I've been all over the world. The best place in the world is Manhattan Beach. I love small towns, that can survive independently on their own (no reason to leave) but also offer access to a larger metropolitan area. I'm a sucker for the small town main street and local dining scene. I love local bars. But I also like having a Whole Foods and Best Buy nearby. I like having a walking path - and if that walking path happens to be along the beach and pass amazing homes - even better. Manhattan Beach has two noticeable drawbacks (presumably both due to the high cost of living) - while there's a few awesome local dive bars, there's no microbreweries and there's no local coffee shops (Starbucks has a prime location and there's a Peet's and Coffee Bean also on the main drag). Uncle Bill's Pancake House makes up for those deficiencies.
Oh and then there's the pier and wonderful sunsets every night. No matter what's going on your life, seeing the sun set over water has a calming effect and perfectly bookends a day. You want to clap at the sun's performance every night.
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A look down Manhattan Beach Boulevard - the best small town Main Street in America - how could it not be with that view?
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I previously lived on the second story of this house. I could watch sunsets from the back deck - which I did not do as much as I should have. And similar homes along the coast.
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HERMOSA BEACH AND REDONDO BEACH
Hermosa and Redondo and Manhattan Beach's sister cities in the South Bay. I spent a few months living on a beachfront place in Hermosa Beach with six other guys. There were weekend days where I sat on our back porch and didn't move.
Hermosa Beach has a pedestrian shopping/dining/drinking plaza off its pier. It's a very nice setup. The Hermosa crowd tends to skew a little younger than Manhattan Beach which is more family/retiree centric - the dining, shopping, and drinking scene reflect these demographic differences.
Redondo Beach has a working pier area with fresh catch seafood restaurants.
I need to visit these areas and take some photos but otherwise, just stick to Manhattan Beach. I realized when I lived in this area that I took how great it was for granted. I realized that I travel to a bunch of places but never take photos or write about the place I live and enjoy the most.
Hermosa Beach has a pedestrian shopping/dining/drinking plaza off its pier. It's a very nice setup. The Hermosa crowd tends to skew a little younger than Manhattan Beach which is more family/retiree centric - the dining, shopping, and drinking scene reflect these demographic differences.
Redondo Beach has a working pier area with fresh catch seafood restaurants.
I need to visit these areas and take some photos but otherwise, just stick to Manhattan Beach. I realized when I lived in this area that I took how great it was for granted. I realized that I travel to a bunch of places but never take photos or write about the place I live and enjoy the most.