Sheesh. These programmed, attack dog commercials from this vendor are so not OC, that they're going to ruin the thread...
That was a blast from the past. I'm going through the pictures and I see my ex-girlfriend from high school in one of the pics. Weird shit.
I will second Huntington Beach - if you are single. HB is a bit more laid back, and a bit more affordable than Newport Beach or Laguna. Another nice place is Belmont Shore - although it is true that the beaches are not as nice as down by newport beach. Still, its not a bad place and I lived there until recently on Alamitos bay. Irvine is primarily a family community - although by most standards in other parts of the country it has very little support infrastructure for families. Mostly irvine is just a typical suburban community - not a place for a single person.
For Newport Beach: Here's what you do, get a place in the jungle (anywhere between 30's and 50 th's Streets). I presume you're single so you'll need a roommate which you'll have no problem in finding. Next, a place on the sand next to the boardwalk trumps all others but they're not easy to come by and very pricey, so next option would be a corner downstairs unit on either Seashore or Balboa Ave. Or on ANY of the units on the ocean side of Balboa. MAKE SURE YOU GET A UNIT WITH EITHER A DECK/LANAI/PATIO OR balcony. THIS IS OF THE UTMOST PRIORITY! You can do without but your living quarters are gonna get trashed, plus it's harder to pull honeys off the street who are riding by in their G's. They want someplace neutral to hang and you can't beat a patio at street level for that. Next, get a bike(cycle) and start cruising. Make sure you have one of the ringer thingies on you bike. It's like some fuckin aborted morse code that only the locals will seem to know. Learn it. Doesn't matter where you go, just scope out the scene. Check out Malarky's (yuppish) or Cassidys ( my favorite) at night. The clubs are cool but the house parties are what NB is built on. If you're good lookin you won't need an invite just start partaking. If not then you have to work a little bit more...but not much, booze and an anything goes attitude goes a long way. If you can't be a Calvin Klein model, be Vin Diesel bad. Everybody has a cover, get one if yours sucks. Next, neighbors are the single most important source of pussy you will find anywhere. Whether it be through association, referral, consolation, or just plain proximity,THEY are the network you need to tap into. Don't fuck up here. I can't stress enough how much more trim you can get with their assistance. And most of the time you'll end up doing them too. Next, get a keg, set it up on the patio, invite your neighbors. Don't screen the walkins from the street the first time around, you can do that later. Your mission is to intro yourself to the neighborhood. You do what I say, and there will be an endless parade of trim walking in and out of your dwelling...and I'm talking very high talent, not many dogs down there. enjoy. EDIT: It's been 6 years since I was in that scene, but I can't imagine it changing too much. You will get crabs if you do everything correctly. NB will outmatch HB, SB, Belmont Shore, LBC, Redondo, Laguna, Corona Del Mar, blah, blah, blah. Just learn the game.
I have lived in Newport on Edwards Isle and at Park Newport. There are a lot of groups out that way, and the kids have their own thing going on the peninsula. Personally I liked the island and areas like Corona Del Mar. You have to know where to go, but eventually you can see who is who and decide whether you want to make friends with the volleyball set, the tennis crowd, the golfers, or the boat people. If you like golf, and you have money, you can always check out Big Canyon Country Club across from Park Newport and Newport Center. Belmont shore is a different game. Blue collar in contrast to Newport. More college kids because of Long Beach State. Rent is cheaper, buildings older and closer together and the crowd is less snooty. Also there is a big gay community in the shore. So you have a lot of diversity in that relatively condensed area. I lived in the shore long ago, and for a short time only, but the ladies there were very nice to me, so I would find it hard to decide where to be. When I was there the main choices were get with the boat crowd, car clubs, or the surfers. Weekends used to be set aside for going to Hamburger Henry's to watch pretty girls go by. Lets just say I have pleasant memories of both places. Steve
I have lived in Newport, Ranch Palos Verdes, in the foothills, and a place on alamitos bay: As far as a place to live goes I would say living on alamitos bay was the best - but not if your goal was a 24 hour party. In that case I agree that Newport would be first choice. Southern California is a great place - however the Santa Barbara area is really my favorite (as is most of the central coast). Probably my next move will be there - down the road a piece.