Besides having a camping area, it also provides day use parking, grass picnic areas, and volleyball courts.

At the south jetty sits a popular surfing beach where the waves gently roll in making it a perfect spot for long surfboards as well as the shorter sticks.   In recent years, the stand-up-paddle(SUP) boarders have shared the lineup which has made it more crowded than ever. However, it looked like there were plenty of waves for everyone to enjoy their day. In keeping with my fantasy of being somewhere else, the surfing beach looked a lot like Waikiki in Hawaii with its crowds and slow rolling waves.   All you needed were the outrigger canoes sharing the waves and I would swear I was there!   Oh, and a Mai Tai wouldn’t hurt either.

Farther down the beach, campsites are available for motor homes as well as tents. There are no hook-ups but bathrooms and showers are provided.

Orange Sun and Moon

Continue reading “Crowded yes, but a Pretty Cool Place to go This Summer”

Santa Monica Pier

People, people, and more people.

A few weeks back I did a story on the Belmont Shore Veterans Memorial Pier.  In that story I mentioned that when walking on that pier, it was if I had gone back in time.   A large portion of that feeling was due to the design and how it reminded me of a pier I had seen in historical articles. The other reason was the lack of people on the pier.  With only a handful of residents or tourists leisurely strolling along the pier and local anglers scattered about, it seemed like a crowd from 1950 not 2014.

Two weeks later it was feeling more like 2014 as we stepped on to the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles County, California. This time sharing it not with a handful of people, but with thousands!!    There were bumper to bumper people as far as you can see.

So what attracts so many to the Santa Monica Pier and not the Belmont Pier?   The Belmont Pier has a snack bar, fishing, plenty of bathrooms and a great view, what more could you ask?   In comparison, the Santa Monica Pier also has those features but with a few minor additions……  A roller coaster, a Ferris wheel,  a carousel, a two story restaurant, a flying trapeze,  shops,  carnival games and rides,  vendors, music,  and much more.  It is an amusement park sitting on top of a pier.

The Santa Monica pier is where you go to play, eat, drink, and have fun.   We went on the Saturday after Thanksgiving so I am sure it was more crowded than normal, although I can’t be sure of that.   Summer is probably overly crowded and we also overheard someone say it was busier at night.   Plan to to spend the day here as you would any amusement park or fair.

Continue reading “Something to do in July? How about a Walk on a Pier?”

Morro Bay!!!

The Rock
Driving up the scenic central California coast I am always impressed by the sleepy little towns dotted along the way.

One such town standing out from the rest is the seaside village of Morro Bay. Morro Bay may not be the smallest of communities in the area but it does have one unique landscape feature that the others don’t have, the enormous Morro Rock.   “The Rock” as locals call it stands 576 feet tall and looks like a landed meteorite straight out of a science fiction movie.

Morro Rock was originally surrounded by water but a breakwater was built so that people and cars can easily have access to its base. At present there is a paved road and a huge dirt area that serves as a parking lot for the surfers as well as the fishermen (and women) who fish at the harbor nearby.

There is no climbing allowed on the rock as the foundation is unsteady and rocky. Locals tell us that once in a great while someone will get caught climbing the rock only to be met with a hefty fine.

How to get there
Morro Bay is a coastal community located on scenic Highway 1 and nestled roughly 125 miles north of Santa Barbara and about 140 miles south of Monterey. This picturesque city has a population of just over 10,000 as of the 2010 census.

The Harbor
This part of the coast was lacking in natural harbors so the Army Corp of Engineers decided to build a small bay with the intention to house recreational and commercial boats. It is now the only harbor between Santa Barbara and Monterey that can accommodate smaller boats.

Protected by a large sand dune or sandspit , the harbor is calm and serene and home to boats moored peacefully against the backdrop of “The Rock”.

Continue reading “Some place to go in July!”

I wish I could give you a firsthand experience of the new Skyslide in Los Angeles but the truth is, we never tried it or even saw it for that matter.  After a long day spent in Los Angeles, this was the last thing we wanted to investigate.   Our GPS got us to the building but finding a parking space wasn’t easy.   Or should I say finding a cheap parking space wasn’t easy.

