by Garrison Frost

American Martyrs Church: You can't understand the South Bay until you understand Manhattan Beach, and you can't understand Manhattan Beach until you understand American Martyrs Church. Claiming 5,500 registered families, and expanding on some of the most valuable church land in the country, the parish has long functioned as the town's community anchor. This might be a little less true with the influx of new residents over the last 10 years, but nonetheless the influence of American Martyrs is not to be underestimated.

Becker Surfboards: There are plenty of surf shops in the South Bay, but perhaps none have influenced the area in the manner that Phil Becker's modest shop has since it first opened in Hermosa Beach in 1974. In addition to putting more than 100,000 damn good surfboards into circulation over the years, Becker's Surfboards has been a major player in the redefinition of surf culture – for better or for worse – throughout the South Bay. It's not just about boards anymore, it's about clothes and style and books and whatever else. Becker now has five locations throughout Southern California.

Cars: God, lots of 'em.

Development: Oh yeah, lots of that too.

El Sombrero/El Gringo/El Burrito Jr., etc.: Set apart from the finer Mexican cuisine offered in different parts of the Los Angeles megalopolis, the South Bay might be the center of a certain variant of the form that relies less on flavor and more on cheap carbo satisfaction. Or local cheap Mexican restaurants are sort of Mexican-light, but we love them nonetheless.

First Thursdays in San Pedro: San Pedro has always been a unique collision of South Bay cultures, and nothing puts this on display better than First Thursdays. Artists open up their studios, Latino car clubs show off their wheels, local bands play in the street and everybody has a really good time with very little attitude.

The Gordo and Greg Show: The increasingly nasty contest for the 53rd Assembly district between El Segundo Mayor Mike Gordon and Redondo Beach Mayor Greg Hill has gotten downright ugly as each of these smelly candidates has opted to march to Sacramento on the muddy carcass of his opponent. For South Bayans who have grown comfortable with the quiet ineffectiveness of another G-man, current Assemblyman George Nakano, the smear in this campaign is an ugly reminder that we do indeed have a state legislature.

Home prices: It's all about home prices in the South Bay, particularly in Manhattan Beach and Palos Verdes Estates where median home prices frequently top $1.2 million and higher, putting those two cities among the most expensive in the state. But that doesn't mean that homes in Torrance, Redondo Beach, San Pedro and Hawthorne aren't also ridiculously overpriced – they are! These home prices have had a transformative effect on the psyche of South Bay residents. Quite frankly, it's all we think about and all we talk about.

Internet access: Hermosa Beach recently was the first South Bay city to provide free internet access to residents. More will follow as people recognize that this is possibly the most cost-effective way to provide a direct benefit to both residents and businesses.

Jacaranda: Each may, the otherwise benign Jacaranda in Southern California go completely nuts, spraying our landscape in wondrous purple color. The only people who don't love it are the people dumb enough to park their cars under them.

King Harbor: In the late 1950s, the city of Redondo Beach dug out most of its shoreline to make way for a small harbor, which was eventually named after Democratic Congressman Cecil R. King. "Who is Cecil R. King?" local sailors ask themselves. "He is our king," is the ritual reply.

Los Angeles International Airport: Our biggest airport, a boon and a bane at the same time.

Madrona Marsh: One of the last remaining vernal marshes, Madrona Marsh in Torrance is a pleasant aberration in the giant expanse of pavement that the South Bay sometimes appears to be. This is one of our few opportunities to see what the ecology of this area was like before our arrival.

Neptune: Walking on the beach between the Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach piers, all of the lifeguard towers (OK, most of them) have numbers on the side corresponding to the streets that lead down to the sand nearby. One, though, is likely to confuse: Neptune. To most people who go there, this piece of beach is known as First Street. But every once in a while you'll hear someone call it Neptune and you won't know what the hell they're talking about because no one has ever heard of a Neptune Street in either Manhattan Beach or Hermosa Beach. But the explanation is actually pretty simple. Turns out the last tiny block of First Street in Manhattan Beach is actually divided down the middle between the two cities – Manhattan on one side, Hermosa on the other. That tiny piece of Hermosa Beach is actually Neptune Avenue. Why that was enough to merit the name going on the lifeguard tower is a story for another day.

Ozone Avenue/Court: According to Thomas Guide, there are two streets in the South Bay that have been inexplicably named after that form of oxygen which absorbs ultraviolet radiation in our atmosphere. Best thing is that Ozone Avenue in Harbor City and Ozone Court in Hermosa Beach otherwise have nothing else in common whatsoever.

Punk rock: One of the few artistic genres – musical or otherwise – that can actually claim to have its origins in the South Bay. While a great deal of attention has been heaped on the beach cities' bands, we shouldn't forget the seminal music that has come out of areas such as San Pedro as well.

Quick Massage: Providing a great half-hour massage for only $25, Quick Massage in Gardena is rapidly becoming something of a legend in the South Bay.

Real estate agents: See also D and H. If ever an area was transformed by a bunch of second-rate used car salesmen, it has been the South Bay. Literally, there are thousands of these hucksters out there trying to make a quick buck, and our landscape is increasingly one of Spanish Colonial condo-lunacy because of them.

San Diego Freeway: One of the four major freeways serving the South Bay, the San Diego Freeway is probably its best known.

Torrance Beach: Who the hell knew Torrance was a beach city? Really, it's not, except for a tiny arm just a few blocks wide that extends west from the bulk of the city all the way to the ocean and separates Palos Verdes from Redondo Beach. Great bar bet winner.

Undergrounding: In other parts of the world, neighbors organize to get rid of such local problems such as drug dealing, blight, fair education and better wages. In the ritzier parts of the South Bay – Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, for instance. – community activism means rallying neighbors to remove all those ugly telephone poles and wires that are blocking their fabulous ocean views and put all utilities underground.

Vincent Thomas Bridge: The Vincent Thomas Bridge, the only suspension bridge of any consequence in Los Angeles, connects San Pedro to Terminal Island. It is named for one of San Pedro's most celebrated native sons.

Western Avenue: Not really much to look at, Western Avenue is nonetheless one of a handful of streets that starts at the ocean in the South Bay and reaches deep, deep into the greater Los Angeles megalopolis. An ambitious driver can pick up Western Avenue just a stone?s throw from the water in San Pedro and head north through the city through Lomita, Torrance, Gardena, Inglewood, Los Angeles and eventually end up running along the Hollywood Hills.

X-Factor: For years, with few exceptions, the South Bay has sent Democrats to Sacramento and Washington. It was widely assumed that the area was liberal on social issues and conservative on the fiscal stuff -- which bred a certain moderation in just about anyone who held higher office. But when South Bay voters last year overwhelmingly voted for the recall and for that bodybuilder, nothing is certain anymore.

'Y' Not Burgers: For years, this independent burger joint on Hawthorne Boulevard has had the definitive answer to those wondering why anyone would want to eat there.

Zapata: No, there's nothing really that specifically connects the legendary Mexican revolutionary with the South Bay, but nonetheless we do find ourselves looking at his portrait quite a bit in the local restaurants, particularly at one of the many El Tarasco eateries scattered throughout the area where images of Mexican revolutionaries apparently are a required aspect of their interior design.

(Oct. 29, 2004)

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