A Day At The Beach

In late August, Dylan and I embarked on our first road trip together to my hometown, Huntington Beach, California (The Official Surf City U.S.A. The locals pronounce it “Hunnington”) to visit my family, as well as his sister who attends Chapman University. For any of you who live away from home you know that going home is not nearly as relaxing as it sounds. It consists of cramming as many visits with old friends into a few days as possible, which, does not leave a lot of time for you to spend with your significant other. In light of this Dylan and I planned a beach day, part of which would be so we could have a little quality time together. While there are many, many more things that can be done between Laguna and Sunset Beach, our beach day was as well rounded of a day trip as I could make it without dealing with traffic.

We started our day off in Corona Del Mar (CDM), I got my hair cut and left Dylan slightly to his own devices. CDM is home to gorgeous, multi-million dollar, beach-front properties, tide pools, a boardwalk on a cliff over-looking the ocean and tons of shopping options. Dylan chose to explore the beach area and walk along the boardwalk to pass a little time.

The houses in this area are something special, if you are in Corona Del Mar then you should take the time to walk along the beach and take a look at the houses nestled in the cliffs. Picnic lunches always make for a great beach activity (and are a great way to save money, eating out in Southern California gets pricey!) so we picked a spot on one of the cliffs, found a bench and had a leisurely lunch overlooking the ocean.

My friend Heidi and I Paddle Boarding at Newport Harbor

If you are looking to stay in the Newport/CDM area for the day, you have the option of beaches, kayaking/paddle boarding, tide pools and shopping at Fashion Island (If you love fashion go there, thank me later). There is also the Peninsula which has a fun zone, tons of dining options (if you like beer go to Mutt Lynches for a literal goblet of beer), a ferry to the other side of the peninsula, which is more commonly known as Balboa Island (another great place to walk and get chocolate covered bananas), as well as miles of gorgeous pristine beaches. For those that are not experienced ocean swimmers, do not go to The Wedge, it is a surfer's mecca but is known for its gnarly currents and massive waves.

After lunch we decided to go kayaking in Sunset Beach, which is about a 20 minute cruise up PCH from Corona Del Mar. While we could have gone kayaking in Newport, going to Sunset Beach is considerably cheaper and for two people on a budget that was perfect for us. Sunset Kayak Rentals is a Sunset Beach staple, for $15 you can get a kayak and have unlimited time to paddle through Huntington Harbor (make sure you get a map to navigate, The maze like harbor can easily get confusing!). We could not have asked for a nicer day to go kayaking, 85 degrees, just a subtle breeze and calm water. It was a blast to show Dylan where I spent many days as a teenager swimming and bridge jumping, as well as have a few splashing fights with the paddles! Just remember to bring bottled water and apply sunscreen very liberally.

The location for Sunset Beach Kayak Rentals

Once we had de-sunscreened, we met up with Dylan’s sister, Melissa, and my best friend, Heidi, for Taco Tuesday in Huntington Beach at Fred’s. Fred’s sits on the second floor corner of PCH and Main Street, it overlooks the pier and the ocean. While they have indoor seating with pool tables, sitting out on the patio where you can enjoy people watching and a view of the beach, is the best place to be if you are going to Fred’s. They have fabulous Taco Tuesday deals, with a great drink selection, having lived in Huntington Beach my entire life, Fred’s is one of my favorite spots for Mexican Food.

Margaritas with Chips and Salsa for Taco Tuesday

We finished off our beach day with a bonfire at Huntington State Beach with Melissa and Heidi, where Dylan got to embrace his inner pyro with a bottle of lighter fluid and 3 bundles of wood. Many people struggle to get a fire going at the fire pits, we probably could have had a much bigger fire if we wanted. There is nothing more relaxing than having a roaring fire, and the people that you love surrounding you while watching the sun set on the beach. The fire pits in Huntington Stretch from about Beach Boulevard down to the start of Newport Beach. Be sure to familiarize yourself with fir-pit/beach bonfire rules before having a fire. Two quick rules to remember, no alcohol and no pallets on the fire pits. While there are many other beach day activities that we could have done, this day was a great opportunity for myself to show Dylan around my hometown, as well as have the opportunity to enjoy some fun in the sun at the beach.