"Hidden Gem of Los Angeles" a Manhattan Beach Travel Page by savvygirl

Manhattan Beach is the type of place you don't want to leave. Even with Hollywood, Sunset Blvd., Melrose Avenue, Tom Cruise, and all of the "societal riches" that make home in Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach has a power that prohibits you from leaving the city limits. Maybe it's the beach, or the ocean, or the community where you know everyone, or the safe streets where children and dogs frolic. Who knows.... all I know is that it takes a force of serious power to break me from my comfort zone.

Manhattan Beach, CA is the anomaly in the urban sprawl of Los Angeles; it's non-Hollywood mentality and small town aura feels like a breath of fresh air once you exit the chaos of the I-405. Starting as a "little surfer town", Manhattan (as locals refer to it) has blossomed into a mini-culture of laid back elegance with a solid foundation of healthy business venture. It sits just south of Playa Del Ray and north of Hermosa beach (another fantastic city) and is just 15 minutes from LAX- Los Angeles International airport. You can rent a bike and cruise along "the Strand" (a well-paved bike/running path that stretches north from Redondo Beach to Venice Beach, learn to surf, talk a stroll on Manhattan Ave. or shop in one of the many unique shops in the city. The Manhattan Beach Pier is one of 4 piers in the area (Redondo, Hermosa and Santa Monica being the other 3) and extends far enough past the beach for you to turn around and gaze upon the twinkling lights of this little city.