A Guide to Hermosa Beach Visitors Information Dining Beach Activities Pier Ave,
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A Guide to Hermosa Beach Visitors Information Dining Beach Activities Pier Ave, |
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MORE: SURFSIDE It's a small town, barely more than two square miles, and is focused on the things in its very name – a beautiful beach.
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Welcome to Hermosa Beach, CA!
Once a hangout for hippies and bikers, Hermosa Beach is now a haven for the young and fun, Southern California in the sun. It's a small town, barely more than two square miles, and is focused on the things in its very name – a beautiful beach. Its downtown area is centered around its pier, and there it thrives. There are a dozen small bars here and on Hermosa Ave., which runs north-south and connects the city to neighboring Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach.
Yet there is more to this funky, eclectic little city than nightlife. That aspect of Hermosa is covered extensively on our sister site, PubClub.com. Instead, this article focuses on other aspects of Hermosa – what it's about and what makes it such a popular beach. Ahh, the beach. It's wide and has thick sand. Running in it results in quite a workout. And while that's an activity for some, by far the beach is busiest with volleyball play. All up and down. people play on the courts, and it doesn't have to be a weekend. A lot of locals work in the service industry and have the daytime to pursue this activity. Some of the best volleyball is played by the pier.
The most notable landmark on the beach – more so than its pier for tourists – is "the 90210 house," the beach house used in the popular TV show. It's the last house on the Strand, at 35th Street. Few people know it was also used in the Dan Aykrod/Kim Bassinger movie My Stepmother's An Alien. Like its beachy neighbors to the north and south, there is surfing in Hermosa and a surfing statue sits prominently at the pier. But it doesn't have one "must do" spot like Manhattan's El Porto break. Hermosa does have the most surf shops in the South Bay, both on the Pier (Spyder, Becker's) and PCH.
Most people move up and down the beach not in cars, but on bikes or rollerblades along the Strand, a sidewalk that runs between the houses and the sand. This is a very active area, so much so on weekends that flashing lights in proximity of the pier instruct people to walk their bikes. People also use it as their outdoor treadmill. The Strand takes on a different personality as the day progresses, too. In the early morning (on weekends) it's the hard-coore runners. About 10, the "healthy drinkers" emerge for some exercise after a night in the bars, and in the afternoon the bikes dominate with people going to volleyball games, visit their friends or to the other beach cites. Even to lunch or dinner. It's part of the culture of a California beach city.
And so, too, is eating, California style. In Hermosa, the choices are plentiful. There's burgers and sandwiches at the pub Hennessey's (which has the only rooftop patio at the pier), the Brazilian steakhouse Silvo,inexpensive but delicious Italian food at at Bona Vita on "upper Pier" to the great food at Blue 32 lounge and pizza places and breakfast joints, Even Sharkeez, more known as a wild bar for the young and fun, serves tasty food. The best food may well be at one of the oldest places in town, an old-style lounge with leather booths called The Mermaid. And that's all within two blocks of the pier and what is known as Pier Plaza, the pedestrian area from the beach to Hermosa Ave. SurfsideSam.com covers beach cities and towns around the world. © 2010. All rights reserved. |
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