Whenever I go somewhere with a beach, I like to try and hop in the water and surf, even if it's only for an hour.  Seeing a location from the water is a totally different way of experiencing it. 

I travel to Los Angeles for work often, and I love to drive up to Malibu.  On my last trip, I went to the Malibu Surf Shack and rented a long board and got in a couple hours on some fun, gentle, little waves (my favorite kind). 

Apres surf, I headed straight to John's Garden for lunch, and ordered a big salad. 

Lucky for me, John's Garden just happened to be in the best shopping spot in all of Malibu, the Malibu Lumber Yard...