Waves explore on the weekend

Santa Monica Ferris wheel lighting up the pier at night. (Photo by Hannah Robbins)

It’s no secret that Malibu is one of Southern California’s most isolated cities. Hidden in between sprawling canyons, Malibu provides its residents with the quiet feeling of serenity and security. It is close enough to Los Angeles for fun activities to be accessible, yet far enough away to avoid all the craziness of the big city.

With access to some of the best beaches in California, the big city of LA and a ton of campus events, the Pepperdine student body has many options for weekend events.

“One of the biggest perks of Pepperdine’s location is the proximity to a lot of cool places; we have the benefits of a big city without actually being in LA,” sophomore economics major Jacob Nakamura said.

Local Life
Malibu’s lifestyle is great for nature lovers. With hidden hikes in the canyons and sparkling blue beaches, there’s lots to do on the weekends.

“I love our location because I love nature; when I was a student I got to embrace both the mountains and the ocean,” said Professor of Communication Jennifer Akamine-Phillips, Pepperdine class of 2006. “I loved it — whether it was the late-night conversations on the beach, night hikes or finding beautiful locations all around Malibu to have fun adventures and good conversations, my friends and I did it all.”

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Zuma Beach just before sunset. (Photo by Hannah Robbins)

In a fall 2015 survey of 60 Pepperdine students, roughly 45 percent said going to the beach is their favorite weekend activity. Luckily, Malibu offers some of the nation’s best beaches. A local favorite is off of Malibu Road behind the Ralphs shopping center. Hidden in a residential neighborhood, this semi-private beach offers an alternative to the more crowded beaches south of Malibu.

North of Pepperdine, Zuma Beach is about three miles of tan sand beaches running parallel to Pacific Coast Highway, a known location for some good surf spots.

“Zuma is the only consistent beach where you can count on there always being a wave to ride,” sophomore sports medicine major Blake Blacklidge said. “It’s a good beach for beginners, because they can ride the whitewater, but it allows more advanced surfers to get barreled.”

Malibu Lagoon State Beach, commonly known as Surfrider Beach, is just south of Pepperdine. It’s even more known for great surf.

“Surfrider beach is world-famous,” said Emmet Pierson, junior international studies major and Malibu native. “The waves hold up so well, you can get a nice long ride, between 200 and 300 yards. The wave is great, but the beaches aren’t necessarily the best in Malibu. So it’s definitely a better spot for surfing rather than just lounging at the beach.”

Another local favorite is El Matador State Beach, about 10 miles north of Pepperdine directly off of Pacific Coast Highway. It is a steep walk downhill from PCH, but the view is hard to beat. Large rock formations formed in the sand create a picture-perfect 180-degree view of the Pacific Ocean.

Malibu terrain is not only is known for the beaches, but the incredible canyons and hiking trails.

Point Dume is one of the best-known hiking areas, which offers various routes depending on difficulty level. All routes give visitors a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean’s sparkling blue waters.

Piuma Trailhead off of Malibu Canyon is a hidden beauty. The trail up to the flat-topped mountain is slightly less than three miles, and although it may sound short, local hiking enthusiasts said it is surprisingly difficult.

“I like Piuma Trailhead because it’s challenging,” sophomore communication major Ann Pollan said. “The course is not clear on which way to go, so you have to use your head; also, it gives you a lot of different trail options. The trail is pretty thin and you have to be careful, but if I’m really looking for a workout with a great view, this is my go-to.”

Another one of Pollan’s favorite hikes is Eagle Rock Trail off of Topanga Canyon.

“Eagle Rock is good for a group of people — the trails are really wide and it’s not as challenging as Piuma,” Pollan said. “The view is amazing and it’s desolate; it’s behind a neighborhood, so you have to have heard about it to know about it.”

SoCal Scene

Pepperdine’s location allows the student body access to greater Los Angeles. This includes Hollywood, Venice, Santa Monica, Westwood and Downtown LA.

Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles is great for for a free night of fun, Nakamura said.

“The view at Griffith Observatory is pretty incredible,” Nakamura said. “It’s definitely worth a look.”

If going into LA seems like too far of a drive, Venice is a closer option. With a lot of boutique shopping and delicious restaurants, it is a crowd-pleaser.  

“I love going to Venice on the weekends, even if it’s just walking around downtown it’s still fun,” Pierson said. “Plus, First Fridays always get me over there. I’ve found some of the best food in Venice. I’ve adapted to the lifestyle of living in Malibu my whole life. It isn’t a normal city — you have to step out of your comfort zone if you want to have fun, explore things, there’s actually a lot of cool stuff out here for people our age. You just have to look for it.”

