Los Angeles & Southern California - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [223]
Latitude 33 ( 949-494-5403; 311 Ocean Ave) Good independent, generalist bookstore that’s crammed floor-to-ceiling with books. There’s a small but varied travel section and helpful staff. It’s also a great camera-repair shop.
INTERNET ACCESS
Laguna Beach Library ( 949-497-1733; www.ocpl.org; 363 Glenneyre St; 10am-8pm Mon-Wed, 10am-6pm Thu, 10am-5pm Fri & Sat) A maximum of one hour’s use per day; make a donation. It’s at the corner of Park Ave, one block east of PCH.
Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau ( 949-497-9229, 800-877-1115; www.lagunabeachinfo.org; 252 Broadway; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat, 10am-2pm Sun Jul & Aug, closed Sun Sep-Jun) You can check your email free for 15 minutes here.
MEDICAL SERVICES
Sleepy Hollow Medical Group ( 949-494-3740; 364 Ocean Ave; 8am-6pm Mon-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun) For nonemergency care.
South Coast Medical Center ( 949-499-1311; www.southcoastmedcenter.com; 31872 Coast Hwy) For a 24-hour hospital emergency room, head 4 miles south of the downtown village along Hwy 1 to this center. It’s in South Laguna Beach at 7th Ave.
POST
Post office ( 949-362-8306, emergency 949-499-7193; 350 Forest Ave; 8:30am-5pm Mon-Fri) The Playa Branch sits near the corner of Beach St in the downtown village. There’s also a self-service machine if the window’s closed.
TOURIST INFORMATION
Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau ( 949-497-9229, 800-877-1115; www.lagunabeachinfo.org; 252 Broadway; 10am-4pm Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat, 10am-2pm Sun Jul & Aug, closed Sun Sep-Jun) Helpful staff, bus schedules, local restaurant menus and pamphlets on everything from hiking trails to self-guided public-art walks are available here. For those smitten with Laguna Beach, ask for the fact sheet pointing out lots of show locales. The free weekly Coastline Pilot is a good source for local news and events. There’s also free 15-minute internet access available.
Dangers & Annoyances
Fire is a particular danger in Laguna. The canyons act like chimneys and small grass fires quickly become infernos. Use extreme caution with matches and cigarette butts.
Sights
BEACHES
With 30 public beaches and coves, Laguna Beach is perfect for do-it-yourself exploring. There’s always another stunning view or hidden cove just around the bend. Although many of the coves are blocked from street view by multimillion-dollar homes, a good local map or sharp eye will take you to the numerous stairways leading from PCH down to the beach. Just look for the ‘beach access’ signs, and be prepared to pass through people’s backyards to reach the sand. Unlike its neighbors to the north, Laguna doesn’t impose a beach curfew.
Centrally located Main Beach has volleyball and basketball courts as well as benches, tables, a playground and restrooms. It’s the best beach for swimming. North of Main Beach, it’s too rocky to surf; tidepooling is best. Pick up a tide table at the visitors bureau. (Tidepool etiquette: tread lightly and don’t pick anything up that you find living in the rocks.) Just north of Main Beach, stroll the grassy, bluff-top Heisler Park for sweeping views of the craggy coves and deep-blue sea. Bring your camera – with its palm trees, bougainvillea-dotted bluffs and soaring flocks of pelicans, the scene is one for posterity. Drop down below the park to Diver’s Cove, a deep, protected inlet popular with snorkelers and, of course, divers. A scenic walkway connects Heisler Park to Main Beach. North of town, Crescent Bay has big hollow waves good for bodysurfing, but parking is difficult; try the bluffs atop the beach.
About 1 mile south of the Downtown Village, Victoria Beach has volleyball courts and La Tour, a Rapunzel’s-tower–like structure from 1926. Skimboarding (at the south end) and bodysurfing are also popular here. Take the stairs down Victoria Dr; there’s limited parking on