Huntington Beach from a local perspective...

In the October 2009 issue of Mabuhay Travel+Lifestyle Magazine I featured an article detailing the summer experience in my hometown of Huntington Beach. I wanted to feature an in depth review of how locals enjoy our beach and provide a guide on the what and where to do while visiting the city.

The only way to really live…

By:

Mark Dimalanta

There isn’t much in this lifetime that comes close to the joys experienced when Surfing is your lifestyle. No other city in Orange County defines what life is truly like, here in Southern California, than Huntington Beach. It has become the major hub of the surfing world, epitomizing all things cool, casual, and fun. So much so, that it has been appropriately named… “Surf City.” Not only from a business standpoint, where the surfing lifestyle is a raging and multi-billion dollar per year industry, Surf City is where it all started. Many of the most prolific icons of surfing can trace their roots back to Surf City in one form or another beginning when Hawaii’s proudest son, Duke Kahanamoku, brought Surfing to these shores.

With a dynamic sunny Mediterranean climate and idyllic setting, it is home to more than 200,000 residents. Surf City takes pride in its eight miles of scenic, publicly accessible beachfront and year-round surf. All of which, make this destination a surfer’s paradise. It boasts the largest stretch of uninterrupted beachfront on the West Coast. With over 11 million visitors annually, beach tourism sustains much of its bustling economy. Guests flock to Surf City during the summer for professional sporting events like the US Open of Surfing, the world’s largest surf contest, and the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball tour. Shopping and casual dining are in abundance along downtown Main St, especially during the weekly street-fair bazaar, where one can purchase fresh organic produce, arts and crafts, and be entertained by street performers, amidst a carnivale atmosphere.

But above all, it is the call of the surf that makes life here truly special. Waking at the crack of dawn, to surf with your best mates, practice yoga on our white sands under a golden sun, or to take a simple stroll/bike ride along the boardwalk makes life here truly unique. Surfing at its simplest is essentially celebrating life. Each wave has a beginning and an end, and we are the ones who dictate what happens during the middle. If I were to advise of only one thing in this lifetime, get out there and experience what it means to truly surf. It is never too late to bask in one of life’s greatest joys.

Only a 30 minute drive from Downtown LA, and a stone’s throw from neighboring Newport Beach and South Orange county, HB provides the perfect hub from Orange County to all of Southern California.

Entering from the south on Pacific Coast highway, the gateway to downtown HB

The Iconic HB pier. The largest pier structure on the west coast hosts a platform to view the surf, coastline, or go fishing.

The view of the lineup from the pier's perspective

With year round surf and vanilla skies during the fall months, Surf City provides idyllic views of what life should be like...

Tourists and locals-alike flock to downtown Main St. for a Tuesday evening bazaar otherwise known as "local nights"

Nathaniel Curran wins the 2008 US Open of surfing

Misty May-Treanor wins the 2008 AVP Huntington Beach Open

Morning Surf sessions are a daily ritual

Yoga on the beach with local surfer Charlotte Dellea

All Images ©2009 Mark Dimalanta