How to Beach it, SoCal Style

A local’s perspective on how to make the most of your Southern California beach day

by Andrew Sandahl

California. For those who live here, it’s a paradise we sometimes take for granted. For those living elsewhere, it’s the magical land of Hollywood, bountiful sunshine, and stunning beaches. But how does one best experience Southern California beaches? For most, this question is never asked. And so the tourists and out-of-towners arrive and pay their twelve dollars to park and walk through the crowds to the shore where they are greeted at last with the great Pacific. They might go swimming, but only for a moment, as the water is much colder than they’d thought, and they feel unsettled leaving their valuables on the shore. They may be surprised to find that the summer fog has completely eclipsed the sun, painting the ocean a dark grey color more reminiscent of a Hitchcock film than a SoCal summer day. They may still enjoy themselves despite these setbacks. However, at some point they will undoubtably wonder to themselves, was that really as good as it gets?

For those of us who’ve grown up along the Southern California coastline, we would of course answer ‘no’. For us, beach-going has become an art. From packing the car to setting up on the sand, us beach-goers have become experts in enjoying our coastline to the fullest. How to Beach It, SoCal Style, offers a glimpse into the beach-going culture of Southern California, in a slightly humorous and ridiculously methodical manner. By intertwining personal stories with step-by-step, chronological instructions for how to get the most out of your beach day, this book will have you rethinking the way you ‘beach it’ faster than a Malibu rip current.

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