It's a good time to check my email and get my journal FTPed up as I had to download an ftp program. Since they don't have a webpage they really never use ftp and had a very lousy program on their computer. They got the computer from someone else also so things are always a little strange when you do that.

Later Mike and I ran a few errands. I needed to get a good map of Los Angeles and finally settled for the "Access Los Angeles" book by Richard Saul Wurman. It's a good guide book and has good maps inside. Actually the maps are easier to use than a big foldout but I always feel like I am more in control with a big foldout that shows everything.

I had an old "Access Los Angeles" but some things were a bit dated. I have also used the "Access Chicago" and found it to be very good. The only problem I have is that points of interest only show as numbers on the maps so I have to look over to the text to find what it is.

We then went down to Manhattan Beach and had a sandwich out on the pier and looked through the tiny aquarium they have there. It was a rather nice one and you felt closer to the fish. The best part was that you got to touch some of the starfish and such. The instructions were "Touch very gently with one finger", so we did and got wet up to our elbows but it was fun and interesting.

As we were walking back along the pier Mike realized that he had forgotten to put money in the meter and he said the fines were quite high as parking in the beach communities was at a premium. We rushed back to find a note on the meter that it was broken. Was that cool or what?

We walked along the beach for a while critiquing the beach houses. They are all so different and squashed into the space available. All are nicely taken care of which makes sense since property values are sky high along here. It was just cool enough to be comfortable and we could watch the volleyball players on the other side of the walk.

We then drove up the coast, past LAX, as I realized, from looking at my handy, dandy new guidebook, that LAX wasn't right on the ocean as I had thought. We went past several beaches that were nearly deserted which surprised me. Granted they don't have the piers and cute stores that Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach have, but if all you want is to go to the beach they are great, and as you lie on the beach you can see the planes go overhead. I thought that was rather a plus, but then my tastes don't always coincide with normal.

We drove on up past the Marina del Rey and around and back down again to Torrance. I always enjoy seeing a city close up instead of from the freeways. It's great to see the neighborhoods change as you go through them.