I lived in that area for many years first as a young dude and then many years later when I was married.
Went to Aviation High a couple of years before moving to Huntington Beach and finishing High School there. Of course a few years later they tore Aviation High down.
For me in High School The Strand was a movie theater in Redondo Beach, just a block from the pier, and the immediate area around it got the name "the strand" (at least that's what me and my surfing buddies called it).
Many years later got married and lived on the Esplanade in Redondo, on the beach, about a quarter mile from the pier. They used a giant grooming machine to keep the beach clean. Loved it there (my wife about killed me when moved from there to the Florida Keys..... and then she got into the Keys life and thought it was great).
Some good places to eat at that time (late 80's) on the pier; my favorite was Old Tony's.
Great area... Palos Verdes down through Hermosa and Manhattan Beach. Lots of good places to eat. It got so crowded, which is why I moved. Some of that area is kind of overrun now with homeless (I go back to visit every few months). Prices for homes there are astronomical but, there's only so much waterfront.
