Emmy and Becca

Two of our friends from nursing school came to visit Ashley and me this weekend, Emmy and Becca live and work in Atlanta but decided they were in need of some west coast sun so they flew out this past Thursday and got a whirlwind tour of the city before having to head back Monday morning. The hardest part of having people visit is trying to decide where to take them... you want just the right mix of cheesy tourist stuff (Hollywood sign, Beverly Hills, etc.) and local hang-outs so that they feel like they get to see the sights but can also find out what it is really like to live here (surprisingly enough, we don't go shopping on Rodeo drive everyday). One thing everyone wants to do is "go to the beach" but even that request is not quite as straightforward as it may seem. For starters there is not really "a" beach so to speak, there are tons of them! Which do you choose? The closest/most easily accessible beaches are also the most crowded. The most famous beaches (Malibu, Laguna, etc) are about 45 minutes to an hour away but there is only one road that runs along the coast so if you get stuck in traffic (and odds are not in your favor on a beautiful weekend) you are S.O.L. - plus it seems a bit ridiculous to sit in traffic 200 feet from the water when you could just pull-over at any time and still be at "the beach". So today we decided to drive down to Hermosa/Manhattan beach for the day and all I can say is wow. No really, wow. It was gorgeous, a quintessential beach town filled with cool shops/restaurants and tons of beach bungalows... I have a feeling that my love affair with the area has only just begun - welcome to California ladies.