Manhattan Beach beaches are located
south of Los Angeles International Airport and north of Hermosa Beach in
the South Bay region of Los Angeles. The beaches are maintained
under operations of the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and
Harbors.
For those who want to know the
essence of this beach located in the heart of Los Angeles County, it's a
sportsman's paradise that long ago gained a reputation for the great
surfers who have lived, worked and surfed at Manhattan Beach.
Where to Stay
Manhattan Beach offers hotels near
the Beach but none are on the beach front in this residential, shopping
and dining beach destination. One of the new, hip, top 10 hotels
is Shade Hotel. It offers cool designs, lighting and ranked as
only one of 17 cool hotels on Conde Nast's recent "cool" list. The hotel
is very proud of its rooms, dining and cocktail lounge. People have
flocked to Manhattan Beach just to try it out. In California, as many
people visit destinations to try out hotels and those who travel for
events and attractions. Hotels actually are the attractions in many
instances. If you seek a retreat, this could be the place to take
someone special or treat yourself to a memorable getaway in L.A.
Surfing
Take one of the surfing legends,
Dale "The Hawk" Velzy, who became known in what some describe as the
wild years when he joined Manhattan Beach Surf Club. Under the Manhattan
Beach pier Velzy shaped redwood and balsa boards, working at his leisure
in a surfing town (namely the beach) that he and surfing buddies felt as
if they owned. Today, groms (young surfers) get their career start as
young as age 3 at Manhattan Beach. Visitors to Manhattan Beach can sign
up for surf rentals, take a surf camp or just ply the waves on an
affordable body board. Shops around the pier offer these products and
services.
Paddleboarding
Another sport that got its
Southern California start in Manhattan Beach is the oldest race in the
sport of paddleboarding, Catalina Classic race from Catalina
Island to Manhattan Beach. The 32-mile course includes is an endurance
race in which competitors with determination and arm strength paddle on
long, narrow boards through the cold, choppy waters of the Pacific
Ocean. Using only their bodies and the board, athletes train for this
contest, that's practiced mainly in California, Hawaii, Florida and
Australia. There are less than 400 active competitors worldwide.
Many of the paddleboarders are surfers who have branched into this sport
as side bar. The Catalina Classic dates back to the mid-1950s.
Rollerblading
Manhattan Beach Strand isn't just
known for the water and sand. It's also home to some heavy duty roller
blading. A paved beach path stretches for miles from allowing the beach
through a number of cities, including Manhattan Beach and Santa Monica. The first path was built in
1912 along the Strand and side streets for pedestrians. Planks were laid
in the sand on Manhattan Avenue for vehicles.
Kids Beach
The city of Manhattan Beach
thought of everything when they constructed the nets for volleyball,
rebuilt the pier when it crumbled and put in playground for children at
the beach. The play station in the sand can be found at Marine and
40th St.
Volleyball
In addition to the daily game play
on sand courts at Manhattan Beach beaches, the Association of Volleyball
Professions (AVP) Manhattan Beach Open comes to the city annually.
Attracting known competitors such as Misty May-Treanor / Kerri
Walsh and Elaine Youngs / Rachel Wacholder female teams, you'll
find the winners' names engraved in the Manhattan Pier. Karch Kiraly has
won 10 Manhattan Beach Opens with five different partners and is energy
in motion to watch. The event is held during the summer months.
avp.com
Music
It's a way of life to hear music
as you stroll along the beach at Manhattan Beach. From radios to summer
concerts, Manhattan Beach is home to many known studio musicians and
recording artists. In fact, this is where the Beach Boys found
inspiration for their surf music. No doubt many inventors and creators
have come up with new ideas by letting the mind relax at Manhattan
Beach. The beauty of the beach is its close proximity to Los Angeles and
a major airport, yet it feels like the big city trappings are far away.
Bicycling
In addition to rollerblading,
Manhattan Beach contains thousands of bicycles. Parking can sometimes be
a challenge on a very busy summer day, so the bicycle offers the perfect
method for exercise, entertainment and getting to and from the beach.
Many permanently-installed bike racks exist so bring a lock to hitch up
your bike when you want to hit the sand.
