| Newport Beach can be compared to a
French Impressionistic painting--it's a magical place with views so stunning,
they hardly seem real. Like the
Rock of Gibraltar or the French Riviera, cars line up on weekends filled with
visitors seeking opportunities to share the dream on a five mile stretch of land
referred to locally as the Newport or Balboa Peninsula. Intimate
sand beaches, a jetty called "The Wedge" where surfers test their skills, two
piers, the Fun Zone, Balboa Pavilion, Newport-Balboa Ferry boat, harbor cruises,
boat rentals and trips to Catalina Island are but a few of the attractions for
people of all ages.
Newport Beach is located 50 miles south
of Los Angeles and 85 miles north of
San Diego in Orange County. With nearly 22 square miles of ocean
and bay, including several islands, the city offers the greatest variety
and number of restaurants with water view dining in all of Orange County.
Balboa Pavilion (pictured above) is a registered historic
structure built in 1905 to coincide with completion of the Pacific Electric Red
Car Line. In its early years, it featured big band and swing music with
prominent musicians of that era playing in the ballroom.
Enjoy a ring side seat of the harbor at the Harborside
Restaurant and Grand Ballroom for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It also offers a
full bar and is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. (breakfast served on
Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) There's a gift shop next door to the
restaurant, meeting rooms available for special events and a boat dock
with motor boat rentals and fishing. The Pavilion is lined with twinkling
white lights at night and is especially beautiful when the Newport Beach Holiday
Boat Parade travels up and down the harbor in December. |
Fashion Island and Atrium Court, located near the tall
buildings that included Marriott Newport Beach Hotel & Tennis (seen in
the distance in top photos) offers upscale and boutique shopping,
numerous dining adventures such as Hard Rock Cafe plus a movie theater.
Framed by the Saddleback Mountains, scenic Newport Beach also
has an ecological reserve in the Back Bay which is popular with birders. Stay at
the Marriott Suites overlooking the bay, where you can hike, bike, jog and watch
birds.
Summers bring outdoor jazz concerts to the center. Next door,
the Hyatt Newporter plays host to an annual line up of jazz artists in summer
concerts and also hosts several tennis tournaments. Several public golf courses
include Newport Beach Golf Course, Hyatt Newporter Golf Course and Pelican Hills
Golf Course, home to a televised tournament. An endless list of celebrities
have wined, dined, lived and acted in Newport Beach, beginning first in the
Silent Film era of the early 1900's. Historic Balboa Pavilion and the
Newport Beach bay, the coves of Corona del Mar and every spot you can
imagine have been used in film.
Newport Beach
contains numerous communities or villages that include Balboa Island,
Balboa Peninsula, Cannery Village, Corona del Mar, Fashion Island, Lido
Marina Village, Mariners Mile and Upper Newport Bay.
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