“Asked what it’s like to bodysurf one of the most famous breaks on Earth, a regular once opined, “It’s the closest thing to the great trauma of being born.”
“When Ole Hanson drove through here in the 1900s, nothing existed between San Juan Capistrano and Oceanside. He cooked up this dream that he wanted to have a ‘Spanish Village by the Sea,’ and unlike so many other developers, he wanted to have a clean slate.”
Highlights and Headlines: Spring 2018
50 Essential Western Travel Experiences. The Wedge, Newport Beach, CA
“Asked what it’s like to bodysurf one of the most famous breaks on Earth, a regular once opined, “It’s the closest thing to the great trauma of being born.” When a big swell hits the Wedge, already gigantic waves bounce off the jetty at the south end of Balboa Boulevard; combining with the next wave, they create magnificent, malevolent monsters that can top 25 feet.” sunset.com Kevork Djansezian / Getty
Green Day drummer Tré Cool gets $1.83 million for Newport Beach duplex
“The property, touted as a “classic” beach community spot, is near Lido Marina Village and Lido House, a new, upscale hotel. Click through the slideshow for a tour.” ocregister.com Marilyn Kalfus (Photo by Chris Snitko, ModernTake)
A Restaurant. Classically Hip Since 1926
“Originally built as a restaurant and service station, construction began on The Arches in 1925, the same year Coast Highway opened up from Huntington Beach to Newport Beach. Founded by John Vilelle and James Sturgeon, it was named by 10 year old Victor Chatten in a contest advertised by them in the Balboa Times. The distinct Mediterranean style of the original buildings, with arches and red tile roofs, quickly made it a recognizable staple of Newport Beach as it helped to shape and inspire the town in its early stages.” arestaurantnb.com
Surf City USA – Huntington Beach
Irvine and Huntington Beach Make Top Ten List of Happiest Cities in America
“WalletHub released a survey of the happiest cities in America. Our own Irvine and Huntington Beach are in the top 10 happiest cities, coming in at No. 8 and 9, respectively.” orangecoast.com Alan Gibbons
Huntington Beach News Staff
“Editor Louis Paul Hart in suit and hat on right about 1915. Having begun with a paper edition in 1904 in Huntington Beach and in the years since, we continue to bring you the news of the people and events that other media’s bypass.” hbnews.us
Corky Carroll: Best beaches to surf in Orange County — for summer or winter, beginner to advanced
“Intermediate to advanced: For the most consistent waves with the most power I would have to recommend the area closer to the Huntington Beach Pier. This is sort of the heart of one of the most aggressive surfing communities on the planet and where “the good guys” hang out. Also good in winter, although not as consistent due to Catalina, are the two spots in the Trestles area just south of San Clemente called Uppers and Church. The direction of the swells hits these two breaks perfectly in winter months.” ocregister.com Corky Carroll (File photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)”
90 Candles: San Clemente to Celebrate Its 90th Anniversary
“Ole would advertise land tracts in newspapers in San Diego and Los Angeles, and people would come down and get a chicken dinner and the sales pitch. They could mark off lots if they wanted and put down their deposit,” Culbertson said. “When Ole Hanson drove through here in the 1900s, nothing existed between San Juan Capistrano and Oceanside. He cooked up this dream that he wanted to have a ‘Spanish Village by the Sea,’ and unlike so many other developers, he wanted to have a clean slate.” sanclementetimes.com By Eric Heinz
Why the swallows stopped returning to San Juan Capistrano and how people brought them back
“Cliff swallows are one of more than 350 bird species that migrate along the Pacific Flyway. They stay in the Northern Hemisphere from March to October. But swallows aren’t returning to Mission San Juan Capistrano in the numbers they used to. A remodel of the mission in the 1990s removed nests from overhangs, and with that loss of habitat, swallows did not return to the mission.” mercurynews.com By KURT SNIBBE | Southern California News Group
No Surf? How About a History Lesson?
