Palos Verdes



The Palos Verdes Peninsula rises above the South Bay of Los Angeles County. It's an oasis of greenery in a Los Angeles region dominated by concrete and asphalt; it features horse trails, ocean cliffs, tidepools, Eucalyptus trees, and nature walks.

Understand
The Palos Verdes Peninsula was once part of enormous ranchos owned by Dominguez and Sepulveda. "Palos Verdes" is a Spanish phrase that roughly means "green stalks" or "green wood". A New York investment syndicate led by banker Frank Vanderlip bought the entire Peninsula sight-unseen from George Bixby reportedly for $1.5-2 million. For Vanderlip, a man with vision and money, such an enormous piece of undeveloped land along the Pacific, so close to Los Angeles, must have been a "no-brainer". Development began in the Malaga Cove area in the 1920s. Vanderlip hired the famous Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm (sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, designer of Manhattan's Central Park), to help design and plan the communities. To this day all of the Palos Verdes towns have very strong architecture and development committees that tightly regulate building. The cities' collective efforts have been exceptionally effective in preserving open space and avoiding overdevelopment.

The Palos Verdes Peninsula is made up of four municipalities. Rolling Hills is a private, gated community restricted to residents and guests that, because of its location at the top the hills of the Peninsula, enjoys spectacular ocean and city views. Surrounding it is Rolling Hills Estates, a city of 8,000 residents known for preserving its unique rural environment and laced with more than 25 miles of equestrian trails. Along the coast is Rancho Palos Verdes, known for spectacular ocean views of the South Bay and Catalina Island, and Palos Verdes Estates, which has the ambiance of a Mediterranean town, with clay tile roofed villas enjoying spectacular ocean and city views. The city streets are sometimes blocked by flocks of beautiful wild peacocks that inhabit the hillsides.

Get in
From Pacific Coast Highway take Palos Verdes Boulevard south into the western side of the Peninsula, or Hawthorne Boulevard to the top of the hill and down to the ocean. On the east end of the Peninsula, take Palos Verdes Drive East down to the Portuguese Bend area.

The LA Metro operates route 344 from the Harbor Gateway Transit Center, which can be reached from Downtown Los Angeles via the Silver Line (route 910), in about two hours plus waiting time for the transfer and subject to traffic.

Get around
Sight seeing in Palos Verdes truly requires driving. The Palos Verdes Peninsula Transit Authority operates PVP Transit with five routes that connect into the Peninsula Center.

See
The best way to see Palos Verdes is to drive along beautiful Palos Verdes Drive. This is one of the finest drives in the United States and tops the list of things to do. Palos Verdes Drive West and South are the highlights, a seaside "yellow brick road" that traces the cliffs, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Catalina Island. Palos Verdes Drive(s) (north, west, east, and south) encircle the Peninsula. The "center" of Palos Verdes consists of several upscale residential neighborhoods (only a few of which are gated), and while beautiful, are not exactly a tourist destination.

The best place to start a tour of Palos Verdes is on Palos Verdes Drive West travelling southbound from the intersection with Palos Verdes Drive North.


 * Malaga Cove (on Palos Verdes Drive West) is home to a charming shopping plaza and library that feature beautiful Spanish Renaissance architecture. The plaza, library, and original homes were built starting in the late 1920s. Park in the Plaza. The fountain statue of Neptune is a copy of a famous statue in Bologna, Italy. The library is one block uphill behind the plaza's south side. The road south along the coast takes you through beautiful Mediterranean style homes that cling to steep cliffs.
 * Lunada Bay is the next village (not a formal city) in Palos Verdes Estates. Lunada Bay also boasts a lovely fountain and a tiny, charming commercial district.
 * Lunada Bay is the next village (not a formal city) in Palos Verdes Estates. Lunada Bay also boasts a lovely fountain and a tiny, charming commercial district.






