California Beaches Blog

Morris Graves Museum of Art  (Old Carnegie Library Building)
636 F Street
Eureka, CA 95501
humboldtarts.org

One of Eureka’s great cultural gathering spots isn’t just an old Carnegie Library building (there around 144 built in the early 1900’s in California through Andrew Carnegie grants, and 1,689 built in the U.S.)  And it isn’t just an art gallery and museum. It is a beautiful place providing enjoyment,  educational enhancement, and entertainment  for children and adults for over 100 years.

Opened as a library in 1904, the graceful structure once neared demolition and faced the prospects of a wrecking ball. It would take over $1 million to renovate and bring the building up to current structural standards. The residents of Eureka and city planners could easily decide to tear it down and go for the quick cash that a new building project would offer. In 1996 the Humboldt Arts Council accepted an offer from the City of Eureka to undertake the effort to save the historic 1904 Carnegie Library building, and celebrated a January 1, 2000 re-opening as an art museum after spending $1.5, and renaming the facility.

Humboldt Arts Council dedicated the Morris Graves Museum to Morris Cole Graves, an American expressionist painter who founded the Northwest School. He passed away in nearby Loleta in 2001, leaving an important collection of his works to the museum.

Free programs at the Museum include:

* First Thursday Film, 6 pm
* First Saturday Night Arts Alive, 6 - 9 pm
* Second Saturday Family Arts Day, 2 - 4 pm
* Second Sunday Afternoon of Dance, 2 pm
* First Saturday KEET’s Kids Club, 12-2 pm
* Third Sunday Open Jazz Jams, 2 - 4:30 pm
* Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest

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For a great day trip, book a reservation for a boat ride (about an hour each way) to the Channel Islands. There are several islands you can visit, and each provides a unique and amazing experience. The boat ride can be a bit rough and bumpy, so do take crackers or a cookie for the trip across.

Leaving from Ventura, Oxnard and Santa Barbara, you can go for under $50 (subject to change), and have an outdoor day of exercise under the California sun. In addition to guided docent-led tours, there is kayaking, beach exploring, scuba, and even camping when you arrange in advance.

The islands are kept in a natural state and some only have an outhouse and no running water. It’s one of those  bring it with- take it back experiences as far as water and food.   islandpackers.com will get you set up for your trip as an official concessionaire.  And for hotel stays, try our favorite place, Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach.

Corona del Mar translates in Spanish to  “crown of the sea”, and like its descriptive name, this community which is part of the city of Newport Beach truly is a crown filled with diamonds.  If  you seek a place of beauty as the name implies, you would expect to see the opposite of the 405 freeway near LAX at rush hour (traffic, pollution, huge trucks, graffiti murals on bridges & cement walls, and jets roaring overhead.)

Corona del Mar is none of these. It is a town with streets named Goldenrod, Orchid, Narcissus, Marigold, and Jasmine. It sits on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It has beaches with soft sand, rocky coves to wander, and towering palms. There are volleyball nets, a snack bar, firepits, and often movies being filmed.

Corona del Mar was at one time the surfing capital of Southern California (or one of them, at least). That was before they built the rock jetties, dredged Newport Harbor, built Balboa Island and turned the bay into a luxury residential mecca and tourist attraction. Today, Corona del Mar may suffer slightly from that development that happened decades ago, but only from a tourist perspective, since there are no hotels in town.  For its residents, Corona del Mar isn’t the thorn in the crown, but rose.

Flowers are very much a part of the lifestyle here. Be sure to drop by and visit the charming Sherman Library & Gardens, open to the public (charges a small fee). Lunch is served at a cafe among the gardens, and there’s a gift shop with flower-themed gifts. If you are looking for several hours of entertainment, visit Corona del Mar State Beach, shop along Pacific Coast Highway (my favorite store is a card shop), grab a Starbuck’s, and visit the gardens at Sherman. You’ll find this little crown of the sea worth visiting time & again.

