  Laguna Beach
Click to get the inside scoop from
real travelers here at VirtualTourist. See the Laguna Beach Travel GuideInside advice from real people on:Overview, Hotels, Things to Do, Restaurants, Nightlife, Shopping, General Tips, Transportation, Off the Beaten Path, Tourist Traps, Warnings or Dangers, Local Customs, Packing Lists or Sports Travel.
 287 Laguna Beach Tips.449 Laguna Beach Photos.0 Laguna Beach Videos. Laguna Beach Pages by Ciambella
| Page Views: 5,870 Last Visit to Laguna Beach: May, 2007 I Used To Live Here | My Beautiful Home Town by Ciambella - last update: May 24, 2007 |
There is no doubt in my mind Laguna Beach is the most beautiful town in Southern California, and it is not because that was where I learned to walk, where I spent my childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.
I spent 53 years of my life there, as matter of fact, until Nathalie decided to chuck it all and move to Italy. I had to follow her; we have an equal opportunity marriage. If she could learn to live with Samantha-the-best-kitty-in-the-world even though she is terribly allergic to cats, then I could move to another continent and learn to speak a new language in my advanced years.
February 1950, fed up with the -50 degree winters of Manitoba, Canada, my grandparents moved their children and grandchildren to Laguna Beach. We lived there ever since.
The house we grew up in is located a block from the beach. At night, we could hear the waves crashing, and in the daytime, we were always at the beach. We ran track and played football on the beach during school hours, then surfed in the afternoon, then hung out again in the evening. There was nothing much to do then except surfing at the beach and going to the movie theatre. The town was small, peaceful, and safe, until the '80s when tourists started pouring in.
Earthquakes, fires, and mudslides did not deter anyone from buying and building bigger and more expensive houses, nor did they prevent merchants from flourishing. However, the small town way of life is protected here; franchise restaurants and name brand shop are discouraged from moving in. This is still one of the rare towns in California where roots are deep, where the high school is attended by several generations, where traditions do not fade away with modern convenience, and where arts and culture are taught and available to all.
Of course, Laguna Beach has changed tremendously over the course of half a century, but what or who does not?
Traffic is bad, and on weekends, even with resident parking stickers, there is no place to park downtown. Restaurants are abundant, but one needs reservations even for a coffee house.
Tourists take away the tranquility and leave behind their discards. Tourists create chaos and care little about the quality of our local life.
Either I was getting old and could not cope with the change, or Laguna Beach was no longer the town I loved. The beauty was still there everywhere you turned, but it has been tampered by the tactless sense of new money, and I did not like the transformation.
I was glad Nathalie had the crazy idea of moving far away. It was time to leave, and I was ready. |
> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]
Ciambella's Laguna Beach Travel Tips
 Comments for Ciambella about Laguna Beach | | | | |
Number1s_son Sun Mar 16, 2008 18:12 UTC
Number 1 Archer is actually his birth given name. He was born with an identical twin brother his parents did not give them names immediately as it was a surprise to them. The documentation needed identification so Number 1 and Number 2 documented.. | brewjohnson Tue Oct 2, 2007 06:30 UTC
The Royal Hawaiian... what a classic place. I'm surprised you didn't mention the Lapu Lapus! | Hrundi Fri Apr 6, 2007 20:30 UTC
The cottage, breakfast. Once seated we were ignored for 15 min. we were patient. Order arrived 45 min later, completely wrong, but couldn't wait longer. Food was COLD, average & over-priced. Not recommended and I've advised friends to steer clear. | volz Sat Feb 10, 2007 20:49 UTC
As a young teen growing up in Laguna I'd walk past him & wave to & from the Beach. I thought he was alittle crazy but realized it didn't matter as the local artists were too (my mother included) ! We loved the old guy !! |
|
|
email me
add as friend
