Deodapper
LAX to Laguna Beach: Palos Verdes, Newport, Crystal Cove
Los Angeles, California, US · 14 stops · 99.8 mi (161 km) · about 3 h 26 min driving · 37 spoken stories
For affluent-neighborhood enthusiasts and ethnic-food seekers, this 100-mile drive from LAX to Laguna Beach showcases LA's wealthiest coastal enclaves. Stop at hilltop estates in Palos Verdes, Vietnamese and Lebanese food in Orange County, upscale Newport Beach neighborhoods, and finish with tidepools at Crystal Cove. Three hours plus stops.
Photo: Evanthomas1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
From Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Laguna Beach
The stops
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1
Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, on the Pacific coast south of El Segundo, west of Hawthorne, and north of Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach. As of the 2020 census, the population was 35,506.
“Welcome to Manhattan Beach.”
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2
Palos Verdes Estates
Palos Verdes Estates is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and neighboring Rancho Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills Estates. The city was master-planned by the noted American landscape architect and planner Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.
“Palos Verdes Estates is one of those places that was dreamed up whole.”
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3
Point Vicente Lighthouse
Point Vicente Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, United States, north of Los Angeles Harbor, which was built in 1926. It is 67 feet (20 m) tall and stands on a cliff with a height of 130 feet (40 m).
“Point Vicente Lighthouse has been watching this corner of the coast since nineteen twenty six.”
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4
Queen Mary
RMS Queen Mary is a former British ocean liner that operated primarily on the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967 for the Cunard Line. It is currently a hotel, museum, and convention space in Long Beach, California, United States.
“And here she is, the Queen Mary.”
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5
Naples, Long Beach
Naples is a neighborhood of Long Beach, California, United States, built on three islands located in Alamitos Bay. The islands are divided by canals which open into the bay. Most of the streets on the island have Italianate names. The center of Naples features a large fountain which serves as a popular meeting spot.
“Naples is Long Beach's pocket sized Italy, three islands sitting in Alamitos Bay, cut through by canals that open into the water.”
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6
Little Saigon
lunchLittle Saigon is a predominantly Vietnamese American neighborhood in Orange County, California. The term also refers to the commercial district for Vietnamese and other Asian businesses in the region. The Associated Press and historian Phuong Nguyen consider it "the cultural capital for the Vietnamese diaspora".
“Little Saigon is the reason a lot of people drive to Orange County hungry.”
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7
Little Arabia, Lebanese Bakery And Cuisine
Experience the enchanting flavors of Lebanon at Little Arabia Restaurant in Anaheim, just steps away from Disneyland. Since 2014, we’ve been serving up delicious Lebanese cuisine with impeccable service. Come savor the Middle Eastern flavors and magic of Little Arabia Restaurant .
“This is Little Arabia, and it's one of the great eating streets in Southern California.”
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8
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
Bolsa Chica State Ecological Reserve is a natural reserve and public land in Orange County, governed by the state of California, and immediately adjacent to the city of Huntington Beach, California.
“We're arriving at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.”
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9
Huntington Beach Pier
The Huntington Beach Pier is a municipal pier located in Huntington Beach, California, at the west end of Main Street and west of Pacific Coast Highway. At 1,850 ft (560 m) in length, it is one of the longest public piers on the West Coast of the United States. The deck of the pier is 30 ft (9.
“The Huntington Beach Pier is the beating heart of Surf City USA.”
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10
Balboa Island
Balboa Island is a harborside community in Newport Beach, California, accessible to the public by bridge, ferry and several public docks. The community is surrounded by a paved concrete boardwalk open to pedestrian traffic.
“Balboa Island is one of the loveliest small places in California, a harborside community in Newport Beach that you reach by bridge, by ferry, or by tying up at one of the public docks.”
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11
Fashion Island
Fashion Island is an outdoor regional shopping mall in Newport Beach, California. Opened in 1967 by the Irvine Company as the anchor to their master-planned Newport Center district, Fashion Island is anchored by Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom.
“Fashion Island opened in nineteen sixty seven as the anchor of the Irvine Company's master planned Newport Center district, and it's been the luxury address of Orange County ever since.”
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12
Corona del Mar
Corona del Mar is a seaside neighborhood in the city of Newport Beach, California. It generally consists of all the land on the seaward face of the San Joaquin Hills south of Avocado Avenue to the city limits, as well as the development of Irvine Terrace, just north of Avocado.
“Corona del Mar means Crown of the Sea, and it earns the name.”
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13
Crystal Cove State Park
Crystal Cove State Park is a state park of California, United States, encompassing 3.2 miles (5.1 km) of Pacific coastline, inland chaparral canyons, and the Crystal Cove Historic District of beach houses.
“Crystal Cove State Park is the last long stretch of undeveloped coast before Laguna, and it is a big one.”
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14
Heisler Park
Laguna Beach is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Located in Southern California along the Pacific Ocean, this seaside resort city has a mild year-round climate, scenic coves, and environmental preservation efforts. The population in the 2020 census was 23,032.
“We finish at Heisler Park, up on the cliffs in Laguna Beach.”
How it works
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