When I was a kid–we’d visit my great-grandmother in Leucadia. She had a shack on Jupiter Street about a block from the ocean. In-between obligatory visits with “great-granny”, we’d play at the beach.
Today, great-granny’s wood-covered shack is gone–supplanted decades ago by condos. But the beach is still there, a local’s favorite called Grandview.
Grandview, aptly named for its panoramic view that stretches from Orange County to La Jolla, lies below tall sandstone bluffs. The beach is accessed by a long wooden stairway that leads from a small parking lot at the north end of Neptune Avenue. From Coast Highway turn onto Grandview St. and drive up hill to Neptune and turn right.
Locals come here to surf, take walks and hang out on this long and narrow stretch of bluff-barricaded beach. The sand comes and goes here–alternating between plentiful and not-so-plentiful, depending on the winter storms. When the sand is gone–a cobble of water-skipping stones covers the beach.
Houses command the bluffs overlooking the ocean–some with dilapidated stairways leading to the beach. When you come here, it’s hard not to dream of living in one and negotiating your own stairway every morning.
For quiet, romantic weekend getaways, Leucadia has a few small motels on Coast Highway. From these motels you can walk to restaurants, shops, boutiques, coffee houses and of course the beach. But be prepared for a workout, Leucadia stretches for a couple miles along Coast Highway and all beach access is via long stairways and trails leading down from the tall bluffs.
John Rogers
of Enlightened Explorer
