Manhattan Beach

The tide matters less here than on a rocky coast. The beach is wide and sandy, so the tide changes the surf and how much sand you have near the water more than it changes access. It does change the light: a lower tide at sunrise or sunset leaves more flat, wet sand to reflect the sky. The nearest NOAA tide station is Santa Monica.

Manhattan Beach is a walkable beach city in the Los Angeles South Bay, built around a wide sandy beach and a pier with a round end. Surfing and volleyball are a big part of town life. It's smaller than Santa Monica, and Manhattan Beach Boulevard runs downhill to the water past restaurants and shops.

The beach runs several miles in both directions, and the volleyball courts along it are rarely empty. The Manhattan Beach Open, first played here in 1960, is still held at the pier every August as an AVP tour event.

Beaches and neighborhoods:

• Manhattan Beach Pier & Roundhouse Aquarium — a free marine exhibit at the end of the pier.
• The Strand (Manhattan Beach section) — a paved path along the sand for biking, running or walking from the pier to El Porto.
• Beach volleyball courts — dozens of nets along the beach.
• Manhattan Beach Boulevard — the main street down to the pier, lined with restaurants and coffee shops.
• El Porto (North Manhattan Beach) — the north end, with a beach break that is usually rideable.
• Hermosa Beach (adjacent) — just south, a little more casual, with its own boardwalk.
• Redondo Beach Pier (nearby) — a bigger pier with seafood restaurants and an old harbor around it.