We had spent most of the day visiting the Adamson House in Malibu, Olvera Street, and Chinatown so maybe if we weren’t so tired, we would have paid a few bucks and made the trek to the 70^th floor of the US Bank Building.  Our motivation and energy level was too low so it will have to be an excursion for another rime.

It was however, interesting to see the US Bank Building standing tall at 1,018 feet high and in fact it is currently the tallest building west of the Mississippi.

On the 70^th floor they have an observation deck where you get panoramic views of the city and coastline beyond. Through my telephoto I could see the observation deck tower from the spot where we pulled our car over but we couldn’t see the slide.

What slide you ask?   There is a glass slide were you sit on a mat while plummeting down one story on the outside of the building.   The trip takes you from the 70^th floor to the 69^th on a quick exhilarating ride far above the city streets below.

Don’t worry though; they say the slide is strong enough to hold a school bus full of people. The US Bank building and the OUE Skyspace are becoming one of the premier tourist attractions in L.A.   It does cost to go up to the Skyspace observation deck and an additional fee for the slide.  I hear it is anywhere from $27-$33.

The slide and observation deck are part of a $50 million makeover for the U.S. Bank Tower, overseen by architecture firm Gensler.

The new facilities will include a redesigned lobby for the public to access Skyspace and the Skyslide.  There will also be a café, plus a restaurant and bar on the 71^st floor.

As the day was coming to an end and the moon was rising right next to the US Bank building, we were okay with not trying it this time. There will be plenty of opportunities as Los Angeles isn’t that far away.

However, if you are in town, it might be something you would want to try.  Flying down a transparent slide that is hanging on the side of a building some 1,000 feet from ground level, sounds both fun and scary. We at the very least wanted to tell you about it in case you hadn’t heard.

We never did see the slide on the building as we tried to maneuver around the one way streets to get a better view.  We managed to go through the jewelry district and the garment district during this half an hour period.  If shopping for either of those is your thing, this is the place to be.

After a packed day of experiencing a few touristy things in Los Angeles, it was time to say goodbye, and hello to the Interstate freeway to go back home.

Los Angeles has so much to do and visiting the US Bank Tower might be one you would want to put on your list.

https://oue-skyspace.com

Story and Photo: Debbie Colwell

 

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From Tacos to Egg Rolls in Less Than Five Minutes

Olvera Street is a Mexican market place near downtown Los Angeles in which we had just spent about two hours exploring.  On our way to find the freeway, we stumbled onto Chinatown which was a mere minutes away.

Since we were in the area, we fed a parking meter a few quarters to at least see what this area was all about.

I feel weird about doing a story on Chinatown when we only spent about thirty minutes there; however my friend Google stepped in and helped me with the rest.

Chinatown is a neighborhood in Los Angeles that is full with Chinese culture. As with Olvera Street, it is also near downtown, the city’s civic center, and the iconic Union Station.

The first thing you notice is the architecture of the buildings.  Pagoda style buildings embrace the culture and bright orange lanterns prevail in the shopping squares.

There are plenty of high caliber restaurants with what is known as the best authentic Chinese food in town, a fact that packs in the locals as well as tourists.

One of many restaurants

Also, just like Olvera, there are plenty of gift shops and stores.  There are also art galleries, museums, and historical buildings to visit.

Our two quarters didn’t buy us much time but we did check out one of the busiest shopping squares on the main street.   It was enough time to poke our heads through a few stores, try on a hat, pose for photos, and throw our money into a wishing well filled with sections on prosperity, love, health, and relationships.

I saw a section that said,”Lottery Win” so my penny went flying in that direction.  Boom, perfect landing!    I bought a ticket the very next day and I won!!  Never mind that it was only a $1.00 win.  I guess I have to add a few zeros when trying to manifest a lottery victory.

Chinatown deserves more time and I made a mental note to come back again.   If I go again, I will go hungry and ready to shop!  However, what I saw was pretty cool and I am glad we took a few moments to see what we could.

Chinatown Los Angeles can be found:

LA Chinatown Central Plaza
943-951 N. Broadway
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Story and photos: Debbie Colwell