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From the Pitch - "My City"

By CHRISTIAN DUKE, Orange County SC, 08/23/18, 5:23PM EDT

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The real OC isn't on TV. Let me show you around.

  There are many activities to do in sunny Southern California but this is a quick guide of some of the local favorites.

Food

My favorite place is called “The Deck.” Its located in Laguna Beach and has an outside deck overlooking the beach and serves some of the freshest seafood. The Deck is one of the few waterfront restaurants in Laguna. Great for happy hours and dinner, enjoying the waves hitting the beach while watching the sunset.

Another must try is Javier’s located in Newport beach. It’s a very classy Mexican restaurant just minutes from the beach. It’s a little out of my budget but I love to go there on special occasions, when the ‘rents are paying.

 

 

Recreation & Activity

Obviously my first choice of activity would be going to the beach. Laguna would have to be my favorite. It has a great clean beach and is in closer proximity to me. Newport and Huntington Beach are close by and great beaches but don’t add up to Laguna’s beauty.

Hiking is right there with beach days as one of my favorite activities to do. When you don’t have bricks in your backpack and are not carrying bags of sand throughout the hike, like we did in preseason - which was a “bootcamp” throughout Laguna area. One of my favorite hiking spots was introduced to me through this 12-hour hike we went on as a team, put on by a drill sergeant. Top of the World is a hiking area with many different level trails. Some easier ones my dog can handle, and there are some more difficult ones to get a nice little workout in.

 

 

History & Landmarks

In our own backyard is history. With the iconic Great Park Balloon seen on many of our streams and pictures, the big orange balloon reaches 400 feet above the surrounding landscape and gives you the 360 view of Orange County. The Great Park is a public park designed to host sports, agriculture and the arts. It’s a repurposing of the decommissioned Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro. The Great Park presents many fun activities for families to do on a daily basis, like the Sunday Farmers Markets where local farmers bring in fresh produce for the community to try.

The Balboa Pavilion in Newport Beach played a prominent role in the development of Newport Beach as it attracted real estate buyers to an area known for the swampy, overflow land. The Balboa Pavilion is one of California’s last surviving waterfronts. The Pavilion continues to serve the public today as a marine recreational facility and is one of Newport’s most famous landmarks. My family and I took a sunset cruise when they came out and visited and were able to see all the beautiful homes located in this amazing harbor.

 

 

Under the Radar

In Laguna, there is this secret pool off the beach that was once a secret but has quickly become a local’s favorite spot. It’s quite hard to get to and can be dangerous if the tide is high - so not many people venture out to it - but it’s pretty amazing. It’s located at Thousand Steps Beach. And when I say a thousand, it really feels like a thousand. But this cool spot is awesome for privacy if you go at the right time.

Another under the radar beach and one of the more quiet beaches is Strands Beach. We actually do some of our beach runs here because it’s so peaceful and beautiful. It’s a hike down from the parking lot but beautiful scenery all the way down. The million dollar homes are pretty awesome to dream about on the walk down.

 

 

Music & Events

One of my favorite things to do is walk on the boardwalks and listen to the artists who set up camp to showcase their talents. Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade is known for its street performers. It’s a very lively street with a lot of traffic and just being able to walk around and enjoy the beautiful weather with some talented artists is everything.

OC Fair is a 23-day event that sees over a million people visit the area. It has everything from concerts, rodeos and derbies, exhibits and special events, like wine tasting. It has all kinds of fun for everyone located in Costa Mesa.


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