Malibu, CA (Leo Carrillo State Beach) to El Segundo, CA - 38 Miles
Ventura, Oxnard, Malibu, Santa Monica, Los Angeles. We made it to Southern California! Some people like Southern California for the sandy beaches, crashing surf and the shopping. Me? I get excited about the candy cane striped smoke stacks south of the airport. It's funny how a place can feel like home when I've only lived there for 3 months in conscious memory (birth to 3 years old doesn't count as conscious). I'm talking about a charming little place called El Segundo, CA.
El Segundo is blocked-in between the ocean, LAX, standard oil and the aerospace industry on Sepulveda Blvd. I know I'm not alone in my adoration of this place either. I'll drag all my siblings into this confession. During my childhood, El Segundo was our family vacation destination. We did enjoy the beach and the shopping on occasion, but the nostalgia is more all-encompassing than those experiences. It was the 15 hour drive here playing goofy games, eating too many fishy crackers and attempting to sleep in a van with a someone's foot in your face. It was rewatching our favorite movies at Grandma's house and perusing the toy aisle at Target. It was roller blading through the town that is in the Guinness Book of World Records for having a hill on every street.
Unfortunately, we aren't spending any significant amount of time here. We are just staying the night and leaving in the morning. I'm providing different experiences for my own kids, but I hope that I'm creating memories they will cherish into adulthood.
