After the heat, the dust and the silence of the desert, this is the city's edge: planes thundering in low over the beach, surfers in the water, and cyclists on the Strand, the paved path that runs along the sand.
El Segundo means the second in Spanish, and the town got its name in the early twentieth century when Standard Oil built its second California refinery here. The refinery is still working and its glowing towers at night add an industrial backdrop to the coast. Next to it lie the dunes of Dockweiler and Playa del Rey, where a small sandy preserve protects the El Segundo blue butterfly, a tiny insect found nowhere else. It is a strange thing to find at the end of a runway.
Manhattan Beach, a few kilometres south, is a polished beach town with a long pier, a lively volleyball scene and cafés full of people who look like they live on the sand. The sunsets here are excellent, and on clear evenings the sea turns to molten bronze. From here, Pacific Coast Highway runs south to the Palos Verdes peninsula, a rich, hilly district with ocean views, tight curves and cliffs, though the road is also crowded with cars and cyclists on weekends.
Traffic is the main hazard. Streets near the airport are choked in the late afternoon, lanes shift abruptly, and drivers are distracted. Allow plenty of time, and if you can, arrive after the evening peak. Everything is in easy reach: fuel, food, hotels, repair shops, car washes to rinse off the desert dust. There are fish tacos at stands along the coast, and the beach towns have a good range of coffee and bakeries.
Fog, known here as the June gloom, often blankets the coast in late spring and early summer, and the best weather comes in September and October. Ride out in the morning and enjoy the long, calm light on the water.