Page 126 - 2017 Travel Guide to California

REDONDO BEACH
SoCal’s family-friendly seaside playground
»SWIM, BIKE,
DINE, RELAX!
Redondo Beach
Chamber of Commerce
& Visitors Bureau
visitredondo.com
REDONDO BEACH AND PIER, above;
paddle boarding in the marina, below.
PERCHED ALONGSIDE the Pacific Ocean
with glorious coastline and a lively pier,
Redondo Beach is an ideal venue for living
the California dream, if only for the
weekend. Just seven miles from LAX and
not far from Los Angeles’ top attractions,
historic Redondo Beach is a destination in
its own right.
Typically sunny and in the 80s in
summer and comfortable the rest of the
year, the beach is less crowded than better-
known sands in Malibu and Santa Monica.
Popular activities include sport fishing,
whale watching, diving, surfing and stand-
up paddle boarding; biking and beach
volleyball are available too.
Redondo Beach rose to prominence early in
the 20th century when George Freeth came from
Oahu and introduced surfing to the mainland.
Known as the “Man Who Can Walk on Water,”
Freeth attracted thousands of spectators who
gawked in amazement as he rode his eight-
foot-long wooden surfboard from sea to shore.
Today the Redondo Beach Pier attracts
visitors with events including the annual
Redondo Beach Lobster Festival, Sept. 22-24
(lobsterfestival.com), a classic car show and
a kite festival (redondopier.com/events).
On the third Saturday of each month
there are free yoga sessions on the pier,
which has more than 50 shops, rides and
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B Y M I C H A E L S H A P I R O
restaurants, and there are more choices on
the pier’s adjacent International Boardwalk.
Chef Tin Vuong recently opened Sub-
urbia, a restaurant in Redondo Beach’s
Riviera Village featuring global specialties.
There are lots of American standards too.
The city’s cultural anchor is the Redondo
Beach Performing Arts Center. The 1,457-
seat venue hosts performances by the Los
Angeles Ballet, a slack key guitar festival,
and theatrical musicals such as Oklahoma!,
which premieres in mid June.
For lodging, a top pick is The Portofino, a
waterfront hotel with ocean views in Redondo
Beach’s marina. A new upscale hotel called
Shade, with yacht-chic design elements and a
rooftop pool, overlooks the marina.
While staying in Redondo Beach, don’t
miss SEA Lab, a marine science education
center (lacorps.org/programs/sea-lab). If
you’re in Redondo Beach between
November and April, look out to sea and try
to spot gray whales migrating between Cal-
ifornia and Mexico. You can often see the
behemoths from shore; to get closer, book
a whale watching tour on a boat such as the
Voyager (voyagerexcursions.com).
But perhaps the best way to enjoy Redondo
Beach is to simply relax in the sand, watch the
waves curl and enjoy some California dreamin’
in one of the state’s premier beach towns.
VISIT REDONDO