L.A.’s Beach Cities Offer A Nice Christmas Present For Shoppers

I was in Redondo Beach, California, looking for a spot where I could park for free to go for a meeting (hey, when I know there’s free parking somewhere I don’t like paying for it, let alone worrying about a meter expiring) when I saw those familiar white plastic bags covering the meters.
“Great,” I thought. “Free parking!”
I just love this about the holidays. All three Beach Cities here in Los Angeles – Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo – offer it in December. It encourages people to go shopping in their downtown areas (as opposed to the malls, which I really try and avoid to do any of my shopping), perhaps even to stop for lunch or a Happy Hour drink.
Each of the Beach Cities has different time limits on the free shopping. In Manhattan it’s two hours, in Hermosa it’s three hours and in Redondo it’s four hours. That alone should tell you which places are the most desirable places to go shopping, as well as to have lunch or go to a Happy Hour.
I don’t know about you, but it puts an extra bounce in my step to know I don’t have to worry about feeding a meter to put my car a place for a couple of hours.
By the way, have you ever been to a mall that charges for shopping? I have and I think it’s ridiculous. Okay, I think valet parking at a mall is ridiculous, but that’s largely because I’ve never had the discretionary income to afford such a luxury. Maybe one day if I win the lottery, my tune will change about it.
I doubt it, tho, for if I win the lottery I will simply have a limo and a driver and won’t ever worry about parking.
But that’s not the case now and I am appreciative of the little holiday gift our beach cities – and other towns and cities throughout the world that do it – of free parking during December.
Holiday Cheers from PubClub.com!
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