Admittedly, it’s a hard sell for those of us who don’t have a year to spend traveling around the world. A friend I talked to today had an itinerary that involved one day in Paris, two days in London, and two days in Scotland. There’s not a lot of breathing room in that plan for an afternoon spent in a swimsuit.

But here’s why it’s a good idea, and not just if you’re the kind of person who enjoys Hawaii. A trip to the beach in Europe is just as valid a sightseeing day as one spent at a museum. And if you need more rationale, here are five solid reasons:

1. Because if you ever went to the beach as a kid, this beach trip will be nothing like that.

Whenever I’ve visited a European beach, my novelty-meter is completely full by the time I leave. As a kid, I spent time in Ocean City, New Jersey, where boardwalks and hoagies were the big deal of the day.

It’s a little different to spend time on La Grand Plage of Biarritz, France, where elegant striped cabanas line the sidewalk:  

When I first saw them, I thought: These people know how to live. It just seemed so…James Bond-y, circa 1966.

2. Because every vacation needs a break in the action.

Personally, I don’t have any interest in taking a cruise. I’m snobby about all-inclusive vacations. I like to strike out on my own, figuring out bus and train schedules, and booking my own hotels.

But let’s be honest: That’s a lot of variables, and a lot of work. Experienced travelers enjoy building in some slack into their itineraries, and I agree with them. Even if it’s an overcast day at the beach, there’s still something interesting to see.

In a few short days, I’ll be on the beachy island of Texel (pronounced “tessel”), part of the same trip that includes a week-long Dutch language immersion at Dutch Princess School. A juxtaposition of intense cultural experience and laid-back beachtime seems like a nice balance. Plus, the cultural exchange doesn’t stop just because it’s a beach town: The hotel website offered to reserve bikes for me during my stay. How very, very Dutch.

3. Because the natural world is worth the time as much as the human-made world.

Appreciating natural beauty doesn’t come easy to me. I’m a city girl. But a windswept coastline with a rickety bridge is a charming, memorable site. I didn’t need the explanation to enjoy it, or to know the connection to the Eiffel Tower.

Living in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve had to adjust my idea of what a beach day is. Oftentimes, it doesn’t involve baking in the sun, but appreciating grey skies like the kind you see above, or in this photo I took in Mull, Scotland, as incredible to me as any cathedral or medieval castle I’ve ever been to.

4. Because you might be there for Bastille Day or another happenstance celebration–the kind where everyone else is on vacation, too.

I love museums, and have done the art slog, trying to scrape 10 hours out of quality art absorption out of a timed all-day pass. On my last visit to Versailles–number three, mind you, which might have taught me a lesson about the sheer size of the estate–a sightseeing stroll turned into a full-on death march in 90 degree heat.

In Biarritz, I was lucky enough to be there for Bastille Day. Everyone around me was enjoying the fireworks and the time off work. It was cheerful in the way that national holidays, summer festivals, and other relaxed, warm-weather nights can be. No one was carrying a map, a guidebook, or an agenda. Instead, an entire town of people settled in to watch the fireworks:

That travel memory means more to me than rooms full of Dutch Masters I saw at the Louvre.

5. Because wherever they are in the world, beaches are some of the most beautiful, fun places on earth.

The hotel might smell of smoke or be too loud for your liking. The lines at the museum might keep you standing in the hot sun for an hour longer than you liked. The other museum you meant to see might be on the far side of town, and closed on Tuesdays. The restaurant might put too much salt on your food, overcharge you, or never bring you that drink you ordered.

But it’s hard to imagine a day like this one (on the Côte des Basques in Biarritz) disappointing anyone.

Yep. What you are witnessing are people swimming in Phuket, Thailand with an elephant. They invited me to join them later. It was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life. Here’s another one because, happy elephants frolicking in clean oceans = AWESOME.

And here are some photos of what appeared to be a thriving fishing community in Pengang, Malaysia. I feel so terrible for all those families along the Gulf Coast who have lost their livelihood because of BP’s incredible ineptitude.

I was struck by some of the most elementary of fishing techniques that were being used.

I donated to Oceana this week. They are just one of many important organizations doing vital work to help preserve and protect our world’s oceans. Heureux anniversaire, Jacques, and kudos to everyone else helping make our seas happy and healthy.

Click on this image of Mokuleia (aka Lost Beach) to be taken to a 10-photo Flickr tour!

This winter, I was lucky enough to visit Oahu. As a die-hard Lost fan, I was perpetually thinking of the show when I’m there (it was my third visit). You can read all about my five favorite Lost sites.

Because that blog post was right around when Lost returned from hiatus, there were a ton of similar stories on travel blogs..with incomplete (and what seemed to be cribbed) information and plenty of stock photography.

Fail.

