Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Weekend Recap, part II: Hermosa Beach


On Sunday, I did what I normally do: sleep in. Not my best attribute, but I eventually got up, around 10, I think. After eating breakfast and being lazy for a couple hours, the boy and I finally decided to do something. Which is easier said than done. We are the absolute worst at making decisions! Where should we go? What do you want to do? What should we have for lunch? I don't know, what do you think? This went on for awhile, but around 1 p.m. we finally decided to get in the car and drive.

We had no particular destination at first, but we were headed in the general direction of the beach. I then came up with the brilliant idea of going to the Manhattan/Hermosa/Redondo Beach area. I had never been. It was a plan.

Forty-five minutes later we were there. And so was everyone else, it seemed. We drove up and down the boulevard looking for a spot to park, which was nearly impossible to find, but it was OK. The drive gave us a chance to soak up all the scenery and action. We then climbed a San Francisco-esque hill where we found a free church parking lot. Lucky us.

We then made our way to Hermosa Beach. The pier was bustling with people, bikers and dogs (we left crazy Hazel at home). We were starving by this point, so we grabbed a bite to eat at a place called The Pita Pit. It's like a Subway, but instead of sub sandwiches, they serve up fabulous pita wraps. Delish. We found a spot at the entrance to the pier where we could sit and eat and just people watch for a while. Perfect. Afterwards, we took a stroll down the pier, me snapping pictures the whole way. I then decided it was the perfect time to pop into the self-serve frozen yogurt shop that I saw as we drove in. There's nothing better than banana fro-yo on a blazing hot, beachy day.

We left soon after our frozen yogurt melted, but I can't wait to go back to further explore the beachside communities. The neighborhoods were so charming and I loved how each house was different from the next, with tons of personality in the architecture. Quite a few were for sale; if only I had an extra $900,000 to spare. But if I did, you can bet I would buy a house by the beach.

Pier Avenue at Hermosa Beach

Restaurants & bars on the boardwalk

Too funny not to take a picture.

On the pier, taking in the sights.

Summer days, crashing waves.





Sustenance. The Pita Pit and Lotus Yogurt Bar.

Steep hills lead to the sands below. See the sailboats?

The boy wanted me to take a photo of this "art."

Fascinating architecture. Modern, bold-colored angles meets rustic, weathered siding.

Little red beauties.

Hope you enjoyed this peek at my day at the beach!

9 comments:

Andhari said...

Beach houses, I love these the most. Nothing is nicer than living only a couple steps away from the beach. These are happy people, I bet : )

Unknown said...

Oh my goodness, you sound like me and my boy. We always want to do something but could NEVER make up our minds as to what we should do. We literally just sit there...I congratulate you on actually making a decision; we usually just end up staying home because we are convinced that there is "never anything to do!".

Indecisiveness sucks.

Back to your day though - it looked so lovely. We definitely don't have beaches that look like that out here so it was nice seeing it through your photos. I agree that pita pit is yum yum good. We have them here as well!

Amber said...

What a GREAT day, I love your photo recap it looks SO fun!!

I wish I lived close to the ocean, it looks so pretty and relaxing there!

I LOOVEEE Pita Pit!!

Elizabeth Marie said...

I love Hermosa, it's so laid back and fun! And the Pita Pit...I am starving, I love that place. I'm so glad you had a great day!

Unknown said...

Sounds like my Sundays lol. Oh and $60 for that many necklaces is good going xoxox

Shoshanah said...

My friends and I used to go to Hermosa all the time back in high school. We'd go at night, but since we were under 21 we couldn't get into any of the bars so we'd pretty much walk around trying to look cool. And yes it is always impossible to park there. It would normally take around 4 or 5 laps before we found a spot.

I don't know if its true or not, but in high school people used to say that shoes hanging over telephone wires were due to gang activity. A way to mark your territory. But I don't think there's a whole lot of gang activity down at Hermosa.

We love the pizza at BJ's too. But due mainly to the service we've started going less often. You would think if all the other restaurants can figure out to serve people they should be able to as well?

Ashley said...

Looks awesome. I went to Manhattan Beach a couple months ago and I've been dying to go back.

You Are My Fave said...

Oh, how fun. I really want a pita and frozen yogurt now.

trishie said...

Poop deck??! MMmmm sounds yummy...not! :)