Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
DON'T MISS
LIFE IN A BUBBLE: SEASIDE
If you need some help designing your dream board, come and spend some time - an
hour, or an afternoon or evening, if you can - photographing this close-to-perfect design-
er community that might make you feel as though you've stumbled into a movie. Jim Car-
rey fans especially will probably feel a strong sense of déjà vu: the 1998 film The Truman
Showabout the unwitting star of a popular reality-TV series, set in an annoyingly perfect
place, was filmed almost entirely here.
Unlike the film, Seaside is idyllic without being annoying. Lauded as the country's first
planned community, it was created in 1981 with input from a range of accomplished ar-
chitects and has been hailed as a model for New Urbanism. It didn't quite take off as the
year-round place to live, as expected, but it has become a largely seasonal community of
summer homes for wealthy folk from other parts of the country.
If you come in the low season (November to April), it'll seem even more surreal than
usual: if you go for an evening stroll you may be the only one on the streets or the beach.
Other times there's plenty of life here and people seem genuinely friendly. Consider it a
side effect of living in paradise.
There's a hip book and music shop,
Sundog Books
( 850-231-5481;
www.sundogbooks.com
; 89 Central Sq, Seaside; 9am-9pm), carrying great literature, coffee-
table pieces and uber-cool tracks. Nearby are a handful of excellent eateries, some small
private art galleries and - the pièce de résistance - one of the most stunning beaches on
the coast.
The grassy town square, under renovation at time of writing, has always been a popular
spot to sit and people-watch. You won't be able to miss the irresistibly photogenic group
of vintage silver Airstream trailers that form a kind of food court in the center of town,
hawking everything from decadent cupcakes to vitamin-laden juices. Unless you're gluten
and dairy intolerant, we dare you to go past our favorite of these food trucks, the
Melt-
down on 30-A
( 850-231-0952; 2235 E County Hwy 30A, Seaside; items from $5;
8:30am-10pm), a vendor of oozy grilled-cheese deliciousness (we couldn't resist the
avocado-and-bacon-jam creation). It also serves cheese-tastic breakfast biscuits and
grits till 11am. Eat in the shade or on the beach - cheap, cheery and…did we mention the
cheese?
Sleeping