Which is why I absolutely love this shaky video tour with Jorge Garcia (who I saw when I was in Kailua!). Maria Elena Fernandez, the writer of the accompanying piece in the L.A. Times, is clearly an actual true Lost watcher. When Garcia describes “the girl who parachuted onto the island”, Fernandez pipes up with her name: Naomi.

When you remember characters from a few seasons back–characters that the stars of the show have since forgotten–you get a A+ in my Big Book of Lost Awesomeness. Nice going, Maria!

Check out the video:

Did I mention that all but a couple of these sites are in my Lost must-see list, too? And that I actually mapped them all out? Yeah, I knew Jorge was referring to Naomi, too.

Lost nerds need to stick together when it comes to Oahu.

• Los Angeles
• Glam rock
• Knee-high sparkly silver platform boots–and how it could possibly be that I don’t have a pair

The movie was a better-than-average bio pic (which is a low bar), but mostly, the visuals are what will stay with me. Every scene was smoky and scuzzy in that particularly mustard-colored 1970s way. Here’s the trailer for an overview:

What does this have to do with travel? It evoked a certain quality about Los Angeles. Not the glamorous Beverly Hills dream, but the drunken, debauched ranch-house-in-the-valley vibe. They included a couple of scenes of the girls getting drunk on liquor made up of everything siphoned off their parents supply behind a rusted, falling-down version of the Hollywood sign. It made me want to spend the day at Venice Beach.

More details after the jump.

Yes, they set a scene in an house party, complete with grope-y surfer dude moving in on Dakota Fanning. I’ll let that sink in for a minute–Dakota Fanning!–and mention that the best part of the clip is Kristen Stewart/Joan Jett batting back the heckler’s beer can mid-song.

You can compare them to the real Runaways, in case you’re interested:

Hello daddy! Hello mom! Sorry, I got distracted by the whole Mick Jagger chicken-dance mixed with Dr. Frank N. Furter’s costume.

Back to L.A.

The Runaways had the same quality, to me, as Lords of Dogtown. Both movies–and others like it–have scenes involving hordes of teens running from cops. But more than that, they have a recurring thread of taking something rotting (the falling-down piers of Venice’s boardwalk or a crappy old camper that the Runways rehearsed in) and using it as a gateway to something awesome and new. And novelty is compelling.

Here’s a trailer for that one, in case you missed it. Keep an eye out for an almost unrecognizable Heath Ledger:

Along this same theme, check out portions of the movie set to T. Rex. It features two of those same two obsessions listed at the top of this post (but, sadly, no sparkly boots):

I’m always skeptical of claims about “the wrong side of the tracks” in films “based on a true story.” But the real version of the zboys’ world actually seems worse than in the film, as in this video of kids hauling trash out of a pool and then skating around it:

The decrepit side of L.A., especially a historical one comfortably stored in the past, is still appealing to a lot of people, me included.

It’s why I wanted to go to Venice Beach, just to see if it was still has sketchy as I thought it would be. It was–in parts–but of course, it has also gentrified. The canals are beautiful there, not the cesspools they seem to have been in the 70s. It mostly had that feeling of places that used to be scary and now have arty boutiques or slightly funky restaurants (as at Chairman Mao’s). It was worth the trip.

I’ve been to the Getty Villa and to Rodeo Drive, but ultimately, this version of L.A. is more memorable and resonant to me. I’m not saying that a tour of Charles Bukowski’s resting place and Tom Waits’ haunts are likely to become more popular than Disneyland any time soon. Although one tour company thinks they’re at least worth $58 and $62, respectively–both, for now, cheaper than a Disney day pass.

But that’s before Bukowski’s apartment opens up to the public as a historic landmark.

Getting There

Chances are, if you’re heading to the north Oregon Coast from anywhere but the south Oregon Coast, you’ll start in Portland, which is 2.5 hours away. You’ll probably want a good dinner for your trip to the coast, since the only landmarks between Portland and the Pacific are a few sad truck stops and a corn maze.

Dinner at Imbrie Hall

Highway 26 connects Portland to the coast.  A funky, popular, Oregon-to-its-core chain of pubs named McMenamins has an excellent joint just west of Portland. It’s an easy exit (#62) and return to the highway, but it feels like miles away and your first step towards the coast.

Cornelius Pass Roadhouse faces the street with a Victorian home, but tucked behind is Imbrie Hall, a converted barn decorated with Dutch street signs.

The entire enterprise sits on a large parcel of land dotted with gray clapboard buildings and Christmas lights. The facilities are often booked for weddings, for the bride who likes the smell of hops wafting over from the distillery during her big day.

The View from Highway 101

Back on Highway 26, it’s a straight shot until the coast, where you turn south onto highway 101 towards Cannon Beach and Manzanita.

