E.T. Surf

Hermosa Beach is where Greg Noll and Hap Jacobs first sold surfboards, and where Surfing magazine cofounder LeRoy Grannis snapped that iconic image of Dewey Weber’s cutback off 22nd Street with a 35mm Pentax. Hermosa Beach, some argue, is California’s true surf city. E.T. sits in the middle of the 1.4-mile beach town and is two stories of controlled chaos. It was opened in the early '70s by Eddie Talbot, a shaping protege of Noll. Today, the place lacks the modern flourishes of more mainstream surf outlets. But what E.T. Surf may lack in polish, it makes up for in authenticity. It's beloved by loyalists, most of whom have been picking up their surf and skate necessities since buying their first E.T. Ripstix as kids. Just being in E.T. Surf, with rows of skateboard decks hanging behind the cash registers and photos of local surfers posted on the walls, gives you a sense that you are in an important place in LA surf and skate history.