Looking for a lazy day trip out of the city? Perhaps Balboa Island will fix that. Located about an hour south of LA, this little man-made island can be quite charming.
The island was originally built up in 1909 and marketed towards summer homes for wealthy people from the Pasadena area. (Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Mae West, Shirley Temple owned homes here and James Cagney owned part of the island for a while.) Case in point, the historical homes that dot the streets are frickin adorable. In fact, all the streets are pretty darn cute. The ocean is always a block away and tiny cottages that are spaced only an arm's distance from one another line all the streets. It's all very easy peasy, wealthy, breezy.
There's also the Balboa Bar wars between Dad's Donuts & Bakery vs. Sugar 'n' Spice on Marine Ave. Both places take a hunk of home-made vanilla ice cream, dip it in chocolate, and then add as many topping that will stick to the chocolate - oreo cookies, butter crunch, sprinkles, nuts, heath bar... You can also get a chocolate covered banana covered with whatever you want on it too (think Arrested Development).
By ferry or car, across the way there's the Balboa Fun Zone.
Sort of a mini old school amusement park (a few of the classic rides have been removed for the Nautical Museum). Worth a ride on the ferris wheel and carousel.
Check out the 1949 melodrama and film noir, The Reckless Moment that is shot at and around the island too.
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