2 San Clemente
Life behind the
conservative ‘Orange
Curtain’ is far different
than in most other laid-
back, liberal California
beach towns. Apart from
glamorous beaches where
famous TV shows and
movies have been filmed,
you can still uncover
the California beach
culture of yesteryear here
in off-the-beaten-path
spots like San Clemente.
Home to living surfing
legends, top-notch
surfboard companies and
Surfer magazine, this
may be the last place in
the OC where you can
authentically live the
surf lifestyle. Ride your
own board or swim at
the city’s main beach
beside San Clemente Pier.
A fast detour inland, the
community’s Surfing
Heritage Foundation
(www.surfingheritage.com;
101 Calle Iglesia; admission
by donation; h11am-5pm)
exhibits surfboards
ridden by the greats,
from Duke Kahanamoku
to Kelly Slater.The Drive » Slingshot
north on I-5, exiting onto Hwy
1 near Dana Point. Speed by
the wealthy artists colony of
Laguna Beach, wild Crystal Cove
State Park, Newport Beach’s
yacht harbor and ‘Surf City
USA’ Huntington Beach (seep273 and p303). Turn west off
Hwy 1 near Naples toward Long
Beach, about 45 miles from San
Clemente.3 Long Beach
In Long Beach, the
biggest stars are the
Queen Mary (www.
queenmary.com; 1126 Queens
Hwy; adult/child from $25/14;
h10am-6pm Mon-Thu,
to 7pm Fri-Sun), a grand
(and allegedly haunted)
British ocean liner
permanently moored
here, and the giant
Aquarium of the Pacific
(www.aquariumofpacific.org;
100 Aquarium Way; adult/
child $25/14; h9am-6pm;
c), a high-tech romp
through an underwater
world in which sharks
dart and jellyfish float.
Often overlooked, the
Long Beach Museum of
Art (www.lbma.org; 2300 E
Ocean Blvd; adult/child $7/
free; h11am-5pm Fri-Sun,
to 8pm Thu) focuses on
California modernism
and contemporary
mixed-media inside a
20th-century mansion
by the ocean, while the
urban Museum of Latin
American Art (www.molaa.
org; 628 Alamitos Ave; adult/
child $9/free; h11am-5pm
Wed & Fri-Sun, to 9pm Thu)
shows off contemporary
south-of-the-border art.4 p46
The Drive » Wind slowly
around the ruggedly scenic
Palos Verdes Peninsula. Follow
Hwy 1 north past the South
Bay’s primetime beaches.Curving around LAX airport and
Marina del Rey, Hwy 1 continues
north to Venice (see p303),
Santa Monica (see p313) and all
the way to Malibu, over 50 miles
from Long Beach.4 Malibu
Leaving traffic-jammed
LA behind, Hwy 1
breezes northwest of
Santa Monica to Malibu.
You’ll feel like a movie
star walking around
on the public beaches,
backing against gated
compounds owned by
Hollywood celebs. One
mansion you can actually
get a look inside is the
Getty Villa (www.getty.edu;
17985 Pacific Coast Hwy; per
car $15, parking reservation
required; h10am-5pm Wed-
Mon), a hilltop showcase
of Greek, Roman and
Etruscan antiquities and
manicured gardens. Next
to Malibu Lagoon State
Beach, west of the surfers
by Malibu Pier, Adamson
House (www.adamsonhouse.
org; 23200 Pacific Coast Hwy;
adult/child $7/2; h11am-3pm
Wed-Sat, last tour 2pm) is a
Spanish-Moorish villa
lavishly decorated with
locally made hand-
painted tiles. Motoring
further west along the
coast, where the Santa
Monica Mountains
plunge into the sea, take
time out for a frolic on
Malibu’s mega-popular
beaches like sandy Point
Dume, Zuma or Leo
Carrillo.5 p46
NORTHERN.CALIFORNIA1
(^) PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAYS