California Christmas on Balboa Island
@DeborahDiane (40850)
Laguna Woods, California
December 21, 2016 7:12pm CST
There is an adorable little island in Newport Bay in Southern California. It is part of the town of Newport Beach, and is called Balboa Island. It feels very much like some of the little towns on Cape Cod, with little Victorian Cottages. The island is surrounded by private boat docks.
Anyone can walk around the island and it is a popular activity here in Southern California. The residents go to incredible extremes when they decorate their homes ... both for Halloween and Christmas.
A friend and I walked around the island this morning and above is a picture of one of the houses. This is about as close as we will get to snow here in Southern California this Christmas ... unless we drive to the local mountains!
It's a charming place to visit and, whenever we go, we often stop in the cute little shops, stop for coffee at Starbucks or have breakfast in one of the adorable restaurants.
I will add a couple of additional photos as I respond to comments.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
7 people like this
7 responses
@jaboUK (64346)
• United Kingdom
22 Dec 16
@DeborahDiane I've looked at the other photos - very interesting. So is there no motorised traffic there apart from the golf carts? There is an island in the Channel Islands called Sark where no cars are allowed. They get around with horses and traps.
2 people like this
@DeborahDiane (40850)
• Laguna Woods, California
22 Dec 16
The island is only a 100 yards or so off-shore and there is a short bridge you can take to the island. There is also a ferry from the other side of Newport Bay. It is a fun little island. People who live there drive around on golf carts. Below I'm posting another photo of their holiday decorations.
4 people like this
@DeborahDiane (40850)
• Laguna Woods, California
23 Dec 16
@jaboUK - There are a few islands around here where no cars are allowed. However, Balboa has both cars and golf carts. However, it is only a few blocks wide and a little over a mile long. When we go there, we park our car and walk around the entire perimeter in about an hour. I'm going to post a few more photos of the island this evening.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40850)
• Laguna Woods, California
22 Dec 16
@inertia4 - I grew up in Missouri and was used to cold weather at Christmas. When I first moved to California, it took me a while to get used to this "winter" weather. Here's a night photo of the the Balboa Peninsula Pavilion, which you can see from the island.
3 people like this
@inertia4 (27978)
• United States
22 Dec 16
@DeborahDiane Now that is real nice looking. Too bad I am still in NYC. Although, New York is an awesome place.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
22 Dec 16
@DeborahDiane I have a framed poster of the Pavilion still.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
3 Jan 17
what an adorable place, I think it needs to get onto my bucket list!!
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40850)
• Laguna Woods, California
3 Jan 17
@BelleStarr - Absolutely put Balboa Island on your bucket list. It is such a fun little island.
1 person likes this
@Inlemay (17712)
• South Africa
23 Dec 16
@DeborahDiane I could do with a walk through a place like that - and of course a good cuppa something and maybe a treat to eat
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40850)
• Laguna Woods, California
24 Dec 16
@Inlemay - Oh, yes, have a nice cuppa something after our walk is always a nice way to end the morning.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40850)
• Laguna Woods, California
23 Dec 16
@Inlemay - It is an adorable town. Here's another photo of the Christmas decorations on the island.
2 people like this
@JamesHxstatic (29410)
• Eugene, Oregon
22 Dec 16
That was one of my favorite places when I lived in Orange County. I had a friend and co-worker who had a little rented place there.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40850)
• Laguna Woods, California
23 Dec 16
@JamesHxstatic - I had a friend who rented out her big Irvine house when her kids were in college. She and her husband then rented a little cottage on Balboa Island for a couple of years. They thought it would be a fun change! I'm adding more photos of the Christmas decorations this evening.
2 people like this
@DeborahDiane (40850)
• Laguna Woods, California
23 Dec 16
I have added more photos of the holiday decorations on Balboa Island, too.
2 people like this
@DeborahDiane (40850)
• Laguna Woods, California
22 Dec 16
It is such a cute island. There is also a boat parade that they have during the Christmas holidays. Here's a picture of one of the decorated boats.
3 people like this
