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City in Los Angeles County, California, US
Photo: Cardinalngold at English Wikipedia, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
Torrance is a city in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, in Southern California. Even though it is one of the larger suburbs of Los Angeles (147,000 residents in 2020), it is overlooked by the throngs of tourists that visit LA. Torrance is often called "Japan's 48th Prefecture" due to its large Japanese population, and large Korean and other immigrant populations give the city a very global feel. Visitors wanting a quieter Los Angeles experience will do well to visit Torrance.
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Neither glamorous nor fancy, this clean, large, busy beach attracts thousands from the surrounding area. Parking is limited but nowhere near as poor as nearby Hermosa Beach or Venice Beach. Just due south of Torrance Beach is RAT Beach (Right After Torrance), which can only be accessed from Torrance Beach.
A must for television fans. In Beverly Hills, 90210, it served as the fictional West Beverly High. In Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it was Sunnydale High. It also served as the backdrop for other movies such as Fast Times At Ridgemont High, The Wild Life, Not Another Teen Movie, Bring It On, Whatever It Takes, Cursed, Wild Things 3, Bruce Almighty, and Less Than Zero. The building can be viewed from the outside but is not open to visits by the general public because it is a functioning school.
The Del Amo Financial Center is located adjacent to the Del Amo Mall on Hawthorne Blvd and has the tallest building in the beach cities located within it.
The Madrona Marsh Preserve is a seasonal wetland with vernal pools that is believed to be one of the last remaining vernal freshwater marshes in Los Angeles County. The 43 acres site was used for oil production from 1924 to 2003 before the oil wells were removed and it was protected by the city as a nature preserve. Visitors can enjoy a walk through the preserve, and there is also an 8000 ft2 nature center located across from the marsh that offers exhibits about the nature and history of the marsh, including several live animals. The area is also great for birdwatchers, with more than 275 native and 50 non-native species of birds observed at the marsh since 1980.
The Pacific Electric Railroad Bridge or Southern Pacific Railroad Bridge now officially named the "Pacific Electric Railway- El Prado Bridge" is a historic double-tracked arch bridge spanning Torrance Boulevard at Bow Street, a short distance west of Western Avenue. It was once part of the north/south Torrance to San Pedro spur line of the Pacific Electric Railway, that agency's first interurban line to San Pedro.
Columbia Park (formally Columbia Regional Park) is a 52 acre recreational urban regional park that provides the community with soccer fields, baseball diamonds, bocce ball courts, community gardening beds, walking paths, and a jogging—competitive cross country running trail. It is one of thirty parks in the Torrance Parks system.
A museum dedicated to the history of general and military aviation. Has a large collection of planes and aviation memorabilia. Adjacent to the main building of Torrance Airport; parking is shared with the airport.
City park with universally accessible treehouse-themed play structure. In addition to the playground, there are picnic tables and facilities for basketball, horseshoes, sand volleyball, softball, roller hockey, and tennis. Splash pad for water play is open from April to December. Site of the farmers' market on Tuesdays and Saturdays, 8AM–1PM. Wheelchair accessible. Restrooms.
Famous for their sweet Hawaiian Bread - this restaurant is owned by the same company. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Make sure to take home some fresh breads and cookies from the bakery.
A Japanese restaurant that is open late serving decent food at reasonable prices to a bustling crowd. The sushi is uninspiring although not bad, the sake is good and reasonably priced ($6.25 for a large bottle), and the Japanese dishes are relatively good at prices between $4 and $10 per item.
A cheap and cheerful authentic Mexican taco restaurant, that serves one of the best tacos and burritos in Los Angeles. The atmosphere is a bit grungy, but most items are under $5 and they serve cervezas till 2AM. One of the perks is that they are open 24 hours a day. Beware of the hot sauce, most people think they can handle it- but usually they're wrong.
Torrance is known for many Japanese restaurants, there is numerous ramen restaurants scattered around the city. However this place stands out amongst the bunch, big bowls of delicious soup and noodles are fairly priced and consistently delicious.
Miyako Hybrid Hotel in Torrance, California offers 208 Japanese-style lodging accommodations and 12 suites, 3 meeting rooms and restaurant, sushi bar, and lounge Gonpachi, near local attractions.
Del Amo Mall
Once billed as the largest mall in the world (and still #5 in the US), the Del Amo Fashion Center a beautiful outdoor promenade, with an AMC and a Lucky Strike Bowling Alley, stores like Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters, and decent restaurants like PF Chang's China Bistro. This mall has been used to film commercials, television shows and movies. Reno 911! regularly utilized the parking lots around the mall, and Jackie Brown was filmed in the International Food Court located in the mall.
Torrance is just a couple of miles south of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Interstate 405 (San Diego Freeway). Take the 42A exit and go south on State Route 107 (Hawthorne Boulevard).
Read in the guideTorrance is served by LA Metro, Torrance Transit, and GTrans, all of which are integrated with the TAP card payment system.net's South Bay and Gateway Cities map. However, public transportation is uncommon in Torrance.
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