The LA Series: Hermosa Beach
Okay, I admit, I had never heard of Hermosa until two weeks ago, when Coven’s founder invited me to stay over. Does it even count as LA if I had to drive south of LAX? Would there be somewhere to find a poke bowl? Would there be Wi-Fi?! She had also warned me of the town’s nickname Bromosa due to its large prevalence of single, middle aged men refusing to grow up. She hadn’t sold it well.
It turns out that Hermosa Beach is a gem of a seaside town. Much smaller than Manhattan Beach, its famous neighbour a mile down the road, it still has that neighbourhood feel whilst hosting a number of great restaurants, bars, boutiques and miles of golden sand. From catching the perfect wave with the surf crowd down by the pier to drinking cocktails at sunset, Hermosa Beach deserves to be spoken about.
If you ever find yourself with 24 hours to spend in Los Angeles and want to try something a little different, head to Hermosa. We tend to be caught up in trends: what to eat now, what to wear this month, etc. But sometimes, it’s the neighbourhood spots that allow you the time to find the things you want to do, even with some time for true relaxation without a Snapchat location filter. This is how I would do it.
7 AM:
I started my morning with a run along the beach promenade. With miles of paved sidewalks directly alongside the beach, there is no excuse to not at least walk it. If, like me, you are somehow unable to run due to a torn ligament (with thanks to West Hollywood’s uneven sidewalks), head to local gym The Yard where the friendly owners will get you started on the weight rack. Warning: there are a lot of middle aged men re-living their youth on the squat rack so prepare to be chatted up.
For those who find working out solo difficult, walk to the F45 studio slightly further down the road. The cult fitness concept has finally migrated across the sea from Australia and is creating waves in the States as a result of it’s no nonsense approach to functional fitness training. With 45-minute circuit classes, expect short bursts of activity (think jump squats and weighted push ups) followed by even shorter rest periods. Disclaimer: not for the faint hearted.
9 AM:
After a dip in the ocean to cool off, I made my way to Source Café for breakfast. Prices are a little more than surrounding cafés, but the ingredients are incredibly high quality and in general, Hermosa is still significantly cheaper than LA. I made my café visit cost efficient by staying on their Wi-Fi until they kicked me out.
12 PM:
I spent the rest of my day doing nothing and just lounging on the beach (but don’t worry, I remembered the SPF, mom). This charming beach town also has some great little stores like the Blink Brow Bar and the Succulent Shop. In other words, there’s an abundance of great places to buy all the things you definitely don’t need.
7 PM:
Unless you fancy drinking the night away with a mix of high schoolers and forty-year-old men all suffering with Peter Pan syndrome, stick to an early dinner and a good, sober night’s sleep. For a fresh meal that won’t break the bank, head to Serve on 2nd, a brand-new seafront restaurant run by a well-known ex-volleyball player or something a little more extravagant, Abigaile’s is the hottest spot in Hermosa with a killer cocktail list.
Hermosa may not have Joan’s on Third or a famous SoulCycle instructor, but it has definitely got soul. Not only does it have a wide range of restaurants, cafés, boutiques and wellness options but the people are friendly, unpretentious and willing to commit to relaxing without captioning it “me day.” It’s a perfect place to have sandy feet, messy hair and no plans.
By Sophia Parvizi-Wayne
Duke Student, leader of national campaign on mental health, Cross Country All-ACC, fashion alchemist, Huffington Post writer, and all-around world-runnerI would love to hear your favorite places in Los Angeles to add to these guides! Please feel free to dm me on insta sophiapw_runs or email me at sophiapw97@gmail.com, as I would love to know what you guys like!