"Bring me that horizon..."
A couple nights past I drove to the Point Vicente lookout area just south of the Interpretive Center and I noticed many bulldozers and pushed over piles of dirt adjacent to the lookout. It was dark and I don't often cruise along that stretch of P.V. Drive so I earnestly hoped that wasn't the old Marineland but, alas, it was. That site has to be one of the last of its kind on the Peninsula and probably one of the last of its kind in southern California. I find it awfully grim that residents of the "Hill" are allowing this monstrosity to actually be built. I'm rather mad at myself for not paying better attention to the proposals earlier as I missed all of the City Council meetings.
Part of the allure that is the Palos Verdes Peninsula is its "natural" state. So now developers want to take advantage of that and build a resort there. But don't they, and all the residents, realize that with a huge resort and spa on the last expanse of land in the area that allure of "natural" habitat will no longer be there? Well, sure, there are still some undeveloped areas of the Peninsula, however, how many more uninhabited cliffs are there that make up the oh-so-famous Palos Verdes cliffs? Sure, maybe that land was "just" used as a film set for various projects but when filming (which is much less intrusive and less permanent than a resort) wasn't taking place the area provided a breathtaking panorama of the Pacific that alluded to the infamous Age of Discovery. Despite the Age's destructive colonization expeditions at least there was a sense of adventure, of learning, of discovering new things, chartering unknown territories. Looking out over the dramatic cliffs conjures up images of this, can make you wonder what else is out there, what adventure is to be had, what can I discover today? What's out there past the horizon? Having that ability is one of the Peninsula's greatest assets yet now there are forces trying to take that away. For what? Another essentially generic resort that might rival those in the Mediterranean or Hawaii. Another generic resort that fakes its way into the natural scenery. Another generic resort that will mimic its surroundings in order to give it's patrons a look into the oh-so-coveted (by Peninsula standards, of course) Mediterranean lifestyle. Another generic resort that strips away the uniqueness of the place it inhabits. Don't get me wrong, who am I to say shacking up at a four star resort isn't an ideal way to spend a couple weeks. Buy me a ticket, book me a room, but, please, doesn't southern California have enough of these already? The Peninsula can offer a wealth of opportunities for visitors but why should it be incarnated as an international destination through a cookie-cutter resort that you can find at any luxury destination worldwide.
Shouldn't some remote places in this world be just that - remote? We pride ourselves on living in a pseudo-natural state, undisturbed habitat. We love our remoteness. We're almost self-sufficient on our not so little hill. So do we want to ruin that? Our views that we pride ourselves so much on are going to soon be only for the paying customers. Sure, we'll have public beach access but we can get that anywhere. Some of the excitement, for me anyway, of living in P.V. is being able to enjoy our views that we've worked so hard to keep. The greater Los Angeles County has an abundance of culture and a never-ending supply of hustling and bustling activities, however, how many remote ocean side oases does the County have? Not many. Why not keep with the diversity of Los Angeles and avoid turning one of the last natural habitats into a concrete faux natural habitat. Designate the area as a historical site or a nature preserve. With the level of development, worldwide mind you, more natural authenticity should be embraced. I don't want to lose such an inspiring sight so bring me that horizon... and not another concrete and glass skyline.
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