"Experience the Unusual, Quaint Charm of... " a El Segundo Travel Page by marinarena

El Segundo ("the second" in Spanish) is the origin of the second oil refinery of Standard Oil. Locally, Seg is noted as being a top business-friendly city with many skyscrapers (including the Mattel building).

Many hip hop fans know this town due to the catchy hit, "I Left My Wallet in El Segundo") by the old school A Tribe Called Quest. However, the town featured in the title is hardly represented in the rap group's video. El 2ndo is wrongly depicted as barren desert between Arizona and Mexico.

(See video here: http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/--2138574)

El Segundo has been used for filming, mostly notably for some scenes of the Ashton Kutcher movie, Dude, Where's My Car? and the creepy, cool Fox drama Bones. Comedian Redd Foxx's character Sanford (on TV's Sanford and Sons) often referred to the town where a junkyard is at. The real El Segundo is hardly a dumping spot.

For several years, I paid El Segundo no mind, other than recalling the Tribe Called Quest song. I thought of the city as not clean, as if the oil from the refinery runneth all over the place, making it smelly and gooey. This is hardly the case. The streets of El Segundo are very clean. Over the past few years, the town is one of my surprising recommendations for a daytime hang out. The town can boast of a few dozen excellent eateries, which are slightly upscale but inviting. Along the Seg border with VT hometown/upscale beachy paradise of Manhattan Beach, the outdoor mall mecca development Plaza El Segundo (along Sepulveda Blvd) is sure to attract many visitors looking to shop, mingle, have a drink and eat fab food.