Annenberg Community Beach House
On the Santa Monica beach bike path, up near the Palisades, there are a collection of beach clubs where the well-off members of LA society spend their days playing beach volleyball, catching some rays and eating club sandwiches. Every time I pass these clubs, thoughts of the 90210 and Saved By The Bell beach club episodes and all the fun that Kelly, Dylan, Brandon, Slater and Screech had during the summer always made me jealous. But $100,000 to play at the beach seems a little excessive in this economy, don’t you think?!?!
But luckily for the unwashed masses, like me (and you), the Annenberg Foundation bought the nicest house on the beach, invested $30 million to fix it up and this weekend opens up the Annenberg Beach House to the public. And I’m delighted to say, its nicer than any of the fancy spots that surround it.
Housed in the former beach mansion of Marion Davies (William Randolph Hearst’s notorious mistress), this public beach club is not only the most stunning home on the beach but its probably the most useful too. The space now includes a large, heated pool, volleyball and beach paddle tennis courts, event and meeting space, the Back on the Beach Café, children’s play areas, gardens and an accessible boardwalk extending westward toward the ocean. A pool pass will cost $10 for adults, $4 for children and no membership is required.
On Saturday, there is a Grand Opening Party complete with a performance by “O” from Cirque Du Soleil. Sure to be the perfect local “lek” with plenty of swimwear to see, go check it out and stake your claim to the hottest new spot on the beach. The populist beach club?!?! I think that’s an idea we all can get down with.
