07.09.08
Top Spots Where Hip Meets Health: Newport Beach
Newport Beach may be the backdrop for vapid plot twists on The OC (and, btw, those adorable bungalows six blocks off the beach really do cost a million bucks) - but you’d be hard-pressed to find another spot that offers a more rejuvenating weekend beach vacay. We’re talking about the seaside oasis, Crystal Cove State Park, located off the SoCal grid just three miles south of Newport. Here’s your weekend plan:
Shacking Up: Nestled under massive hundred-foot seaside cliffs, five minutes from the Pacific Coast Highway, lies 14 ramshackle beachfront cottages. Renovated in ‘06, most of the brightly colored shacks on the three-mile-long state park beach have picnic tables on the veranda, full kitchens, and a surfing commute of 50 steps. Beware: Renting one of these precious pads requires six months advance notice, so book ahead!
Picnic Power: Planning a day trip to the beach? Pack your basket with lunch goodies from Corona del Mar's Zinc Cafe & Market. Order up the eggplant-filled French baguette, a buffalo mozzarella salad, or the classic Zinc Burger, a veggie pattie served on foccacia with a side of guac (FYI: avocados have the good monounsaturated fat, and 60% more potassium then bananas).
Soul Scuba: Play below the sea’s surface and check out cool tide pools, kelp beds and dolphin birthing grounds in Crystal Cove’s 1,100 acres of designated underwater park, part of the Irvine Coast Marine Life Refuge. Ask Laguna Sea Sports to hook you up with a diving lesson.
Know of any other hidden gems in Newport Beach worth visiting? Share the love and leave a comment!
Shacking Up: Nestled under massive hundred-foot seaside cliffs, five minutes from the Pacific Coast Highway, lies 14 ramshackle beachfront cottages. Renovated in ‘06, most of the brightly colored shacks on the three-mile-long state park beach have picnic tables on the veranda, full kitchens, and a surfing commute of 50 steps. Beware: Renting one of these precious pads requires six months advance notice, so book ahead!
Picnic Power: Planning a day trip to the beach? Pack your basket with lunch goodies from Corona del Mar's Zinc Cafe & Market. Order up the eggplant-filled French baguette, a buffalo mozzarella salad, or the classic Zinc Burger, a veggie pattie served on foccacia with a side of guac (FYI: avocados have the good monounsaturated fat, and 60% more potassium then bananas).
Soul Scuba: Play below the sea’s surface and check out cool tide pools, kelp beds and dolphin birthing grounds in Crystal Cove’s 1,100 acres of designated underwater park, part of the Irvine Coast Marine Life Refuge. Ask Laguna Sea Sports to hook you up with a diving lesson.
Know of any other hidden gems in Newport Beach worth visiting? Share the love and leave a comment!
Don’t be shy!
Having grown up in Newport Beach, I do have a fav or two.
If hip and health top stops are what you're looking for, search no further ...
I definitely recommend a visit to the 15th Street Surf Shop and Museum located on 15th Street on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach. It has been there for over 40 years, owned by David Moon (also an area local) for over 14 years! While the shop has everything you need for a day at the beach (rentals and/or purchases), it also has an amazing surfboard museum with boards dating back to the 1930's. You want to know what's going on or where the best break of the day is, ask David Moon!! AND, David Moon is the only business owner (that I know of) on the peninsula that will absolutely give you change for your dollar or ten dollars to feed the parking meters! If you're looking for local color, to rent a surfboard or bike, pick up cute new swim suit or local tee-shirt, get change for that parking meter and/or good surf tips, this is a manditory first stop!
Have fun and remember your helmut if you rent a bike. :O)
If hip and health top stops are what you're looking for, search no further ...
I definitely recommend a visit to the 15th Street Surf Shop and Museum located on 15th Street on the Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach. It has been there for over 40 years, owned by David Moon (also an area local) for over 14 years! While the shop has everything you need for a day at the beach (rentals and/or purchases), it also has an amazing surfboard museum with boards dating back to the 1930's. You want to know what's going on or where the best break of the day is, ask David Moon!! AND, David Moon is the only business owner (that I know of) on the peninsula that will absolutely give you change for your dollar or ten dollars to feed the parking meters! If you're looking for local color, to rent a surfboard or bike, pick up cute new swim suit or local tee-shirt, get change for that parking meter and/or good surf tips, this is a manditory first stop!
Have fun and remember your helmut if you rent a bike. :O)
– justbee | 07.10.08 | 10:00 AM
Those beachfront cottages look MONEY.
– laxer | 07.09.08 | 9:13 AM
