Perfect Trip: SoCal Day 9

Private Beach, a day of exploration

Schooner or Later is a must for breakfast/brunch in Long Beach because of the food and memorable view of both the harbor and the wider ocean view. The first day in Long Beach was full of shopping and being on your feet. If you did not make it to Retro Row or Naples Islands, take the morning to make those unforgettable stops. One of my favorite things about Long Beach is the eclectic array of architecture along Ocean Blvd. Each house is unique, beautiful, and curious to gaze at from the large ocean-side sidewalk.

Stroll down Ocean Blvd, starting at the crossing of Junipero Ave; park anywhere around Bixy Park. Once you reach Redondo Ave, take a left, and then another left to stride down 1st Street, which happens to be the home of my favorite two houses of all time! I love the Oxford, brick-castle-looking home where I can imagine myself being a well-renowned Geography Professor sitting in the lounge reading from my extensive library. Closer to your car, you will eventually pass my favorite house, it's orange and very hard to miss. For some reason, this house evokes such excitement and envelopes my daydreams of a life of beach days and lazy dinners in the courtyard. If walking is out of the question (I love to walk and there is no better place), then take a quick drive around this little four block square, you will be glad. I walked this loop every day for two years with Izzi and never got tired of the scenery, and there was always something new to spot.  

OK, to the beach! If you were a local and had a pup, I would tell you to head to Long Beach Dog Beach. This is the best dog beach in all of Southern California, yes, even better than the ones in San Diego. The people are friendly, the dogs are great and well-behaved, and there is such an ease to it. This, however, is not the top place to visit on a sans-dog vacation. So, instead, live it up and head to a private beach created just for you by your dear friend Donald Trump. This is not a joke; there is a private beach only 30 minutes from Long Beach that is a part of the Trump Golf Course at 3850 Ocean Trails Drive Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275.

First, this is an elite stretch of SoCal that is not publicized for the everyday traveler or locals, but the beach is open to the public and worth it. Simply drive through the golden gates with an “I belong here” attitude, park in the small parking lot to the left, and head down the path. Ensure you have good shoes because you will climb down a dirt trail, snaking along the cliff face to the pebble beach below. You may find one or two other beachgoers here, or more likely, a few locals walking their dogs along the waterfront, but regardless, expect an incredible view from a small picturesque cove all to yourself. This allows you to walk away from your beach bag and look closer at the rocky outcrops and all the creatures inside; be adventurous and keep going. On one of my visits here, I shared the beach with a couple who happened to be photographers trying new techniques and camera films. I got to be their muse and ended up with professional, though artistic, photographs to remember this special place. You never know where the day will take you when you are a traveler instead of a planned tourist.

The sunset from this majestic place will stay with you forever, so if you are in for a long, lazy day, wait until the end and take it all in. Few restaurants are nearby, as it is an elite residential area, not a tourist spot. Head back to your hotel and freshen up. Once you are ready for dinner, get excited about La Palapa. This is the only place in Belmont on the water, and of course, that means a great view. The food was always great on my visits, and there was usually a good band or entertainment. Locals and visitors alike mingle at the bar and enjoy the great service. Overall, it is a great place to end your beach day, and you might even end with a midnight beach stroll. 

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Remembering Dog Beach {Long Beach}

Waking up to the sunshine flowing through my open window, I know the day will be the same as the one before; after all, it is Southern California. Washing my face and pulling on a swimsuit, I finished my ensemble with a beach bag filled with a towel, dog bowl, water bottle, an apple, tennis balls, and a Traveler magazine. The contents speak to my destination: Dog Beach.


Izzi, my fifty-pound blue heeler- Australian shepherd mix, pulls me up Ocean Blvd, over the stairs, and through the parking lot in three minutes flat (think of a sled dog pulling a water skier). I try to convey my sincere apology to the cars Izzi continues to ignore as she pulls me towards the sand with all her might.  Once her paws hit the sand, the game was over; she had won this round of tug of war. I get her to sit long enough to unleash her while there are no bikers within ten feet so she can cross the bike path safely (for her, but mostly the bikers). She barrels towards the waves.  A few minutes later, I reached the coned area where we were supposed to unleash. I find Izzi chest-deep in the water, chasing the splashes of a three-year-old girl in a blue and white swimsuit. I set up my towel and Izzi's water bowl and let the sun soak in. 


I sit up, hearing something happening at the water's edge. I pull my hand out from under my wet hair; my fingernails are sand-filled. Covered in the scent of a wet dog, I push myself up from the warmth of my towel and step into the breeze coming off the hazy blue water of Long Beach Bay.  People are grabbing boogie boards and rushing into the water to get close to a pod of approaching dolphins. They had gone uncensored until they were fifteen feet from the shoreline. Seven deep, gray fins rise and fall out of the waves while the dogs bark. A few brave dogs paddle out with their owners to see the new beach residents up close.  One man, returning to the squealing crowd on the beach, shouts, “I touched one!” 

I make the short distance from my familiar nomadic home consisting of a towel, dog bowl, extra tennis balls, and geography articles to the group of "dog beaches" I’ve come to know as friends over the last few months.  Everyone is ecstatic to see the dolphins back. A fisherman once told me dolphins used to be a common presence in the Long Beach waters, yet the last ten years have been barren, absent of all signs of the graceful creatures.  The fishermen, like the "dog beachers," have been bragging and spreading the word of the multiple dolphin sightings this summer in front of Granada Beach.  After thirty minutes of interacting with the dolphins, they start to leave. The dolphins either grew tired of the constant flashing of cameras, reaches of hopeful swimmers, and buggy boarders, or the fish had moved on. 

The crowd and I slowly retract back to our towels. We sink back into our chairs, or even better, let the sand curve to our bodies, and everyone eases back down. I close my eyes to take in the moment.  

Of course, there are the "not so glamorous" moments at Dog Beach. Everyone at one time or another witnesses, experiences, or shamefully has to claim their dog’s bad behavior.  Unexpectedly, being trampled by a herd of bulldogs, having your PB&J snatched away by a Saint Bernard, or suddenly feeling a warm spot form on the back of your chair as a suspicious wiener dog trots away looking distinguished is bound to happen to you at some point when you claim a patch of sand at the dog beach.

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