Why Get Out of Town?

No disrespect to those eager to get out of town this holiday weekend, but I just don't get it. When you live near the beach, why fight the crowds to travel elsewhere on summer holidays?

It's not like Redondo or any of our neighboring beach cities become so overrun with tourists that it's unpleasant to stick around town. That might be true of some beach towns to the north (*cough* Santa Monica), but I have never found it to be so here.

Far from it. 

There's plenty to do in the Beach Cities this weekend—the annual Fiesta Hermosa begins Saturday, and the Wii Summer 2010 National Championship starts Friday in Redondo. 

Labor Day travel is supposed to be up overall in Southern California, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. The AAA says more than 2.5 million area residents will be traveling over the weekend, an 11 percent gain over 2009, but still below average for this decade. And most will be driving to their destination.  

The top destinations for local travelers, according to AAA travel agents, are: Las Vegas, San Diego, Santa Barbara, San Francisco and Monterey. Sister site Hermosa Beach Patch found some local residents preparing to travel to the Colorado River and Baja, CA.

More power to them. But I'm not going anywhere.