Lunch In Surf City

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IMG_3701_6274“We should get together,” I said a few days ago to Larry Fitzgerald. This afternoon we were texting each other to apologize for traffic and parking related delays.

We met in Huntington Beach, aka Surf City. It’s two days before the US Open of Surfing. It’s “the season” in HB.

There was trouble at the Open last year. Violence. Rioting. Huntington Beach suffered a black eye then worked hard publicly to guarantee there would be no repeat in 2014.

IMG_3709_6282It was hot in SoCal today. Temps were near 90 just a few blocks inland. At the HB Pier the report was 78&#176 with the water at 68&#176. Lovely.

We were going to lunch at Ruby’s, a 50s themed diner at the end of Huntington Beach’s long fishing pier. We were there for the schmooze, not the kitsch.

Considering it’s Thursday the beach and pier were jammed! This is an active beach with volleyball, bicycling and surfing. An in-water lifesaving course was in progress alongside the pier.

IMG_3707_6280It was hazy today, but I made out Santa Catalina in the distance and a few offshore oil rigs which look a lot closer in my photo than they actually are.

This is oil country. I even shot pumps in action behind someone’s house!

We decided we’ll meet again. Cameras again too!

7 thoughts on “Lunch In Surf City”

  1. I don’t think I have ever seen California beaches that crowded–but with the hot weather and upcoming competition, along with the many vacationers—do people still park their campers along the roadways??—probably not, since it is so built up.
    Two more questions–
    Was that house with the oil pump close to the beach?
    and Did you and your friend get lunch—you mentioned that the pier also was crowded—next time you probably need to meet earlier in the week. It is nice to see that you are getting to enjoy life.

  2. It is a bit sad that much of the California coast is this crowed and looks like this now. There is now something like 50 million people in CA I think.

    1. The photo was taken with a telephoto lens which compresses distance. If you look closely you’ll see the lifeguard towers which are around a block apart.

  3. Damn you, Geoff! Now I’m really jealous! I LOVE Ruby’s diner at that pier. I too, have seen the oil rigs while walking through town. A very close friend lives about a 5-10 minute walk from the beach and I love visiting her and hanging around the beach, pier and town. I haven’t been in almost 2 yrs and it’s looking like a minimum of 2 more before I can get out there again. [sigh]

  4. I like Huntington Beach when I was there a few years back, but it was crowed to say the least. Have to be honest here Geoff – Florida beats CA beaches hands down when it comes to beaches. In CA the beaches are often too crowed, the weather is not always sunny (nor warm in some months), and the Pacific is dark and freeeeezing – lol.

    Give me those white sand beaches in Florida with that tropical sun and warm turquoise waters!

    Nice pictures by the way.

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