Los Angeles beaches vs San Diego Beaches (Torrance, Santa Monica: rent, house)

[mt971x]

Sorry if this thread has been brought up previous (couldn't find it)

Anyways, I'm sure people have many things to say about the two..

I am wondering which are the better beaches, for more to do, more scenary, more shopping, laid back atmosphere.. I think Los Angeles beaches have more to do , such as South bay and Santa Monica, etc.. But they are also more crowded. San Diego beaches are nice, including the area in the county as well as La Jolla, but less things to do, is when I think of it..

What are you thoughts on the two, obviously LA is going to have more dining, and night clubs, but is it far more superior than anything San Diego has to offer? (By the way not including OC because to me, it's way too suburban, although I do like Laguna and other areas south of it :-))

Your thoughts?

[SalParadise]

Nothing wrong with your question but why do you keep changing your story. In one post you state you are single, no kids. In another you clearly state you have a wife and a daughter. (The threads below are proof).

Are you living in some kind of fantasy world?


In this thread you said you just moved with your daughter and wife from San Diego to Coral Gables (Miami).
http://www.city-data.com/forum/city-...l#post20823957

In this thread you clearly state you are single NO KIDS and looking to move to Redondo Beach and rent a place.
http://www.city-data.com/forum/los-a...l#post19818333


In this thread you say you are looking for a house in Redondo or Manhattan Beach, price range from $3 to $4 million.
http://www.city-data.com/forum/los-a...l#post19833873

[SmoothBBQ]

hahaaaaaaaaaa busted!!!

[MtnSurfer]

Hmm,

Obviously this is going to be very subjective depending on what one likes. I don't think one is necessarily better than the other. That said I prefer South LA County beaches - Manhattan, Hermosa, South Redondo/Torrance and Palos Verdes. The South Bay is also my hometown. So I'm admittedly partial. But my wife's family lives in San Diego and I've spent quite a lot of time at San Diego beaches. So I know them pretty well.

Whether young and single or married with kids, which I've been both, the South Bay has more to offer in a more centralized location. Whether its volleyball, bike riding, skateboard, rollerblading, surfing, sailing, tide pooling, whale watching, kayaking, hiking, listening to live music, etc... its all right there.

The funny thing is most people who live in SD or other areas haven't really visited South Bay beaches much. Most generally associate LA with downtown, Hollywood, Santa Monica and baywatch from TV and drive throughs. Yet those are the least appealing parts of LA, especially when considering the beaches IMO. The South Bay is also more laid back than other parts of LA . Yet compared to SD it is less sleepy.

Hermosa:





Manhattan:





Torrance:





Palos Verdes:




Derek

[MtnSurfer]

Also another huge advantage to living more north is that if you like skiing, snowboarding, backpacking, hiking, etc... you are much closer to the best parts of CA for these things including places like the Eastern Sierra and Yosemite NP. I've even skied Mammoth and driven home in a single day, though it was a long one.

Derek

[MountainBiking]

La Jolla. Enough said.

-Cheers.

[bhcompy]

The water in SD is much nicer/clearer

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by MountainBiking

La Jolla. Enough said.

-Cheers.

When visiting family in SD, La Jolla and the Encinitas are our favorite beach areas. We'll be down there in a couple of weeks.

Derek

[ValleyBoy85]

I say Los Angeles County beaches because of Zuma and the Southbay beaches

[rimmerama]

I'll have to go with Santa Cruz, when I walk down to the beach near my parent's house, I generally have a pretty hefty swathe of it to myself.

Barring that, La Jolla Cove is pretty spectacular, I think, so...