Workshops from talented belly dancers in the photos  will be offered at Cairo Caravan festival

Long Beach, Calif.–Belly dance in California is the rage. But you wouldn’t know it until you get out and explore the incredible talent that fills our state. One event ideal for watching and being mesmerized is the Cairo Festival, the 33rd annual belly dance extravaganza that will fill Queen Mary in Long Beach with 3 days of splendid costumes, music and incredible talent. Take in three floors of vending, three stages, a Saturday night evening gala show, free seminars, lectures, and film showings, and much more.

One of the most unique and intersting events at the Caravan is a “Shimmython”. Shimmy till you drop to raise money for a special cause. The Shimmython is a real, live, shimmy-till-you-drop competition! This year’s charity is the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, which aims to reduce the nationwide prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015 and to empower kids nationwide to make healthy lifestyle choices. Created by The American Heart Association, Bill Clinton, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Alliance works to positively affect the places that can make a difference to a child’s health: homes, schools, restaurants, doctor’s offices, and communities.

Belly Dance Instructors will include Dondi, internationally known Belly Dancer who has performed and taught all over the world from Dubai to India to Germany. Acclaimed dancer Princess Farhana has performed, taught and written about Oriental Dance for nineteen years, and has appeard all over the world. Ariellah is an international modern, belly dance performer and instructor with background that includes classical ballet training with the Royal Academy of Dance from London. She began her belly dance training with Janine Ryle of Danse Mahgreb and is a founding member of The Indigo with Rachel Brice. Tribal-fusion powerhouse Amy Sigil (UNMATA) offers high-energy dance that packs the house and electrifies audiences.

Discounted parking for our attendees, only $8 (normally $12) for day parking and only $10 (normally $20) for overnight, or stay in your motor-home in the Queen Mary parking lot (no hook ups) for only $25 per night parking rate.

• June 4th to 6th, 2010–Friday, 5pm to 9pm; Saturday, 11am to 7pm; Sunday, 11am to 5pm
• $15 advance tickets/ $18 at the door (Only $5 for MECDA Members)
• Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA,1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach, CA 90802
• 310-494-0104. mecda.org/cairo
• Hotels near Queen Mary or onboard the ship in Long Beach

Other Belly Dance features have included Cris, Santa Barbara; Greek Dining and entertainment in Ventura;

You’re looking at your free Yahoo email and you start to ponder how that rotating banner ad on the top of  the page works. Rather than risk clicking onto the ads and getting spammed, you refresh your browser to see who’s paying for what, and in what sequence they rotate. There are several that keep showing up, but every 10th banner or so, a car manufacturer or other high profile company such as Wendy’s appears. It’s fascinating to watch, but beware!

If you refresh your browser too many times while you are on your email page, you are suddenly shifted to a page with a warning, and are cut from your service. When that happens, you can’t access your other yahoo email accounts either. Thankfully, the service returns after a certain amount of time, or if you file a grievance report. The long and short of it is to not become too attached to these free email services–and try to back up important correspondence, documents and email addresses.

While California State Parks beach parking fees top out around $15 day for most their beaches in Orange County, there are some free and cheap parking fees at other beaches along the coast operated by the State Parks. The best deal is Morro Bay State Beach Parking. In reality, you can park in free parking nearby at this location, which helps explain why the $2 fee is charged, more as a matter of convenience.  Likewise at Ocean Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, the majority of cars aren’t coming to park at the beach–they are heading in their trucks and RVs for the sand dunes for some camping and sand dune riding. This beach charges $5 for undeveloped parking. The $8 fees on the Sonoma Coast, Point Mugu north of Malibu, Del Norte on the Redwood coast, Limekiln in Big Sur, and Fort Ross, are some of the lowest prices you can find. The majority of state beach parking is around $10.

