by Garrison Frost

It's not unusual for people traveling abroad to view their hometown more harshly upon their return. Suddenly, the town they loved before their trip falls short in almost every category that counts. It doesn't have those stylish old buildings. Residents can't walk to everything. It's impossible to get fresh foods. There's no bakery. You can't find a decent park.

But if there's one thing that people returning from Italy or Mexico or France or Argentina find lacking in their hometowns is the town square. If only we had a place, they think to themselves, where people could congregate, sit and relax, talk to one another, all of our problems would be solved. Where are those spontaneous grouping of tables and chairs? Where is the fountain where children splash under the watchful eyes of their elders? Where are the shady benches? Where are the flocks of pigeons? Where can local artisans spread their blankets?

In the South Bay, it is quite possible that no other cities agonize over this deficiency as much as the three beach cities – Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach. In Manhattan Beach, city officials practically held the developers of the new Metlox Plaza hostage until they included a comfortable public space in their plans. Hermosa Beach's Pier Plaza remains seemingly always unfinished because it continually fails to meet demands that it become the city's social core. And the centerpiece of Redondo Beach's defunct Heart of the City plan wasn't the removal of the reviled AES power plant, but rather the revived pier area complete with one of those hip markets that draws the community into its bosom.

Although one could argue that Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach have enjoyed some limited success with their new town squares, the truth is that all three cities already had thriving town squares long before these latest visions took shape. All three cities have for years had public spaces where residents and visitors alike gathered, where folks could laze around and talk and laugh and communicate with one another. Only they weren't squares – they were more like lines.

In Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach, the town squares have always been The Strand. Redondo Beach's counterpart is the wide sidewalk of The Esplanade, which looks down upon the beach bluffs in the southern section of town. Visit any of these places during the week and you will always find people gathering, talking, visiting, enjoying the day, much as they do in town squares in all those exotic places we visit on vacations.

So why don't people in the beach cities see it? Why do they continually seek that which they already have? It could be because The Strand pretends to be a road when it really is something else. We think of it as a vehicle when it really is a destination. We don't just take The Strand, we go to it. Same goes for The Esplanade. Sure, when you glance at it, people seem to be moving somewhere, but really they're just there for the sake of being there. Another reason is that we've been trained to believe that these outdoor gathering spaces should be tight and enclosed, like an outdoor living room. Town squares tend to foot this bill nicely with high walls on every side. The Strand and The Esplanade only feature this quality on one side.

It is this misunderstanding that often prompts people to believe that the beach cities lack the kinds of public spaces they see abroad. But it's just not true. While people aren't gathering in a central place, they can be found in large numbers on the edge of the beach. And in these types of towns, really where else should they be?

(Aug. 24, 2006)

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