One hard to find place that is worth the hunt is Sunny Blue in Venice.

“One of the best places I’ve eaten at in Venice is Sunny Blue,” sophomore international relations major Alia Jones said. “It’s a tiny place in between a bunch of small boutiques, so you have to keep your eyes open for it. They serve these little rice balls filled with different fillings like chicken, seafood or seaweed. It sounds weird, but it’s amazing.”

Sunny Blue is located off of Main Street, and the rice balls range from $3 to $5.

Close to Venice Beach is Santa Monica. A lot of students know Santa Monica as an active, charming beach city. The beaches are lined with bike paths that are a fun activity on a not-too-hot day. Students can rent bikes at a handful of shops along the beach. According to Santa Monica Beach Bike Rentals’ website, the company charges $15 for the entire day.

Santa Monica Pier is also a good place for a night adventure. Students can spot the colorful lights from the massive light-up Ferris wheel and rollercoaster miles away. Street performers are often putting on a show before the start of the pier, whether it’s a musical act, a magician or the man with the big yellow snake.

Those looking for more of a college town feel might check out West Hollywood, or Westwood for short. Westwood is home to the campus of University of California, Los Angeles and a lot of good food. Diddy Riese is a crowd favorite, selling $2 ice cream sandwiches with several cookie varieties and ice cream flavors to choose from.

Action and adventure can be found in Westwood, too. Escapedom, just off of Westwood Boulevard and Rochester Avenue, is a new type of fun called escape room entertainment. Groups enter one of the four rooms at Escapedom and become fully immersed in an alternate world where they have to save the day. Participants are given a scenario and an hour to complete their task list. The themes of the rooms range from an FBI lair to solving a murder. The environment is meant to be challenging and fun, and is great for a group of people. The cost is $24, and be sure to make a reservation.

Within an hour and a half of Pepperdine there are also a lot of amusement parks. Whether it’s Disneyland, California Adventure, Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios or Magic Mountain, many students enjoy reverting to their inner child for the day.

On Campus

When leaving campus isn’t ideal, staying on campus for the weekend can be fun, too.

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Pepperdine Malibu Campus at night. (Photo by Hannah Robbins)

“A lot of different programs have social calendars: the Career Center, Greek life, Student Programming Board, Spiritual Life, HRL and so many more,” Brittany Chin-Lee, associate director of Student Activities, said. 

Housing and Residence Life is an organization on campus that promotes student activities and events through on-campus housing.

“As resident advisers, we are required to put programs on with the consistency of at least twice a month,” said Mitchell Holmes senior, HRL member and RA for Dewey. “We use what’s called the WAVES model — Wellness, Awareness, Vocation, Engagement and Service — to try and incorporate those characteristics into the events we plan. Our goal is to engage the residents and help them have a good time.”

A unique feature of Pepperdine is its Greek life. Pepperdine is home to seven sororities and five fraternities, all of which have events going on throughout the year.

“Each sorority and fraternity picks a certain cause they want to sponsor, then they put on an event for that specific cause. Some events are for the national chapter, and some support a different foundation each year,” said Abby George, sophomore integrated marketing and communications major and member of Tri Delta sorority. “Greek and non-Greek students are all welcome; the cost is usually between $5 and $10 and it’s for a great cause.”

Greek life is one of the many great ways to get involved on campus.

“My freshman year at Pepperdine, I made it my goal to throw myself into the school; I wanted to be busy,” Akamine-Phillips said. “I had a really good time in Greek life, I was a Pi Phi. My favorite event had to be Songfest — it sounds so cliched, but it was so fun. My senior year we teamed up with Kappa Kappa Gamma and Sigma Chi and took the win. Definitely one of my best memories.”

The group behind most of the events that are hosted on campus on the weekends is the Student Programming Board. The Board consists of 14 students who are dedicated to bringing fun events to campus throughout the year.

The Board is responsible for events such as Blue and Orange Madness; Reelstories film festival, Coffeehouses, the spring concert and many more. The Student Programming Board has the goal of putting on two events each weekend, one on Friday and one on Saturday, so there is always something to do on campus on the weekends.

The Pepperdine Improv Troupe, PIT, puts on monthly improv performances for the student body almost every month.

“I was really impressed, I went to PIT for the first time a couple months ago and it was hilarious,” junior business administration major Troy Hanson said. “They’re all really witty and great at thinking of things on the spot. All of Elkins Auditorium was full when I went; it was a really cool thing for a Friday night.”

Hannah Robbins completed this story in Dr. Christina Littlefield’s fall 2015 Jour 241 class.