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Coronado is also the name of the swanky-yet-quaint city on a peninsula populated by Navy officers and some of California's wealthiest. It can be reached by ferry boat for a few dollars from downtown San Diego. There is free parking at the beach but it is on a public street so it can be challenging, Leatherman said. On a recent spring afternoon, tourists from China to Russia sprawled out on its beach in front of "Hotel Del," lounging on blankets in the sun. A Navy ship dotted the horizon. One man aimed his camera upward, thrilled as the quiet lapping of waves was interrupted with the roar of a Navy jet from a nearby base doing a training exercise. Lifelong San Diego County resident 55-year-old Nellie Landeros said it is her favorite beach. "It's gorgeous," she said. "Just the setting alone feels like we're in another world." Billy Pavlacka, 51, has been visiting Coronado Beach weekly for 30 years. Known as "The Sand Castle Man," Pavlacka was building a towering castle with rows of arches and spheres. He said he spotted an aircraft carrier and submarine earlier that day. Flecks of the glittery mica mineral make the sand shimmer in the sunlight. "If you look at the sand you can see it sparkling," said a tanned Pavlacka, with gray locks peeking out from under his baseball cap. "People ask me all the time if it's gold." The top 10 list is in its 22nd year. Beaches do not pay to be evaluated for the top 10 best beaches list. Leatherman said he visits top 10 candidates incognito to collect sand and water samples for study.
[Associated
Press;
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