“On the surfing front, anybody who rides waves around here should have a brief appreciation for just how San Onofre came to be one of the birthplaces of surf culture on the West Coast. It was first surfed in the early 1920s, although it’s still debated who the first person to surf at San Onofre was. Some say it was Laguna Beach’s George “Peanuts” Larson. Others contend it was Matt Brown and Lorrin “Whitey” Harrison. Given that was nearly 100 years ago, the mystery will probably never be solved conclusively, but it’s fun to banter about.”danapointtimes.com by Dana Point Times
City of Laguna Beach – Diver’s Cove
“Popular activities include swimming, skin and scuba diving, and body surfing. Hazardous and rip conditions are evident in all directions. This beach is steep and has a shore break under all conditions. The crack around the north point is always a potential hazard and should never be entered or approached too closely.” lagunabeachcity.net
“To kick off spring the proper way, we’ve rounded up a few spots that would make William Willett (to whom we owe this clock-changing tradition) proud. When you’ve sampled all of these, you can start working through our exhaustive guide to San Diego’s very best happy hours, for any time of year.” sandiegomagazine.com/ The outdoor digs at Topside. CHASE SCHEINBAUM | Photo: Justin McChesney-Wachs
“Sand replenishment began Tuesday at Cardiff State Beach as part of the San Elijo Lagoon restoration project.Improved water quality, greater wildlife diversity, more public recreational trails and a greater resilience to environmental change are among the long-term goals of the restoration, which has been planned for decades.” Phil Diehl. sandiegouniontribune.com/ (Union-Tribune file photo by Eduardo Contreras)”
“The Trump administration has proposed opening California’s coast to oil drilling. An oil basin near Oceanside could be particularly valuable, but the military says drilling there would disrupt its operations. California politicians and environmentalists have long worried about oil spills — because they’ve seen them before. A 1969 spill in Santa Barbara blackened dozens of miles of coastline, killed thousands of birds and devastated local tourism and fishing. But the armed forces have worries of their own. Offshore drilling could flummox training and operations and, in turn, endanger national security.” voiceofsandiego.org Ry Rivard Image courtesy of Shutterstock.
“Singer and songwriter Beth Hart will perform at the 21st annual Doheny Blues Festival on May 20 at Sea Terrace Community Park in Dana Point. Founded in 1998, the festival has played host in years past to blues legends Bo Diddley, B.B. King and John Lee Hooker and rock pioneers Chuck Berry and Little Richard. The festival was forced to move this year after the California parks department notified organizers in November that they’d have to find a new venue after two decades at Doheny State Beach.” http://www.latimes.com/socal/daily-pilot BRADY MACDONALD (Photo by Studio-E Elena Garm)
“Since 1952, Dana Point’s Danny Brawner has been crafting and fine-tuning Southern California culture through his craftsmanship and his music in ways the masses often don’t take time to appreciate. Locals may have to read the back of an album carefully, or ask a local shaper who did the all-important, life-sustaining glasswork on that new surfboard. It may not even be recorded in some cases, but a little research will quickly reveal the Brawner name is deeply woven into the fabric of South Orange County culture.” http://www.sanclementetimes.com/ Daniel Ritz, By Staff
“For now though, the waste is still headed to San Onofre, busted bolts and all. All 3.6 million pounds of it. Just a few months into Southern California Edison’s very controversial plan to relocate spent nuclear fuel to holding tanks on the beach at San Onofre, crews are finding the holding tanks aren’t working properly. “We warned them that this was going to happen, and nobody listened to us,” Donna Gilmore of SanOnofreSafety.org told the LA Times. “Now they are trying to tell us: ‘Everything is OK. Don’t worry.’ This is insane. Edison has proven they can’t keep us safe.” www.surfer.com/ JUSTIN HOUSMAN Photo: Ellis
“Morey is related to the founders of the Detroit-based Dodge Brothers automobile company. The Morey’s moved to Laguna, California, when Tom was eight. There, he learned to bodysurf on his father’s back. Tom, who loved music almost as much as the ocean, called his invention the Morey Boogie after the boogie blues tempo. Boogie was a type of jazz music that was popular before World War II. As Tom put it: “Boogie swung, and it had a wiggle and a jiggle to it… it was perfect.” www.surfertoday.com Seamus McGoldrick Morey Archive
“Laguna Beach High School’s women’s shortboard team won the crown as team champion at the Scholastic Surf Series high school state championship. MVP went to freshman Tess Booth, who besides competing in shortboard, also competed in one longboard heat as well.” www.lagunabeachindy.com By : Guest Contributor MVP Tess Booth in action.
