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Last Days of Summer

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Last Days of Summer – Enjoy them before they’r gone…

Summertime, and the livin’ is easy… Gershwin’s silvery song from his opera Porgy and Bess rings in my ears while my husband and I lounge in pool chairs watching our children having fun in the pool right on the beach. “A pool on the beach?” you might say, “What’s so cool about that?”

Well, it’s a special pool. In fact it’s a historic pool! And it’s not somewhere at a fancy resort or so. No, it’s right here in Los Angeles and open to all!

One of the well guarded insider secrets of L.A. is the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica. We love coming here! Every time we are in Los Angeles either going to the Getty, LACMA, hanging out at the Grand Central Market or just visiting the German Consulate, we make it a point to come here to pay this historic pool by the beach a visit before heading back home.

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Built on 5 acres of beach property the Annenberg Beach House features a pool, a splash pad for the little ones, a fun playground and 6 beach volley ball courts right next to the Beach House. But it is also a community center that offers yoga classes, swim lessons and cultural programs and events like poetry readings and much more. You can rent out paddle boards for the day or book a surfing class. Do I need to say more…?

Even if you just come here for a few hours, it’s totally worth the parking fee of $3/hour or $12/day.  The kids can cool off in the water while you relax with a novel in a beach chair or just kick back after a busy day. If you are getting bored by the pool and crave some real ocean water, no problem! Just cross over the bike path along the beach and dive into the waves.

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Beautiful Sunsets for Dinner

Oh, and lets not forget about the Back On The Beach Cafe with the most beautiful sunsets ‘for’ dinner! My suggestion is, make it a day at the Annenberg and stay for dinner. You will not regret it!

We love ending a day in L.A. here at this Beach House Cafe. Looking out onto the ocean, the pristine white beach in front us we dig our toes into the warm sand and unwind with a glass of wine. While we are waiting for our dinner to arrive, the kids hang out on the playground next to us, … and the most spectacular sunset is just happening right in front of our eyes!

A perfect day turned into a beautiful memory!

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From Private Hollywood Estate to a Community Beach House for All

This beautiful site along Pacific Coast Highway was originally developed during the Gold Coast era of the 1920s by William Hearst, the publishing magnate who also built California’s Hearst Castle. The big estate was a gift to his mistress, actress Marion Davies, and hosted many of Hollywood’s celebrities like “Charlie Chaplin, Louis B. Mayer, Samuel Goldwyn, Greta Garbo, Clark Gable and other stars of the day”. After 1947 the property was converted into “America’s Most Beautiful Hotel” and housed the Sand & Sea Club before it was sold to the State of California in 1959.

A $27.5 million grant by the Annenberg Foundation paved the way for the transformation into today’s Annenberg Community Beach House a year-round public beach facility open to all. It opened to the public in 2009.

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Today parts of the original historic Marion Davies Estate have been restored and are part of the new Beach House: the original Marion Davies Guest House, which serves as a museum telling the rich history of the Beach House and the historic Beach House Pool, which “features marble around the deck and beautiful tiles that were restored by hand.”

The Annenberg Community Beach House is usually open daily from 8:30am. Summer hours differ from fall hours so check before planning a visit. The pool schedule is seasonal and from October to May special Pop Up Pool Days are offered.

Address:
Annenberg Community Beach House
415 Pacific Coast Highway *
Santa Monica, CA, 90402

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Images: ©CaliforniaGermans

Resource: annenbergbeachhouse.com

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Dining along the Beach – Restaurants with a View

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©CaliforniaGermans (Venice Beach)

You love sunrises, sunsets or just in general enjoy walking along the ocean and breathing in the salty air? Well, what a better way to start or end a day in a nice restaurant along the seashore!

From Europe we are used to numerous restaurants or cafés crowding next to one another along the beautiful Mediterranean shoreline inviting us in for a delicious lunch or dinner. Here in Southern California I was sometimes surprised to find not at all the ubiquity of restaurants that one would expect with these endless miles of supreme coastline. Along Venice Beach for example one finds the quick snack type of restaurant with plastic chairs rather than a restaurant that offers quality cuisine in a nicer setting. There is even a German pub along the Venice Beach boardwalk, which I only entered because of the pretzels, they advertised. I would not willingly go in for a meal since the restaurant doesn’t look that inviting unfortunately. Although the pretzels were quite tasty I must admit.

A restaurant which I have in very good memory and one that has a spectacular view is “Gladstones” in Malibu! On some days you can see the dolphins swimming along the coast while you are sipping your cocktail and slurping your Oysters! Wonderfully relaxing experience!

