To The Beach

I wanted to see the famous County Park Encinitas beach. It looked good on the map. I might have been there about 10 years ago but I don't remember. So we drove there.

The beach was actually very nice. The water was worm that day and there were lots of surfers there. There is a winding path leading down. You can watch the surfers riding the waves.

Now Encinitas is a very strange town, unlike most of them. It has merchant's row running along the coastal Highway 101. There you have yoga studios, fancy (and not so) cafes, restaurants, gift shops, you name it. There are also some small businesses situated on quiet residential strees, a block towards the ocean from the main highway. And there are some streets with prosperous houses build along the coast, a block or two from the ocean.

That's all we used to see. However, if you take one of the streets going inland, you'll discover that the rest of Encinitas is just an ordinary small American towns. No fancy shops, the usual chains like McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Supercuts and the rest of the, There are like 3 or 4 dealerships in the town that small. People sure love their cars. The streets are wide and there are parking lots with plenty of space.

(Sigh) But then, that's all there is there, isn't' it? People want convenience and that means driving the car to your destination and walk as little as possible. I presently work in the town that consists of nothing but huge shoppping centers that are built in a row: one after another with no space in between. That town used to be cow pastures not so long ago. Old time residents still remember that.

A town with no history.