If you’re traveling to the coast from mid-October to mid-May, most of your trip will be in pitch darkness and most likely in rain, fog, snow (Highway 26 passes over some coastal peaks), or some combination thereof. It’s possible you’ll see an elk.

But if you’re driving this route during the summer months, you can expect daylight until 9 p.m. If it’s light, plan to pull over at one of the impressive pull-out viewpoints on the way, built during the WPA era.

My favorite is the pullout just north of Manzania, where you can see the town’s beaches from a staggering height–and you can cross-check the view against how it looked in 1943.

Checking in to the Coast Cabins

Some people like to wake up in the morning, throw aside the curtains, and see the ocean. Me, I’d trade the view for all the comforts I don’t have at home, plus a modern design sensibility and possibly some fixtures imported from Europe. That’s why the Coast Cabins are a winner.

Even though they’re up the street from the beach, these cabins are like a boutique hotel in the middle of Manzanita. Each cabin stands apart from the others, including this two-story number that peeks out over the trees and stares down Laneda Avenue, the town’s main drag.

The Coast Cabins aren’t cheap–we’re talking $200+ a night, and they have an insane 14-day cancellation policy because, well, they can.

If you need a true budget option, I have one word for you: Yurt. Truly, I didn’t know what a yurt was before moving to the Pacific Northwest, but essentially, it s a round tent-cabin. You can rent your yurt–and book them ahead of time online–at Nehalem Bay State Park (located on the southern end of Manzanita) for $27 bucks a night.

The Next Morning: Coffee (of Course), a Beach Walk, and Book Shopping

Here’s the reason why I’m not concerned with a beachfront view. Because after popping in to Manzanita Espresso for your to-go coffee and treat, you’ll walk down Laneda until you hit Manzanita beach. You’ll enjoy this view as you take the obligatory morning beach walk, noticing that every single local is doing the same and with good reason. This is the view looking south toward Nehalem Bay:

In this view, looking north, you are looking at the mountainside where you stopped at the recommended Manzanita overlook on highway 101:

Beach-walk for as long as you like (and if you brought a dog to enjoy dog-heaven out here, please, for god’s sake, clean up after it with the bags provided by the town).

Afterwards, wander back up to Laneda and peruse the shops you missed along the way, especially the single best bookstore on the coast: Cloud & Leaf.

The owner, Jodie, used to work at Powell’s, the Portland institution (and another favorite bookstore of mine). While the store gets very crowded during the peak season because of its tiny size, Jodie never caters to the beach-book-buying crowd.

Her selections are really just the best books around. You’ll find McSweeney’s and Penguin Classic editions, but not a single copy of Cosmo.

I love this bookstore. I am in love with this bookstore. I love the little hand-written cards on all the hand-selected books. I love it so much that I am conflicted about publicizing it.

All I ask that is if you go, buy good books and make room for everyone else in the store. And please leave your cell phone OFF.

Choose Your Own Adventure: Short Sands or Indian Beach?

From this point on, you have a major decision to make about where to spend your afternoon: Short Sands Beach (about 7 minutes north of Manzanita), or Indian Beach (about 20 minutes north).

Let’s be real: If it’s summer on the weekend, both of these gorgeous beaches will be extremely crowded (by Oregon standards). If you’re crowd-averse, you can delay your Manzanita beach walk (which never gets too crowded, because of its sheer size) and go north earlier in the day.

Also, go ahead and wear your swimsuit and a bring a beach towel for sunbathing if the weather is warm, but don’t plan to get into the water. It’s only 60 degrees on a good day.

Indian Beach in Ecola State Park

If you fancy a hike–and by that, I mean a real hike, with precipitous drop-offs as you walk on a trail that winds along a cliff’s edge–Indian Beach is the way to go. Located in Ecola State Park in nearby Cannon Beach, it’s worth the time you’ll spend waiting in a line of cars to pay your nominal fee to enter.

It’s worth noting that Cannon Beach is a place that everyone talks about. It has the world-famous Haystack Rock, which–to me–was just a giant, um, rock. Shaped like a haystack. Not so exciting. But people familiar with the coast will probably ask if you’ve seen it, so if you care about that, consider yourself warned.

Cannon Beach also has a much-more-commercial-than-Manzanita downtown. It’s worth avoiding, unless you need a $2,000 painting of a dolphin swimming in the moonlight. (And if so, you’re reading the wrong blog.)

Back to Ecola. Having made it into the park, if you head out on the cliffside trails, you’ll be rewarded with views like this one:

If you’re heading for Indian Beach and need food first, the Lumberyard on the north side of Cannon Beach, not far from the road to Ecola State Park, is a favorite.

Short Sands a.k.a. Shorty’s a.k.a. Oswald West State Park

Oswald West is a hero, since because of him, Oregon’s beaches are open to everyone, unlike California’s.