“Cope’s trials and tribulations as a blossoming surf star on the world stage is documented in the short film entitled “Surfing To Cope,” which premieres Monday evening at the Newport Beach Film Festival. And she has done all that while dealing with a birth defect. Brianna’s left hand is under-developed, and to cope with everything that comes along with that Cope found the ocean as a great equalizer early on in her life. She has dedicated everything since to the ocean and accomplishing her goals. “The ocean is the one place I wasn’t self-conscience,” Cope told ASN. “I feel so happy and free when I’m surfing. There is no judgement or imperfections, it’s all about the ocean and its beauty.” www.adventuresportsnetwork.com/ Ryan Brower
“The Newport Beach Film Festival seeks to bring to Orange County the best of classic and contemporary filmmaking from around the world. Committed to enlightening the public with a first-class international film program as well as providing a forum for cultural understanding and enriching educational opportunities, the Festival focuses on showcasing a diverse collection of both studio and independent films.” newportbeachfilmfest.com/events/
“The other morning, I was surfing the north side of the pier in Huntington Beach. The waves were about waist high, the wind was cross shore, and I was not surfing well. After blowing my first wave of the day, I got inside my head with some negative thoughts, which often has a way of ruining my session. I’d clearly dropped in on him and surfed (almost) the entire wave blissfully unaware. Damn, I felt like a moron. I’ve surfed for 20 years and just like the rest of us, I’ll occasionally drop in on people by accident. Occasionally, they drop in on me. Sometimes I get a little mad inside when they do. But I try to practice kindness and have a positive outlook. This guy I’d just dropped in on did a great job of the latter. I paddled back out and apologized. “No worries, brother,” he said. “I was trying to synchronize with your turns.” He laughed and paddled off. I laughed.” www.theinertia.com Simon Short Instagram
“The best match of the Huntington Beach Open was Friday’s championship bracket showdown between two-time Olympic medalist April Ross and new partner Alix Klineman and a Canadian pair that’s ranked second in the world. Ross, considered by many to be the best individual player in the sport, is as rambunctious as ever. She split with Kerri Walsh Jennings after winning a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics and spent late last season mulling a decision on a partner for a run at the 2020 Olympics.” BOB KEISSER | www.pe.com/ (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)
“Prospector Pete was civil, even loving, to everyone, respecting the Golden Rule as much as the Gold Rush. He made his wealth quickly and easily and shared it with the vaunted Swiss generosity, building schools for Mexican, Chinese and indigenous boys and girls.” www.presstelegram.com TIM GROBATY (Photo by Thomas R. Cordova, Press-Telegram /SCNG)
“We are located on the ground floor of the Historic Cooper Arms building in downtown Long Beach, California. At modica’s, every dish is created using only the finest and freshest ingredients. We have created a marinara sauce to die for! With your choice of pasta you get delicious baked bread that is made daily and a fresh mesclun salad topped with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.” http://www.visitlongbeach.com
“Immerse yourself in the epitome of beachfront luxury at this sprawling modern villa situated on the golden sands of Broad Beach in Malibu, California. Planning a California getaway that you never want to forget? Where you choose to stay plays an important role in your vacation memories. This stunning beach house in Malibu is the ideal luxury rental if you’re traveling with a group. A family reunion or friends trip, perhaps? The property is available to book on TripAdvisor.” www.tripadvisor.com
“With the ocean in your backyard, this dreamy home is the perfect beachfront escape. With summer right around the corner, it’s time to figure out where to go on vacation this year. And while road trips to national parks have an undeniable allure, it’s equally tempting to stay put all summer long. Designed as the ultimate oceanfront escape, 24683 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Calif., can be rented for $75,000 a month—which means you can unpack your swim trunks and enjoy the blissful beachfront abode for as long as your heart desires.” http://robbreport.com/ Juliana Distefano
“Ventura offers eclectic, locally owned shops where you can find items you won’t see anywhere else. A variety of these shops lines the streets of Ventura, featuring clothing boutiques, antique stores, home and garden shops, art galleries, gift stores and other specialty shops. Starting in downtown Ventura, just steps away from the beachfront promenade, a walk through Main Street is like no other. Right away, countless storefronts will grab your attention.” visitventuraca.com
“Here’s a look at what about $900,000 buys in the Ventura County cities of Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks and Ventura.VENTURA: This two-bedroom cottage, built in the 1950s and since updated, is a stone’s throw from San Buenaventura State Beach.” http://www.latimes.com Neal J. Leitereg (Realtor.com)
“Remote yet accessible, this archipelago stretches north along the coast from LA, and the Channel Islands National Park comprises the five northernmost islands. Just hours from the city, the National Park sees less than 20,000 overnight campers a year and is the perfect spot to escape the crowds, especially mid-week.The closest islands are visible from the coast, but a deep channel separates them from the mainland. This allowed wildlife to develop in isolation until humans arrived and there are 145 endemic or unique species in the archipelago including the diminutive island fox.” https://awol.junkee.com Alexis Buxton-Collins Image: Channel Islands National Park
“Channel Islands National Park says the two chicks hatched 14 hours apart on Santa Cruz Island, and a third egg chick was expected Friday. The hatchings are a sign of progress in restoration of the species to the island chain where the birds disappeared in the 1960s due to the effects of DDT and other human activities.” https://www.sfgate.com
“Every day, the isolated stretch of Big Sur loses $300,000 in revenues, according to Kirk Gafill, manager of the world-famous restaurant Nepenthe. San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties could face a $554 million loss in revenue due to closures, according to a recent study by Visit California, which promotes tourism. The economic impact could ripple out further, if visitors cancel summer plans to the Golden State. “Santa Cruz Sentinel
