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There used to be a show on MTV called Laguna Beach and I always wondered what this place was like. I never watched the show (it's first episode was in 2004!), but it's popularity definitely got me to notice the name.

I parked along Coast Highway at a parking meter

So off I went to this beach town to explore before summer officially ended. When I left my home, it was super sunny, but halfway into my drive, the clouds started to roll in. I was already halfway there, so I didn't want to turn around and just hoped the sun would come back out.

I heard parking was a bit tricky on the weekends, so I went on a Monday afternoon. I am not a big fan of driving around in circles (who is?) looking for a parking spot and Laguna Beach is definitely an area where parking can be a challenge. I found metered parking for $1.50/hr. along Pacific Coast Highway, but be warned as you can only feed the meter three hours. Even the parking garage was a max of three hours, so if you are planning on spending the entire day it's best to take one of the free trolleys .

Laguna Beach can get very crowded during the summer months, so after a little digging on Yelp, I chose a spot that was the least crowded : Treasure Island Park. Treasure Island is gorgeous and the seagulls were surprisingly friendly. I was sitting on a rock and this one seagull didn't mind at all being right next to me. I also absolutely love how the beaches in California have rock formations. Another California hot spot with amazing rock formations is El Matador State Beach in Malibu, CA.

The sun never did come back out, but there were still plenty of beach goers hanging out and enjoying the gorgeous views. I hung out around the beach area first and then walked around an area where I was able to get a great view of the beach. There is also plenty of nearby cafes, restaurants, and shops all along Pacific Coast Hwy. I grabbed a quick bite at Urth Caffe before I headed home.

If you plan on making a trip to this beautiful beach town, check out this blog post, "Laguna Beach without a car, Tour #1 : The "Hidden" City". It has a great itinerary of how to spend your day beach hopping around Laguna.

All photos taken by Joshua Caine. Swimwear by ZwimZuit.