Balboa Island, California--In the same building with the Balboa Island Historical Museum is a long time favorite grocery and convenience market, Island Market.

When visiting Newport Beach, you have to take a few hours and participate in one of our favorite walks, the Balboa Island promenade called Bayfront. The walkway wanders for 10 short blocks, or .6 miles, from the Ferry to Marine Avenue shops on Balboa Island.

If you start your journey on foot with your car parked on the Balboa peninsula (you can drive onto the ferry, as well,) hop aboard the ferry. It takes only a few minutes to get across the bay on the ferry (charges about $1 each way for walk-ons), and take a stroll along the bay front that overlooks Balboa Pavilion.

As you depart the ferry on the island side of the ride, you'll see a nice set of public restrooms and a market with sodas and sandwiches. Island Market with the blue awning includes a walk-up window where you can order burgers, sandwiches and Mexican food.  You can also get sodas, buy beer, wine and staples. 

One of two general stores on the island (the other is Hershey's Market), the grocery and convenience shop serves not only a huge number of tourists, but also locals living on the island who can walk over to the shop to pick something up.

In the same building as the Island Market, there's a museum to get you versed in island history before you take a stroll. Unfortunately the museum isn't open every day, so it is the luck of the draw. It's also possible to arrange tours by calling ahead. So you've made your bathroom stop, you've picked a soda up, and you know all about Balboa Bars. Now you are ready to walk....

Marine Avenue and surrounding streets are filled with more than 70 gift shops, galleries and restaurants.