Anniversary Adventures: Balboa Island
22 Jun 2012
One of our favorite parts of our weekend in Newport Beach was Balboa Island. It’s just off the mainland and accessible by ferry or by bridge. Parking is very tight on the island, so we left the car in Newport Beach and walked over. It was a gloriously sunny day, and the island was so lovely.
The island itself is pretty tiny, but it does have one main street with shops and restaurants and a canal or two, where boats are docked. So charming. I loved the little post office.
We followed people with bags of goodies to the candy store along the main drag. We didn’t end up buying any, but we had fun looking at all the pretty displays.
But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that part of the charm of Balboa Island is that one of my favorite shows of all time was set here. That’s right, the inimitable Arrested Development. Although it was filmed mostly in Marina Del Rey and Culver City, the show is very rooted in this setting, and I understood that so much better after this weekend. All of the jokes just became much funnier! The first time I saw a person on a Segway at the beach, I thought it was a fluke, but then…there were dozens more of them. GOB Bluth, you’re in good company. I didn’t know that we’d find such a close sibling to the Bluth’s famous banana stand (“There’s always money in the banana stand!”), but lo and behold, frozen bananas are the true Balboa Island treat! The sign looks so much like the Bluth one that I was pinching myself.
What’s even funnier is that there is a rival banana stand, also claiming to be the original, just two doors down. The competing banana stand episode in real life! It seemed fairly obvious to me that Sugar N Spice was the real deal, so that’s the one we chose.
Alas, I cannot report that we had frozen bananas. Because…they also had these dipped ice cream bars that were too good to pass up. They’re called Balboa bars. Not as funny as frozen bananas, but…bigger! My topping was Heath bar, and Eric had “Everything.” He said it mostly tasted like Oreos, but he wasn’t complaining.
After eating those, we were happy to walk around a bit! This grand canal is really kind of tiny, but lined with houses painted in bright and beautiful colors. So pretty.
We walked back over the bridge and started heading home, bringing the memories of a happy Sunday stroll with us. And now that I have ascertained exactly where Arrested Development was filmed, we may have to take a field trip there too! Who else is holding their breath for the movie and the extra episodes? Fingers crossed!

Jun 22, 2012 @ 08:18:18
That Heath covered ice cream bar made my mouth water!
Jun 23, 2012 @ 16:08:39
Mine too! I love heath topping: crunchy!
Jun 22, 2012 @ 08:43:28
Yes! I hope the ghosts of Mr. Bananagrabber and Baby Bananagrabber accompanied you on your journey. I would have been geeking out in the extreme.
Jun 23, 2012 @ 16:08:16
Most definitely! And I was assuredly geeking out. You will have to ask Eric about my squeals of delight and the 20 pictures I took of the stand!
Jun 22, 2012 @ 08:44:18
omg.. look at those ice cream bars! yum.
the post office is so charming.. i love that.
and love the barrels of taffy.. i don’t think I have ever had any taffy..
Jun 23, 2012 @ 16:07:39
Thank you! I am not a huge fan of taffy (too chewy–I like crunchy things better!), but I did have some as a special treat when I was little. Good times!
Jun 22, 2012 @ 14:16:17
What an adorable place! I, too, thought of AD as soon as I saw the banana stand. In addition to smiling from the town’s sheer cuteness and your happy prose, I am chuckling as I recall Tobias’ shorts, Bob Loblaw, and of course, The Final Countdown. I didn’t know there were rumors of a movie — that’s great news. And most of all, I’ve gotta check out Balboa Island someday!
Jun 23, 2012 @ 16:06:57
Yes, definitely! The latest version of the news is that they are going to release a movie (in 2013, I think?), but before that, they are going to release one episode per character, giving an update on their life. These episodes will go straight to Netflix. Holding my breath!
Jun 22, 2012 @ 17:37:10
Wow that ice cream looks great. What a cute island to explore on your anniversary. We’re going to have a make a list of all the places to visit the next time we are there.
Jun 23, 2012 @ 16:05:36
Definitely! Slowly but surely, we are starting to learn our way around town 🙂
A Trip to The Office | Krug the Thinker
Jun 26, 2012 @ 05:04:50
[…] you can totally geek out by visiting the locations of your favorite shows and movies. Our hunt for Arrested Development on Balboa Island reminded me of another little trip we took in May–to the set of The Office. This show holds a […]
Montrose | Krug the Thinker
Jul 31, 2012 @ 05:07:07
[…] our last spin through town we found…Balboa bars! We had these on our anniversary trip to Balboa Island, where they starred alongside Arrested Development style frozen bananas. Another reason to come […]