Balboa Island: A Bit of Paradise in Newport Harbor

A gracefully arched bridge is all that connects the bustling coastal city of Newport Beach to the island getaway that is Balboa Island. Surrounded by the sparkling emerald waters of Newport Harbor, the island boasts excellent shopping, sights, activities, and dining, and is a place that many call home. Its narrow streets and thriving main avenue, known as Marine Street, transport visitors to a simpler time in Newport's history, when the bay held more empty sandbars than mega-yachts.

The journey from the mainland to the island takes only a few seconds by car and perhaps a minute on foot, but that brief period travel allows a transformation to take place. The thrumming expanse of Jamboree and Pacific Coast Highway narrow into a single lane road that coasts beneath the towering eucalyptus trees of Marine. There, humble shops and eateries line a generous sidewalk dotted with benches and the ever-presents pigeons that call the island home.

The island's staple food item is the balboa bar, a vanilla ice cream bar slathered in warm chocolate and then dipped in an array of toppings that can be found at a number of ice cream shops on the island. Another island tradition is the frozen banana, which gets the same treatment as the balboa bar but packs a little more nutritional punch. Besides these time-honored ice cream shops, Marine bears a number of excellent restaurants, ranging from the simple fare of Wilma's Patio to the exotic flavors of Shanghai Pine Garden, Pas Tu Cafe, and Ciao.

While there is certainly no shortage of places to eat on the island, the shopping scene takes the prize. Stores range from the funky casual wear of Fresh Produce to the always-hip Even Sisters, which stocks popular local surf clothing, jewelry, and home decor items in an ever-friendly and welcoming store. All of the stores on the island are small boutiques that boast sophisticated and unique items one would be hard-pressed to find elsewhere. Of course, because the island draws so many tourists, it also houses a number of less-than-stellar t-shirt and souvenir shops that seem to wilt beside the elegance of stores like Island Home and Five Seas. Martha's Bookstore stocks popular titles as well as work from local authors and titles highlighting the history and tales of the island and the greater area.

Rounding out Marine Street is the island's fire station, a church, and Hershey's market, all of which make traveling to the mainland a rare necessity.

The true heart of the island has to be the homes, which run the gamut from tiny one-story beach shacks to double- or triple-lot masterpieces of modern architecture. Quiet streets run parallel to Marine from end to end, while a lucky few houses line the island's edge and boast spectacular bay views. Most bay front houses have docks, and the vast majority front beaches as well. A narrow canal divides the main island from Little Island, which provides a little respite for those who wish to live out of the center of the bustling tourist action and traffic of the big island.

A short jaunt up Marine and down Park Avenue leads visitors to the only other means of reaching the island: the ferry. While to most the ferry is a unique way to see the bay and travel from the island to the Peninsula, many locals use it rather than driving all the way around Newport to reach the ocean beaches. Holding three cars each, the ferries run all day long and into the night during certain times of the year. Pedestrians and bikers are also welcomed on board, and all riders pay a small fee for the short voyage.

Next to the ferry ramp is a fuel dock for boats, a pilates studio, a small grill, and a fishing/tackle shop. The biggest hit on the ferry side of the island, however, is the fruit stand, which bears a number of fresh fruits and the always-delicious chocolate-dipped strawberries.

Perhaps the only drawback to the island is its popularity; during peak summer months, getting on and off can be problematic, and the bridge frequently backs up as residents and tourists cram onto the island. Although this can be irritating to some residents or those seeking services on the island, it's hard to deny the island's allure. The charm of the small streets, friendly residents, and magnificent views easily overshadows the hassle that moving around the island can be.

This paradise is no secret, but Balboa Island simply wouldn't be the same without that familiar buzz of new visitors rubbing shoulders with decades-long inhabitants, each reveling in the bliss of cool ocean breezes, warm summer days, and those delicious balboa bars.