{"id":81046,"date":"2024-01-17T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-17T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?post_type=newspack_nl_cpt&p=81046"},"modified":"2024-01-16T16:20:06","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T00:20:06","slug":"get-in-wayfarers-were-leaving-long-beach","status":"publish","type":"newspack_nl_cpt","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/newsletter\/get-in-wayfarers-were-leaving-long-beach","title":{"rendered":"Get in wayfarers, we\u2019re leaving Long Beach"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
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The glass and wood structure that is the Wayfarers Chapel, also known as “The Glass Church.” This midcentury archetectural gem is situated on the cliffs above the Rancho Palos Verdes coastline. Photo by Kat Schuster<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Good morning, homebodies. Today we become wayfarers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I know you\u2019re still weary from that long holiday stretch or perhaps that icky bug that rendered you horizontal, but we\u2019re going to blow this popsicle stand for a little adventure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Still contagious but feeling antsy? Stay in the car and follow me on this scenic drive.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re going to cross the Vincent Thomas Bridge<\/strong>, venture over the water, whiz past the Port<\/strong> and make a pitstop in San Pedro<\/strong> before we ride over Rancho Palos Verdes<\/strong>\u2019 scenic peninsula.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a Central Coast<\/strong> expat, this coastal cruise lends me a small dose of comfort when I\u2019m feeling homesick. In many ways, it shares similarities with stretches of the wending seaside roads of Montana De Oro<\/strong> and Big Sur<\/strong> (aka my favorite places on Earth). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, we are in pursuit of the mysterious and complex emotion of \u201cawe.\u201d Or at least, a small dose of it. Dacher Keltner<\/strong>, a psychologist at the University of California Berkeley<\/strong> has defined that yummy feeling as one that comes from a \u201cperceived vastness<\/a>\u201d \u2014 something that reminds us of how small we really are. It\u2019s an emotion that removes us from our anxiety-ridden minds and busy-bee lives for a moment. The New York Times<\/strong> just interviewed Keltner, among other experts, on the subject<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you didn\u2019t come here for a therapy session (or maybe you did?). Grab a warm jacket, pack a snack, pull on your walking shoes and let\u2019s go find something awe-some<\/em> (sorry). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This itinerary will take you, at minimum, about two hours if you aim to hit all three places. If you\u2019d like to pick just one, the drive from Long Beach is around 20 to 30 minutes give or take. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Korean Bell of Friendship\u00a0<\/strong>– \u00a03601 S Gaffey St., San Pedro<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A family observes the Korean Bell of Friendship on a misty, foggy day in San Pedro. Photo by Kat Schuster.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our first stop is one you may have heard of. And it\u2019s something that will quite literally make you feel small (ahem, it\u2019s a huge bell). This bell was cast in Korea and shipped here in 1976. It was given to us by the Republic of Korea to mark 200 years of U.S. independence and to also honor veterans of the Korean War. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought this detail was pretty neat \u2014 the pavilion’s twelve columns, which support the bell, represent the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac. It\u2019s apparently their job to guard the old bell, which is modeled after an even older bell in South Korea (the Bronze Bell of King Songdok was cast in 771 A.D.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The colorful pagoda-like structure that holds the Friendship Bell. (Never mind the skateboarder in the background.) Photo by Kat Schuster. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

San Pedro\u2019s Friendship Bell weighs 17 tons, has a diameter of 7 \u00bd feet and is 12 feet tall. We just missed the ringing of the bell on Jan. 13 to mark Korean-American Day, but it\u2019s also rung 13 times on the first Saturday of the month at 11:30 a.m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The view around the bell isn\u2019t so bad either \u2014 at least, when you don\u2019t go on a morning as foggy as I did. Enjoy. Onto the next. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Palos Verdes Nature Preserve <\/strong>– <\/strong>30940 Hawthorne Blvd., Rancho Palos Verdes\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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An oceanside trail connected to the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve. Photo by Kat Schuster. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our next stop is along that coastal scenic road I mentioned. If you\u2019re up for a walk or even a hike, there are many trails \u2014 both long and short \u2014 to seek out here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately or fortunately (wherever you sit on the political divide), the easiest way to access some of the beautiful Ocean Trails Reserve, is by parking near or in the Trump National Golf Course. Once you\u2019re past that uh, area, you can access one of many trails that will take you down to the beach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During my visit on Tuesday, there were dolphins jumping in and out of the water, adjacent to the first trail on the right that leads you down to a lookout and beach. The \u201cawe\u201d feelies were strong. And then someone started\u2026playing bagpipes nearby? Anyway, normally it\u2019s pretty quiet. Happy trails. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wayfarers Chapel\u00a0<\/strong>– 5755 Palos Verdes Drive South, Rancho Palos Verdes<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The tranquil Wayfarers Chapel sits empty at noon on Tuesday, Jan 16, 2024. Photo by Kat Schuster.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For our final stop, we\u2019re going to church. But not just any church \u2014 the Wayfarers Chapel<\/strong>. Not religious? No problem. The grounds are open daily to all. And meditation is encouraged \u2014 for those of any faith or no faith at all. Recently, the chapel (designed by Lloyd Wright<\/strong>) was dubbed a National Historic Landmark<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you haven\u2019t been, it\u2019s a must. Surrounded by a grove of redwood trees with a view of the ocean, this sanctuary constructed of glass and wood geometric shapes is a sight to behold. And it\u2019s less than a half hour\u2019s drive from Long Beach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I cringed a little bit when the Los Angeles Times recently crowned it as the \u201cmost Instagrammable chapel in L.A.\u201d \u2014 but hey, they aren\u2019t wrong. To my delight, when I arrived this week, at noon sharp, the bells were tolling and there wasn\u2019t an Instagrammer in sight. I took a moment to walk around the grounds before I entered the empty, 100-seat chapel.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I sat alone at a pew in silence for a few moments before I realized how small the chapel actually was. Funny how that awe-struck<\/em> feeling works. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The chapel is a national memorial to Emanuel Swedenborg, a natural scientist who was born in, well, Sweden in 1688. Rev. David Brown recently told The Times<\/a>: \u201cPeople may have never read our theology, but by simply walking into Wayfarers Chapel, they are living out a core part of our theology. The natural world corresponds with the spiritual.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I concur, reverend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that concludes our awe-some tour. If you find yourself full of that yummy feeling we worked so hard to find today, but empty of food, try Ko-Ryu Ramen<\/strong> in San Pedro<\/strong> (I have our food writer, Caitlin Antonios<\/strong>, to thank for that recommendation) on your way back to Long Beach<\/strong>. I ordered the spicy vegetable ramen, but be warned, it\u2019s enough to feed four.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where do you go for a mental massage? What\u2019s your go-to, close-to-home adventure? Email me, wayfarers. I\u2019d love to learn your secrets. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Kat Schuster<\/strong> is the assistant editor for the Long Beach Post. You can reach her at kat@lbpost.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I know you\u2019re still weary from that long holiday stretch or perhaps an icky bug that rendered you horizontal, but we\u2019re going to blow this popsicle stand for a little adventure today.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":81056,"template":"","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"hidden","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","disable_auto_ads":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"newspack_nl_advertiser":[],"coauthors":[9454],"class_list":["post-81046","newspack_nl_cpt","type-newspack_nl_cpt","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hi-lo","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt\/81046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/newspack_nl_cpt"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/302"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt\/81046\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81061,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_cpt\/81046\/revisions\/81061"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81056"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=81046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=81046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=81046"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_nl_advertiser","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_nl_advertiser?post=81046"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=81046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}