Oh Balboa! "There's no place like this that I know," said a friend, as we walked along the waterfront on Balboa Island yesterday. Personal boats tied up to the docks of multi-million dollar homes (even in a down cycle they cost millions) stood dry dock as the tide was low. There are not hotels on Balboa Island, a manmade island created in the early 1900's as a dredged out area that a developer tried to get people to invest in for a few hundred dollars per lot. 'What a joke!' many said. Yeah, it's a joke allright. Kind of like the joke on the hill near my home where no one thought people would actually buy on lots that were previously home to oil derricks. Now the houses are worth millions.
In Balboa they have that same old dredging problem rearing its head again, and as we walked along the bay after hopping off the Newport Beach ferry (now costs $1/each way on foot), the big tug whistled a warning as it pushed its huge bin field with dredge material to an offshore dumping ground. It's costing Newport Beach a lot of money to get the harbor dredged.
What's especially noticeable, however, is that somebody has money. I counted at least four homes totally torn down and in states of building as new waterfront mansions. And this is during a the economic meltdown.
Balboa Island has no hotels, no fast food chains (except Starbucks), and the two access points are over a bridge or via the ferry boats. It offers quaint charm with streets named for gems, and many European style houses with doors that open on the top to let the fresh air in.
Balboa Island attracts thousands of people during the day to shop and dine. There are many super restaurants ranging from affordable to upscale. And there are lots of cute boutiques, kids stores, and gift shops.
The next time you visit Southern California, be sure to check out the island charm of Balboa, just a stone's throw (22 miles) from an island offshore, Catalina.
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