Mini-Vacation in Los Angeles

Too many people skip Los Angeles in conjunction with a cruise to Mexico, Hawaii, the Panama Canal or the California Coast.

Because the traffic is so terrible from LAX to downtown, it is understandable in a way, but there's so much to do without going north.

You can experience one of the best beaches in California just a short Uber ride south of LAX.

Redondo Beach happens to be where I live, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying mini-vacations there.

One of the best times to come to California is between Labor Day and Halloween, when the blue water is warm as well as sparkly, the skies are sunny with a few clouds, and the summer crowds have dissipated.

We've enjoyed some great boogie boarding waves this year, as usual, and if you're a surfer, you would be smiling too.

There's also kayaking, wind surfing and boating activities, not to mention swimming, bike rentals and about anything else you can think of doing on a perfect California day.

Whether you head to the sand to rest and warm up between sets or simply bask in the sun all day with a book and some iTunes, our beach is about the perfect width, with the surf not too far from the easy-access sidewalk and bike trail that border the sand on the other side.

A couple of days last week, the blue water became particularly calm, and no surfers were in sight of the jetty, so Julie and I donned mask and snorkel to explore the underwater world.  We saw lots of fish, most notably large, bright orange garibaldi, and some beautiful purplish coral.  Patches of long, green sea grass added eerie beauty as it swayed with the gentle currents.

No wonder we see so many scuba divers out there on weekends.  We thought they were just certification classes that didn't see all that much, although we definitely can see sand sharks (small, harmless singrays) and fish sometimes just standing in the clear water.

We're semi-regularly delighted by dolphin pods swimming by our place, which surprises a lot of people who would never guess they live here year round, and one day last week the dolphin were quite close in, frolicking in the breaking waves.

On the pier, there's everything from shacks to dive bars to Kincaid's upscale steak and seafood restaurant, but our favorite is Barney's Beanery, where the Happy Hour features half priced finger foods like taquitos and potato skins as well as $4 beers and other cheap drinks.  For $20, you can have dinner for two.

A short walk away are lots of other great choices, including Samba's Brazilian Churrascaria, Blue Water Grill, Cheesecake Factory and Joe's Crab Shack.

On the weekends, we like to walk two miles north to Hermosa Beach Pier, where live jazz starts at 11 AM at the Lighthouse.

We usually split a Lighthouse Burger for lunch, along with a couple of Diet Cokes, and again the tab comes in at under $20.

This past Sunday, we went to nearby Alpine Village for Oktoberfest.  It turned out to be German Heritage Day, with lots of great additional activities like slap dancers, parade and polka to go along with the usual great beer, bratwurst and oom-pah-pah live music.  Free admission before 1 PM was an added bonus of going that day.

Our son Jay met us there, and we enjoyed a great afternoon celebrating our October birthdays.

We ran into our German-American friend Norbert, who has lived in the condo where we live since it was built in 1974 but still has a strong German accent, so as Jay said, it was like having that interraction with a local as you might hope to get at the site of the original Oktoberfest in Munich.

Norbert said the Oktoberfest in Munich is not to be missed at least once in a lifetime, with about 25 tents similar to the one at Alpine Village except that each tent in Munich holds 10,000 people.  I don't know if that's hyperbole or not, but he said it is quite a vibrant atmosphere.

While Alpine Village may be small by comparison, it's an easy alternative to Munich if you happen to be in L.A. during October (or September).

Rounding out my mini-vacation in L.A., Norbert invited me to play golf at the public course in Harbor City the day after Oktoberfest, and we had a good time hitting the ball far and trying to find it (only lost one all day!).  I was the fifth joining Norbert's regular foursome of German-Americans, and while I didn't understand most of their conversations I enjoyed the sunny fairways.

After the game, Norbert and I went back to Alpine Village for a late lunch.  I enjoyed hearing more stories about his youth in Germany and his life in Canada as an immigrant in the 1950s following a tough transatlantic crossing.

Oh, and then I went boogie boarding again the next day, though the high tide had the six foot waves turning over so quickly that it was really pretty much just holding on to my board for dear life as I was slammed down on a quick ride to the shore.

After a dozen rides, I decided I better quit while I was ahead, as I have been crunched a few times as a younger man in similar waves and didn't want to risk neck injury before heading east to visit our daughters.

If you want to come to Redondo Beach as a tourist, the new Shade Hotel on King Harbor will be opening soon.  We walk past it on our regular Saturday trips to the Lighthouse, and they're finishing it up right now.

There's also the newly remodeled Redondo Beach Hotel, where our friend Karen works, as well as Portofino and a few other nice hotels in the area.

Make the most of your cruise from Los Angeles or Long Beach.

Better service leads to better trips!

My old friend Pete in Long Beach during his LA trip.
We took a boat ride from Long Beach Marina to Seaport Village,
where we had lunch at Famous Dave's BBQ, but that's
an entirely different adventure in L.A. County.