Friday, August 24 – The Redondo Beach Hotel, LA

Fabulous sleep in a very comfy bed with soft fluffy pillows.  We manage to get down for breakfast just before it ends at 9.30am and it is great selection of all sorts of yummy things.   Because we didn’t have dinner last night we’re right into the bacon and omelette etc. this morning.

Back to the room to do some admin stuff, post blogs etc. and then we are off exploring.  It’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, its warm, getting to 29C by afternoon and there is a small breeze blowing to keep us cool.

For about 20 minutes we watch a mini travel lift picking up a fizz boat off it’s trailer and depositing it gently in the water then wander further along the pier and boardwalk.  We saw pelicans, lots of café’s and bars, paddle boards, private boats in the little marina (most of them well used and not so well cared for), fishing and crabbing boats, day tripping boats, glass bottom boats etc.  We come across Quality Seafood situated in a long L shaped building open to the pier.  Glass tanks have all kinds of crab and lobster, then shell fish and then we see NZ Bluff Oysters, NZ Cockles and along in the wet fish area NZ Snapper.  Had a brief talk to one of the team and he also pointed out the green lipped mussels from NZ.  We’re famous!  At the foot of the L is the restaurant and bar - a fabulous seafood extravaganza.

Pelicans sunning themselves on the rocks

Redondo Beach Marina

NZ Snapper at Quality Seafoods, Redondo Pier

Bill and Bob Meistrell (identical twins) invented the first practical wetsuit and from those humble beginnings in 1953 in their Redondo Beach shop, Dive ‘N Surf,  the iconic surf brand Body Glove was born!

Bill and Bob Meistrell - Body Glove

We stop in the shade for an icecream (lunch) then carry on sightseeing.  There is a whole separate road for bicycles, skateboarders and joggers.  Bike hiring is a big business here, our hotel hires them too. The boardwalk ends up at the beach which goes for miles and miles separating the ocean from the high rise accommodation blocks. There are a few people swimming and a lifeguard perched up in his tower.

On our walk back we see some old classic cars congregating in the carpark, looks like a US version of the Beach Hop. It’s nice to at last see a bunch of old American cars, instead of the generic Japanese variety, we can see those at home!  There are a bunch of European classic here too, Combi's, Jags, Mercs etc and even two Accords.  On seeing the first one Kim commented they are as rare as rocking horse do-do but we see two of them here!

American iron at the 'Cruise at the Beach' Friday by Rubys

We head back to the hotel for a swim and a cool down.

Pool at the Redondo Beach Hotel

Food is next on the agenda so we wander back over to the marina area and see even more of the old classic cars have almost completely filled the carpark outside Rubys, then we see the sign which indicates this is a regular Friday night affair.  We decide to eat at Rubys Diner so we can look out over the cars and listen to the V8s rumble.  Ruby makes a mean Margarita!

Rubys Diner

We wander around the cars some more and then call it a night.  Don’t know why we are weary, must be the good old sea air.