Manhattan Beach Pier

Let's call these MVPs - Must Visit Piers. Here are my choices from south to north: Southern California - Coronado Ferry Landing, San Diego: Don't tell San Francisco, but this spot may have the most jaw-dropping city views in the state. Highlights include the snazzy skyline, whatever Navy craft are at berth and the Coronado Bay Bridge. But the real draw is the traffic (sailboats to freighters) in the channel. - Crystal Pier, San Diego County: Its trim cottages - built in 1936 and rehabbed over the years - line both sides of the pier.

Let's call these MVPs - Must Visit Piers. Here are my choices from south to north: Southern California - Coronado Ferry Landing, San Diego: Don't tell San Francisco, but this spot may have the most jaw-dropping city views in the state. Highlights include the snazzy skyline, whatever Navy craft are at berth and the Coronado Bay Bridge. But the real draw is the traffic (sailboats to freighters) in the channel. - Crystal Pier, San Diego County: Its trim cottages - built in 1936 and rehabbed over the years - line both sides of the pier.

The City Council narrowly endorsed a resolution asking the state Department of Parks and Recreation to restore rather than replace Manhattan Beach Pier, which was damaged during winter storms in 1983. The resolution, adopted on a 3-2 vote, asks the state to prepare cost estimates for restoration of the pier to its original appearance and for long-term maintenance. Mayor Jan Dennis and council members Gil Archuletta and Connie Sieber voted in favor of restoration.

Portions of Manhattan Beach that were reopened recently after a sewage spill last month were closed Tuesday when health officials found that high levels of bacteria remain in the sand, according to Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe. The areas include a portion of the beach under the Manhattan Beach Pier and another near 21st Street. Both areas were affected by the Jan. 15 sewage spill from a Manhattan Beach pumping station.

FISH MAN: They called him "Fish Man." Tens of thousands of visitors and residents came to know Bob Potter during the nine years that he taught at the Manhattan Beach pier's Oceanographic Teaching Station and rescued distressed sea creatures along the coast.

A surfing tournament to raise funds for Heal the Bay will be held Saturday at the Manhattan Beach Pier. Check-in time for competitors is 6:30 a.m. and the competition will begin at 7:30. Entry fee is $35 and includes a T-shirt, membership in Heal the Bay and a free dinner after the event. The tournament is open to all ages and will be divided into contests for shortboards and longboards. It is being sponsored by the Dapper Dan Surfing Assn. Information: (213) 545-6938.

The 34th annual International Surf Festival to promote healthy living is offering more beach activities than ever this year. The three-day event, sponsored by the Manhattan Beach-based Beach Cities Health District and Body Glove, began Friday with a surfing competition at the Manhattan Beach Pier and will continue throughout the weekend with events in Hermosa, Manhattan and Redondo beaches.

PIER IMPROVEMENTS: The Manhattan Beach City Council is reviewing plans for a series of improvements at the base of the Manhattan Beach Pier, city officials said. Included in the plans are new guard rails, improved restrooms and an enclosure for trash containers. If approved, Dolan said, the work would be funded by Proposition A, a 1992 voter-approved bond initiative. He estimates the overhaul would cost about $250,000.

Portions of Manhattan Beach that were reopened recently after a sewage spill last month were closed Tuesday when health officials found that high levels of bacteria remain in the sand, according to Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe. The areas include a portion of the beach under the Manhattan Beach Pier and another near 21st Street. Both areas were affected by the Jan. 15 sewage spill from a Manhattan Beach pumping station.

For Stein Metzger and Jake Gibb, winning the Manhattan Beach Open wasn't about ending the top-seeded team jinx, proving something in a made-up East Coast-West Coast beach volleyball rivalry or strengthening their grip on the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals season points race lead. All of those things were secondary Sunday when they defeated Phil Dalhausser and Nick Lucena, 21-19, 21-10, in the crown jewel of beach volleyball, where making history is the primary spoils for the victors.

The top two women's teams in beach volleyball arrived at the Manhattan Beach Open in different frames of mind Friday, but left the courts near the Manhattan Beach Pier undefeated after opening day, on course for an anticipated final clash. Top-seeded Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh breezed through three matches, giving up 15 or fewer points in each game as they tried to shake off last week's 21-16, 21-15 loss -- the most lopsided defeat of their four-year tenure as teammates.

The Manhattan Beach Open begins today with all the pomp befitting the crown jewel of the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals, but it's also shrouded in sadness. This will be the first Manhattan Beach Open played without Charlie Saikley, the "godfather of beach volleyball." Saikley died of cancer in June at 69. "It's going to be really strange this year," said Karch Kiraly, who has won the Manhattan Beach Open a record eight times. "It's not going to feel quite like Manhattan without him.

Beach volleyball players have long recognized the Manhattan Beach Open as the top event on the Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Nissan Series and fans of the sport hold the tournament in high regard. But what the so-called "Wimbledon of Beach Volleyball" needs to attain true major championship status is growth, something the AVP tour has been pushing for, but city of Manhattan Beach officials have met with lukewarm enthusiasm.

To find Jason Ring and George Roumain during an Assn. of Volleyball Professionals Nissan Series event, simply follow the crowd. Fans are drawn to Ring's high-flying, acrobatic style that has earned him the nickname "Hydraulica" and Roumain's imposing 6-foot-7, 260-pound frame that sometimes gets him mistaken for pro wrestler-turned-actor the Rock. Their unorthodox power game, emotive celebrations and trash talking after particularly well-played points also seem to draw interest.

A man barricaded himself alone in a shoe store near the Manhattan Beach pier Saturday evening, causing police to evacuate much of the city's normally lively downtown. Officers from neighboring cities, police sharpshooters and hostage negotiators fanned through the area for several hours. Police Lt. Tony DiGenova said officers got a call shortly after 5 p.m. about a possible robbery at a Skechers store. A man had entered the store and begun talking to an employee, possibly about a job.

The picture of Manhattan Beach Pier ("A Renewed Buoyancy About Piers" by Sam Kaplan, Oct. 11) brought back childhood memories from 1913-1922. I have early snaps of Manhattan (in) a scrapbook I'm putting together about some of my first 75 years of experience for my grandchildren. I remember well some of the old-timers . . . and my brother delivering groceries by horse and wagon. ROBERT TAYLOR Tustin

The Women's Professional Volleyball Assn. will hold the $80,000 Coors Light World Championships this weekend in Manhattan Beach. Defending champions Linda Carrillo of Van Nuys and Liz Masakayan of Brentwood are seeded first in the 32-team, double-elimination tournament. The San Diego team of Karolyn Kirby and Nancy Reno is seeded second, with Jackie Silva of Redondo Beach and Angela Rock of San Diego No. 3. Preliminary matches start today at 9 a.m. near the Manhattan Beach Pier.

As a teenager, Eric Fonoimoana used to be part of the set-up crew at the Manhattan Beach Open, making sure the nets were tight and the sidelines were straight before the tournament began. It was a good summer job for a kid who lived three blocks from the Manhattan Beach pier. And he always had a sweet seat to watch legends Mike Dodd and Tim Hovland win year after year the tournament dubbed the "Wimbledon of the sand" by beach volleyball fans.

A pickup truck belonging to a possibly suicidal Long Beach woman missing since Wednesday was found near the Manhattan Beach pier Sunday evening, and police said neighbors reported it had been parked since Friday. Meanwhile, the husband of Jerri Antoinette Taylor, 47, said checks on credit card charges had led to a Long Beach hotel that she apparently stayed in the first night after leaving home.