"La Isla Bonita"; San Pedro, CA 05.07.11

San Pedro's dog park is never busy.  I've never been there where I see more than 6 dog owners at one time.  It's a shame, because they are really working hard on getting this place set up for the dogs and their owners to enjoy.  Named Knoll Hill Dog Park, it's located on 200-349 Knoll Drive, San Pedro, CA  90731.  Phone is 310-514-0338.  To get there, take the 1B Channel St./Pacific Ave/Harbor Center exit, make a right on Gaffey, another quick right on Channel, right on Pacific, and left on N Front, and right on Knoll.

Give me my frisbee!

New trees!

New benches are installed, new trees are planted, and I look forward to seeing these trees mature in the next few years.  The dogs today were very good.  We had ran into a nice, mellow black Doberman female pup.  Her owner was extremely protective, and I don't blame him because they are new to the dog park thing.  There was another petite female with her large black, and she looked like she lives in the area, and started chatting up with someone else on other side of the park.  There was another dog/owner that came in, and that was it for the crowd.  It's a pretty good sized large park, considering we did not go all the way in - - Tico could not wait to play with his frisbee so we just parked ourselves in one of the front benches and have at it with his toy.

There is not restroom facility, but there is a portapotty.  There's a water fountain, and several trash cans as well as a station to donate grocery bags for poop.  The park is covered with wood chips.  There is a baseball park up the hill from this park, which apparently, where the old dog park was.  In this new location, I believe they do a lot of K9 training on here.  It's right across from the harbor, but you can't see the water, but it's still a pretty good location as far as I'm concerned.  Afterwards, we got back out on the road, made a right on Harbor Boulevard, and enjoyed the water fountain to the left while we headed out to Ports of Call Village.  Ports O' Call is an under-appreciated seaside village of shops and restaurants along the harbors of San Pedro. 

The LAFD boat!

Don't eat meee!

The 'dress is $15.  The body to go with it is priceless

Girl on her way to her First Communion brunch

Well, let me start over by saying I have a soft spot for San Pedro.  It's a nice, waterfront town whose value has gone down in the past few years, but it has a lot of potential to be the next Marina Del Rey if the City and their residents get their acts together.  With the town of Palos Verdes to the right, and the harbor to the left, the City of Long Beach just across the bridge, and easy access to the freeway, it's in a prime location. 

Port's O' Call Village, a not-so dog-friendly place becauase it's a food-packed place, on Berth 75-79, phone 310-548-8076  is just across from downtown San Pedro, which is off 6th Street and Pacific.  You can get on a boat or cruise here to see whales, dolphins, eat some lobster, calamari or other fish, and watch the small boats and cruiselines pass by.  Today, Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line was docked.  You can walk your dog along the Village, but they are not allowed in the areas where people eat.  Today, we saw a little girl just coming back from her first communion, and her family is celebrating by taking her out to Ports O' Call restaurant.  Simon's is also a pretty good one.  Ports O' Call's quality has definitely gone down.  But it's a good way to entertain the visitors that are coming in and getting out of the cruiselines.  We were here last September for their Lobster Festival too, which covered the entire parking grounds of the village.  For $18, you get a lobster meal.  For $32, you get two of those creatures.  And with free concerts and more shopping, fun and dining options for every member of your family, it's a great way to enjoy a day in September in LA.  This year, it will be held on the third weekend of September.

Up the hill from this place is the Korean Bell.  The address is 3601 Gaffey Street.  The view from up here is amazing. Right across from the bell or Angel Gate's Park, as it is called, is the Point Fermin Lighthouse inside the Point Fermin park (807 W Paseo Del Mar).  I also go to this park because of their annual Filipino Festival in September as well.  For $5 entrance fee, you get to enjoy free concerts, activities, and get to sample some filipino food, buy some filipino arts and crafts and clothing.  We got to see some really cool acts, especially this one girl from the Bay Area called Hopie Spitshard.

Cabrillo Marina on 22nd Street, or 224 Whalers Walk is another pretty spot, because of the marina view.  They have good restaurants on here too.  Downtown San Pedro definitely has a long way to go, but they are working on new things, such as First Thursday art walk, which began this month; also like Niko's Restaurant on 399 W 6th Street because it reminds me of the place Otherroom in Venice.  And their portions are huge for a small price. 

San Pedro definitely has a long way to go to being a great city.  You can still see almost every pawn shops known to man on every inch of Pacific Avenue, and crap mom and pop stores are along on Gaffey.  But if you go up above 22nd Street on Gaffey, it's a whole new world of wonderful roadside water views, and nice houses.  Downtown has a lot of new condos and buildings popping up, and if not for the recession, it was working on its way to being a great area.  We shall see what to happen with this city.  It a way, it's an island on its own, since no one really comes down to San Pedro because it's at the end of the 110 freeway, so unless you are headed here to go on a cruise, there's a likely chance you won't find yourself here.  I do like the fact that it is kind of an undiscovered, little town with a potential for a great, beautiful city.

A beautiful little secluded place in the middle of LA.