 * Portuguese Bend has been suffering massive land slippage. You will notice the bumpy road which is repaved every few weeks. The land in this area has moved more than 400 feet seaward, and continues to creep toward the ocean. A building moratorium exists in many areas. Several homes in the worst lanslide areas continue to be occupied, with the homeowners leveling their homes by the use of hydraulic jacks. A great blessing from the land movement has been the preservation of more than 1,000 acres as open space. This area is one of the largest natural spaces along the ocean in Southern California and offers fabulous hiking and biking trails with spectacular Ocean Views. The Palos Verdes Land Conservancy, a volunteer group of local residents, has worked tirelessly to fund raise and make arrangements to acquire much of this acreage.
 * Ocean Trails/Trump Golf Course. Before Donald Trump bought the course, the 18th hole fell into the ocean. "The Donald" reportedly spent $27 million to buy the Ocean Trails property in 2002 and then plowed an additional $61 million into the tricky and complicated engineering work required to re-stabilize the land under the 18th hole. In spite of all this some local geologists still predict a repeat. With his typical and comical grandiosity, the self-promoter declares the course even better than Pebble Beach. Nonetheless, the course is lovely, has hosted an LPGA tournament, has an ocean view from every hole, and offers a great Sunday brunch. It also holds the distinction of being the only US club in the Trump chain that's open to the public.
 * Hiking and Equestrian Trails - there are many great nature trails around PV. The geology and plants are similar to the Channel Islands.
 * Old General Store at the corner of Palos Verdes Drive North and Rolling Hills Road. Built in the early 1930s, the classic ranch building seems misplaced as if from the pages of a Norman Rockwell painting. The building houses an excellent sandwich shop (Kelly's Corner), an equestrian supply store, and a one man post office stop right out of the old west.
 * Old General Store at the corner of Palos Verdes Drive North and Rolling Hills Road. Built in the early 1930s, the classic ranch building seems misplaced as if from the pages of a Norman Rockwell painting. The building houses an excellent sandwich shop (Kelly's Corner), an equestrian supply store, and a one man post office stop right out of the old west.

Do

 * Tidepools along the cliffs are fun to walk along. There's even a rusting wreck of an old ship at the North Point of Lunada Bay.  In 1961, a Greek freighter carrying grain (the "Dominator") ran aground.  The water that poured in through the torn hull swelled the grain, and it split the boat in half. Coordinates are  33°46′26″N, 118°25′42″W.
 * Parks: Chandler Park, Clovercliff Park, Del Cerro Park, Eastview Park, Ernie Howlett Park, Hesse Park, Highridge Park, Martingale Trailhead Park, Point Vicente Interpretive Center, Rancho Palos Verdes Park, Ryan Park, South Coast Botanic Gardens (the Water-wise Garden, Herb Garden, English Rose Garden, and Garden of the Senses are some popular theme gardens here), and Vanderlip Park.
 * Hiking along the many nature trails, and along the Pacific Ocean is fun. Bluff Cove via Shipwreck Trail and the Smuggler's Cove Hike are two good options.  The Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy conducts nature walks every month (+1 310-373-0202).
 * Horseback riding along the many horse trails. Facilities in Palos Verdes: Chandler Park, Dapplegray Park, Empty Saddle Club, Palos Verdes Stables, Portuguese Bend Riding Club, and Rolling Hills Estates Stables. +1 310 567-3582.
 * Tennis in Palos Verdes: Ernie Howlett Park (+1 310-541-4585), Jack Kramer Club (+1 310-326-4404), Palos Verdes Tennis Club (+1 310-373-6326), and Peninsula Racquet Club (+1 310-541-2523).
 * The peninsula has five golf courses:

Buy

 * There's an upscale mall called the Promenade on the Peninsula off Silver Spur Road.
 * Malaga Cove Plaza is a small, charming shopping plaza near the intersection of Palos Verdes Drive West and Palos Verdes Drive North. Malaga Cove's Italian architecture is quite beautiful, having been used as a setting for many commercials, since the tile roofs, fountains, and greenery have a remarkable Mediterranean feel.  The large Neptune statue in the fountain is imported from Italy. Stop in at the market for cold drinks and fantastic food. The weekends bring a large flow of cyclists through Malaga Cove.
 * A Farmers' Market operates each Sunday from 9AM - 1PM, in the Peninsula Center Shopping Center off Silver Spur Road near the intersection with Hawthorne Blvd.

Drink

 * Trump National Golf Club - The view is to-die-for at what was once the gorgeous Ocean Trails Club House and has been refurbished in typical Trump fashion.
 * Trump National Golf Club - The view is to-die-for at what was once the gorgeous Ocean Trails Club House and has been refurbished in typical Trump fashion.
 * Trump National Golf Club - The view is to-die-for at what was once the gorgeous Ocean Trails Club House and has been refurbished in typical Trump fashion.

Go next
While it feels worlds away from busy city life, Palos Verdes is less than 30 miles from downtown Los Angeles. Allow at least 1.5 hours for this drive during rush hour, and consider taking Pacific Coast Highway or other side roads to avoid heavy freeway traffic.


 * - A drive down Palos Verdes Drive South to 25th St. will take you into San Pedro. From there you can hop a ferry to Catalina Island or continue on to Los Angeles and Long Beach.
 * - The largest city in the South Bay. Home to several popular malls including the historic Del Amo Fashion Center.