A visit to Oswald West State Park goes like this:

• Hunt for parking
• Take a trail down to the water through immense forest
• Nod to the surfers coming up and down the trail (pulling over for politeness’ sake and letting them pass you with their heavy boards)
• Be greeted with an immense view of a spectacular, protected cove, rumored to be a smuggler’s port back in the day
• Appreciate said crazy surfers as they brave the waves in full-protection wetsuits because it’s so damn cold, even in summer

If you go the Shorty’s route, stop in Manzanita’s Bread & Ocean before you head out for a great $9 to-go box sandwich lunch, complete with cookie.

Pizza!

After all that beachy, hikey activity, pizza hits the spot. Back in Manzanita, Marzano’s is excellent. It has a  laid-back vibe (unlike the recommended-for-lunch Bread & Ocean, which is reservations-only for dinner). Marzano’s is low-key, but still nicer than the average pizza place:

The Next Morning: Brunch of the Gods and Saying Goodbye to the Coast–with a Trip to the Dump

Wanda’s, 5 minutes south in the town of Nehalem, is home of the a truly fantastic cinnamon-oat waffle.

Wanda’s doesn’t look like much from the outside. But their breakfast is fantastic. Need more proof?

Hello, Sunday morning:

Post-brunch, on the way back from Nehalem towards Manzanita, follow the green-and-white signs for the Community Action Recycling Team of Manzanita, a.k.a. CART’M.

Bear with me on this one. If you want to visit the north Oregon Coast as a traveler, not just a tourist (although both are OK by me), CART’M will show you Manzanita’s soul.

That soul deeply loves two things: dogs and recycling. Or better yet, dogs near recycling.

CART’M is impressive. These folks really want to get to zero waste for this area, and there’s something endearing about ordinary townspeople testing their cans to see if they’re tin or aluminum and sorting them appropriately.

They love this wildly beautiful area, and are serious about not wrecking it with giant landfills.

But they’re not too serious. Take, for example, the instructions in the newspaper-recycling area: With wild abandon, fling that newspaper way back.

It’s the most joyous dump you’ll ever visit, and very, very Oregonian.

For all the photos from the north Oregon Coast, see the full Flickr photo set:

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For a map of all the recommended locations, see this custom Google map:

Needless to say, I didn’t celeb-spot either Michelle or Mr. President, even though Kailua’s pretty small. (But I was sold some shave ice by the same guys who had served the president earlier that week.)

The celeb-spotting I did have was just as good: I was behind Jorge Garcia in line at the supermarket! Jorge plays Hurley, consistently the best character on the TV show “Lost,” and it was actually my second sighting. I regularly read his blog, but figured that unlike a politician, he’d probably appreciate being left alone.

A “Lost” obsession helped fuel some sightseeing on Oahu over the last few trips to that island. With the final season in full swing,  it seemed like the right time to cull through all the “Lost” locations for a few absolute favorites.

Top 5 Must-See Oahu Sights for Die-Hard Lost Fans

First of all, as someone who has written for a travel guidebook company, I’m generally skeptical of sightseeing recommendations. So while there are exhaustive “Lost” lists online, I’m not going to recommend you to to a bank or bus stop just because Kate had a robbery there–it’s still just a bus stop or bank. These places are worth seeing for their own sightseeing value. (If you want the super-detailed by-episode breakdown, check out Lost Locations, from Ryan and Jen at The Transmission.)

Except for Liliha–which felt so much like a locals place that I was intimidated to take photos–all the following recommendations are in the photo gallery below with more info in the notes for each photo.

5. Liliha Bakery in Honolulu: A pivotal place for early scenes between Kate and her mom early on in the show, it’s also like visiting Hawaii in 1955. Consider it your own time-travel wheel. (Details on Yelp.)

4. Kualoa Ranch: Lots of scenes here, including a personal favorite from one of Hurley’s brainstorms–let’s all golf! (Details.)

3. Waimea Falls Park: First scene involving Sawyer, Kate, and a waterfall–back when all the love-triangle stuff was new and novel. Added bonus of being directly across from Waimea beach, one of the most famous and historic surf spots in the world. (Details.)

2. Byodo-In Temple: Perfect for hosting elegant weddings between daughters of Korean gangsters and love-lost fisherman’s sons. It’s actually an amazing full-size replica of a temple in Kyoto. (Details.)

1. Mokuleia: Make a left at the funky, world-famous surf town of Haleiwa and follow a two-lane road almost until it ends, until you get to a a lonely airfield. Park your car by the side of the road, walk between farmland and forest for a few minutes until you pop out at this almost eerily quiet beach. See if it doesn’t make you feel like the last Lostie to survive the crash. (Details.)

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Check out the full flickr photo gallery or this flickr map of these five sites.

One final note: I love these quirky posters byTy Mattson. I want one! (H/t to Jorge.)