San Clemente is a growing town. The outskirts get further and further from the core each day. "There's what out there ?!" is my usual reply when someone informs me of yet another residential area or shopping center being planned. Some, I have no idea where they are. I just know that they're somewhere "out there."
It does bother me to see some of the wild land taken away for such purposes. It bothers me even more that people will complain about coyotes and other wildlife strolling through their yards when they're the ones that chose to live right on top of these creatures' dwindling habitat. But, I understand the need for growth . . . or should I say money, to keep the town going. And when people move out to these residential areas, they need somewhere close to go for entertainment and shopping or else they'll take their business right out of the town.
So, I just tell myself that isn't really San Clemente. It's the wrong side of the freeway.
The real San Clemente starts at North Beach and ends at the State Park south of town. It encompasses Ole's Beach Club and the casino (now an Eastern Medicine Center), Old City Plaza, Del Mar Street, the pier bowl and scores of Ole Hanson stucco homes with red tile roofs. The real San Clemente is seen on foot along red sidewalks and sandy beaches.
With the exception of the ever popular Casa Pacifica, or Western White House, you can see San Clemente on a leisurely stroll. (Although if you're an avid walker, you can take that as a challenge. It is possible to walk there, but you can't see the house anyway.) The following walk should start early in the day or early in the evening. It was originally designed to include a pre-dinner, sunset cocktail; followed by dinner at another location and a nightcap at one last spot. If you don't hit every bar, it's a nice way to enjoy an evening out without getting (too) drunk, with enough stroll time in between locations to clear the head. If you're on a mission, hit them all. Just remember you can still be arrested for Drunk in Public.
It depends on whether you're a coffee or cocktail person. (Those are two things San Clemente has plenty of, coffee shops and bars. Hey, why not combine the two?) The time it takes depends on you. You can whip through it in an hour, hour-and-a-half with no stops or spend an entire day or evening taking time to chat with the locals at our hangouts. If you're a history buff, visit the link to the historical tour and you'll get the details on the locations and structures I briefly reference here.
I don't mean to slight anyone or any business during this stroll, but this is my walk and I have limited it to the places I visit and the things I do. As you walk, you may find other points of interest.
Let's do the Stroll!
The stroll can start at the top of Del Mar Street (at Camino Real), or down at the pier. If you start at the top of Del Mar, stop for a cup of coffee at Cafe Calypso in the historic Hotel San Clemente. Relax at one of their outdoor tables, or get a to-go cup and do some window shopping down the street.
The cocktail option is Gordon James, located on the corner, in one of San Clemente's original buildings. They have a nice selection of wines, or you can enjoy the cocktail of your choice. Indulge in the deep-fried green beans while you're there.
Now you start walking down Del Mar. If you start very early, the shops won't be open, but you can scope out the places you might want to visit later. There are several more coffee shops and a juice bar as you head down the street.
On the corner of Del Mar and Ola Vista you'll find the Shorehouse Cafe. They're open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have a small bar in back with appetizers during happy hour.
Across the street is the ever so trendy, Beachfire Cafe. It's a bit pricey for me, but it is a fun, busy place with a good wine selection. In the same building is Avila's El Ranchito, part of a well-known So Cal chain of Mexican restaurants.
Continuing down Del Mar you reach the end of the commercial area. On the corner of Seville and Del Mar, you'll pass by the Community Center and Library. Both are historic structures, but the original buildings were lost to fire.
Keep walking down Del Mar, you're getting close to the pier. You'll cross over Granada. If you want to see Casa Romantica (Ole Hanson's house) turn right on Granada and walk about a block.
Back on Del Mar you'll see the big beach parking area. Head on down the hill. As you reach the end of the parking area you'll see some picnic benches on a grassy area. Keep this in mind as a great place to sit and watch the sunset. The road curves around to the left with the quite obvious pier and Fisherman's Bar and Restaurant on your right. Another great sunset option, perhaps enhanced by a margarita.
Note: There is an Amtrak train station at the pier, but if you're coming from LA, the better bet would probably be the Metrolink and from San Diego, the Coaster in combination with the Metrolink. The Metrolink trains stop at North Beach, mentioned a little bit later.
Across from the pier you'll find White Horses Restaurant, the Beach Garden, a coffee shop, pizza place and several other shops and eateries. If you're looking for a place to spend the night, above the White Horses is the Tropicana Inn and Spa. (The Beachcomber is across the street and it is a less expensive overnight option, offering great ocean views.)
Okay, so now you've watched the sunset, or enjoyed the early morning surfer action, and taken the obligatory stroll to the end of the pier (where there is also a coffee shop). Now, it's time to head down the beach. You won't be heading "true north," but that's the general direction. Let's say you're facing the pier, go to your right. Depending on the tide situation, you'll either be wading through the water (watch out for the rocks), or checking out the resulting tide pools along the way. It takes about 15 minutes to walk to North Beach. There are railroad tracks that line the beach and you can wave at the passing cars. Since some of the trains that pass are commuter trains, just think of how jealous the passengers are of you out strolling and sunning on the San Clemente beaches.
