Everyone has their happy place. Mine happens to be Manhattan Beach.

Andrew and I first visited over Labor Day weekend last year and from the moment we turned onto the main drag, I immediately fell in love. This year, the two of us visited over the Fourth of July, same hotel and everything. By no means is it the Ritz-Carlton, but that’s what makes it so special. It’s our little place and no one else’s.

We had our own balcony that looked directly out onto the ocean, a perfect perch to relax on after roasting in the sun. To our right was the local breakfast joint that offers the best eggs benedict I have ever tasted and just beyond that is a dive bar that serves up every kind of seafood you could imagine. Oh, and I can’t forget this place either!

From lazy morning strolls around downtown to mid-afternoon bike rides along the coast, each second of our vacation was spent right where we wanted to be: on The Strand soaking up cool breezes and breathtaking sunsets, usually ending our days with a bottle (or two) of wine. If I close my eyes real tight, I can still smell the salty air and hear the waves lapping up against the sand.

Honestly, that’s what I miss most: the silence of it all. Some of our best memories are buried into these flashbacks and because of that, Manhattan Beach is and always will be “our spot”.

As we hit the road Sunday, I kept telling myself, “I wish we had just one more day”, but I guess that’s why they call it a Manhattan Minute. Until next time!