Southern California Beaches – Redondo Beach

Southern California Beaches – Redondo Beach

I never knew how big of a privilege it is to have beaches all around you, until I moved from Los Angeles, to Las Vegas.  Living in downtown and koreatown L.A, you can pretty much drive in any direction for about 30 minutes, and a beach will appear.  Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, Laguna Beach, to name a few.  Now whenever I am in Los Angeles, I make time to visit one of the awesome beaches out there.  Recently I went to Redondo Beach.  I used to come here all the time when I lived in Los Angeles, and never realized how great this beach is.

As I mentioned earlier, it took me about 30 minutes to drive here from my sisters house in Los Angeles.  However, since it was a sunday afternoon, it took me about 20 minutes to find parking.  Parking is fully automated now.  Once you find a spot, you go to the parking kiosk, enter your parking space number, and pay for as long you you want to stay.  I paid $2.00 for 1 hour, and also got a text on my phone when time was about to run out, so that I can either leave or stay longer by replying to the text.  The kiosk will charge your credit card automatically for however much longer you decide to stay.  I personally liked the parking here a lot.  The last time I was in L.A, I went to Santa Monica pier on a weekend, and had to pay $14.00 for parking, regardless of time length.  Of course they are 2 different beaches, with different attractions, so I know its not a totally fair comparison.

Once you park and you are on the Pier, you will be greeted by food, drinks, snacks, souvenirs, and shops.  For people who like seafood, the fresh steamed live crabs here are amazing.  Be careful though, because it can get a little pricey.  My bill came out to around $350 (for 4 people) the last time i ate here.  Of course that was for crabs, shrimp, rice, soup, and alcohol too.  But don’t worry, on the other side of the pier, there are other food places that doesn’t cost as much.  If you are not that hungry, some churros and ice cream is always a good choice too.

Turn the corner of the pier, and there are more people trying to catch fish here.  Pier fishing at redondo doesn’t require a fishing license.  I have fished here before, and caught a number of mackerels.  One thing I noticed new is a sign telling you not to eat certain fish that you catch here.  Even just a few years back, there were no signs at all.  I guess times change.

Walk a little further, and you will see people in line for the Whale watch and Boat Rides.  I didn’t get on the boat this time, but from what I remember I think it was $35 a person.  Go past this area, and you will see the kids arcade, boat docks, and more shops.

Come back around the where the Pier starts, and you will find a walkway where you can go down to the beach.  As you can see people bring tents and hang out here all day.  People swim and run around the waves.  Lifeguards are present while the beach is open.  Several shower stalls are available so you don’t bring the beach home with you.

Redondo Beach was used as a filming location for some famous shows like The O.C, Dexter, CSI Miami and the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: At world’s end.

 

I go to L.A about once a month on average.  I will definitely post some other awesome beaches as well.  D.I

 

JULY 2, 2018 BY DAVIDIN