Newport Beach

There are really three Newport Beaches: paradise for wealthy Bentley- and Porsche-driving yachtsmen and their trophy wives; perfect waves and beachside dives for surfers and stoners; and glorious sunsets and seafood for the rest of the folk, trying to live the day-to-day. Somehow, these diverse communities all seem to live – mostly – harmoniously.

For visitors, the pleasures are many: just-off-the-boat seafood, boogie-boarding the human-eating waves at the Wedge, and the ballet of yachts in the harbor. Just inland, more lifestyles of the rich and famous revolve around Fashion Island, a posh outdoor mall and one of the OC’s biggest shopping centers.