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Staycation's All I've Ever Wanted . . .

By
Real Estate Agent with Kaminsky Real Estate Group/Shorewood Realtors

As summer winds down, the South Bay still has much to look forward to. Our weather typically doesn’t get warmer until after October and the Beaches and parks remain fantastic “staycation” spots for local residents. A big favorite for many is the end of summer party known as Fiesta Hermosa, a 39 year old tradition of celebrating both the traditional “beginning” and “end” of summer. Fiesta Hermosa is a 3 day festival with something for everyone. It is sponsored by the Hermosa Beach Chamber of Commerce and runs every Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend (Saturday, Sunday & Monday). It is found centered in Pier Plaza and extending North and South along Hermosa Avenue.  There are numerous sites around the city where you can “park & ride” down to where the action is. From petting zoos, to over 270 vendors & artists, to a children’s carnival, a Beer & Wine Garden, and two stages where talented acts perform all weekend long, it’s great fun for everyone. Here is the Labor Day 2011 Music Schedule.

Hermosa Beach Pier Plaza Hermosa Beach Pier Plaza is home to Fiesta Hermosa

Another local favorite tradition is to wind down a casual weekend at home by joining neighbors, friends & family down at one of the local Summer Concert series. Redondo Beach Summer Concerts will run strong, even after the kids are back to school, with shows scheduled as late as September 3rd. Hermosa Beach winds down its Pier Concert Series this Sunday, August 21 as HelloGoodbye wraps it up. You can follow the fun on over to St.Rocke off of 2nd Street in Hermosa Beach where the crowd enjoys carrying on the fun into the evening (adults only). Manhattan Beach keeps on rockin’ with its last Summer Concert in the Park featuring DBeach Cities Swing Band from 5:00-7:00 pm.  The concerts are staged at Pollywog Park, Manhattan's Beach's largest park and a hub of outdoor activity year-round. A fun bit of local trivia . . .the emerging punk band, Black Flag, once played back in 1979 at one of Manhattan Beach’s Summer Concerts in the Park. It didn’t end well, but it was certainly a legendary local performance!

Pollywog Park is home to Summer Concerts in the Park Click photo to see Ed's Intro to Pollywog Park!

More ways locals extend that feeling of summer love, are biking along The Strand in the evenings after work & school, taking up a Saturday surf class or joining a weekend volleyball group, lunching at the Ports ‘O Call Village in San Pedro, or escaping to the exquisite Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. Another fun family day trip is exploring the South Coast Botanic Garden right in our own backyard.

Did you know that the South Bay offers Park & Ride service to the upcoming Fall Hollywood Bowl events? The Torrance park & ride location picks up at Wilson Park on Jefferson in Torrance. By far one of the best ways to get to and from the Bowl—park your car, hop the bus, don’t deal with traffic or parking, get dropped right at the entrance to the Bowl & grab a few “zzzz”s on the way home! Disney lovers won’t want to miss the spectacular presentation of Fantasia this weekend at the Bowl! With our excellent Southern California weather, the Bowl is a favorite—nestled in the Hollywood Hills, with plenty of places to picnic before & during shows!

Evening & weekend volleyball classes keep that summer vibe going! Plenty of evening & weekend volleyball classes available!

A day trip to Downtown L.A. always promises many things to do for the whole family, like fascinating hands-on exhibits at the California Science Center. Kids can get their Dinosaur on at the newly opened Dinosaur Hall at the Natural History Museum—bigger, better & much more Dinosaury than ever before! Dinosaur fans know that the La Brea Tarpits experience never gets old.

So South Bay, you can’t tell me you’re sad summer is coming to an end. We live in one of the world’s best year-round climates, we’re surrounded by plenty of outdoor experiences, we have access to the open sea, we have boundless culture & arts within miles of our homes, and if you want to get out of dodge, it’s easy to hop a flight out of LAX. But who’d want to leave the beach? South Bay residents are some of the luckiest people around, with countless ways to stretch out that summer fun even though school & regular work schedules are right around the corner!  Get out there and keep enjoying your big, expansive, south bay “backyard”!

Get to know South Bay Real Estate and how you can make the South Bay your own backyard by visting our comprehensive website that offers real-time market statistics, neighborhood home searches and more! www.SouthBayEd.com

 

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Map of the South Bay cities

Larry Bettag
Cherry Creek Mortgage Illinois Residential Mortgage License LMB #0005759 Cherry Creek Mortgage NMLS #: 3001 - Saint Charles, IL
Vice-President of National Production

How fun....I love, love, love staycations.  Like vacations more, but I will take staycations all day long!

Aug 17, 2011 10:12 AM
Bill MacBride
Ski-in/Ski-out, Luxury homes, Second Home Buyers - Mammoth Lakes, CA
Mammoth Lakes Resort Real Estate

Ed,

Great post.

I lived on Second Street, in Hermosa Beach, in the early 80s. Had a blast!

All the events you describe look like a lot of fun.

I logged onto the CampSurf website and printed it out.

I watched Step Into Liquid about one year ago and vowed to learn to surf and now I have a camp I can go to.

Thanks again.

Bill MacBride

Aug 17, 2011 10:13 AM
Ed Kaminsky
Kaminsky Real Estate Group/Shorewood Realtors - Manhattan Beach, CA
Ed Kaminsky

That's awesome, Bill. I'm so glad you are following your goals for yourself. El Porto is a great place to learn to surf for sure! Ah . . . old school Hermosa--really was a cool birthplace for some incredible music. Too bad most people took it as thugs with garage bands--think they would appreciate the "punk origins pride" a little more :)

Aug 17, 2011 10:27 AM