This shimmering blue inlet is what first attracted everyone to La Jolla, from Native Americans to the glitterati; it's the secret to the village's enduring cachet. You'll find the cove -- as locals always refer to it, as though it were the only one in San Diego -- beyond where Girard Avenue dead-ends into Coast Boulevard, marked by towering palms that line a promenade where people strolling in drop-dead designer clothes are as common as Frisbee throwers.

Smaller beaches appear and disappear with the tides, which carve small private coves in cliffs covered with ice plants. Pathways lead down to the beaches. Keep an eye on the tide to avoid getting trapped once the waves come in. A long layer of sandstone stretching out above the waves provides a perfect sunset-watching spot, with plenty of tiny tide pools formed in eroded pockets in the rocks; starfish, sea anemones, and hermit crabs cluster here when the tide is in. Be careful, because these rocks can get slippery.

An underwater preserve at the north end of La Jolla Cove makes the adjoining beach the most popular one in the area. On summer days, when the water visibility reaches 20-feet deep or so, the sea seems to disappear under the mass of bodies floating face down, snorkels poking up out of the water. The small beach is covered with blankets, towels, and umbrellas, and the lawns at the top of the stairs leading down to the cove are staked out by groups of scuba divers, complete with wet suits and tanks. The Children's Pool, at the south end of the park, has a curving beach protected by a seawall from strong currents and waves. Since the pool and its beach have become home to an ever-growing colony of Harbor seals, it's no longer open to swimmers; however it's the best place on the coast to view these engaging creatures, who are currently the subject of a fierce local debate unlikely to be resolved any time soon. Make sure to walk through Ellen Browning Scripps Park, past the groves of twisted junipers to the cliff's edge. Perhaps one of the open-air shelters overlooking the sea will be unoccupied, and you can spread your picnic out on a table and enjoy the scenery.