From Garrison Frost in his online "journal of arts and ideas," The Aesthetic:

American Martyrs Church: You can't understand the South Bay until you understand Manhattan Beach, and you can't understand Manhattan Beach until you understand American Martyrs Church....

Becker Surfboards: There are plenty of surf shops in the South Bay, but perhaps none have influenced the area in the manner that Phil Becker's modest shop has since it first opened in Hermosa Beach in 1974....

Internet access: Hermosa Beach recently was the first South Bay city to provide free internet access to residents....

Punk rock: One of the few artistic genres – musical or otherwise – that can actually claim to have its origins in the South Bay....

Zapata: No, there's nothing really that specifically connects the legendary Mexican revolutionary with the South Bay, but nonetheless we do find ourselves looking at his portrait quite a bit in the local restaurants....

It's volume one.