Here are the fees enacted in 2009 that should guide you through your beach visits this summer 2010:

• Del Norte Coast Redwoods SP -Del Norte Coast Redwoods Paid Vehicle Developed Parking $8.00 $8.00
• Fort Ross SHP - Fort Ross Paid Vehicle Developed Parking $8.00 $8.00
• Limekiln SP - Limekiln Paid Vehicle Developed Parking $8.00 $8.00
• Morro Bay SP -Morro Bay - Museum of Natural History Adult Entry Museum / Park Entry $2.00 $2.00
• Oceano Dunes SVRA - Oceano Dunes Paid Vehicle Undeveloped Parking $5.00 $5.00
• Point Mugu SP - La Jolla Paid Vehicle Undeveloped Parking $8.00 $8.00; Mugu Beach Paid Vehicle Undeveloped Parking $8.00 $8.00
• Sonoma Coast SP - Bodega Dunes Paid Vehicle Developed Parking $8.00 $8.00; Pomo Canyon Paid Vehicle Developed Parking $8.00 $8.00; Willow Creek Paid Vehicle Developed Parking $8.00 $8.00; Wright’s Beach Paid Vehicle Developed Parking $8.00 $8.00
• Tomales Bay SP - Tomales Bay Paid Vehicle Developed Parking $8.00 $8.00

If you are a frequent visitor to the State Beaches, you may want to buy the annual pass which costs around $125.

The down-side to this pass is that some statebbeaches don’t honor it. They include:

Cayucos SB (State Beach)
Lighthouse Field SB
Corona del Mar SB
Mandalay SB
Santa Monica SB
Dockweiler SB
Moonlight SB
Pacifica SB
Will Rogers SB

The Millennium Biltmore is a classically elegant hotel that tourists love to visit during trips to Los Angeles. It has hosted countless celebrity events throughout the decades, but one lovely young lady from Massachusetts who checked her bags into the hotel, Beth Short, was murdered before ever becoming a famous actress whose photos would appear in the lobby halls.

Black Dahlia bus tour gets into the heads of the lonely girls of WW2 with Esotouric’s Real Black Dahlia Crime Bus Tour. One of California’s most unique tours takes guests to the places where the beautiful young lady arrived in L.A. and where she ended up cut in two in a vacant lot. Suspects in the Black Dahlia murder have included L.A. Times
publisher Norman Chandler and Orson Welles, twisted drifters and many others–but still the mystery abides.

The Real Black Dahlia tour dedicates itself to revealing who victim Elizabeth Short really was by exploring her life in Los Angeles from mid 1946 to her January 1947 murder through examination of the police investigation and news coverage. The various theories are up for discussion during the onboard Q&A sections, and the hosts share their idea of who the killer might have been, but the focus is firmly on the 22-year-old woman whose death continues to fascinate. Along the way, passengers will explore the social history of postwar Los Angeles and its lively downtown scene and learn the role the city played in Short’s mysterious death. It dispels the myth that she was last seen at the Biltmore.

Tour includes:

• Biltmore Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles, where Beth Short went after checking her bags at the Greyhound Terminal
• Low rent Olive Street bar where she met her murderer
• Examiner newspaper offices, where the crime became myth as pioneering female City Editor Aggie Underwood spun the case
• Figueroa Hotel where Short stayed in happier times
• Leimert Park and the formerly vacant lot where Short’s bisected body was discovered on January 15, 1947
• The site of another unsolved 1947 kidnap-murder
• Home of Dr. Walter Bayley, who has emerged in recent years as the most compelling suspect, with his personal ties to Beth Short’s family and the crime scene, and the surgical skill needed to bisect the body.
• The tour includes a cop-approved snack stop for Krispy Kreme donuts near the body dump site.
• A special presentation from cosmetics historian Joan Renner exploring Beth Short’s unusual proto-goth make up, so different from the popular girl next store look of 1947, and a key to understanding her psychology

Time:  Saturday May 15, 12pm-4pm
Location: Departs from The Millennium Biltmore Hotel, 5th & Olive, Los Angeles, CA
Cost: $58, Call: (323) 223-2767.  esotouric.com

The Central Valley of California seems an unlikely place to celebrate all things Egypt. But the region is steeped in history,and the public is invited to learn about and participate in an Egyptian Festival which will celebrate Egyptian culture with traditional food, pastries, coffee, entertainment, games and activities for all ages. Get your picture taken with the pharaohs, have your name written in hieroglyphics, learn about the ancient Egyptian artifacts and icons, and have fun with the family. All ages are invited and the event is free, public invited. Sponsored by the Coptic Church (with over 2,000 years of history,) the festival will take place on Saturday, May 1 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. & Sunday, May 2 from Noon to 5 p.m. Attire is casual, admission is free and the location is: 1320 South Church St., Visalia, CA. Call: (559) 730-6726.

