Yeah that is my favorite misconception about California. I see all these people wearing Hollister and I wonder if they know that Hollister is actually nowhere near the water and is actually a farm town, and a small one at that. A lot of people don't know about Cali and its farmlands...like Gilroy being the garlic capitol of the world ( and a damn stinky place to drive through).
<--Lived in Monterey, Seaside and then San Diego.
And for the record I grew up literally on the beach...in Brooklyn NY.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...,201.9,,0,4.18
At the dead end is the boardwalk...time from apartment to sand beneath your toes...a cool 30 seconds. My building is the one on the right. =D