Once at North Beach, you can walk toward the other train station and visit the Kaylani Coffee Company. Another option is to walk up the ramp to Pico, passing by Ole Hanson's Beach Club, the old Casino and the bowling alley until you find yourself on the corner of Pico and Camino Real/Pacific Coast Highway. You'll see a car wash across the street. Next door to the car wash is Knuckleheads Sports Bar. If you stop at Knuckleheads, you can have breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack, along with the beverage of your choice.
Now you're going to start heading back south. Step out of the door of Knucklehead's and go left. On the opposite side of the street you'll find a few dining options, including a health food/juice bar stop.
In less than five minutes, you'll be at Los Molinos. Here you have a choice. You can turn left on Los Molinos and follow it around to Calle Valle and Mulligan's Saloon, or you can continue walking up Camino Real. Back when Mulligan's was the Wagon Wheel, it gained notoriety for being one of the bars in the movie "Heartbreak Ridge," with Clint Eastwood. They have a full bar and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. When you leave Mulligan's, turn right out the door and walk up Calle Valle until it hits Camino Real again. If you choose this option, you'll miss the Beach Hut, but if you truly want to hit all of these bars, just walk back down Camino Real. Or, you can go left out of Mulligan's and back track down Los Molinos to Camino Real.
The Beach Hut is just past Los Molinos on Camino Real, next door to the ex-funeral home. It's a good spot to grab a bite to eat. Darts, drinks and pool are your options here. (Some nights they have bands or karaoke.) They also have "High Spot," California's non-Keno, Keno-like game. This is the place where I first lost lots of money to the state. I sure hope they appreciated it. I learned my lesson. Will you?
Now comes the really fun part of the walk. One thing you'll notice quickly about San Clemente is you can't go anywhere without climbing a few hills. Try as you might, there's no way around it. If you're doing the morning stroll, this is the "workout" part. If it's at night, this is your chance to sober up a bit. Continue south on Camino Real and bear with it. The climb eventually ends. This is the long stretch and it's not particularly scenic. You're going to walk all the way up to Palizada (and beyond).
Once you reach the top of the hill (before Palizada), you'll pass by a couple of banks (just in case you're running low on funds), two drug stores (water, aspirin, something for that indigestion?) and a hardware store (who can resist browsing in a hardware store?). There are also a few thrift shops and various other boutiquey type places. Some of the things you can purchase along this strip: surfing monkeys, cigars, cigarettes (and other smoking supplies), beads, fishing gear, art, furniture (mostly used), crutches (or a wheelchair, depending on how bad off you are at this point) and even a new toilet.
Next to the hardware store, is Iva Lee's Creole restaurant. Great food, but it's only open for dinner. Once you reach the end of this block, you're at Palizada. On the western side of the street, on Palizada, just past the 7-11, there's a place called the Old City Plaza. If it's the morning, you've probably worked up quite an appetite, so you should stop at Adele's. They are open for breakfast and lunch and it's the best breakfast and sandwich option in town, as far as I'm concerned.
Next door to Adele's is the Blue Danube Restaurant. I have not eaten here, but I've heard it's pretty good. As the name would suggest, it's European cuisine with an Hungarian flair. Even if you don't wish to eat here, take a peak inside. This is the original San Clemente jailhouse.
Now, put yourself back on the corner of Palizada and Camino Real. Just past Palizada on the eastern side of the street, is Takao. Like sushi? Want a cocktail? Want to sing Karaoke? Stop in. A few doors down is the Pizza Port, a micro brewery/pizza place.
Keep walking south on Camino Real and you'll come to Del Mar Street again. At the very top of Del Mar on the eastern side of the street is the San Clemente Museum. It's located in the original City Hall building.
Just beyond Del Mar (still on Camino Real) is the end of this tour. Why? Because, in this one block area you'll find three bars and four restaurants. (All serve coffee and five serve cocktails).
First, you'll pass the health club. Since you've already climbed the hill, you can look in without guilt, then continue into the next door . . . Ole's Tavern. This is a fairly "young bar" with darts, three pool tables and a few video games. The selection of beers is tremendous. Next door to Ole's is Cafe 204, for those of you that are in the mood for "California cuisine". Next door to Cafe 204 is Chato's, possibly the best Mexican restaurant this town has.
Across the street, on Camino Real, is Duke's restaurant followed by Goody's, Antoine's Restaurant and the Red Fox Lounge. Goody's is . . . a bar. It's a big place with pool tables and dart boards. They also have bands on the weekends and a DJ on Wednesday and Thursday nights.
"The Fox" is "the lounge." It's a dark place with comfortable high back chairs. Sometimes it stays quiet, but particularly on the weekends it can get pretty lively as the night goes on. The big bonus to this place is the smoking patio. It's quite sizeable and covered.
Attached to the Fox is Antoine's. This is a breakfast and lunch restaurant, but on Thursday's, Fridays and Saturdays, they stay open for dinner. A kind of neat option is to go into the Fox where there is a "not too secret" door that leads to Antoine's. You go through the door, ring the bell at the counter and they'll take your order right from the bar. They ring the bell to summon you from your barstool when the food is ready.
So by now, you're either too drunk to stand up, or so caffeined up, you need a drink. (Or if you did the "combo" tour, you're probably a wide-awake drunk.) So, what do you do? Start the walk over, but this time, no stops.