Top photo: April Berg pours tea to attendees of the Mother Daugher Tea at the Historic Newland House in Huntington Beach.  Bottom photo  left to right: Alma Moller; Tonya Delkash;  Shannon Husted; Rita Kramer.

Crumpets, scones, and fine teas were served at the 7th annual Mother Daughter Tea in Huntington Beach recently. 45 people attending the event came donned in fancy hats, frilly dresses with flowers and lace, and some even wore their dainty gloves. It was all smiles as women and girls dressed in their feminine attire celebrated an afternoon together. Grandmothers brought granddaughters, mothers brought daughters, and everyone had fun.

Though attendance was down (from 70 a year ago to 45) in 2010, there was no shortage of enjoyment, nor did anyone want for more. Hosted by April Berg, who works with Community Services for the City of Huntington Beach, the event included scones, tea sandwiches, a variety of desserts and tea. The authentic Victorian high tea held special meaning, taking place on the grounds of the Victorian Newland House, built in 1898.

Now serving as a museum, the 112-year old Newland House is open to the public the first & third Saturday of the month (excluding holidays) for $2 admission between noon - 4 PM. Location: 19820 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach, CA 92648. Call: (714) 962-5777.

When California State Parks  announced a new fee structure for beach parking in August 2009, the prices were no surprise, but since that time, traffic to many beaches has been down. The $15 beach lots in Southern California are experiencing a decline in attendance as beach-goers get creative, finding other affordable ways of getting to the sand. Parking in nearby shopping malls and neighborhoods where you can park for free, then hopping aboard public buses for a round-trip fee of $3; riding a bicycle; walking up to half a mile from a free parking space to the beach; and finding beaches where the attendants aren’t always there in the winter months; have all allowed beach enthusiasts to access their favorite beaches without breaking the bank.

In the price list below, we found that all the $15 state beach parking admission fees were in Orange County. In the mid-range, $8-10 fees can be found in Los Angeles County, San Diego County, and Central Coast, as well as Ventura and Santa Cruz. There are some state beaches that charge less–allowing access from just a few dollars, or for free.

What can you do to save money?

• Go early when nearby street parking is available for free, or by coin meter. The highest priced meters charge $.25 for 10 minutes, or $1.50/hour. To reach the $15 flat fee that the state beach charges, it will take 10 hours of beach enjoyment to reach that amount. If the beach is isolated and no parking lots are nearby, then there are really no other options. However, if you plan to spend only an hour or two at the beach, you might be able to save money by looking at alternatives such as nearby coin metered parking,
• Use public transportation
• Park at nearby hotels and businesses
• Visit other beaches nearby

Whatever you decide, you need to be prepared when you arrive. By arming yourself with the facts, you can do just that.  Recommendation: Keep a bag filled with coins with you when you travel to the beach. In some cases it will really come in handy!  (50 quarters/$12.50 will buy you over 8 hours of meter parking)

Where are the most expensive parking spots and where are the cheapest? Here’s the chart

MOST EXPENSIVE CALIFORNIA STATE BEACH PARKING:

Peak Season Rate /  Non-Peak Season Rate

• Bolsa Chica SB
• Bolsa Chica Paid Vehicle Developed Parking $15.00 $15.00
• Crystal Cove SP
• Crystal Cove Paid Vehicle Developed Parking $15.00 $15.00
• Doheny SB
• Doheny Paid Vehicle Developed Parking $15.00 $15.00
• Huntington SB
• Huntington Paid Vehicle Developed Parking $15.00 $15.0
• San Clemente SB
• San Clemente Paid Vehicle Developed Parking $15.00 $15.00
• San Onofre SB
• San Onofre Paid Vehicle Developed Parking $15.00 $15.00