Let Your Vacation "Games" Begin
by Deborah Abrams Kaplan
Maybe you don't like the thought of fighting the crowds in Beijing this August but you're feeling inspired to take a sports-centered vacation. Then consider heading to a former Olympic city. You'll not only encounter fewer people, in some cases you'll have access to the athletic venues for your workout (something you'd never be able to get in China). In addition to world-class sports facilities, these sites boast plenty of active ways for you to stage your own games. Whether you're riding in the Olympic equestrian park outside Atlanta or rowing in Montréal's Olympic Basin, you'll stay in shape and come home feeling like a winner.
Bump, Set, and Spike in the SunLos Angeles
While beach volleyball wasn't an Olympic sport when L.A. hosted the 1984 games, the power and grace (not to mention bikinis) of the players have been a huge draw since its Olympic introduction in 1996. One of beach volleyball's best players, three-time Olympian Holly McPeak, hails from Manhattan Beach, aka volleyball central, just three miles south of Los Angeles International Airport. On its two miles of sandy waterfront, this exclusive coastal town boasts 150 volleyball courts, so it's easy to join a pickup game or start one of your own. The Beach Cities Ski Club runs open games (anyone can come) on Wednesday evenings and free Sunday volleyball clinics at the pink nets south of the Manhattan Beach Pier (bcskiclub.org).
In your spare time
With near-perfect year-round temperatures, the action is all outdoors here. Stretching 22 miles from Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades to Torrance County Beach, two separate but adjacent paths teem with bikers, walkers, skaters, and joggers. Rent wheels at Fun Bunn's Beach Rentals (bikes from $7 per hour, inline skates from $6 per hour; 1116 Manhattan Ave.) and check out the jaw-dropping oceanfront real estate along the paved trails.
To get your Olympics fix, drive 30 to 45 minutes from Manhattan Beach to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Exposition Park, just south of the University of Southern California. The site of both the 1932 and 1984 Olympic track and field events as well as the opening and closing ceremonies, the Coliseum is now home to USC Trojan football games and other events.
Where to stay
Manhattan Beach's first luxury boutique hotel, Shade, is in the heart of downtown (from $275; shade hotel.com). After an active day, soak in the two-person spa while basking in the glow of chromatherapy lighting (the colors change to suit your mood).
