Beautiful Manhattan Beach

Manhattan Beach, California

    On Saturday Tom and I took a walk  with our son-in-law Justin and our two grand daughters around Manhattan Beach. 

    We started at the entrance to Veterans Parkway,  also known as  "The Chip Path",  a 3.75-mile  walking trail that runs parallel to the ocean from  Manhattan Beach to Hermosa Beach.

  The Chip Path - so-called for the soft mulch that covers this abandoned railroad route - is landscaped with lush local  flora and fauna,

...and passes through lovely Manhattan Beach neighborhoods.

      We walked along the Chip Path for about a mile and a quarter until we reached downtown Manhattan Beach,

...then we walked along Highland Avenue until we reach The Kettle, a popular local eatery,

...where we stopped for lunch.

    Tom ordered an omlete with home fries, which he declared to be very tasty, and the girls gobbled up their macaroni and cheese and grilled cheese sandwich. Justin also liked his black bean burger  with potato salad.

     I ordered the French Onion Grilled Cheese Dip, 

...made with mozzarella and onions and which tasted like a French onion soup sandwich and came with a side of onion soup for dipping.  The whole concept, I'm sorry to say, seemed better in theory than it turned out to be in actuality.
     But the hit of the meal was the blueberry muffins that Tom ordered,

...and very generously shared.

     These muffins were so sweet, moist and full of blueberries that we all pronounced them the best blueberry muffins in the world and I vowed then and there that I would someday take up the challenge to reproduce the delicious things in my own kitchen.
​     After lunch we walked down to the beach,

...to the pier,

...with its beautiful panoramic views of the ocean, mountains, and shore:

     A pelican playing in the  waves.

    We visited the free aquarium at the end of the pier,

...then we headed back.
    For all the times I've visited Manhattan Beach I'm still moved by the beauty of this place.