"They call Los Angeles the City of Angels.  I didn't find it
to be that exactly, but I'll allow as there are some nice
folks there.'Course, I can't say I seen London, and I never
been to France, and I ain't never seen no queen in her damn
undies as the fella says. But I'll tell you what, after seeing
 Los Angeles and thisahere story I'm about to unfold--wal,
I guess I seen somethin' ever' bit as stupefyin' as ya'd see
in any a those other places, and in English too, so I can die
with a smile on my face without feelin'
like the good Lord gy**ed me."
               ---The Big Lebowski

Nominally, summer is drawing to a close. Were folks to use department stores, fashion magazines, and schools as guides, they’d be under the impression that the leaves were on the cusp of turning a brilliant New England russet, that shadows were already lengthening on the sidewalks, and that spending nights and weekends away from mulled cider and the rigor of book-hitting and paper writing would be totally remiss.

But here in Los Angeles (which turned 217 years old last week!), it’s sunny, hot and dry (can’t you just see the tumbleweeds?)‚ and likely to stay that way for quite some time. (That means, for us, the beaches are a destination long after “summer” has ended).

As an Angeleno who has spent most of my 25 years in this idiosyncratic concrete oasis, I’ve got native knowledge on parts of the city that newly arrived denizens may not. In this series, Secrets of the City, I’ll share insights to Los Angeles and unveil hidden alcoves I’ve chanced upon. Most of these places are not actually secret, and may even be old favorites, so this will be a pleasant consolidation of disparate bookmarked tidbits.

About 15 minutes North of Zuma’s beautiful but often overpopulated sands lies a trinity of small cubbyhole beaches so delightful as to be the perfect antidote to most bouts of ennui and dejection (then again, so is a simple drive up PCH—Pacific Coast Highway—while listening to Stevie Wonder or Sly and the Family Stone. But that’s subjective).

As the driver inches ever closer to Ventura’s (805) and further from the last bastions of LA (proper), he or she will encounter El Matador, La Piedra and El Pescador state beaches.

All lie at the bottom of either steep mounts or craggy altitudes, but the climb down is as invigorating as it is worth it (though the second two are more accessible for those restricted from making the descent).

Once there, El Matador reveals a cave-filled haven that forms a nice mouth to the encroaching sea.

La Piedra is small, clean and, like the others, virtually private. Even when fellow beach-goers lay their towels down, there seems to be a common code against obtrusive behavior. But make no mistake, these beaches don’t attract the haughty; they’re simply relatively unknown and wonderful alternatives to the larger, more crowded, ‘tapped’ spots.

El Pescador, the third and last, but no less least, beach could more aptly be called “la piedra” for the many rocks riddling its grounds, and it sparkles just as much—if not more—as the other two.

Of the three, El Matador seems to get the most visitors–perhaps because it’s the one closest to Zuma. Its beaches are also, if memory serves, slightly softer and finer than those of the other two. But I truly couldn’t choose a favorite; they all feel like refuges.

There are neither public bathrooms nor concession stands of any sorts on these three sites, though porta potties line the parking areas.

The three make lovely picnic spots, and those who frequent these beaches tend to come armed with sumptuous feasts of their own.

Parking is available for $2 in a small lot above these beaches, or for free on the edges of the highway, and the hours are listed ambiguously as 8 a.m. to…Sunset or “dawn to dusk.”

Be careful not to reach your car after closing hours, as you will be stranded. I know…I have a tale concerning a night in 1999 that involves a bonfire, a car and a very large, locked El Matador gate. But that’s another story.

El Matador

32100 PCH

Malibu, CA

818.880.0350

La Piedra

32628 PCH

Malibu, CA

310.457.1324

El Pescador

32900 PCH

Malibu, CA

310.457.8140

Tags: beach, el matador, la piedra, la's secrets, los angeles