©CaliforniaGermans
©CaliforniaGermans

Another option to enjoy good food while taking in the beach views and seeing the sunset in a cozy ambience is the Cheesecake Factory in Marina del Rey on “Marina Mother’s Beach“. Yes, it’s a chain restaurant, but at least one with an extensive menu of good choices and that in a beautiful setting at night. Torches illuminate the outside all the way to the boardwalk. One doesn’t get open ocean views like at Gladstones but a cozy Marina view.

Shoreline Village in Long Beach makes for a fun outing. Lot’s of things to check out around before stopping in for a Happy Hour at the Yard House or Parkers’ Lighthouse. Enjoy a beautiful sunset over a good dinner with views of the Queen Mary across the harbor!

©CaliforniaGermans
©CaliforniaGermans

Speaking of the “Queen Mary“, a visit to the historic ocean-liner-now-hotel is absolutely worth it. Take the tour and you’ll learn a lot about the historic times of great Atlantic ocean liners à la Titanic. Even though the sunsets are stunning aboard the Queen Mary, I wouldn’t recommend to stay there for dinner. A restaurant nearby,  Fuego (haven’t been there myself yet, but want to check it out), might be a romantic alternative to dine with an ocean view after having toured the Queen Mary.

Another Long Beach restaurant we like is Claire’s at the Long Beach Art Museum. One doesn’t sit right next to the water while dining but since it is on top of a cliff and a bit set back you can take in great views of the ocean while enjoying an artistic crowd around you. Open for lunch, brunch and Thursday Happy Hour until 8pm. Check the days!

Traveling south our next stop brings us to Newport Beach where The Beachcomber in Crystal Cove invites to ocean front dining par excellence. The restaurant in the midst of Crystal Cove Historic District sits literally right on the beach! So, while waiting to be seated you are encouraged to take a little stroll along the beach. Coming by The Beachcomber always feels like a little vacation!

©CaliforniaGermans
©CaliforniaGermans

Following the coastline south we are getting to Laguna Beach where several restaurants have at least partial ocean view but none of them sits practically right on the beach like The Beachcomber. There is Ocean View Bar & Grill located in the historic hotel “Laguna” with a grand terrace above the shores offering unobstructed views of the ocean while enjoying breakfast, lunch and dinner. A fun restaurant we love in Laguna Beach is the Big Fish Tavern. It’s not at the beach but one street away; but since it is on a hill you can enjoy great ocean views while dining on their terrace. And the food is delicious!

In the end, we admit there are quite some fun places to enjoy great food while admiring the shoreline in Southern California. It’s just a matter of finding them. And there are so many more we still need to discover. In fact we haven’t even started to explore all the culinary jewels along the coastline going south all the way to San Diego, with San Diego itself offering plenty of ocean dining options.  Therefore, if you know of a restaurant along the coast that you absolutely love, please let us know, so we can include it in our list at the end!

And should you not find the perfect restaurant that suits you after all…, there is always one easy option available : Pack a basket with your favorite foods and have a picnic right at the beach. You’ll get spectacular views for free!

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Other restaurants Along the beach in SoCAl:

Coast  in Santa Monica within the Shutters Hotel is apparently a good if expensive choice to have an exclusive dinner or brunch at the beach.

Coronado Sheerwater Restaurant at the Del Coronado in San Diego

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Photographs: ©CaliforniaGermans (Venice Beach, Marina del Rey, Queen Mary, Laguna Beach)

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Holiday Season At The Beach – Adventszeit Am Strand

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Reconnect to the magic of Christmas a different way and find peace and tranquility despite the hectic that surrounds this busiest time of the year.

Winter time is a perfect time to spend at the beach. Especially if the weather is as beautiful as it was for the last few Advent weekends. One can spend hours walking on the sand without the summer crowds and just enjoy the waves crashing at the feet and watching the pelicans sail over the ocean. It’s perfect for reconnecting with your mind, soul and the elements.

Some beaches have special attractions for the holiday season like ice skating while watching the sunset over the ocean. Ice skating by the beach has become a tradition at the Del Coronado Hotel in San Diego, the hotel where “Some Like It Hot” was filmed starring Marilyn Monroe.

Del Coronado’s beloved holiday tradition starts every year right after Thanksgiving.  The hotel has an ice rink set up right in front of the hotel’s beach promenade, looking over the beautiful wide, white beaches – the sand here by the way seems much softer and whiter than anywhere else in SoCal, so I found.  After the ice skating sessions one can relax with hot cocoa and other goodies at the coffee bar or the restaurant right at the promenade. It’s a great and fun time well spent with family and friends!

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