Day Trippers: Frankie Harrer
Photography by Yasmine Diba
Welcome to Day Trippers - a series of travel guides brought to you by Sun Bum. In this series, we get a local’s perspective from some of the raddest people in action sports about their home towns - from Noosa Australia to Frankie’s hometown of Malibu.
‘Hometown’ is a flexible term for a series like this because by virtue of the profession, much of the talent featured are and always have been fairly nomadic. More like ‘current and most established base of operations,’ but that isn’t as catchy as ‘hometown’. So to be fair to all, like I said, professional surfer, tube lord, mother, and ceramicist, Frankie Harrer’s hometown is in and all around Malibu, so that’s where we visit today. This iteration of Day Trippers is more like a day - a perfect, relaxed, cruising day - in the life of one of Malibu’s most talented young rippers.
If you are in Malibu and looking to live like the locals, you must be willing to slow a bit. Enjoy the little things. The free things. The treats. The friends. The breeze. The waves. Take a day like Frankie (and her daughter, Yara) does: unbothered, treat tightly in hand, happy. Frozen yogurt, a toy store, multiple beaches, smoothies, a bit of sun, some hands in the clay, and back home for a sip; this a very good day.
SOMETHING YOU LOVE ABOUT YOUR HOMETOWN?
I love Malibu. It’s obviously home to me so it’ll always be comfortable. It’s close enough to the city, but really pretty beaches and mellow lifestyle kind of hard to beat if you want to be in the greater LA zone.
SOMETHING YOU DON’T LOVE ABOUT YOUR HOMETOWN?
Its hard to stay there for a lot of local people financially.
Zuma Beach
‘My local and go to, usually! First place I look in the mornings.’
‘First place you go in the morning’ would have been a very good prompt for this series, we wish we had thought of that. It says a lot about a person and what they prioritize. What do they seek first? Frankie seeks the ocean, the sand, the sun. Zuma Beach, with it’s miles of coastline and easy access, is an easy go-to.
Vitamin Barn
‘The best smoothies and health food store in Malibu, the Lean shake or everything wrap are banging.’
For the health-conscious Malibu-ite (-an? Is it Malibuian? Malibite?), Frankie recommends a Vitamin Barn smoothie to kick off the day. Family operated, the freshest juice, and a dash of AC on a hot day, this place is just what you need. Yara approved.
Malibu Yogurt
‘Also a Malibu classic and Yara’s fav on this list .’
Oh wow, two cold treats in one day! Yara living! Get it? Like, ‘you’re living’ but it’s Yara cause this is Yara’s favorite on the list and Yara sounds kind of like ‘you’re’? My humor is wasted on you. Go get a bit of frozen something to sweeten you up a bit, we have a long day ahead of us.
Toy Crazy
‘Toy store I’ve been going to as long as I can remember, and now I bring Yara, too. I love that places like that still exist in Malibu.’
Did Yara write this guide? Should this be her episode of Day Trippers? The (Daughter of) Frankie Harrer Guide to Malibu? Either way, we feel a certain solidarity with brick and mortar stores as they face the same digital struggles that we in media do, and with a name like Toy Crazy(!!!), how could we not back it 100%? Even if you’re not a toddler, there's something at Toy Crazy for everyone. Maybe you need a little rubber dinosaur. You think you don’t? You do. What about your significant other? You were going to get them a ring? A bit played out, isn’t it? Do something cute for once and get matching Bluey keychains instead.
Westward Beach
‘Down the beach from Zuma and gets super fun. Also great car hangs looking at the waves.’
More than one beach in a single day is the fucking move. Scope Zuma, get a bit warm, go get a smoothie, buy some toys for yourself, then hop down to Westward. Even if the waves suck, the car hang is a good relaxer. (We’d also like to thank Frankie for shouting out the validity of the parking lot as a destination to hang. It is an underrated, casual, and free format of socializing. Skaters, surfers, and druggies hang out in parking lots, which check a lot of our boxes).
Country Kitchen
‘One of the best breakfasts or lunches in Malibu. 100% breakfast burrito is my go-to.’
Always interested to know where our favorite people choose to eat. Did you know that Nick Cave only eats at Taco Bell while touring? You didn’t? That’s because it’s probably not true. But how interested were you in that fact just now? Exactly our point. Frankie Harrer’s tastebuds bring her gliding like a cartoon wolf to a pie in the window straight to Country Kitchen in Las Flores. At a great price and quality taste, Country Kitchen is a must-eat.
OUT Front ceramics
‘Cooper McDonnell is the absolute best person and makes beautiful ceramic pieces.’
When in need of an artistic release, a meditative and restorative experience, and a cute little cup all at the same time, Out Front Ceramics is your place. It’s a place to get your hands wet and onto a medium, molding bits of earth into whatever your fingers and imagination can manage to concoct. A singular and enthralling practice, ceramics is one of if not the most tactile, physically-manipulative medium. We think you should try it.
home
‘Drinks and bbqs in the backyard. Not many good bars in Malibu so we have friends over a lot or go out to LA.’
You probably can’t go to Frankie’s home, that’d be weird and we do not recommend that at all. However, we encourage you to find a bit of home in Malibu for yourself. In lieu of bars, finish your day with community in a gathering place nestled in trees, the sand, or in cliffs, huddled around a BBQ and a few beers. Another reason ‘hometown’ is flexible: it’s not about birth. Sometimes you don’t discover your hometown for years, and sometimes you know it when you see it. Home is where you feel it, and we hope you feel it in Malibu.
