Laguna Beach is passive-aggressive when it comes to tourists.
This beachside jewel that (allegedly) attracts 6 million visitors a year relies on tourists, yet holds them at arm’s length.
It’s an open secret that residents do everything they can to avoid tourists in the summer. Why? Because they’re just annoying, let’s face it.
They park on residential streets to avoid the meters. They litter. They break the reefs.
They just bring suburbia with them: Strollers, coolers and minivans. Stiff flip-flops are finally broken in by sea salt and barnacles.
There is ice cream everywhere, dripping and spilling no matter how fast people lick.
Dogs are dragged around on leashes, panting in the heat.
But reluctantly, we tolerate it all. They help pay the bills but that’s essentially it.
Residents lose their leisure during the summer to tourists, and the resentment is palpable.
Too bad we couldn’t turn Laguna into a gated community. No wait, that’s Emerald Bay. Never mind.
