Day Tripping: Manhattan Beach
Woman in the Middle | May 8, 2013Hubby and I celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary last weekend. We waited until the last-minute to decide what to do. Here in Inland So Cal it was going to be a warm day so we decided to head towards the coast. We have some favorite spots out there, ones we have visited many times. But I wanted to go someplace we hadn’t been before.
Sometime in the past year the Sunday L.A.Times travel section had an article on California piers. Hubby and I saw that article and decided then and there that we wanted to visit every single one of them. I pulled out the article and it mentioned a pier in Los Angeles County we haven’t visited before, in the town of Manhattan Beach. So the decision was made that Manhattan Beach would be our destination on Saturday.
I read some reviews online (what did I do before Google?) and found that the parking can be an issue, as it always is at So Cal beaches. That review I read suggested looking in the lots instead of one the street. That is what we did when we arrived just before 11:30 a.m. and we found a spot right away. I think it helped that we arrived before lunch.
Manhattan Beach is perfect for those who prefer a place that is not so touristy. I kid you not, I didn’t see one single shop that sold tourist geegaws, knick knacks, and/or postcards. While I do love silly tourist stuff, I have to admit, it was a nice change of pace to not be drawn into all of that! However, even if the t-shirt and postcard stores are missing, Manhattan Beach does welcome visitors with plenty of places to eat.
There are lots of things I can’t eat and I have to stay away from spicy food or foods with tomato sauce. So when I saw, just up the street and around the corner from where we parked, a coffee shop style restaurant called The Kettle, I knew that is where I wanted to have lunch. It is located on the corner of Highland Avenue and Manhattan Beach Boulevard. The Kettle has both an outside and inside dining area. The Kettle serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and at lunch we could get any of those items. Hubby and I both settled on omelets and when we ordered we were given our choice of toast or muffins of various flavors such as honey bran, blueberry, carrot raisin, orange zest, or banana nut. Hey, we were celebrating, so Hubby and I opted for the muffin. Imagine our surprise when the muffins were brought to our table and we each got two! Yum! Here is a photo of my blueberry muffin extravaganza, after I started to cut one open and slather it with butter.
After lunch we went walking on the pier. We stopped and watched the surfers. We stopped and watched the volleyball players. We enjoyed the cool breeze and the view of the ocean. It was just a lovely day. At the end of the pier is a round building which held a small snack bar and the Roundhouse Aquarium. The aquarium is very small, but we still stopped by to see what it included. Entrance is free, but they do ask of a donation of $2 a person or $5 a family. The displays inside include species found along the southern California coast including starfish, jelly fish, and moray eels. In various reviews I read it mentioned it was great for kids. Well, maybe I am a kid at heart or just a nerd, but I enjoyed it as well and so did Hubby. We didn’t stay more than 20 minutes, but it was worth a stop.
Manhattan Beach has a lovely walking path that is paved and goes along between the beach and the first row of houses. We didn’t take advantage of it on our visit Saturday but it looked like a really nice place for a stroll. We will definitely do that next time!
After we left I kept asking Hubby, “How is it we have never been here before?” Now that we have discovered Manhattan Beach, we will certainly be back!
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