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When I initially heard that Doug accepted his first job out of college in Los Angeles I was shocked! I mean, I knew he was applying in LA because there seemed to be way more marketing firms there than Orange County, but I never in my life thought I’d end up here. Living in Orange County for years and growing up just outside of it I always thought of LA as sort of a grimy, urban place filled with people like New York. Anytime I went there it was to the downtown area and I didn’t know any better! After I graduated, I moved in with Doug who was already working near MB for a few months and since then I’ve fallen in LOVE with LA. If you aren’t from here just to give you an idea of where we are, I included a map below. We are right above the spot that says “Hermosa Beach.”

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The “South Bay” aka the beach cities that line the Southern tip of Los Angeles are truly amazing places to live. The beaches are glorious, there are cliffs overlooking the ocean (see here), hidden coves, amazing restaurants, and so much beauty everywhere. Here are 10 things I love about living in Manhattan Beach in particular…

1. You aren’t in the hustle and bustle of downtown, but it’s still 20 minutes away. It’s far enough away from the smoggy city yet close enough to make a quick trip to all the trendy places (aka Rodeo Drive, Santa Monica, Malibu, etc.)
2. The beach areas are more kid/baby friendly. There are so many parks and of course the ocean!
3. The downtown area is the cutest lined with little boutiques, yummy seafood restaurants, and places to grab a quick bite!
4. THE WEATHER. Once we traveled outside of CA, we realized we can’t leave this weather. Even if we are living in a smaller house/apartment, it’s 100000% worth it to open your window and feel the ocean breeze! Our “hot days” only go up to 80 degrees and there’s hardly any humidity, which is also much different than the OC.
5. The characteristics of the city promote outdoor activity, exercise, and an overall healthy lifestyle with farmers markets weekly in different parts of the city, workout classes literally everywhere, and just overall healthy people! Almost everyone’s wearing Lululemon (not sure if that makes them healthy or yuppies;).
6. It’s a well kept and “clean” city. You’ll understand what I mean if you’ve ever been to LA, but there are parts of LA that are not the cleanest. You’ll rarely find graffiti, trash, or dilapidated buildings anywhere.
7. The style is more laid back and less trendy. Although I love fashion and everything that goes along with it, I feel like I fit in a lot more with the people of MB rather than downtown or West LA. It has more of a beachy, effortless vibe here and I love wearing yogas everywhere! 😀
8. The parking isn’t ridiculous if you want to go to the beach (unless there’s a surf competition or parade). There are plenty of big lots to insert a few quarters and spend 20 minutes or 3 hours strolling on the beach!
9. The restaurants are our FAV! We love Uncle Bills for breakfast, The Creamery for shakes/ice cream, The Kettle for lunch, Simmzy’s for burgers, and Fish Bar for lobster rolls.
10. We live 1.5 miles from the ocean. I think this will probably be the only time in our lives that we will live this close to the sea. I’m sooooo beyond grateful to have had these last three years spent in this apartment, growing our family and exploring our surroundings. There’s something so peaceful about living this close to the water. I can’t explain it!