Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [206]
Starting southeast of Los Angeles County’s Long Beach, Seal Beach is the OC’s northernmost beach town. From here, you can follow Route 1, also known as the Pacific Coast Hwy or simply PCH, south along the coast for more than 40 miles, passing through Sunset Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Dana Point before reaching San Clemente, which borders San Diego County. From Seal Beach in the north to Laguna Beach in the south, the drive takes about 45 minutes to an hour.
Accommodations in summer get booked far in advance; prices rise and some properties impose minimum two- or three-night stays. You can stay in one town and take day trips to the others.
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SEAL BEACH
pop 24,100
In the pageant for charming small towns, Seal Beach enjoys an unfair advantage over the competition: 1.5 miles of pristine beach glittering like an already-won crown. And that’s without mentioning three-block Main St, a stoplight-free zone bustling with locally owned restaurants, mom-and-pop specialty shops and indie coffeehouses that are low on ’tude and high on charisma. But truth be told, Seal Beach’s lasting small-town allure may owe a debt to the Scylla and Charybdis lurking beside the primary thoroughfare into town, Seal Beach Blvd: Leisure World (‘Seizure World’ to the non-PC) is a sprawling retirement community looming just west of Seal Beach Blvd, while the huge US Naval Weapons Station (look for grass-covered bunkers) crouches to the east. But thoughts of shuffleboard and apocalypse aside, Seal Beach is one of the last great Californian beach towns and a refreshing alternative to the more crowded coasts further south.
Information
Chamber of Commerce ( 562-799-0179; www.sealbeachchamber.org; 201 8th St, Suite 120; noon-3pm Mon, Wed, Fri) Dispenses lodging and other information, but only about businesses that have joined the chamber.
Post Office ( 562-598-6915; 221 Main St; 9am-5pm Mon-Fri) Conveniently located on bustling Main St just two blocks from the beach.
Public Library ( 562-431-3584; www.ocpl.org; 707 Electric Ave; noon-8pm Mon & Tue, 10am-6pm Wed & Thu, 10am-5pm Sat, closed Fri & Sun) Internet access free for one hour with guest pass.
Sights
In the morning settle into a chair at one of the indie coffee joints on Main St and check out the laid-back local scene – barefoot surfers trotting toward the surf, friendly shopkeepers opening their doors and silver-haired Leisure World foxes scoping the way-too-young beach bunnies. All so enjoyable you might just trade beach time for a day-long coffee-crawl.
Once the java kicks in, resist temptation and follow Main St onto the Seal Beach Pier, which extends 1885ft over the ocean. The current pier, built in 1985, replaced the 1906 original, which fell victim to winter storms in the early 1980s, but it has been rebuilt with a wooden boardwalk. It’s splintery in places, so wear shoes (no high heels!). Snap a picture of the playful bronze seal standing guard at the pier’s eastern base – he may be the only one you see.
On the beach, which faces south here, families spread out on blankets, build sandcastles and play in the water. The gentle waves make it a great place to learn to surf. Surfers and boogie boarders are segregated; read the signs or ask a lifeguard. Newbie surfers should stick close to the pier. For surf conditions, look for the sign on the sand between the parking lots. Though there’s a hideous oil derrick just off shore, if you take off your glasses and focus on what’s immediately in front of you, it’s lovely. The ocean here is popular with round stingrays, attracted to the warm water flowing in with the San Gabriel River from the north. (Soak your foot in warm water if stung, and seek medical assistance if necessary.) On windy days, walk up the beach to 2nd and 4th Sts and watch