by Garrison Frost

If you don't count San Pedro and the Port of Los Angeles, the South Bay has three piers: the Redondo Beach pier, the Hermosa Beach pier and the Manhattan Beach pier. Each of them is different, each with its advantages and disadvantages. While one might be tempted to compare them using the same old criteria – which is longest, which is oldest, etc – I thought it might be more illustrative to highlight the best and worst in more useful categories:

Best fishing pier: Hermosa.

Most abundant, yet most annoying, parking: Redondo.

The one pier currently under renovation that really needs to be finished: Redondo.

The one pier currently under renovation that is better lerft unfinished: Hermosa.

Only pier where you can buy fried clams: Redondo.

Best pier for inexplicably taking wedding pictures in the scummy area underneath: Manhattan.

Pier that is overrepresented in local photography and art: Manhattan.

Most asymmetrical: Redondo.

Pier with best public art: Redondo.

Only pier where you can buy a cocktail: Redondo.

Pier with best public restrooms: Manhattan.

Only pier that has heaved a chunk of concrete at a passing jogger, causing a debilitating injury: Manhattan.

Only pier where you can catch a fishing boat: Redondo.

Best pier for fishing if you want to enjoy all aspects of the sport without having to deal with an actual fish: Manhattan.

Pier with best surf: Manhattan.

Best pier to see really gross things floating in the water: Redondo.

Pier with best view of local beach volleyball: Hermosa.

Pier with best clock: Manhattan.

Best pier for watching fires in Malibu: Manhattan.

Pier that actually hosted a pretty impressive fire of its own: Redondo.

Best pier for watching a drunk person in his twenties vomit: Hermosa.

Hardest pier to actually find: Redondo.

(May 19, 2006)

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